Spellbook of restore ability
| spellbook of + restore ability 
| |
|---|---|
| Appearance | random |
| Abundance | 2.5% |
| Base price | 400 zm |
| Weight | 50 |
| Turns to read | 15 |
| Ink to write | 20–39 |
| Spell type | healing |
| Level | 4 |
| Power cost | 20 Pw |
| Direction | non-directional |
| Equivalent | potion of restore ability |
| Special for | monk |
In NetHack, the spellbook of restore ability can be read to learn the spell of restore ability. It is a level 4 healing spell, and the spellbook takes 17 actions (roughly 15 turns) to read. It is considered an emergency spell, and is the special spell for Monks.
Contents
Generation
Spellbooks of restore ability make up 1⁄40 (2.5%) of all randomly-generated spellbooks. General stores, second-hand bookstores and rare books stores can stock spellbooks of restore ability.
The spellbook of restore ability is the Monk's default crowning gift, unless they are carrying the spellbook or wielding an artifact when they are crowned.[1]
Writing a spellbook of restore ability with a magic marker uses up 20 to 39 charges.
Description
A hero that successfully casts the spell of restore ability regains lost attributes, with the extent dependent on the hero's skill in healing spells:[2]
- Casting the spell at Basic or lower will restore a single lowered attribute to its peak.[3][4]
- Casting the spell at Skilled or higher restores all attributes up to their peaks at once.[3][5]
Unlike the potion of restore ability, casting the spell will not restore lost experience levels.
Attribute restoration from the spell of restore ability ignores any active source of sustain ability.[6] Strength lost due to being weak from hunger is not counted for purposes of restoring lost attributes, nor are any attributes "lost" as a result of being re-rolled from the hero polymorphing into a monster of their own race.
Strategy
While the spell of restore ability has valuable effects, by the time the vast majority of heroes even discover the spellbook–let alone become capable of casting it–they are likely to have found and blessed at least one unicorn horn, which can restore ability scores and also cure many other status conditions. Potions of restore ability can restore lost levels as well as attributes, and blessed potions are more reliable than both a blessed unicorn horn and the spell, the latter of which is dependent on the hero's casting skill and any penalties (or bonuses) from worn armor—this often makes the spell an inferior option, even for dedicated spellcasters.
Even so, the spell is not without its use cases: one of its primary advantages over the potion and unicorn horn is that using the spell can circumvent most dangers arising from item theft or destruction, as well as from the horn or potion becoming un-blessed or even cursed due to the curse items monster spell—a caster planning to utilize the spell does still have to be wary of their hands being welded to their weapons and/or shield by the monster spell. The spell can also restore attributes even while wearing a source of sustain ability, which the unicorn horn cannot.[6][7]
Monks in particular that can preserve their robe will have an easier time casting the spell should they choose to, especially when combined with the special spell bonus they receive; some Healers, Priests and Wizards can also put the spell to solid use with enough skill in healing spells, and a robe or helm of brilliance can make spellcasting in general much more consistent. The spell can also prove useful in the event that a player has a hard time finding unicorns to safely obtain a horn from.
The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that the information below is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate it.
Per commit 43d331c4, unicorn horns no longer restore lost attributes, making the spell somewhat more usable for this purpose.History
The spellbook of restore ability and its spell are introduced in NetHack 1.3d—from this version to NetHack 2.3e, the spellbook is known as the spellbook of restore strength (with the spell being the spell of restore strength). NetHack 3.0.0 introduces the other five attributes and gives the spellbook and spell their current names.
Messages
- Wow! This makes you feel good!
- You cast the spell of restore ability and regained lost attribute points.
- Wow! This makes you feel <better/great>!
- As above, but you are at Skilled or higher in healing spells—"better" is used if there are still lowered attributes afterward.
Variants
Variants of NetHack based on NetHack 3.4.3 and earlier versions will often change the spell of restore ability and/or lower the level of the spellbook to make it more useful. Several variants also limit or remove the unicorn horn's ability to restore lost attribute points, which also has the benefit of making the spell somewhat more useful for this purpose.
ZAPM
In ZAPM, the closest equivalent to the spell of restore ability from NetHack is the "restoration" mutant power.
dNetHack
In dNetHack, the Monk's crowning gift is changed from the spellbook of restore ability to the Grandmaster's Robe.
notdNetHack
In notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, in addition to dNetHack details, restore ability is the special spell of the ent race.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, the spellbook of restore ability has its level lowered to level 2: this makes the spell much easier to cast, and allows Priests and Wizards to potentially start with the spellbook and knowledge of the spell. The spell of restore ability is made directional, and can be cast at another monster to cure cancellation. This information also applies to Hack'EM.
References
- ↑ src/pray.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 788
- ↑ src/potion.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 597
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 src/potion.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 608
- ↑ src/potion.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 617
- ↑ src/potion.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 632
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 src/potion.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 603
- ↑ src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1995
