Wand of fire
| / | |
|---|---|
| Name | fire |
| Appearance | random |
| Abundance | 4% |
| Base price | 175 zm |
| Weight | 7 |
| Type | ray |
| Maximum charges | 8 |
| Monster use | May be used offensively by monsters. |
A wand of fire is a type of wand that appears in NetHack.
Contents
Generation
Wizards may be given a wand of fire as the random wand in their starting inventory.[1]
Wands of fire make up 1⁄25 (4%) of all randomly-generated wands. General stores and "quality apparel and accessories" shops can sell wands of fire.
Asmodeus is always generated with a wand of cold.[2]
Randomly created intelligent monsters may be generated with a wand of fire as a offensive item.[3]
Wands of fire are created with 4 to 8 charges.
Description
Zapping a wand of fire in a given direction emits a ray of fire that deals 6d6 damage to monsters that it hits unless they have fire resistance, while dealing an additional +7 bonus damage to monsters that have a fire vulnerability (i.e. they have cold resistance but not fire resistance).[4][5] The ray also has a 1⁄3 chance of burning vulnerable items in the victim's open inventory:[6] this partly burns worn armor and destroys scrolls, spellbooks, and globs of green slime, as well as making potions explode by igniting potions of oil and boiling other potions—each item destroyed this way deals fire damage to the victim, and each type of non-oil potion that explodes will subject the victim to the potion's vapors. Monsters can use this wand, and hostile ones will zap it at the hero.
Like most rays, a wand of fire's rays will bounce when it hits walls or targets with reflection—it will also evaporate pools of water and melt ice that it travels over, and destroys doors hit by the blast.
Engraving with a wand of fire will auto-identify the wand and overwrites any current engraving.
Breaking a wand of fire by applying it will create a damaging magical explosion of fire in a 3×3 square centered on the hero, auto-identifying the wand and dealing fire damage equal to (remaining charges)*d8, while also destroying scrolls, spellbooks and potions in the open inventory of affected monsters.[7]
The following information pertains to an upcoming version (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.
Rays of fire that partially or completely evaporate water squares will generate clouds of steam.Strategy
The wand of fire is a very strong offensive item against most monsters, but it is also dangerous for the hero to encounter early on when most characters do not have a readily-identifiable source of fire resistance. Even for a hero with the wand, they should be careful of rebounds as with many other wand rays; rebounds can also be used deliberately to rack up damage against vulnerable monsters, especially ones with fire weaknesses. Its chance of burning items in a target's inventory may deter a hero from using it, though it may conversely be employed to try destroying specific items such as suspected scrolls of teleportation.
Though its combat uses become more limited in the late game where many monsters have fire resistance, particularly those in Gehennom, it can still be used to dispose of strong monsters that cannot fly or swim by luring them over ice and using the wand to drown them. Naturally, this danger can also befall the hero, particularly if they are using a wand of cold or cold breath weapon to traverse water in areas such as Medusa's Island, or else crossing a naturally icy area such as the upper floors of the Valkyrie quest. The wand can also be used to strand giant and electric eels inhabiting pools of water (but not moats) and prevent them from drowning the hero.
The wand is frequently used as a means of engraving Elbereth, which creates a semi-permanent engraving that can only degrade when scaring monsters. Like some other wands, it can also be used to destroy doors without creating noise, allowing a hero to enter the Sokoban treasure zoo or similar rooms without waking the inhabitants. Heroes can also use them as an emergency cure for sliming by zapping themselves with the wand—the damage done to armor and inventory is preferable to ending the game as a mindless green slime. Incidentally, the green slime is one of a few late-game threats that has a vulnerability to fire, making the wand potentially useful to kill one before it can slime the hero.
The following information pertains to an upcoming version (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.
Ice floors are present in Gehennom, making the danger of them being melted from under the hero far more present.History
The wand of fire first appears in Hack 1.21 and Hack for PDP-11, which are based on Jay Fenlason's Hack, and is included in the initial item list for Hack 1.0.
Variants
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, Flame Mages start the game with a wand of fire.[8]
Grund's Stronghold generates a hobgoblin with a wand of fire in the open area at level creation, and the soldier placed in the front corridors at level creation has a 3⁄5 chance of being generated with a wand of fire.
UnNetHack
In UnNetHack, each filler level in Sheol has a 1⁄3 chance of generating a wand of fire, and the middle floor has two guaranteed wands of fire.
NetHack Fourk
In NetHack Fourk, which incorporates the Wands Balance Patch, unskilled usage of a wand of cold deals the lesser between 3d6 or 2⁄5 of the target's maximum HP in fire damage, and does not destroy items—the wand behaves as in NetHack at all other skill levels. This also applies to FIQHack.
SpliceHack
In SpliceHack, a wand of fire can be combined with a tooled horn at a furnace to create a fire horn.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, the odds of a monster generating with a wand of fire are lower than normal in the Ice Queen's Realm.
SlashTHEM
In SlashTHEM, in addition to SLASH'EM details, Firefighters start each game with a wand of fire.
References
- ↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 164
- ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 772
- ↑ src/muse.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1609
- ↑ src/zap.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 3623
- ↑ src/zap.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 3629
- ↑ src/zap.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 3633
- ↑ src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 3368
- ↑ u_init.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 68
