Magic trap
^ magic trap 
| |
|---|---|
| Generates | all levels |
| Effect | Various |
A magic trap is a type of trap that appears in NetHack.
Contents
Generation
Magic traps can be randomly generated in any branch of the dungeon from the first level onward.
Several special levels generate with guaranteed magic traps at level creation:
- Various quest branches create magic traps on certain levels.
- The Archeologist quest locate level has a magic trap placed on a set square near the northeastern corner of the temple complex.
- The Knight quest locate level has 45 guaranteed magic traps in a "border" around the open temple area of the Isle of Glass.
- The Wizard quest locate level has a magic trap placed randomly on the level.
- The second map of Medusa's Island generates a magic trap in the entrance hall, three squares down and one square to the left of the level's up stair.
- Two magic traps are randomly placed in the Valley of the Dead.
- Three magic traps are randomly placed in the core rooms within the lair of Asmodeus, with two situated on the left half and one in the right half.
- Two magic traps are randomly placed in the core area of Juiblex's swamp.
- Two magic traps are randomly placed in the fly-shaped core area of Baalzebub's Lair.
- Two magic traps are randomly placed in the right half of Orcus-town.
- A magic trap is randomly placed on the middle and top levels of the Wizard's Tower.
- A magic trap is randomly placed in Moloch's Sanctum.
Description
A hero that steps on, sits on or otherwise activates a magic trap causes one of the following effects:[1][2][3]
| Probability | Effect |
|---|---|
| 20/600 (3.3%) | A magical explosion occurs, which destroys the trap and deals up to 10 points of damage, increases the hero's maximum energy by 2 and sets their current energy to the new maximum.[4] |
| 261/600 (43.5%) | Creates up to 4 monsters around the trap, with a group of monsters counted as one for this purpose.[5] This blinds the hero for 10–14 turns, deafens them for 15–19 turns if they are already deaf and 30–49 turns otherwise, and wakes up nearby monsters.[6][7][8][9] |
| 58/600 (9.7%) | No message or effect. The trap is still marked if it was undiscovered at the time.[10] |
| 29/600 (4.8%) | The trap replicates the effects of a fire trap.[11][12] |
| 29/600 (4.8%) each | One of six different "odd feeling" messages occur, all of which have no effect.[13] |
| 29/600 (4.8%) | The hero's charisma is increased by 1, and adjacent monsters are tamed if possible and made peaceful otherwise, which ignores MR score.[14] |
| 29/600 (4.8%) | The trap replicates the effects of reading an uncursed scroll of remove curse. |
Monsters are much less likely to trigger magic traps than the hero, with a 1⁄21 chance of experiencing the fire trap effect, and otherwise the trap will have no effect on them at all.[15]
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 c7229627, magic traps can be removed by zapping them with the cancellation spell or wand of cancellation, causing a 3x3 magical explosion that deals 23-38 damage and makes audible noise. Removing the trap by digging will also trigger an explosion.
Per commit 2bd43869, magic traps also have an effect that toggles intrinsic invisibility on or off with a 4.8% probability, reducing the probability of "No message or effect" occurring to 4.8%.Removal
Removing a magic trap is possible by digging down while on its square, or else by triggering the explosion effect.
Strategy
In theory, repeatedly sitting or stepping on magic traps is an easy way to raise a hero's charisma; a patient player can usually reach the maximum for their starting race, which may be useful for dealing with foocubi. The effect can also potentially be used to acquire pets as well, and on average a single magic trap grants 1.4 points of charisma from its taming effect. The remove curse effect of the trap is not as reliable, since it requires you to already have cursed gear equipped with no guarantee that they will be uncursed, though it may still be worth considering in a pinch—remember that you can additionally wield a cursed item safely as long as it is not a weapon, weapon-tool or tin opener.
If you wish to sit on a trap repeatedly, you should prepare by engraving Elbereth, having fire resistance, and stashing or dropping and flammable items. You should also be ready to deal with the many monsters created by the trap: making yourself immune to blindness with the Eyes of the Overworld or Sunsword, having telepathy or warning and being blind beforehand, having a unicorn horn to cure blindness, or just being confident that you are equipped enough to deal with all the unseen monsters. A unicorn horn is also nice for curing deafness.
The choice of which magic trap to sit on is also important: monsters generated from deeper traps will have a higher average monster difficulty. In general, it is a good idea to start with the shallowest dungeon levels and work your way down until you have reached the charisma score you want. If your Quest branch generates non-threatening monsters, though, you might want to use the magic traps there first.
A magic trap sufficiently close to an altar may be useful for generating sacrifices.
History
The magic trap first appears in NetHack 1.3d.
Messages
- You are caught in a magical explosion! Your body absorbs some of the magical energy!
- Magical explosion effect: trap is destroyed,
- You are momentarily blinded by a flash of light!
- You were blinded from stepping on a magic trap and creating monsters.
- You see a flash of light!
- As above, but you are either wielding Sunsword or wearing The Eyes of the Overworld.
- You hear a deafening roar!
- The monster creation effect deafened you.
- You feel rankled.
- As above, while you are already deaf.
- A tower of flame erupts from the floor!
- The magic trap replicated a fire trap effect.
- You hear distant howling.
- You suddenly yearn for your distant homeland.
- A shiver runs up and down your spine!
- Your pack shakes violently!
- You smell charred flesh.
- You feel tired.
- These messages are all called "odd feelings", and none of them have any effect.
- You suddenly yearn for your nearby homeland.
- You got the "homesick" odd feeling and are either on the level containing the magic portal to the quest, or else are in the quest branch and on a different floor than the home level.
- You feel [oddly] like the prodigal son.
- As above, while you are on the quest home level already—"oddly" is used if the hero is a woman.
- You hear the moon howling at you.
- You suddenly yearn for Cleveland.
- You smell hamburgers.
- You got an odd feeling while hallucinating.
- You feel charismatic!
- Your charisma is increased by the magic trap, and nearby monsters are tamed.
- You feel like someone is helping you.
- The magic trap replicated an uncursed scroll of remove curse.
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.
Per commit 4d206c1c, the following messages are added.- <Monster> seems more amiable.
- An adjacent monster was tamed or made peaceful.
- <Monster> seems really chill.
- As above, when hallucinating.
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.
Per commit 2bd43869, the following messages are added.- You hear a low hum.
- Your intrinsic invisibility was toggled. This will be followed by another message identical to those displayed upon quaffing a potion of invisibility if not already invisible, or by one of the following messages otherwise.
- You can see yourself again!
- You lost intrinsic invisibility.
- You can't see through yourself anymore!
- You lost intrinsic invisibility while having the see invisible intrinsic.
- You feel a little more obvious now.
- You lost intrinsic invisibility, but have extrinsic invisibility.
- You gained intrinsic invisibility while you have extrinsic invisibility.
Variants
Variants of NetHack may alter the effects and mechanics of magic traps.
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, two changes are made to magic traps:
- The pack-shaking message has an associated effect—every item or stack of items in the hero's open inventory has a 1⁄10 of being randomly assigned a new letter, swapping it with another item if the newly assigned letter is already taken by that second item(s) another object in the inventory the two items are swapped. If the fixinv option is set, the hero instead takes 2 damage for each item that would have been moved, and a death occurring from this damage is livelogged as "killed by violence".
- Monsters have a 1⁄30 chance of triggering a magic explosion in the same manner as the hero—the trap is destroyed, they take 1d10 damage, their maximum power is increased by 2, and their power is set to this new maximum.
UnNetHack
In UnNetHack, applying a charged wand of magic missile to break it may create a magic trap on the hero's square if possible.
The second map for the lair of Asmodeus has eight magic traps placed in specific positions within the level.
dNetHack
In dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, the entrance level containing the magic portal to the Chaos Temple Quest has twelve magic traps randomly placed around the level.
FIQHack
In FIQHack, the magical explosion effects of magic traps can undo the effects of cancellation on the hero, as can any item or effect that directly raises the hero's energy.
SpliceHack
In SpliceHack, the lair of Asmodeus has eight magic traps placed in specific positions within the level, as in UnNetHack.
Baalzebub's lair has four magic traps placed randomly around the level.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, magic traps trap can toggle the see invisible or invisibility intrinsics for the hero, and only crowning prevents losing the permanent see invisible intrinsic this way. The trap can also replicate the effects of an ice trap: this deals 4d8 damage and can shatter potions in open inventory (which can be reduced by cold resistance), inflicts temporary slowing, and causes temporary vulnerability to cold if the hero has cold resistance from their role or race, or otherwise reduces their intrinsic cold resistance.
SlashTHEM
In SlashTHEM, magic traps behave as in SLASH'EM.
The Acid Mage quest locate level generates a magic trap on a set square behind a secret passage.
References
- Jump up ↑ src/trap.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1401
- Jump up ↑ src/trap.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1411
- Jump up ↑ src/trap.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 3195
- Jump up ↑ src/trap.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1403
- Jump up ↑ src/trap.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 3201
- Jump up ↑ src/trap.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 3206
- Jump up ↑ src/trap.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 3216
- Jump up ↑ src/trap.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 3220
- Jump up ↑ src/trap.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 3229
- Jump up ↑ src/trap.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 3235
- Jump up ↑ src/trap.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 3125
- Jump up ↑ src/trap.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 3237
- Jump up ↑ src/trap.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 3241
- Jump up ↑ src/trap.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 3275
- Jump up ↑ src/trap.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 2588
