Scroll of gold detection
? 
| |
|---|---|
| Name | gold detection |
| Appearance | random |
| Base price | 100 zm |
| Weight | 5 |
| Ink to write | 4-7 |
| Monster use | Will not be used by monsters. |
A scroll of gold detection is a type of magical scroll that appears in NetHack.
Contents
Generation
Monks may be given a scroll of gold detection as the random scroll in their starting inventory.[1] Wizards may be given a scroll of gold detection as any of the three random scrolls in their starting inventory.[2]
Scrolls of food detection make up 33⁄1000 (3.3%) of all scrolls randomly generated on the floor, in general shops, or as death drops. Second-hand bookstores and rare books shops can also stock scrolls of gold detection.
Writing a scroll of gold detection with a magic marker takes up 4 to 7 charges.
Description
Reading a scroll of gold detection will have different effects depending on the scroll's beatitude and whether or not the hero is confused:[3][4][5]
- Reading an uncursed scroll detects and reveals the location of all gold golems and gold pieces on the level, including gold that is buried, submerged, inside a container, or in the inventory of a monster.[4][6][7][8][9]
- Reading a blessed scroll has the same effect as an uncursed one and additionally detects other items that are made of gold[10][11]—in practice, this applies to the Candelabrum of Invocation and rings that have the randomized appearance of a "gold ring".[12][13]
- Reading a cursed scroll or reading a scroll of any beatitude while confused instead detects and reveals the location of all traps on the level, including container traps and door traps, and marks them differently depending on the circumstances.[14][5][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] Reading a cursed scroll in either case will mark the traps as gold pieces ($), and otherwise traps will be marked with their actual colored glyphs (including " for webs).
Monsters will not read this scroll.
Strategy
The scroll of gold detection is valuable for locating vaults quickly, and can also highlight the locations of leprechaun halls or treasure zoos, as all three location types can be highlighted by high concentrations of gold pieces. Gold is generally most useful in the early game for shopping and buying protection from temple priests. Though there are many methods of detecting high concentrations of gold–e.g., potions of object detection that are fairly common if the hero can deal with nymphs–the scroll of gold detection is the lightest such item in terms of weight, and generally best for any hero not observing the illiterate conduct.
As the hero enters the mid-game, trap detection keeps the scroll of gold detection applicable well after a hero no longer has need for gold: among other purposes, they can use it to sniff out possible polymorph traps when going deeper into the dungeon if they lack magic resistance or want to obtain stronger pets; trap detection can also be used to find the magic portal to their Quest branch and/or Fort Ludios (whose vault can also be found by reading scrolls of gold detection normally).
The low ink requirement to write one with a magic marker also makes them a good candidate for a hero to round out a set of marker charges with for use down the line. In the late game and end game, trap detection from the scrolls are most often employed for Gehennom mapping, particularly finding the entrance to the Wizard's Tower as well as the vibrating square, and is very commonly used to find the magic portals of the Elemental Planes.
History
The scroll of gold detection 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.
In NetHack 3.4.3 and earlier versions, including variants based on those versions, piles of gold pieces have much more gold, making money (and thus the "standard" use for a scroll of gold detection) less of a pressing goal for roles that do not start with gold.
Messages
- You feel very greedy, and sense gold!
- You read an uncursed or blessed scroll and found gold (or a gold object, if blessed) on the level.
- You notice some gold between your feet.
- You read an uncursed or blessed scroll and there is gold on the level (or a gold object if blessed), but only on your square.
- You feel worried about your future financial situation.
- You read an uncursed or blessed scroll and there was no gold anywhere on the level except in your inventory.
- You feel materially poor.
- You read an uncursed or blessed scroll, and there is no gold in the level or in your inventory.
- You feel like a million zorkmids!
- You read an uncursed or blessed scroll, you are currently polymorphed into a gold golem, and there is no gold (or gold objects if blessed) on the level.
- You feel very greedy.
- You read a cursed scroll, confused or not, and there are traps on the level.
- You feel entrapped.
- You read a blessed or uncursed scroll while confused, and there are traps on the level.
- Your <toes> itch.
- The scroll is cursed, or you read any beatitude while confused, and it detected a trap on the level but only on your square. Replace "toes" with the appropriate body part extremity if polymorphed.
- Your <toes> stop itching.
- The scroll is cursed, or you read any beatitude while confused, but detected no traps on the level. Replace "toes" with the appropriate body part if polymorphed.
- You have a strange feeling for a moment, then it passes.
- You are a beginner, and have not detected any gold or gold objects (if blessed), or traps on the level (if cursed and/or confused). Replace "strange" with "normal" if hallucinating.
Variants
In variants of NetHack that incorporate object materials systems, blessed scrolls of gold detection can detect other items made of gold.
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, Archeologists, Flame Mages, Ice Mages, Monks, Necromancers, Priests, and Wizards may be given a scroll of gold detection as any of the random scrolls in their starting inventories.[23][24][25][26][27][28][29] Rogues always start each game with 4 blessed scrolls of gold detection.[30]
UnNetHack
In UnNetHack, a hero reading a non-cursed scroll of gold detection while confused will instead detect items of a random object class, making traps harder to detect using the scroll.
DynaHack
In DynaHack, the scroll of gold detection behaves as it does in UnNetHack, with the exception that a cursed scroll read on the Elemental Planes will also detect a random item type.
xNetHack
In xNetHack, a hero reading a blessed scroll of gold detection will detect all gems on the level along with gold pieces, gold golems and items made of gold.
SpliceHack
In SpliceHack, Cartomancers may be given a scroll of gold detection as any of the random scrolls in their starting inventories.
SlashTHEM
In SlashTHEM, in addition to SLASH'EM details, Acid Mages, Electric Mages, Lunatics, and Paladins may be given a scroll of gold detection as any of the random scrolls in their starting inventories.
Hack'EM
In Hack'EM, Archeologists, Ice Mages, Monks, and Wizards may be given a scroll of gold detection as any of the random scrolls in their starting inventories. Rogues always start each game with 2 blessed scrolls of gold detection.
A hero reading a blessed scroll of gold detection will detect all gems on the level along with all gold pieces and items, as in xNetHack.
References
- ↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 89
- ↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 167
- ↑ src/read.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1473: call gold_detect() or trap_detect() in detect.c depending on beatitude and status
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 src/detect.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 303: gold_detect() function
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 src/detect.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 932: trap_detect() function
- ↑ src/detect.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 316
- ↑ src/detect.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 319
- ↑ src/detect.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 326
- ↑ src/detect.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 341
- ↑ src/detect.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 328
- ↑ src/detect.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 342
- ↑ src/objects.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 590
- ↑ src/objects.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 714
- ↑ src/detect.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 899: detect_obj_traps() function
- ↑ src/detect.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 942
- ↑ src/detect.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 946
- ↑ src/detect.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 953
- ↑ src/detect.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 959
- ↑ src/detect.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 965
- ↑ src/detect.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 975
- ↑ src/detect.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 978
- ↑ src/detect.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 998
- ↑ u_init.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 36
- ↑ u_init.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 67
- ↑ u_init.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 97
- ↑ u_init.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 121
- ↑ u_init.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 138
- ↑ u_init.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 159
- ↑ u_init.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 247
- ↑ u_init.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 174
