Draft:Potion of monster detection

Omega 0.90.4

Potion of monster detection!TypePotionBase value (Au)10Item level1Weight20Unidentified appearanceRandom containerCursed namePotion of monster detection

A potion of monster detection briefly displays living creatures on the current map without the ordinary line-of-sight and invisibility restrictions. It is reconnaissance, not a persistent ability to track everything afterward.

Generation

Monster detection is an item-level-1 ordinary potion, obtainable from random loot, pawn-shop stock and acquirement.

Description

A noncursed potion visits the current level's living creatures and plots their glyphs regardless of line of sight. Invisible creatures are included. The drawing routine still skips creatures outside the current vertical viewport, so drinking on a large map does not guarantee seeing every distant part at once.

A cursed potion draws a randomly chosen monster glyph at random coordinates for each living creature instead. It does not summon those apparent creatures. The temporary display ends after acknowledgement and the normal screen returns. Positive blessing and enchantment do not improve its scope or duration.

Noncursed use automatically records the potion type. Cursed use does not. With no living creatures in the level list, either version may provide little visible evidence, so lack of a useful display is not proof of an inert potion.

Strategy

Use it before approaching a suspected ambush or searching for a particular encounter. Remember the positions and investigate the route before advancing. For fighting an invisible target after the display ends, true sight is more useful because it addresses continuing visibility and the attack penalty.

Object detection locates floor loot rather than opponents, and clairvoyance reveals terrain. Together they answer different parts of a scouting problem. Do not treat a glyph as a guarantee of a creature's exact identity or capabilities, especially when the potion's curse status is uncertain.