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Scroll
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| Name
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Scroll of summoning
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| Icon
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A scroll that calls forth several creatures woven from shadow into the shapes of those beings found within the reader's immediate vicinity.
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Reading a scroll of summoning will instantly summon a collection of allied monsters appropriate to the floor you are currently on, similar to the effects of casting Shadow Creatures 2d2 times, but with greater duration than the actual spell. These reinforcements can significantly vary in quality, but the scroll is capable of bringing a large amount of support to bear instantly at no cost beyond the scroll itself.
Strategy
- These scrolls are very rare. Given the manner in which the summoned monsters scale with the player's current branch from where the scroll is read, its desirability remains fairly consistent throughout the game.
- Significantly, however, the scroll is much less useful in places that have weak "random encounters" but very strong special encounters, such as Hell, the Tomb, and the last level of the Vaults. (Consult the Shadow Creatures spell for specifics when in doubt.)
- The scroll can be particularly useful when fighting The Royal Jelly, especially if you are reading more than one. Surrounding it with summons generated by this scroll will force any additional jellies created by damaging TRJ to spawn on the outskirts of your army, giving you a temporary, albeit reasonable buffer to finish it off.
- Sufficiently intelligent monsters carrying this scroll can read it and use it against you. As with all summons, killing the reader will dispatch the summons instantly.
- The combo of this scroll and a scroll of immolation is good for killing uniques and dangerous monsters, especially if you meet them in an open area. Summon allies, allow them to surround your target, and then read a scroll of immolation.
History
- Scrolls of summoning were useless in the Labyrinth, which was removed in 0.23.
- This current iteration of the scroll of summoning was added in 0.12.
- Prior to 0.11, there was a different item called a scroll of summoning that would create a small abomination for you. It was renamed to a scroll of unholy creation in 0.11, and was removed entirely in 0.12.
