Evocable items
Evocable items are magical items, with abilities that are evoked using the V key. Evocables generally use the Evocations skill to determine strength.
Many evocable items are comparable to spells, with many sharing a similar effect. Unlike spells, evocables do not have a failure rate (though some may check willpower to cause an effect), can be cast during Silence, usually have no MP cost, and are allowed by Trog. However, dedicated evokers have limited charges, requiring you to gain XP or find more items in order to be used again. So instead of being a primary means of attack, Evocations tends to be used sparingly, in order to solve sketchy situations.
Contents
Staves
Magical staves deal extra elemental damage in melee, scaling with skill in both their respective magic school and Evocations. Staves are not proper evokers, so are the exception to a few rules. They are magical, and forbidden by Trog. Staves do not have charges. Artefacts may have directly evoked abilites, but they must be wielded and use MP or some other cost in order to cast.
Artefacts
Several unrandart items provide an ability, which scales with Evocations skill and can be activated from the abilities menu:
Staff of Olgreb: Casts Olgreb's Toxic Radiance and also acts as a somewhat more powerful staff of poison.
Orb of Dispater: Hurls damnation, but costs 10% HP.
Additionally, two unrandarts are boosted passively by Evocations skill:
The Elemental Staff may deal extra elemental damage in melee, similar to other magical staves.
The Staff of Wucad Mu will refund MP more often and backfire less as you level Evocations.
Wands
A wand is a magical device that contains several charges of a specific spell. It does not need to be wielded to be used.
Miscellaneous Evokers
These items can be used to evoke effects. Each miscellaneous evocable can appear once per game, except for the figurine of a Ziggurat. They cannot be eaten by Jiyva slimes.
Elemental
The higher the user's Evocations skill, the more powerful the effect will be. Once used, all items of that type will become inert until you have gained enough experience.
Phial of floods: Launches a damaging wave of water, creating a pool of shallow water and waterlogging creatures caught in the wave.
Lightning rod: Fires a bolt of electricity; evoking it in successive turns strengthens the bolt and lets you sweep it over an area
Only one of these two items will appear in a given game.
Tin of tremorstones: Creates multiple explosions of shrapnel near the player; always risks hitting yourself, but damage is greatly reduced by armour.
Condenser vane: Creates harmful clouds around every enemy in sight.
Summoning
These items can be used to summon a creature or two, possibly along with other effects. In most cases, their power depends upon your Evocations skill. Like elemental evokers, they are rendered inert until you gain more experience.
Box of beasts: Summons a randomly-generated mutant beast
Phantom mirror: Creates a short-lived copy of a single monster
Horn of Geryon: Summons a few hell beasts, some of which may be hostile.
Other Evocables
Figurine of a ziggurat: Creates an entrance to a ziggurat.
Piece from Xom's chessboard: Provides many random effects on a random monster - good or bad! Charged via XP.
Other Items
- Artefacts may come with evocable Blink.
Scarves and artefacts of invisibility can be evoked to turn you invisible.
An orb of energy's chance of success rises with Evocations.
History
- 0.30 made all miscellaneous evocables unique, spawning once per game. In addition, condenser vane and tin of tremorstones now alternate with each other, and the sceptre of Asmodeus is no longer evocable.
- 0.27 added the piece from Xom's chessboard.
- 0.26 added the condenser vane, removed the staff of energy, and reworked the Staff of Wucad Mu to not be actively evoked.
- 0.25 added the tin of tremorstones, reworked the phial of floods, and removed the crystal ball of energy, sack of spiders, fan of gales, and lamp of fire.
- 0.20 removed rods and the disc of storms.
- Prior to 0.19, decks were evocable items rather than a mechanic exclusive to followers of Nemelex Xobeh. 0.19 also removed the stone of tremors.
- 0.16 removed tomes of destruction.
- 0.14 removed bottled efreets.
- 0.10 removed the crystal ball of seeing.
- 0.8 removed the crystal ball of fixation.
