Apportation
 Apportation
| |
|---|---|
| Level | 1 |
| School1 | Translocation |
| Source(s) | |
| Casting noise | 1 |
| Spell noise | 0 (30 when apporting the Orb of Zot) |
| This spell allows the caster to pull the top item or group of similar items from a distant pile to the floor near the caster. The mass of the target item(s) will make the task more difficult, with some items too massive to ever be moved by this spell.
Extremely powerful magical items, such as the Orb of Zot, may actively resist the pull of this spell. |
Apportation is a level 1 Translocations spell which moves a targeted item in your line of sight toward your character. The distance you pull the item is determined by both your spell power and the mass of the object. The presence of monsters between you and the item has no impact on the spell's effect, and you can pull items over deep water and lava, but the spell will not function if the object would wind up dropping in as a result. Translucent walls will completely block your ability to affect an item, even though you can see it.
Each time you cast Apportation, you are given a weight cap of (2 + 1d3) aum per point of spell power. Divide that weight cap by the weight of the object to determine how far the object will move toward you (rounded down). There are some limitations, however:
- If you cast it on a stack of items, it will only affect the top item in the stack. So long as that item moves, however, this will reveal the next item in the stack.
- If you cast it on a pile of similar items (10 large rocks, for example), and your weight cap fails to overcome the weight of the entire pile, you will separate the pile into two piles and pull however many items you were able to affect.
- Successfully apporting the Orb of Zot can make the Orb chamber significantly easier, but the Orb doesn't go without a fight; 1-in-3 attempts fail no matter what, every attempt causes the Orb to shriek louder than a scroll of noise, and it can only be moved a maximum of (spell power / 10) - 1 tiles per casting. On top of all that, it's rather heavy.
Strategy
Apportation is surprisingly useful for a level 1 utility spell, and almost any non-Trog worshiper can get this spell functioning reliably with little effort. It only requires training in one skill (Translocations), thus making the experience cost to use it rather low. While your minotaur fighter is unlikely to get it anywhere near full spell power, even a moderate strength Apportation is useful for:
- Grabbing runes without having to deal with all those inconveniently placed monsters.
- Picking up loot in the Abyss without risk of teleporting away or backtracking into pursuing monsters.
- Stealing items out of vaults filled with dangerous clouds or blocked by terrain you'd need to fly over.
- Retrieving ammo for ranged-combat characters and weapons for Tukima's Dance users.
- Minimizing your turn count on speed runs.
- And, of course, if you're willing to put up with the noise and failure rate and sheer mass of the object, it can help you grab the Orb of Zot a little faster.
History
Prior to 0.12, the Orb only caused Apportation to fail 1-in-6 times.
Prior to 0.8, the Orb did not resist Apportation at all.
In earlier versions, apporting only part of a pile of similar items would cause the remaining items to be destroyed.
