Box of beasts
| Type | Miscellaneous item |
|---|---|
| Name | box of beasts |
| Icon | 
|
| A magical box containing many wild beasts. One may allow them to escape by opening the box's lid. |
A box of beasts is a miscellaneous magic item which can summon a (generally) friendly companion.
Operation
The player has a 60+Evocations% chance of successfully evoking the box of beasts. This will create one monster from the following list (equal odds): butterfly, bat, hound, jackal, rat, ice beast, snake, yak, water moccasin, crocodile, hell hound. (Hell hound is not an option if you worship a good god.) The chance of the beast being friendly is (4+Evocations)/(5+Evocations).
| Evocations | Success Rate | Friendly |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 60% | 80% |
| 5 | 65% | 90% |
| 10 | 70% | 93% |
| 15 | 75% | 95% |
| 20 | 80% | 96% |
| 27 | 87% | 97% |
As elsewhere, killing a hostile summons will grant no experience points. If your attempt to use the box fails, there is a 16.7% chance that the box's magic will be exhausted, turning it into a simple empty ebony casket. Xom is mildly amused (maximum excitement 14) by the successful use of a box of beasts.
History
Prior to 0.9, it appeared as a small ebony casket while unidentified.
