Evocable items
Evocable items are items which can be evoked using the V key. They offer a wide variety of spell-like abilities that have three clear advantages over regular spellcasting: they are not affected by most spellcasting penalties and function under Silence; they do not require MP to use (unless the player has acquired the MP-Powered Wands mutation and then still only for wands); and most of them only require the player to increase the Evocations skill to become more powerful. They are also not banned by Trog, unlike all spells.
On the other hand, their spell-like abilities are usually not as powerful as the ones a spellcaster can achieve after learning the actual spell.
Nevertheless, they are a good choice for non-spellcasting players who wish to have a few magical options up their sleeves. Spellcasters, of course, can always use some of these to save from tapping into their own mana.
Contents
Staves
Most magical staves (poison, earth, fire, air, cold, conjuration and death) can deal extra elemental damage in melee, scaling with skill in both their respective magic school and Evocations.
Artefact staves
Several unrandart staves have an evocable action with v that scales with Evocations skill:
Staff of Olgreb: Casts Olgreb's Toxic Radiance and also acts as a somewhat more powerful staff of poison.
Staff of Dispater: Hurls damnation, but costs HP.
Sceptre of Asmodeus: Summons one of several types of fiery demons.
Additionally, two unrandarts are boosted by Evocations skill. The 
Elemental Staff may deal extra elemental damage in melee, and the 
Staff of Wucad Mu will refund MP more often.
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.
Elemental Evokers
These items can be used to evoke elemental-themed effects. 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
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 Items
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.
Miscellaneous Items
Figurine of a ziggurat: Creates an entrance to a Ziggurat
Piece from Xom's chessboard: Provides many random effects - good or bad!
Reaching Weapons
These items are not necessarily magical and do not use Evocations. They are included for completeness, since you technically can "evoke" them with the v key to attack a specific non-adjacent monster.
All polearms inherently have the reaching property.
History
- 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 an evocable.
- 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.
