# Potion of full healing

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Name

full healing

Appearance

random

Base price

200 zm

Weight

20

Monster use

May be used defensively by monsters.

A potion of full healing is a type of potion that appears in NetHack. It can reliably heal up to 400 HP and cure many negative effects.

Contents

1 Generation

1.1 Alchemy

2 Description
3 Strategy
4 History
5 Messages
6 Variants

6.1 SLASH'EM
6.2 UnNetHack
6.3 EvilHack
6.4 SlashTHEM

7 References

Generation
Healers start the game with the potion of full healing identified.[1] Randomly-generated monsters may receive the potion of full healing as a defensive item.
Potions of full healing can be found very rarely in health food shops.

Alchemy
The potion of full healing can be created via alchemy by mixing a potion(s) of extra healing and a potion(s) of either gain energy or gain level; mixing a potion of full healing with a potion of gain energy or gain level can create a potion of gain ability.[2][3]

Description
Quaffing a potion of any beatitude will heal you for up to 400 HP, cure hallucination and blindness, and exercise constitution and strength.[4] A non-cursed potion will also cure sickness and boost your maximum HP if quaffing it would heal you to full HP: an uncursed potion increases maximum HP by 4, while a blessed potion increases it by 8. Monsters can quaff this potion for the same effect, and will do so at low HP.
Quaffing a blessed potion will also restore one lost experience level if you have any, but also decreases your maximum experience level by one in the process[5] - e.g., if a character is level drained to XL 10 from XL 14, and quaffs a blessed potion of full healing, it will bring their level back up to 11 and lower their "remembered" maximum to 13. This effectively means that only half of your lost levels can be regained solely by quaffing blessed potions of full healing.
Hitting a monster with a wielded or thrown potion of full healing will restore them to full HP and cure blindess;[6] hitting Pestilence with one will deal damage to him. Inhaling the vapors from a potion of any beatitude will heal you for 3 HP up to your maximum, cure blindness, exercise constitution, and additionally adjusts the health of your base form if you are currently polymorphed.[7]
Dipping a poisoned weapon into a potion of full healing will remove the poison coating.[8]

Strategy
Potions of full healing are a common fixture in almost every late-game kit, with a set of at least a half-dozen potions of full healing being typical to carry on an ascension run. A tin of nurse meat is a comparable item that has similar healing capabilities and resists elemental damage that can destroy potions - however, its healing does not boost HP or cure as many ailments and the tin will take time to open, unless it is blessed and you have a tin opener ready (as opening can still take 1 turn otherwise). There is also the consideration of cannibalism penalties for humans, though they may not matter as much in life-and-death situations.
Smoky and milky potions of full healing present a peril to even the most otherwise-prepared characters: an unexpected ghost or djinn is a quick way to end up dead in a pitched combat situation. Even a blessed potion of full healing with a smoky randomized appearance can prove incredibly (and fatally) inconvenient if you get a peaceful or even hostile djinn when trying to quaff one with your HP in the single-digits. This makes it imperative to heal proactively and avoid treating potions of full healing in particular as a poor man's amulet of life saving.
While quaffing blessed full healing is a decent means of partially restoring lost levels, players looking to regain all of their levels may usually prefer a potion of restore ability.

History
The potion of full healing first appears in SLASH 6, and makes its vanilla debut in NetHack 3.3.0.

Messages
You feel completely healed.
You quaffed a potion of full healing.
Variants
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, two potions of full healing are generated in the outer area of Grund's Stronghold.

UnNetHack
In UnNetHack, potions of full healing may be found on the last floor of the Dragon Caves in the stash behind the boulder.

EvilHack
In EvilHack, Kathryn the Ice Queen will have a potion of full healing if generated on a specific day (i.e. the birthday of the developer's daughter).

SlashTHEM
In SlashTHEM, in addition to SLASH'EM details, brewing a potion of full healing with a chemistry set takes five charges.
Various player monsters generated on the creation of certain levels may generate with potions of full healing in their inventory. Duri the blacksmith will always generate with four potions of full healing.

References

↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 276

↑ src/potion.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1811

↑ src/potion.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1838

↑ src/potion.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1008

↑ src/potion.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1012

↑ src/potion.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1419

↑ src/potion.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1653

↑ src/potion.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 2125