# Spellbook of clairvoyance

spellbook of  +   clairvoyance   

Appearance

random

Abundance

1.52%

Base price

300 zm

Weight

50

Turns to read

6

Ink to write

15–29

Spell type

divination

Level

3

Power cost

15 Pw

Direction

non-directional   

Special for

samurai

In NetHack, the spellbook of clairvoyance allows you to learn the spell of clairvoyance. It is the special spell for samurai.

Contents

1 Effects
2 Messages
3 Strategy
4 History
5 References

Effects
When cast, the spell magically maps a 19×11 area centered on your location.[1] As of NetHack 3.6.2, it also detects objects and presence of monsters in the mapped area. At Unskilled or Basic, monsters are marked with an I glyph, and objects are described in general ("a scroll", "a wand", etc.). At Skilled or above, monsters and objects will be shown as if you have seen them. If you have another source of clairvoyance, the spell will always be cast as Skilled.
The spell is blocked if you are wearing a cornuthaum and are not a Wizard. Unlike the clairvoyance provided by aligned priests and some items in NetHack, the clairvoyance spell only maps once per cast, and does not persist as a recurring effect.

Messages
You sense a pointy hat on top of your 

<head>.
The spell was blocked by a cornuthaum.[2]
Strategy
This spell is a more-than-passable alternative to magic mapping, especially for characters who can advance to Basic but not Skilled in Divination. Samurai get a reduction in failure rate on this spell, making it the only one that they can possibly cast consistently without a robe. It can be used successfully even on levels which are unmappable, especially since as of 3.6.2, monster and item locations will also be detected and revealed; this is especially useful in places like Gehennom when combined with intrinsic clairvoyance from aligned priests.

History
Before 3.6.2, this spell didn't show objects, and only detected monsters at Skilled or Expert. Before 3.6.1, it only mapped the affected area.

References

↑ do_vicinity_map in detect.c: Dimensions of mapped area

↑ spell.c in NetHack 3.4.3, line 943: Clairvoyance spell blocked by cornuthaum

This page may need to be updated for the current version of NetHack.
It may contain text specific to NetHack 3.6.4. Information on this page may be out of date.
Editors: After reviewing this page and making necessary edits, please change the {{nethack-364}} tag to the current version's tag or {{noversion}} as appropriate.

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