The scroll of enchant armor allows you to raise the enchantment (+) on armor which you are wearing. The scroll chooses at random which armor receives the enhancement. Thus, before reading the scroll, most players normally remove all of their armor except for the piece that they want to enchant.
Common usage[]
An uncursed scroll normally raises enchantment by 1 (for example, changing a +0 iron helm into a +1 iron helm), while a blessed scroll can sometimes raise enchantment by 2 or 3. For example, a blessed scroll might raise a +0 iron helm to +1, +2, or +3, and it might raise a +3 iron helm to +4 or +5.
However there is a risk of vaporising your armor when enchanting it. Armor currently at +3 or below is safe to enchant; but if you try to enchant armor currently at +4 or more, the chance of vaporising the armor increases. See below for the tables.
In practice, this means that players with enough scrolls of enchant armor will enchant up to +4 (or +5 if a blessed scroll skips +4).
Elven armor (and for Wizards, the cornuthaum) is an exception; it is safe to enchant even when it is currently at +5 (but not any higher).
Reading a noncursed scroll while confused will repair erosion on one piece of armor, and make the armor erodeproof.[1] As this does not increase the enchantment of the armor, this does not risk vaporization. Reading a cursed scroll when confused will not heal your armor, and will remove erodeproofing if present. Reading a cursed scroll of destroy armor while confused will erodeproof but not repair your armor.
A cursed scroll of enchant armor will actually harm your armor (decrease its enhancement bonus). This is useful if you just have to have that +5 armor but don't want to risk vaporization. However, it's usually better to reduce armor enchantment using the spell of drain life, since the spell doesn't require using up a scroll.
A scroll of enchant armor may also change the BUC status of your armor. A cursed or blessed scroll will cause the armor it affects to become cursed or blessed respectively. An uncursed scroll will uncurse cursed armor.
Effects[]
Below all of the effects of reading the scroll under different circumstances are documented. If as a result of any of the below effects, the armor's enchantment is affected, then you identify the scroll.
Not wearing armor[]
Exercises (abuses if cursed) strength and constitution.
- "You have a strange feeling for a moment, then it passes." (beginner not hallucinating)
- "You have a normal feeling for a moment, then it passes." (beginner hallucinating)
- "Your skin glows then fades." (unblind)
- "Your skin feels warm for a moment." (blind)
Blessed[]
One piece of current worn armor is selected and blessed.
If the enchantment of the armor is already above +3 (+5 for elven armor or a wizard's cornuthaum), there is a 1 in (current enchantment) chance that it WON'T be vaporized. This means if the armor is current +6, there is a 1 in 6 chance it will survive. If it is vaporized:
- "Your <armor> violently glows silver for a while, then evaporates." (no "silver" if shield of reflection or silver dragon scales or scale mail)
Dragon scales become dragon scale mail, gain one enchantment, and are blessed.
- "Your <scales> merges and hardens!"
Other armor can gain several enchantments:
| Current enchantment | -3 to -1 | 0 to +2 | +3 to +5 | +6 to +8 | +9 or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Additional possible | 1 to 4 | 1 to 3 | 1 to 2 | 1 | 0 or 1 |
- "Your <armor> glows silver for a moment." (+1)
- "Your <armor> glows silver for a while." (more than +1)
- "Your <armor> violently glows silver for a moment." (+0) (no "silver" if shield of reflection or silver dragon scales or scale mail)
NOTE: If you were blind, then "glows silver" is replaced by "vibrates".
If the armor is enchanted beyond the safe limit, it may vibrate:
- "Your <armor> suddenly vibrates unexpectedly." (unblind)
- "Your <armor> suddenly vibrates again." (blind)
Uncursed[]
One worn item of armor is randomly selected, and if cursed is uncursed.
As with blessed above, if the enchantment of the armor is already above +3 (+5 for elven armor or a wizard's cornuthaum), there is a 1 in (current enchantment) chance that it WON'T be vaporized. This means if the armor is current +6, there is a 1 in 6 chance it will survive. If it is vaporized:
- "Your <armor> violently glows silver for a while, then evaporates." (no "silver" if shield of reflection, silver dragon scales, or silver dragon scale mail)
Dragon scales become dragon scale mail
- "Your <scales> merges and hardens!"
Other armor gains +1 enchantment (unless it is +9, then there is only a random chance it will gain more).
- "Your <armor> glows silver for a moment." (+1)
- "Your <armor> violently glows silver for a moment." (+0) (no "silver" if shield of reflection or silver dragon scales or scale mail)
NOTE: If you were blind, then "glows silver" is replaced by "vibrates".
If the armor is enchanted beyond the safe limit, it may vibrate:
- "Your <armor> suddenly vibrates unexpectedly." (unblind)
- "Your <armor> suddenly vibrates again." (blind)
Cursed[]
One worn item of armor is randomly selected, and is cursed.
If the enchantment of the armor already below -3 (-5 for elven armor or a wizard's cornuthaum), there is a 1 in (current absolute enchantment) that it WON'T be vaporized. If it is vaporized:
- "Your <armor> violently glows black for a while, then evaporates." (no "black" if black dragon scales or scale mail)
Otherwise armor loses one enchantment and is cursed.
- "Your <armor> glows black for a moment." (unblind) (no "black" if black dragon scales or scale mail)
- "Your <armor> vibrates for a moment." (blind)
Blessed and confused[]
Makes one random worn armor fireproof.
- "Your <armor> is surrounded by a blue glow!" (unblind)
- "Your <armor> feels moist!" (blind)
Non-cursed and confused[]
Makes one random worn armor erodeproof.
- "Your <armor> is covered by a shimmering golden shield/layer!" (unblind)
- "Your <armor> feels warm for a moment." (blind)
If that armor had damage, it is repaired.
- "Your <armor> looks as good as new!" (unblind)
- "Your <armor> feels as good as new!" (blind)
Cursed and confused[]
Removes the erodeproofing from one random worn piece of armor.
- "Your <armor> is covered by a mottled black glow!" (unblind)
- "Your <armor> feels warm for a moment." (blind)
