Non-teleport level

"A mysterious force prevents you from teleporting!"

A non-teleport level is any level that prevents all forms of self-teleportation, whether from the scroll of teleportation, teleportitis, or any other such method. There are no restrictions on level teleporting or branchporting with the Eye of the Aethiopica. When you play such a level, you will not be able to escape the monsters by teleporting yourself, but neither will the monsters. Thus you might need to change from your usual strategy.

Even in 3.4.3, monsters are not smart enough about this. Monsters can waste a scroll of teleportation, or more than one, trying to escape you. Nymphs and nurses will still try to teleport away from you, but it will always fail. None of these monsters will ever learn.

A monsters does not ever again use wands and scrolls of teleportation on non-teleport levels once this individual has attempted it once or stepped on a teleport trap.^[1] It also will try not to wander onto any teleport trap (except to escape)^[2] and has a 75% chance to escape teletraps it walks onto^[3].

On non-teleport levels, you can still teleport monsters and items; the only restriction on teleporting is that creatures (including the player) cannot teleport themselves, and the quantum mechanic's teleport attack does not work. Therefore, a wand of teleportation is an incredibly effective defense in high-density levels such as Moloch's Sanctum and the Astral Plane.

Covetous monsters will still be able to warp to the up-staircase. Covetous monsters include master and arch-liches, Quest nemeses, and named demons. Many levels where master liches tend to appear, such as demon lairs, are non-teleport. If you have telepathy, you can easily see where such monsters are warping. However, even if you have teleport control, you will not be able to follow them by teleporting. You will have to walk to the up staircase and endure injury while the monster warps and heals. Once you can reach the up staircase, stand on it to block it. This tactic does not work on the Astral Plane - covetous monsters will simply teleport to retreat a few spaces.

If you are engulfed on a non-teleport level, you cannot escape by teleporting yourself; however, if you teleport the engulfing monster, you will stay put. This is in contrast to regular levels, where you go with the engulfing monster.

List of non-teleport levels[]

You know that you have reached a non-teleport level when a "mysterious force" prevents you or a monster from teleporting. It is especially easy to detect if you have teleportitis.