Fountains are usable fixtures scattered about in Elona. Wells or fountains can reliably be found in any city, with some of them even having two. They may also be generated in Dungeons. Toilets also function as fountains.
Stand on the tile containing the source of water and press the quaff key, to drink from the fountain. Fountains will be listed with the suffix "(Ground)".
Pets will drink out of wells if they are hungry, unless they are ordered not to.
Effects of Fountains and Wells
Drinking from a fountain or well, aside from slightly satiating your hunger (as quaffing potions does), causes one of several things to happen (Before the flavor text, it automatically says "You draw water from a fountain/well."):
- Nothing special happens. Flavor text: "Phew, fresh water tastes good." (20%)
- A small amount of gold (based on your Detection skill) is dropped at your feet. Flavor text: "You find some gold pieces in the water." (15%)
- You become blind. (5.8%)
- You fall asleep. (5.8%)
- You become confused. (5.8%)
- You become poisoned. (5.8%)
- You become paralyzed (5.8%)
- 1-3 random monsters are summoned. Flavor text: "Something comes out from the well!" (5%)
- You gain a random mutation (positive or negative). (13%)
- One of your stats increases by a point. (4%)
- One of your stats decreases by a point. (6%)
- You become pregnant. (5%)
- The potential of a random stat is increased. Saves the game. (2%)
- You get a wish or the message "You feel as a stroke of good fortune passed by." if a wish is not given. Saves the game after you use the wish. (1%)
- Though the chance of the event itself is 1%, the game determines whether the wish actually happens with a further calculation, and the chance goes down with each wish you get from a well. The chances of getting a wish versus the message given at a ratio of 1/(number of fountain wishes+1), with a 1/1 or 100% chance of a wish the first time, 1/2 chances of getting the wish again the second time, 1/3 on the third, 1/4 for the fourth, and so on. The fountain wish counter decrements by 1 with each year passed, so if you use 5 well wishes and waited for 4 years before getting the event again, your odds are back to 50/50, or even chance.)
- Pets also follow this rule and provides a fresh source of wishes for every pet who drinks from fountains.
- In Elona+ the base chance has increased to 5%, but you only get a wish if the rare loot trigger is on.
- Though the chance of the event itself is 1%, the game determines whether the wish actually happens with a further calculation, and the chance goes down with each wish you get from a well. The chances of getting a wish versus the message given at a ratio of 1/(number of fountain wishes+1), with a 1/1 or 100% chance of a wish the first time, 1/2 chances of getting the wish again the second time, 1/3 on the third, 1/4 for the fourth, and so on. The fountain wish counter decrements by 1 with each year passed, so if you use 5 well wishes and waited for 4 years before getting the event again, your odds are back to 50/50, or even chance.)
- If one of your pets drinks from these, there is a chance (6.67%)(testing says it is much higher) that they'll fall in and die. The game counts this as being killed by a trap. Pets that float (by wearing wings or through racial ability) will 'float back up' without being harmed, since it's counted as a ground-based trap.
In any case, the well has a chance of drying up every time you use it, which seems to increase as you use it more often. Dipping (B) empty bottles seems to dry out wells a lot faster, and dipping a cursed empty bottle will instantly dry out the well.
Fountains or wells drying up is permanent, unless you dip potions into them to refill them. Dipping potions into them restores a random amount of water back into the well. This is a perfect way to get rid of things like crim ale, vomit, and alcohol, although dumping unidentified liquids isn't recommended (since the potion might be valuable). It's also a good way to get rid of cursed potions safely. After dipping potions and using the well further, there is an additional chance that well will "completely" dry up, meaning that it's permanently empty, and not even dipping potions will refill it. However, if you burn the well, it will be filled with water again when it respawns. This method does not work in non-respawning places like the Truce Ground, the Jail, and the guilds, though.
To dump potions in a well, you can either press the spacebar on top of it (which will bring you to the mix screen) or go to the inventory and then to the mix screen. B also brings up the Mix menu. Select a potion or liquid and mix it with the well ("The well shines for a moment.").
The Holy Well
The Holy Well is located in Noyel in the northeast corner near the church. The Holy Well is very different from every other well/fountain in the game, in that it has a far higher chance of giving positive effects (mostly stat potential increases) and wishes than any other well in the game. Attempting to refill the holy well by mixing it with any potion will "pollute" the well.
Once in awhile (every first of an even-numbered month), the Holy Well will refill itself with 1 charge (quaff). If you drink it dry, don't worry - just wait for the 1st of an even month, and it'll have 1 charge (quaff).