Difference between revisions of "Magic cancellation"
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{{For|the effects of a [[wand of cancellation]] or a [[spell of cancellation]]|Cancellation}} | {{For|the effects of a [[wand of cancellation]] or a [[spell of cancellation]]|Cancellation}} | ||
'''Magic cancellation''', or, shortly, '''MC''', is a property of some pieces of [[armor]] which protects against a wide variety of special melee attacks by monsters, such as [[poisonous]] [[killer bee]] stings and [[lycanthropy]] caused by [[werejackal]] bites. A precise list of attacks that magic cancellation protects against is provided in the [[#How it works|section below]]. Generally speaking, magic cancellation protects against special non-damage effects (such as [[sliming]]) caused by a monster attacking and touching the player with some part of its body. | '''Magic cancellation''', or, shortly, '''MC''', is a property of some pieces of [[armor]] which protects against a wide variety of special melee attacks by monsters, such as [[poisonous]] [[killer bee]] stings and [[lycanthropy]] caused by [[werejackal]] bites. A precise list of attacks that magic cancellation protects against is provided in the [[#How it works|section below]]. Generally speaking, magic cancellation protects against special non-damage effects (such as [[sliming]]) caused by a monster attacking and touching the player with some part of its body. | ||
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A player is protected by an aura of magic cancellation if one of the pieces of [[armor]] worn has magic cancellation. Each piece of armor has a magic cancellation number (MC number) ranging from 0 to 3, where 0 is the lowest (worst) and 3 is the highest (best). Note that magic cancellation is ''not'' cumulative — the player's magic cancellation is the maximum of that provided by any single piece of armour worn. This means that if you are wearing a [[chain mail]] with MC 1, ''and'' a [[dwarvish cloak]] with MC 2, then your magic cancellation is 2. Having the highest (best) magic cancellation means that only 1/50 of special, non-damage body-to-body melee attacks will succeed (assuming they would hit otherwise). This makes magic cancellation a high priority trait. | A player is protected by an aura of magic cancellation if one of the pieces of [[armor]] worn has magic cancellation. Each piece of armor has a magic cancellation number (MC number) ranging from 0 to 3, where 0 is the lowest (worst) and 3 is the highest (best). Note that magic cancellation is ''not'' cumulative — the player's magic cancellation is the maximum of that provided by any single piece of armour worn. This means that if you are wearing a [[chain mail]] with MC 1, ''and'' a [[dwarvish cloak]] with MC 2, then your magic cancellation is 2. Having the highest (best) magic cancellation means that only 1/50 of special, non-damage body-to-body melee attacks will succeed (assuming they would hit otherwise). This makes magic cancellation a high priority trait. | ||
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− | ! | + | !style="background:#ffdead;" colspan="2"|Examples |
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* [[Fire]] damage from a [[fire ant]] bite | * [[Fire]] damage from a [[fire ant]] bite | ||
* [[Cold]] damage from a [[lich]] touch | * [[Cold]] damage from a [[lich]] touch | ||
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==List of magic cancellation numbers by armor== | ==List of magic cancellation numbers by armor== | ||
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+ | The relationship between magic cancellation level and chance of a body-to-body magical attack success is as follows: | ||
+ | {|class="wikitable" | ||
+ | !Magic cancellation number | ||
+ | !Chance of attack succeeding | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | |Magic Cancellation 0 | ||
+ | |<math>\frac{150}{150}</math>, i.e. 100% | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | |Magic Cancellation 1 | ||
+ | |<math>\frac{101}{150}</math>, i.e. ~67% | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | |Magic Cancellation 2 | ||
+ | |<math>\frac{52}{150}</math>, i.e. ~35% | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | |Magic Cancellation 3 | ||
+ | |<math>\frac{3}{150}</math>, i.e. 2% | ||
+ | |} | ||
All [[cloak]]s, some pieces of [[body armor]], and the [[cornuthaum]] provide non-zero magic cancellation. All other items in the game provide zero magic cancellation. The following list contains all the pieces of armor with non-zero magic cancellation: | All [[cloak]]s, some pieces of [[body armor]], and the [[cornuthaum]] provide non-zero magic cancellation. All other items in the game provide zero magic cancellation. The following list contains all the pieces of armor with non-zero magic cancellation: |
Revision as of 14:53, 23 August 2009
- For the effects of a wand of cancellation or a spell of cancellation, see Cancellation.
Magic cancellation, or, shortly, MC, is a property of some pieces of armor which protects against a wide variety of special melee attacks by monsters, such as poisonous killer bee stings and lycanthropy caused by werejackal bites. A precise list of attacks that magic cancellation protects against is provided in the section below. Generally speaking, magic cancellation protects against special non-damage effects (such as sliming) caused by a monster attacking and touching the player with some part of its body.
A player is protected by an aura of magic cancellation if one of the pieces of armor worn has magic cancellation. Each piece of armor has a magic cancellation number (MC number) ranging from 0 to 3, where 0 is the lowest (worst) and 3 is the highest (best). Note that magic cancellation is not cumulative — the player's magic cancellation is the maximum of that provided by any single piece of armour worn. This means that if you are wearing a chain mail with MC 1, and a dwarvish cloak with MC 2, then your magic cancellation is 2. Having the highest (best) magic cancellation means that only 1/50 of special, non-damage body-to-body melee attacks will succeed (assuming they would hit otherwise). This makes magic cancellation a high priority trait.
Contents
How it works
Understanding how magic cancellation works requires understanding of how a attack works in Nethack. An attack has two characteristics: attack type (e.g. bites and stings) and damage type (e.g. physical or poisonous). A soldier ant for instance, has two attacks. A bite which does 2d4 physical damage (i.e. ordinary damage), and a sting which does 3d4 poison damage.
Attack type | Damage type | ||
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Attack type unaffected | Attack type prevented | Damage type prevented | Damage type unaffected |
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Examples | |||
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List of magic cancellation numbers by armor
The relationship between magic cancellation level and chance of a body-to-body magical attack success is as follows:
Magic cancellation number | Chance of attack succeeding |
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Magic Cancellation 0 | , i.e. 100% |
Magic Cancellation 1 | , i.e. ~67% |
Magic Cancellation 2 | , i.e. ~35% |
Magic Cancellation 3 | , i.e. 2% |
All cloaks, some pieces of body armor, and the cornuthaum provide non-zero magic cancellation. All other items in the game provide zero magic cancellation. The following list contains all the pieces of armor with non-zero magic cancellation:
Armor name | Armor type | Magic cancellation number |
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alchemy smock | cloak | 1 |
chain mail | body armor | 1 |
mummy wrapping | cloak | 1 |
orcish chain mail | body armor | 1 |
orcish ring mail | body armor | 1 |
leather cloak | cloak | 1 |
splint mail | body armor | 1 |
studded leather armor | body armor | 1 |
cloak of displacement | cloak | 2 |
cloak of invisibility | cloak | 2 |
cornuthaum | helmet | 2 |
crystal plate mail | body armor | 2 |
dwarvish cloak | cloak | 2 |
orcish cloak | cloak | 2 |
plate mail | body armor | 2 |
cloak of protection | cloak | 3 |
cloak of magic resistance | cloak | 3 |
dwarvish mithril-coat | body armor | 3 |
elven cloak | cloak | 3 |
elven mithril-coat | body armor | 3 |
oilskin cloak | cloak | 3 |
robe | cloak | 3 |
Most players like to have maximum magic cancellation, but some favour the benefits conferred by a cloak of displacement (MC 2).
Difference between magic cancellation, cancelling a monster, and magic resistance
Magic cancellation is a property of armor that reduces the probability of certain special monster melee attacks of succeeding. A monster can also be cancelled by zapping a wand or a spell of cancellation. This is somewhat different from magic cancellation. Cancelling a monster completely removes the monster's ability to perform its special melee attacks, while magic cancellation only reduces the probability of those attacks succeeding against the player. Also, the attacks affected by cancelling a monster are not exactly the same as those prevented though magic cancellation. See the article on cancellation to compare effects.
Magic cancellation is not the same as magic resistance. Magic resistance is an extrinsic that protects against spell, wand, and trap effects and damage.
Common misconceptions
- Magic cancellation does not protect against paralyzing passive attacks nor gaze attacks, which include the attacks of floating eyes and Medusa.
- Magic cancellation partially protects against disenchanters; it prevents the disenchantment though the claws, but not through the disenchanters passive attack.
- Magic cancellation does not protect against the hissing attack of the cockatrice.
References
This page may need to be updated for the current version of NetHack.
It may contain text specific to NetHack 3.4.3. Information on this page may be out of date.
Editors: After reviewing this page and making necessary edits, please change the {{nethack-343}} tag to the current version's tag or {{noversion}} as appropriate.