Upgrading objects
In SLASH'EM, items may be upgraded into other objects.
Contents
Description
Upgrading is done by dipping an object into a potion of gain level[1] or using the gnomish tinker technique. If an object has multiple possible upgrades, each one is equally likely unless otherwise noted. Artifacts cannot be upgraded.
Upgrading objects does not break polymorphless conduct, and upgraded objects do not need to be dipped in a potion of restore ability to make the upgrade permanent as with polymorphed objects.
List of upgradeable items
Much of the information is taken from (with thanks to) Eva Myers's spoiler.[2]
Weapons and ammunition
Daggers
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Orcish dagger | Dagger |
| Dagger | elven dagger, or dark elven dagger |
| Great dagger | |
| Elven dagger | Great dagger |
| Dark elven dagger |
This is a good source of great daggers, since they are never randomly generated - remember that great daggers will not stack normally, and throwing or dropping any greats dagger created from an upgraded stack will not merge back.
Short swords
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Orcish short sword | Short sword |
| Elven short sword | Dwarvish short sword |
| Dark elven short sword | |
| Short sword | |
| Dwarvish short sword | elven short sword, or dark elven short sword |
Bows
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Elven bow | Bow |
| Dark elven bow | |
| Yumi | |
| Orcish bow | |
| Bow | elven bow, dark elven bow, or yumi |
Arrows
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Elven arrow | Arrow |
| Dark elven arrow | |
| Ya | |
| Orcish arrow | |
| Arrow | elven arrow, dark elven arrow, or ya |
Other weapons
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Knife | Stiletto |
| Stiletto | Knife |
| Axe | Battle-axe |
| Battle-axe | Axe |
| Pick-axe | Dwarvish mattock |
| Dwarvish mattock | Pick-axe |
| Broadsword | Elven broadsword |
| Elven broadsword | Broadsword |
| Club | Aklys |
| Aklys | Club |
| War hammer | Heavy hammer |
| Heavy hammer | War hammer |
Armor
Cloaks
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Cloak of protection | oilskin cloak, or elven cloak |
| Cloak of invisibility | |
| Cloak of magic resistance | |
| Cloak of displacement | |
| Dwarvish cloak | |
| Orcish cloak | |
| Oilskin cloak | cloak of protection, cloak of invisibility, cloak of magic resistance, or cloak of displacement |
| Elven cloak |
Helmets
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Fedora | Elven leather helm |
| Elven leather helm | Fedora |
| Dented pot | Orcish helm |
| Orcish helm | Dwarvish iron helm |
| Helm of brilliance | |
| Helm of telepathy | |
| Dwarvish iron helm | helm of brilliance, or helm of telepathy |
| Cornuthaum | Dunce cap |
| Dunce cap | Cornuthaum |
Gloves
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Leather gloves | gauntlets of swimming, or gauntlets of dexterity |
| Gauntlets of swimming | Leather gloves |
| Gauntlets of dexterity |
Shields
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Elven shield | Uruk-hai shield, or orcish shield |
| Uruk-hai shield | Elven shield |
| Orcish shield | |
| Dwarvish roundshield | Large shield |
| Large shield | Dwarvish roundshield |
Robes
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Robe | robe of protection, or robe of power |
| Robe of protection | Robe |
| Robe of power |
Other armor
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Elven mithril-coat | Dark elven mithril-coat |
| Dark elven mithril-coat | Elven mithril-coat |
| Orcish chain mail | Chain mail |
| Chain mail | Orcish chain mail |
| Studded leather armor | Leather armor |
| Leather jacket | |
| Leather armor | Studded leather armor |
| Low boots | High boots |
| High boots | Low boots |
Only low and high boots are upgradable. No boots can be upgraded into their magical counter-parts.
Tools
Containers
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Large box | Chest |
| Ice box | |
| Chest | Ice box |
| Sack | 4⁄5 chance of oilskin sack, 1⁄5 chance of bag of holding |
| Oilskin sack | Bag of holding |
| Bag of holding | Oilskin sack |
Magical tools
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Tin whistle | Magic whistle |
| Magic whistle | Tin whistle |
| Wooden flute | Magic flute (10-14 charges) |
| Magic flute | Wooden flute |
| Tooled horn | frost horn, fire horn, or horn of plenty |
| Horn of plenty | Tooled horn |
| Fire horn | |
| Frost horn | |
| Wooden harp | Magic harp (10-14 charges) |
| Magic harp | Wooden harp |
| Crystal ball | Magic marker |
| Magic marker | Crystal ball (3-12 charges, unless marker had fewer) |
Mundane tools
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Towel | Blindfold |
| Blindfold | Towel |
| Credit card | Skeleton key |
| Lock pick | |
| Skeleton key | Lock pick |
| Leash | Saddle |
| Saddle | Leash |
| Tin opener | Tinning kit (70-99 charges) |
| Tinning kit | Tin opener |
| Tallow candle | Wax candle |
| Wax candle | Tallow candle |
| Oil lamp | Brass lantern |
| Brass lantern | Oil lamp |
Food
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| K-ration | cram ration, or food ration |
| C-ration | |
| Lembas wafer | |
| Food ration | Lembas wafer |
| Cram ration |
Stones
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Loadstone | Flint stone |
| Flint stone | luckstone, or healthstone |
Strategy
Upgrading objects, either by potions of gain level or the tinker techinque, is the "poor hacker's polypiling"[3]. It can be used to get some good items without many of the risks of polypiling. Most of the transformations are also reversible, although polypiling in SLASH'EM is by default reversible, since objects revert after some time. Also note that most of the magical items transform into other magical items, and mundane items change into other mundane items. Thus, with a few exceptions, it is not a viable way to make more magical items for polypiling. However, many useful items can be obtained, including helms of brilliance, healthstones, tinning kits, and magic markers.
Cost and safety
One potion is used up per item (or stack of items) transformed, if using a potion of gain level. If using the tinker technique, much more time passes, using up nutrition and spawning enemies. Thus, gnomes can save on potions, but must find a safe place to tinker, so they are neither interrupted or killed. Boulder forts work well, but may be hard to come by early in the game. Shops work very well in the early game, with the door locked. If you lack a way of (un)locking the door, you can also pick up an unpaid item and let the shopkeeper block the door. Be sure not to stand in a straight line from the door, so monsters can't shoot you, and beware tunneling monsters.
Upgrading a container doesn't destroy its contents, as polymorphing does. However, if you upgrade a container to a bag of holding, it will explode if it contains an item that would cause an explosion[4].
Enchanted armor and weapons
One good use of upgrading is to get highly-enchanted armor or weapons. A +5 orcish helm may be upgraded into a +5 helm of brilliance. Also, since many transformations are reversible, the player may change a highly enchanted piece of armor from one type to another. For example, a wizard has less use of a +3 helm of telepathy than a +3 helm of brilliance. Similarly, a player could upgrade a +2 orcish dagger into a +2 great dagger, for two-weaponing with (or skill-training for) Magicbane. Additionally, Elven armor can be enchanted, fairly reliably, to +7 and then upgraded. For example, a +7 elven cloak can become something more useful like a cloak of magic resistance.
Polyfodder
Objects may also be upgraded for use in polypiling. Most magical items transform into other magical items, and most mundane items transform into other mundane items. Thus, upgrading objects for polyfodder will often be a waste of potions or time spent tinkering. The exceptions are mundane items which transform into magical items:
- flint stones
- dwarvish helms
- orcish helms
- dented pots
- dwarvish cloaks
- orcish cloaks
- leather gloves
- robes
- tin whistles
- wooden harps
- wooden flutes
- tooled horns
- sacks
Hack'EM
Hack'EM incorporates the ability to upgrade items, but modifies the list to accommodate items from other variants, and attempts to fix certain logical and exploitation problems.
A user has suggested improving this page or section as follows:
"Whole section is outdated and in need of copyedit - if looking for the latest version's upgrade list, disregard this section until it is fully updated."
Weapons
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Quarterstaff | Magical Staff |
| Boomerang | Chakram |
Armor
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Robe | Robe of protection, or robe of power |
| Robe of protection | Robe |
| Robe of power | |
| Robe of weakness | |
| Oilskin cloak/elven cloak | Cloak of protection, cloak of invisibility, cloak of magic resistance, cloak of displacement, or cloak of flight |
| Dwarvish cloak | Oilskin/elven cloak |
| Cloak of protection | |
| Cloak of invisibility | |
| Cloak of magic resistance | |
| Cloak of displacement | |
| Cloak of flight | |
| Mummy wrapping | Plain cloak |
| Plain cloak | Orcish cloak |
| Orcish cloak | Dwarvish cloak |
| Poisonous cloak | Alchemy smock |
| Striped shirt | Shirt |
| Toque | Dwarvish helm, or tinfoil hat |
| Helm of brilliance | |
| Helm of speed | |
| Helm of telepathy | |
| Dwarvish helm, or tinfoil hat |
Toque, helm of brilliance, helm of speed, or helm of telepathy |
| Helm of madness | tinfoil hat |
| Fedora | Elven helm |
| Elven helm | Fedora |
| Cornuthaum | Dunce cap |
| Dunce cap | Cornuthaum |
| Leather gloves | Rogue's gloves, boxing gloves, or gauntlets |
| Rogue's gloves | Leather gloves |
| Boxing gloves | |
| Gauntlets | Gauntlets of swimming, gauntlets of dexterity, gauntlets of protection, or gauntlets of power |
| Gauntlets of swimming | Gauntlets |
| Gauntlets of dexterity | |
| Gauntlets of protection | |
| Gauntlets of power | |
| Gauntlets of fumbling | |
| Dwarvish roundshield | Shield of reflection, shield of light, shield of mobility, or resonant shield |
| Shield of reflection | Dwarvish roundshield |
| Shield of light | |
| Shield of mobility | |
| Resonant shield | |
| Dwarvish boots/elven boots | Speed boots, water walking boots, jumping boots, stomping boots, or kicking boots |
| Speed boots | Dwarvish boots, or elven boots |
| Water walking boots | |
| Jumping boots | |
| Stomping boots | |
| Kicking boots | |
| Low boots | High Boots |
| Fumble boots | Dwarvish Boots |
- Note that there is a distinction between Gloves and Gauntlets in Hack'EM.
Tools
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Sack | Oilskin Sack, or Bag of holding |
| Bag of rats | |
| Oilskin Sack | Bag of Holding |
| Bag of Holding | Oilskin Sack |
| Towel | Blindfold |
| Blindfold | Towel |
| Lock pick | Skeleton key |
| Skeleton Key | Lock Pick |
| Pea whistle | Magic whistle |
| Magic Whistle | Pea Whistle |
| Flute | Magic flute |
| Magic Flute | Flute |
| Tooled horn | Fire horn, Frost horn, Horn of plenty, or Horn of Blasting |
| Fire Horn | Tooled Horn |
| Frost Horn | |
| Horn of Plenty | |
| Horn of Blasting | |
| Harp | Magic harp |
| Leash | Saddle |
| Saddle | Leash |
| Tin opener | Tinning kit |
| Tinning Kit | Tin Opener |
| Lenses | Crystal ball |
| Crystal Ball | Lenses |
| Flint/Healthstone | Luckstone or Whetstone |
| Luckstone/Whetstone | Healthstone |
| Loadstone | Whetstone |
| Land mine/Pineapple | Fire bomb, Gas bomb, or Smoke bomb |
