Demonbane - Revision history

Umbire the Phantom: expand on history

2026-07-01T14:01:59Z

expand on history

Umbire the Phantom: /* Generation */ word choice

2026-06-28T03:59:11Z

‎Generation: word choice

Umbire the Phantom: /* Generation */ arti gen

2026-06-28T03:58:46Z

‎Generation: arti gen

Umbire the Phantom: /* History */ word choice

2026-06-26T14:43:01Z

‎History: word choice

Umbire the Phantom: /* Generation */ playermon

2026-06-17T07:47:37Z

‎Generation: playermon

Umbire the Phantom: encyclopedia

2026-06-17T07:42:42Z

encyclopedia

Umbire the Phantom: /* Hack'EM */ word choice

2026-06-17T07:15:23Z

‎Hack'EM: word choice

Umbire the Phantom: /* History */ elaborate and rephrase

2026-06-17T07:06:00Z

‎History: elaborate and rephrase

Umbire the Phantom: /* Generation */ misplaced word

2026-06-17T06:41:30Z

‎Generation: misplaced word

Umbire the Phantom: /* Strategy */ more

2026-06-01T13:52:56Z

‎Strategy: more

@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 A silver mace randomly generated on the ground or as a [[death drop]] has a base {{frac|20}} chance of being made into Demonbane if it has not yet been generated.{{refsrc|src/mkobj.c|889-L893|nethack=5.0.0|comment=artifact generation}} Demonbane is the guaranteed first sacrifice gift for [[Cleric]]s, and lawful [[hero]]es may receive it as a [[sacrifice gift]] for a sacrifice with a value of 3 or higher{{refsrc|include/artilist.h|163-L164|nethack=5.0.0}}&mdash;Demonbane will always have +1 added to its enchantment when randomly generated or given as a sacrifice gift.
-[[Angelic being]]s that are generated by [[normal monster creation]] and [[generated with]] a silver mace will always have the mace be turned into Demonbane if the monster is [[Lord (monster attribute)|a lord to their kind]] (i.e. an [[Archon]]), and will otherwise have a {{frac|20}} chance of the mace being turned into Demonbane.{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|331-L341|nethack=5.0.0}}
+[[Humanoid]] [[angelic being]]s that are generated by [[normal monster creation]] and are [[generated with]] a silver mace will always have the mace be turned into Demonbane if the monster is [[Lord (monster attribute)|a lord to their kind]] (i.e. an [[Archon]]), and will otherwise have a {{frac|20}} chance of the mace being turned into Demonbane.{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|331-L341|nethack=5.0.0}}
 [[Player monster]]s on the [[Astral Plane]] that generate with a silver mace have a {{frac|2}} chance of that mace being turned into a compatible artifact, which will always be Demonbane if it has not yet been generated.{{refsrc|src/mplayer.c|264-L266|nethack=5.0.0|comment=Artifact generation for Astral Plane player monsters}}
@@ Line 40: / Line 40: @@
 ==History==
-Demonbane first appears in [[NetHack 3.0.0]] as an artifact [[long sword]], where its only special property is its to-hit and bonus damage against demons.
+Demonbane first appears in [[NetHack 3.0.0]] as an artifact [[long sword]], where its only special property is its to-hit and bonus damage against demons. Its ability to block demon gating is introduced in [[NetHack 3.6.1]], and is imported from [[SporkHack]].
-From this version to [[NetHack 3.4.3]], including some variants based on these versions, it is somewhat common to wish for a [[figurine]] of an Archon to have a chance at obtaining Demonbane: monsters created from figurines in these versions generate with their starting inventory. [[NetHack 3.6.0]] sets figurines to generate a monster without its usual starting inventory.
+From NetHack 3.0.3 to NetHack 3.6.7, including some variants based on those versions, a lawful hero in a role without a first gift can benefit from receiving Demonbane as their first artifact gift, as it will unrestrict the long sword skill if they do not have it and thus enables [[dipping]] for [[Excalibur]]. The artifact is also a fairly common choice for equipping [[pet]]s with if the hero has better artifacts to use for themselves, provided that the pet in question is lawful, [[Intelligent monster|intelligent]] and can use weapons.
-Demonbane's ability to block demon gating is introduced in [[NetHack 3.6.1]], and is imported from [[SporkHack]].
+Additionally, from NetHack 3.1.0 to NetHack 3.6.7 including variants, humanoid angelic beings that are given long swords will have them upgraded into an artifact with a {{frac|20}} chance unless the angelic being is a lord to their kind, in which case it will always be made into an artifact:{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|329|nethack=3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|331-L338|nethack=3.6.7}} the artifact will have a roughly equal chance of being either Demonbane or Sunsword, assuming neither has been generated.{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|334|nethack=3.6.7}} It is somewhat common in versions up to [[NetHack 3.4.3]] for players to wish for a [[figurine]] of an Archon in order to have a chance at obtaining Demonbane or Sunsword: monsters created from figurines in these versions generate with their starting inventory, which is fixed in [[NetHack 3.6.0]] so that monsters created from figurines will not have their usual starting inventory.
-From NetHack 3.0.0 to NetHack 3.6.7, including some variants based on those versions, a lawful hero in a role without a first gift can benefit from receiving Demonbane as their first artifact gift, as it will unrestrict the long sword skill if they do not have it and thus enables [[dipping]] for [[Excalibur]]. The artifact is also a fairly common choice for equipping [[pet]]s with if the hero has better artifacts to use for themselves, provided that the pet in question is lawful, [[Intelligent monster|intelligent]] and can use weapons.
+[[NetHack 5.0.0]] reworks artifact balance and sacrifice gifts to their current behavior via {{commit|d87cadaf73f8ebbfbeb04c1b64249ff6d966d2d6}} and {{commit|c2c797fa357bef663fa3d962850196350a9cdb3b}}. NetHack 5.0.0 also changes Demonbane's base item type, first to a [[mace]] via {{commit|b1a5a9c3903a0282f82787d20fd70f13196e2465}}, then to a [[silver mace]] via {{commit|67d58202ad84dd04ccfd6079fc2665e87ef80fc3}}, and the former commit of these two makes it the first sacrifice gift for Clerics and establishes its ability to banish demons when invoked&mdash;the starting equipment of angelic beings is adjusted to accommodate these changes via {{commit|c4a1f298e8923dfc0543f51d4794bc0286d42138}}, {{commit|1d0b8dfca0ec388d095f3f3eea4d57aa0cd75aa9}} and {{commit|2d6f0d74f2a4c52edfa8569d394d13ab74c2b223}}. The encyclopedia entry is added via {{commit|ad4975755336f5e7e14b2ec7a6ee9be4ddc01262}}.
 ==Messages==

@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 ==Generation==
-A silver mace randomly generated on the ground or as a [[death drop]] has a base {{frac|20}} chance of being made into Demonbane.{{refsrc|src/mkobj.c|889-L893|nethack=5.0.0|comment=artifact generation}} Demonbane is the guaranteed first sacrifice gift for [[Cleric]]s, and lawful [[hero]]es may receive it as a [[sacrifice gift]] for a sacrifice with a value of 3 or higher{{refsrc|include/artilist.h|163-L164|nethack=5.0.0}}&mdash;Demonbane will always have +1 added to its enchantment when randomly generated or given as a sacrifice gift.
+A silver mace randomly generated on the ground or as a [[death drop]] has a base {{frac|20}} chance of being made into Demonbane if it has not yet been generated.{{refsrc|src/mkobj.c|889-L893|nethack=5.0.0|comment=artifact generation}} Demonbane is the guaranteed first sacrifice gift for [[Cleric]]s, and lawful [[hero]]es may receive it as a [[sacrifice gift]] for a sacrifice with a value of 3 or higher{{refsrc|include/artilist.h|163-L164|nethack=5.0.0}}&mdash;Demonbane will always have +1 added to its enchantment when randomly generated or given as a sacrifice gift.
 [[Angelic being]]s that are generated by [[normal monster creation]] and [[generated with]] a silver mace will always have the mace be turned into Demonbane if the monster is [[Lord (monster attribute)|a lord to their kind]] (i.e. an [[Archon]]), and will otherwise have a {{frac|20}} chance of the mace being turned into Demonbane.{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|331-L341|nethack=5.0.0}}

@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 ==Generation==
-A silver mace randomly generated on the ground or as a [[death drop]] has a base {{frac|20}} chance of being made into Demonbane. Demonbane is the guaranteed first sacrifice gift for [[Cleric]]s, and lawful [[hero]]es may receive it as a [[sacrifice gift]] for a sacrifice with a value of 3 or higher{{refsrc|include/artilist.h|163-L164|nethack=5.0.0}}&mdash;Demonbane will always have +1 added to its enchantment when randomly generated or given as a sacrifice gift.
+A silver mace randomly generated on the ground or as a [[death drop]] has a base {{frac|20}} chance of being made into Demonbane.{{refsrc|src/mkobj.c|889-L893|nethack=5.0.0|comment=artifact generation}} Demonbane is the guaranteed first sacrifice gift for [[Cleric]]s, and lawful [[hero]]es may receive it as a [[sacrifice gift]] for a sacrifice with a value of 3 or higher{{refsrc|include/artilist.h|163-L164|nethack=5.0.0}}&mdash;Demonbane will always have +1 added to its enchantment when randomly generated or given as a sacrifice gift.
 [[Angelic being]]s that are generated by [[normal monster creation]] and [[generated with]] a silver mace will always have the mace be turned into Demonbane if the monster is [[Lord (monster attribute)|a lord to their kind]] (i.e. an [[Archon]]), and will otherwise have a {{frac|20}} chance of the mace being turned into Demonbane.{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|331-L341|nethack=5.0.0}}

@@ Line 46: / Line 46: @@
 Demonbane's ability to block demon gating is introduced in [[NetHack 3.6.1]], and is imported from [[SporkHack]].
-From NetHack 3.0.0 to NetHack 3.6.7, including some variants based on those versions, a lawful hero in a role without a first gift can benefit from receiving Demonbane as their first artifact gift, as it will unrestrict the long sword skill if they do not have it and thus enable [[dipping]] for [[Excalibur]]. The artifact is also a fairly common choice for equipping [[pet]]s with if the hero has better artifacts to use for themselves, provided that pet is lawful, [[Intelligent monster|intelligent]] and can use weapons.
+From NetHack 3.0.0 to NetHack 3.6.7, including some variants based on those versions, a lawful hero in a role without a first gift can benefit from receiving Demonbane as their first artifact gift, as it will unrestrict the long sword skill if they do not have it and thus enables [[dipping]] for [[Excalibur]]. The artifact is also a fairly common choice for equipping [[pet]]s with if the hero has better artifacts to use for themselves, provided that the pet in question is lawful, [[Intelligent monster|intelligent]] and can use weapons.
 [[NetHack 5.0.0]] reworks artifact balance and sacrifice gifts to their current behavior via {{commit|d87cadaf73f8ebbfbeb04c1b64249ff6d966d2d6}} and {{commit|c2c797fa357bef663fa3d962850196350a9cdb3b}}. NetHack 5.0.0 also changes Demonbane's base item type, first to a [[mace]] via {{commit|b1a5a9c3903a0282f82787d20fd70f13196e2465}}, then to a [[silver mace]] via {{commit|67d58202ad84dd04ccfd6079fc2665e87ef80fc3}}&mdash;the former commit of these two makes it the first sacrifice gift for Clerics and establishes its ability to banish demons when invoked. The encyclopedia entry is added via {{commit|ad4975755336f5e7e14b2ec7a6ee9be4ddc01262}}.

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:47, 17 June 2026
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	[[Angelic being]]s that are generated by [[normal monster creation]] and [[generated with]] a silver mace will always have the mace be turned into Demonbane if the monster is [[Lord (monster attribute)\|a lord to their kind]] (i.e. an [[Archon]]), and will otherwise have a {{frac\|20}} chance of the mace being turned into Demonbane.{{refsrc\|src/makemon.c\|331-L341\|nethack=5.0.0}}		[[Angelic being]]s that are generated by [[normal monster creation]] and [[generated with]] a silver mace will always have the mace be turned into Demonbane if the monster is [[Lord (monster attribute)\|a lord to their kind]] (i.e. an [[Archon]]), and will otherwise have a {{frac\|20}} chance of the mace being turned into Demonbane.{{refsrc\|src/makemon.c\|331-L341\|nethack=5.0.0}}
		+
		+	[[Player monster]]s on the [[Astral Plane]] that generate with a silver mace have a {{frac\|2}} chance of that mace being turned into a compatible artifact, which will always be Demonbane if it has not yet been generated.{{refsrc\|src/mplayer.c\|264-L266\|nethack=5.0.0\|comment=Artifact generation for Astral Plane player monsters}}

	==Description==		==Description==

@@ Line 100: / Line 100: @@
 ===Hack'EM===
-In [[Hack'EM]], Demonbane behaves as it does in EvilHack, but cannot be forged with another artifact.
+In [[Hack'EM]], Demonbane appears and behaves largely as it does in EvilHack, but cannot be forged with another artifact.
 ==References==

@@ Line 33: / Line 33: @@
 Demonbane's [[silver]] base item and gating-blocking ability makes it especially powerful as a [[Bane]] against major demons, particularly from the [[Valley of the Dead]] onward, and being silver gives it some further applicability against [[Vampire (monster class)|vampires]] and [[werecreature]]s as well. The artifact will also have a minimum enchantment of +3 if it is generated in the possession of an angelic being.{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|345-L350|nethack=5.0.0}} However, demons are also vulnerable to several other weapons, ranging from a well-enchanted [[silver spear]] or [[silver saber]] to artifacts such as [[Grayswandir]] and [[Frost Brand]]&mdash;Demonbane is still a solid option against demons for roles that lack access to the skills for other artifacts or certain silver weapons, though unlike many of those weapons it has a higher chance of falling off in damage during the [[ascension run]] once the hero escapes Gehennom.
-Clerics will appreciate Demonbane as a damage option for [[Priest quest|their quest]] and in Gehennom, whether to use it as their primary anti-demon weapon or to supplement offensive [[spellcasting]] with it. [[Grayswandir]] and [[Frost Brand]] may also prove more attractive options than Demonbane, however&mdash;the artifact silver mace is similarly not likely to be as useful for other lawful roles that can train maces, since [[Knight]]s will prefer their [[Excalibur]] access while [[Cave Dweller]]s will prefer [[the Sceptre of Might]].
+Clerics will appreciate Demonbane as a damage option for [[Priest quest|their quest]] and in Gehennom, whether they use it as their primary anti-demon weapon or supplement offensive [[spellcasting]] with it. [[Grayswandir]] and [[Frost Brand]] may also prove more attractive options than Demonbane, however&mdash;the artifact silver mace is similarly not likely to be as useful for other lawful roles that can train maces, since [[Knight]]s will prefer their [[Excalibur]] access while [[Cave Dweller]]s will prefer [[the Sceptre of Might]].
 [[Elf (starting race)|Elven]] Clerics are incapable of forcing [[Stormbringer]] as a result of Demonbane being their first gift, and will have to rely on [[crowning]] if they want Stormbringer as early as possible.