Erosion - Revision history

Umbire the Phantom: word choice

2025-10-07T19:07:20Z

word choice

Umbire the Phantom: /* EvilHack */ touch-up

2025-09-14T00:29:32Z

‎EvilHack: touch-up

Umbire the Phantom: tocright

2025-09-13T20:51:24Z

tocright

Umbire the Phantom: follow-up

2025-09-13T20:51:11Z

follow-up

Tomsod: /* Erosion-proofing and repair */ potions of oil only work on weapons

2025-09-13T15:19:19Z

‎Erosion-proofing and repair: potions of oil only work on weapons

Umbire the Phantom: potholes et. al.

2025-01-29T16:31:24Z

potholes et. al.

Umbire the Phantom: /* Variants */ lede

2024-08-12T20:19:35Z

‎Variants: lede

Umbire the Phantom: word choice

2024-08-05T12:43:01Z

word choice

Umbire the Phantom: wordsmithing, note price effect in evil

2024-07-20T13:45:02Z

wordsmithing, note price effect in evil

Umbire the Phantom: /* Item effects */ digging

2024-07-19T23:17:20Z

‎Item effects: digging

@@ Line 57: / Line 57: @@
 * An erodeproof item that is [[polymorph]]ed into another item retains its erodeproof status.
 * Erosion can be removed from a wielded weapon as a boon from successful [[prayer]].
-* [[Grease]] applied to an item blocks all forms of erosion, but has a chance to dissolve after each instance of blocked erosion.
+* A layer of [[grease]] applied to an item blocks all forms of erosion, but has a chance of dissolving after each instance of blocked erosion.
 * Dipping a rusty and/or corroded weapon into a [[potion of oil]] removes one level of rust or corrosion from it.
-* [[Blessed]] items have a [[luck]]-dependent chance to resist erosion.
+* [[Blessed]] items have a [[luck]]-dependent chance of resisting erosion.
 * [[Artifact]]s given as gifts from [[sacrifice]] and crowning are always made erodeproof.
 * A wielded weapon that is enhanced as part of the crowning process (i.e. if the hero cannot be given their normal crowning gift) is made erodeproof and has any existing erosion repaired.

@@ Line 100: / Line 100: @@
 In [[EvilHack]], erosion can affect the buy and sell prices of objects in [[shop]]s. Items that have 3 levels of erosion and are subjected to erosion of that same type are destroyed, making it possible for e.g. a long sword to rust away from being dipped in enough fountains without being transformed into Excalibur, or for a rust monster to completely destroy a pair of thoroughly rusted [[gauntlets of power]] while the hero is holding a [[footrice]] [[corpse]].
-The destroy armor spell also functions similarly to how it does in SporkHack, though it cannot erode or destroy [[crystal plate mail]], [[quest artifact]] armor, or [[The Hand of Vecna (EvilHack)|The Hand of Vecna]]; armor that grants [[disintegration resistance]] (including artifacts) always resists destruction from the spell, and all other artifacts that do not fall into the previous categories have a base {{frac|9|10}} chance (90%) of resisting destruction from the spell.
+The destroy armor spell also functions similarly to how it does in SporkHack, though it cannot erode or destroy [[crystal plate mail]], [[quest artifact]] armor, or [[The Hand of Vecna (EvilHack)|The Hand of Vecna]], and armor that grants [[disintegration resistance]] (including artifacts) always resists destruction from this spell. All other artifacts that do not fall into the previous categories have a base {{frac|9|10}} chance (90%) of resisting destruction from the destroy armor spell.
 ==References==

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:51, 13 September 2025
Line 1:		Line 1:
		+	{{tocright}}
	'''Erosion''' is an attribute in ''[[NetHack]]'' that applies to items made of certain [[material]]s, making it possible for them to degrade in quality and potentially affect their function.		'''Erosion''' is an attribute in ''[[NetHack]]'' that applies to items made of certain [[material]]s, making it possible for them to degrade in quality and potentially affect their function.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-'''Erosion''' is an attribute that applies to items in ''[[NetHack]]'', and makes it possible for items of a certain [[material]] to degrade in quality, which in turn can potentially affect their performance.
+'''Erosion''' is an attribute in ''[[NetHack]]'' that applies to items made of certain [[material]]s, making it possible for them to degrade in quality and potentially affect their function.
 ==Description==
@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 Erosion does not affect [[body armor]] worn under a [[cloak]], and does not affect a [[shirt]] worn under body armor or a cloak.
-{{upcoming|3.7.0|Per {{commit|e9c58c2fe4277fc64433df3c9a2e8d954fd1d16a}}, damage to [[glass]] objects is treated as erosion rather than immediately destroying the objects: a glass item can be '''cracked''', very cracked at 2 levels, or thoroughly cracked at 3 levels, and any damage to a thoroughly cracked glass item destroys it. The chance of glass items being damaged is also raised from 5% to 10%.}}
+{{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Per {{commit|e9c58c2fe4277fc64433df3c9a2e8d954fd1d16a}}, damage to [[glass]] objects is treated as erosion rather than immediately destroying the objects: a glass item can be '''cracked''', very cracked at 2 levels, or thoroughly cracked at 3 levels, and any damage to a thoroughly cracked glass item destroys it. The chance of glass items being damaged is also raised from 5% to 10%.}}
 ===Item effects===
-Erosion has particular negative effects on items from specific [[object class]]es.
+Erosion has particular negative effects on items from specific [[object class]]es:
 * Eroded [[weapon]]s and [[weapon-tool]]s have their damage decreased by 1 for each level of erosion, to a minimum of 0, and this penalty is doubled for weapons that do double damage against certain monsters: a [[short sword]] that is very rusty has a &minus;2 penalty to damage. Bladed weapons that are eroded are more likely to break when used to [[force]] locked [[container]]s.{{refsrc|src/lock.c|237|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} Eroded weapons and weapon-tools that are used to dig (i.e. a [[pick-axe]] or [[dwarvish mattock]]) will dig slower than ones that are not eroded.{{refsrc|src/dig.c|300|nethack=3.6.7}}
 * Eroded [[armor]] has its base [[AC]] reduced by one point for each level of erosion, to a minimum of 0: a +0 dwarvish iron helm grants 2 points of AC, while a thorough rusty +1 dwarvish iron helm grants 1 point of AC (0 from base item + 1 from [[enchantment]]).
-Penalties from erosion are not cumulative, and are applied based on the highest level of erosion for that object - e.g., if the very rusty short sword from the above example becomes corroded as well, it still has has a &minus;2 damage penalty rather than &minus;3. Erosion does not affect an item's other enchantment-based effects, e.g. a thoroughly rusty +2 [[helm of brilliance]] still provides +2 to [[intelligence]] and [[wisdom]].
+Penalties from erosion are not cumulative, and are applied based on the highest level of erosion for that object&mdash;e.g., if the very rusty short sword from the above example becomes corroded as well, it still has has a &minus;2 damage penalty rather than &minus;3. Erosion does not affect an item's other enchantment-based effects, e.g. a thoroughly rusty +2 [[helm of brilliance]] still provides +2 to [[intelligence]] and [[wisdom]].
 {{todo|Specifics on damage penalties for erosion.}}
@@ Line 42: / Line 42: @@
 ==Erosion-proofing and repair==
-Objects can be made '''erodeproof''' (or '''[[foo]]proof''' informally) and protected from all forms of erosion, and existing erosion on erodible objects can be repaired - certain materials are also considered to be inherently erodeproof, such as [[silver]], [[metal]] and [[dragon hide]]. The process for making items erodeproof varies with the object class:
+Objects can be made '''erosion-proof''' or '''erodeproof''' (informally '''[[foo]]proof'''), which protects that item from all forms of erosion, and existing erosion on erodible objects can be repaired&mdash;certain materials are also considered to be inherently erodeproof, such as [[silver]], [[metal]] and [[dragon hide]]. The process for making items erodeproof varies with the object class:
-* A hero [[read]]ing a non-cursed [[scroll of enchant weapon]] while [[confused]] will erodeproof the currently [[wield]]ed weapon and repair any existing damage. Doing so with a cursed scroll will remove any erodeproofing.
+* A hero [[reading]] a non-cursed [[scroll of enchant weapon]] while [[confused]] will erodeproof the currently [[wielded]] weapon and repair any existing damage. Doing so with a cursed scroll will remove any erodeproofing.
-* A hero reading a non-cursed [[scroll of enchant armor]] while [[confused]] will erodeproof a random piece of currently [[worn]] armor and repair any existing damage to it. Doing so with a cursed scroll will remove any erodeproofing from a random piece of armor.
+* A hero reading a non-cursed [[scroll of enchant armor]] while confused will erodeproof a random piece of currently [[worn]] armor and repair any existing damage to it. Doing so with a cursed scroll will remove any erodeproofing from a random piece of armor.
-* A hero reading a ''[[cursed]]'' [[scroll of destroy armor]] while [[confused]] will erodeproof a random piece of currently [[worn]] armor without repairing existing damage to it.
+* A hero reading a ''[[cursed]]'' [[scroll of destroy armor]] while confused will erodeproof a random piece of currently worn armor without repairing existing damage to it.
 * Any item can be [[wish]]ed for as erodeproof, even if they are made of a normally-erodeproof material.
-The word used to describe an item as erodeproof varies with the item's material: '''rustproof''' for iron items, '''corrodeproof''' for copper items, and '''fireproof''' for items vulnerable to burning; though the description '''"rotproof"''' is recognized by the game, all materials that can be rotted can also be subjected to burning.{{refsrc|src/objnam.c|3031|version=NetHack 3.6.7|name="erodeproof"}} The '''"fixed"''' status exists for [[crysknives]] and is intended for displaying how likely they are to revert to a [[worm tooth]] ({{frac|10}} for a fixed crysknife versus always for a normal one), but shares the same bit in the object data structure as erode-proofing, and a wish for a "fixed" item will set this bit.<ref name="erodeproof/> An erodeproof item is protected from all erosion, regardless of if its description mentions that form of erosion.
+An erodeproof item is protected from all erosion, regardless of if its description mentions that form of erosion. The word used to describe an item as erodeproof varies with the item's material: '''rustproof''' for iron items, '''corrodeproof''' for copper items, and '''fireproof''' for items vulnerable to burning; though the description '''"rotproof"''' is recognized by the game, all materials that can be rotted can also be subjected to burning.{{refsrc|src/objnam.c|3031|version=NetHack 3.6.7|name="erodeproof"}} The '''"fixed"''' status exists for [[crysknives]] and is intended for displaying how likely they are to revert to a [[worm tooth]] ({{frac|10}} for a fixed crysknife versus always for a normal one), but shares the same bit in the object data structure as erode-proofing, and a wish for a "fixed" item will set this bit.<ref name="erodeproof/>
 There are other methods that can make items erodeproof, repair erosion or otherwise offer protection from it:
@@ Line 59: / Line 59: @@
 * Dipping a rusty and/or corroded weapon into a [[potion of oil]] removes one level of rust or corrosion from it.
 * [[Blessed]] items have a [[luck]]-dependent chance to resist erosion.
-* [[Artifact]]s given as gifts from [[sacrifice]] and crowning are always made erodeproof - a wielded weapon that is enhanced as part of the crowning process (i.e. if the hero cannot be given the normal crowning gift) is repaired and made erodeproof.
+* [[Artifact]]s given as gifts from [[sacrifice]] and crowning are always made erodeproof.
 {{todo|Specify the erodeproofing methods that ID the proofing.}}
-{{upcoming|3.7.0|Per {{commit|e9c58c2fe4277fc64433df3c9a2e8d954fd1d16a}}, glass items can be made erodeproof, and those items are referred to as '''crackproof''' or '''tempered'''.}}
+{{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Per {{commit|e9c58c2fe4277fc64433df3c9a2e8d954fd1d16a}}, glass items can be made erodeproof, and those items are referred to as '''crackproof''' or '''tempered'''.}}
 ==Strategy==
-A hero should erodeproof their primary weapon of choice at minimum to avoid damage penalties, if it is not already made of an erodeproof material; a character focused on [[two weapon combat]] should erode-proof their offhand weapon as well if applicable. However, most characters' primary weapons of choice are artifacts, which are automatically erode-proofed if obtained via sacrifice, crowning or explicitly wishing for an erodeproof artifact weapon - but ''not'' if that artifact is randomly generated or acts as their [[quest artifact]], such as [[The Sceptre of Might]] for [[Cavepeople]]. An erode-proofed weapon is also unlikely to lose that status, barring carelessness with a scroll of enchant weapon.
+A hero should erodeproof their primary weapon of choice at minimum to avoid damage penalties, if it is not already made of an erodeproof material; a character focused on [[two weapon combat]] should erode-proof their offhand weapon as well if applicable. However, most characters' primary weapons of choice are artifacts: these weapons are automatically erode-proofed if obtained via sacrifice, crowning or explicitly wishing for an erodeproof artifact weapon, but ''not'' if that artifact is randomly generated or acts as their [[quest artifact]], such as [[The Sceptre of Might]] for [[Cavepeople]]. An erode-proofed weapon is also unlikely to lose that status, barring carelessness with a scroll of enchant weapon or a rust monster.
 Conversely, making armor erodeproof may often be lower priority for many characters, depending on the current stage of the game and the armor in question: in general, this is best saved until a hero has settled on a long-term set of armor, and enchanted it as far as they desire to or can safely do so; any excess scrolls can then be used to repair erosion and proof armor as needed. High luck and blessed armor (which usually occurs when reading blessed scrolls of enchant armor) can reduce the odds of any one piece of armor being eroded, and a worn cloak will protect both body armor and shirts underneath them.
-Fireproofing boots is generally worthwhile to avoid destroying them should the hero accidentally walk into [[lava]] - other armor with low base AC is somewhat lower-priority, due to how AC penalties for erosion function, e.g. many [[helm]]s, most cloaks except the [[cloak of protection]], and all [[gloves]] provide a base AC of 1. While erode-proofing the hero's suit of armor is a good idea, on top of their protection by a worn cloak it is also highly unlikely to be necessary if the aim is to wear [[dragon scale mail]] or even a [[mithril-coat]] (both of which cannot be eroded) in the long term.
+Fireproofing boots is generally worthwhile to avoid destroying them should the hero accidentally walk into [[lava]]&mdash;other armor with low base AC is somewhat lower-priority, due to how AC penalties for erosion function, e.g. many [[helm]]s, most cloaks except the [[cloak of protection]], and all [[gloves]] provide a base AC of 1. While erode-proofing the hero's suit of armor is a good idea, on top of their protection by a worn cloak it is also highly unlikely to be necessary if the aim is to wear [[dragon scale mail]] or even a [[mithril-coat]] (both of which cannot be eroded) in the long term.
-It is a common habit for players wishing up items to request those items fixed or otherwise erodeproof as a form of precaution, even if the risk of that item being eroded is unlikely to come up: for example, any player wishing for a [[T-shirt]] or [[Hawaiian shirt]] is likely to request it as fixed or fireproof, even though neither shirt grants any base AC (and thus will not lose any if burnt) and will usually be covered by their suit of armor and cloak.
+It is a common habit for players wishing up items to request those items fixed or otherwise erodeproof as a form of precaution, even if the risk of that item being eroded is unlikely to come up: for example, any player wishing for a [[T-shirt]] or [[Hawaiian shirt]] is likely to request it as fixed or fireproof, even though the shirt will usually be covered by their suit of armor and/or cloak and also does not grant any base AC while worn (meaning that it will not lose any if burnt).
 There are certain rare cases where a player may prefer that an item be eroded:
-* [[Dividing]] black puddings and brown puddings deliberately to farm for resistances from their [[glob]]s is best done using a thoroughly eroded weapon in order to minimize damage dealt to the puddings themselves outside of splitting them.
+* [[Dividing]] black puddings and brown puddings deliberately to farm for resistances from their [[glob]]s is best done using a thoroughly eroded weapon, in order to minimize damage that is dealt directly to the puddings themselves outside of splitting them.
 * Armor that is thoroughly rusted cannot be rusted further, trivializing encounters with rust monsters (though rustproofing also trivializes them).
 ==History==
-The modern erosion system is introduced in [[NetHack 3.1.0]]. In [[NetHack 3.0.10]] and previous versions, erosion occurs in the form of reducing that item's enchantment - a rust monster in these versions is more similar to a modern [[disenchanter]] as a result, except that its attack is blocked by rustproofing (which exists in those versions) rather than [[magic cancellation]].
+The modern erosion system is introduced in [[NetHack 3.1.0]]. In [[NetHack 3.0.10]] and previous versions, erosion occurs in the form of reducing that item's enchantment&mdash;a rust monster in these versions is more similar to the later-introduced [[disenchanter]] as a result, except that its attack is blocked by rustproofing (which exists in those versions) rather than [[magic cancellation]].
-In [[NetHack 3.4.3]] and earlier versions, including some variants based on those versions, [[pudding farming]] is generally performed using [[Puddingbane]]s, which are weak and thoroughly corroded weapons such as [[orcish dagger]]s, to maximize the amount of [[corpse]]s obtained.
+In [[NetHack 3.4.3]] and earlier versions, including some variants based on those versions, black puddings and brown puddings can leave [[corpse]]s, and [[pudding farming]] is generally performed using "[[Puddingbane]]s": these are weak and thoroughly corroded weapons (e.g. [[orcish dagger]]s) used to maximize the amount of [[corpse]]s obtained from splitting puddings.
 In [[NetHack 3.6.0]] and earlier versions, including some variants based on those versions, [[wand]]s, [[ring]]s, and [[tool]]s such as [[stethoscope]]s and [[skeleton key]]s can rust and corrode, but this does not affect their use.
 ==Variants==
-[[Variants]] of ''NetHack'' typically add new monsters that can corrode objects and/or new materials that can be eroded, and sometimes change which existing materials can be eroded as well - this is especially true of variants with [[object materials]] systems. For details on those materials, see the appropriate article for that material; for details on which materials can or cannot be eroded, see the object materials article for that variant if applicable.
+[[Variants]] of ''NetHack'' typically add new monsters that can corrode objects and/or new materials that can be eroded, and sometimes change which existing materials can be eroded as well&mdash;this is especially true of variants with [[object materials]] systems. For details on those materials, see the appropriate article for that material; for details on which materials can or cannot be eroded, see the object materials article for that variant if applicable.
 ===SLASH'EM===

@@ Line 57: / Line 57: @@
 * Erosion can be removed from a wielded weapon as a boon from successful [[prayer]].
 * [[Grease]] applied to an item blocks all forms of erosion, but has a chance to dissolve after each instance of blocked erosion.
-* Dipping a rusty and/or corroded item into a [[potion of oil]] removes one level of rust or corrosion from it.
+* Dipping a rusty and/or corroded weapon into a [[potion of oil]] removes one level of rust or corrosion from it.
 * [[Blessed]] items have a [[luck]]-dependent chance to resist erosion.
 * [[Artifact]]s given as gifts from [[sacrifice]] and crowning are always made erodeproof - a wielded weapon that is enhanced as part of the crowning process (i.e. if the hero cannot be given the normal crowning gift) is repaired and made erodeproof.

@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 * The bite and passive of a [[black pudding]] (which both use the '''<tt>AD_CORR</tt>''' damage type)
-<span id="Burning">'''Burning''' affects items made of [[wood]], [[leather]], [[cloth]], and [[plastic]], and is caused by [[fire]] damage from most of its sources, as well as a passive effect of attacking certain fire-element monsters.</span>
+<span id="Burning">'''Burning''' affects items made of [[wood]], [[leather]], [[cloth]], and [[plastic]], and is caused by [[Fire (element)|fire]] damage as well as a passive effect of attacking certain fire-element monsters.</span>
 <span id="Rotting">'''Rotting''' affects items made of wood, leather and cloth, and is caused by the bite attack of a [[brown pudding]] (which uses the '''<tt>AD_DCAY</tt>''' damage type).</span>

@@ Line 87: / Line 87: @@
 ==Variants==
-[[Variants]] of ''NetHack'' typically add new materials that can be eroded, and sometimes change which existing materials can be eroded as well - this is especially true of variants with [[object materials]] systems. For details on those materials, see the appropriate article for that material; for details on which materials can or cannot be eroded, see the object material article for that variant if applicable.
+[[Variants]] of ''NetHack'' typically add new materials that can be eroded, and sometimes change which existing materials can be eroded as well - this is especially true of variants with [[object materials]] systems. For details on those materials, see the appropriate article for that material; for details on which materials can or cannot be eroded, see the object materials article for that variant if applicable.
 ===SLASH'EM===