Frost Brand (dNetHack) - Revision history

Umbire the Phantom: spacing + temp

2026-06-22T18:57:03Z

spacing + temp

Umbire the Phantom: same as fire brand

2026-06-22T18:50:21Z

same as fire brand

Umbire the Phantom: ditto here

2026-06-22T12:38:32Z

ditto here

Show changes

Umbire the Phantom: tweaks

2026-06-21T11:34:56Z

tweaks

Umbire the Phantom: pothole

2026-06-21T11:34:14Z

pothole

Umbire the Phantom: and with fire, so frost

2026-06-21T11:33:49Z

and with fire, so frost

New page

{{dNetHack artifact
|color=black
|glyph=)
|name=Frost Brand
|base=long sword
|appearance=ice-runed <base item>
|affiliation=<ul><li>[[unaligned]]</li></ul>
|generated=<ul><li>[[sacrifice gift]]</li><li>can randomly generate asmany base item types</li></ul>
|smalldmg=(1d8 [[explosive]] '''×2''') + 3d8 [[cold]] + 3d8 [[physical damage]]
|largedmg=(1d12 [[explosive]] '''×2''') + 3d8 [[cold]] + 3d8 [[physical damage]]
|dmgtype=slashing, piercing
|tohit=</nowiki>'''+1'''<nowiki>
|versus=targets without [[cold resistance]]
|skill=long sword
|properties=<ul><li>can be reshaped with a [[fountain]]</li><li>can be safely [[Scroll of enchant weapon|enchanted]] from +5</li><li>tripled damage against monsters [[vulnerable]] to cold</li><li>can be [[twoweapon]]ed with [[Fire Brand (dNetHack)|Fire Brand]] in either hand</li></ul>
|whenwielded=<ul><li>[[frost resistance]]</li></ul>
|cost=3000
|weight=30
|material=glass
}}
In [[dNetHack]], [[notdNetHack]] and [[notnotdNetHack]], '''[[Frost Brand]]''' is significantly changed from its behavior in ''[[NetHack]]''—it can appear as one of many available [[base item]] types, with the default being a [[long sword]], and it appears as an '''ice-runed''' variation of its base item when [[unidentified]].

[[Fire Brand (dNetHack)|Fire Brand]] is the ember-runed, [[Fire (damage)|fire-attuned]] counterpart of Frost Brand.

==Generation==
Frost Brand's available range of base items is partly determined by the [[race]], [[role]] and certain other qualities of the current [[hero]], as well as whether the artifact is being randomly generated, given by the hero's current [[deity]] as a [[sacrifice gift]], or else being [[wished]] for directly. Once either Fire Brand or Frost Brand has been generated, the other of the pair can only be generated as the matching object type.

For random generation, Frost Brand is actually less likely to appear than a normal artifact, due to the massive pool of available items. There is a base {{frac|120}} chance that a random item of a compatible base item type generated on the ground will be made into Fire Brand, with two further rolls applied if this chance is successful:

* The first roll is {{frac|X}} to skip turning the object into Frost Brand, where X is the value representing the base item's default size—0 for tiny, 4 for huge, 7 for gigantic, and so on, meaning that tiny items will always be skipped and larger items have a lesser chance of being skipped.
* If this skip does not occur, and the item is a valid base item for Frost Brand that is also an [[elven item]] or [[droven item]], then there is a further {{frac|4}} chance required for artifact generation to succeed—this is likely implemented due to the high amount of such items that are generated on the floors of certain quest levels, such as the [[Mordor Ruins quest]].

If Frost Brand is being given to the hero as a sacrifice gift, Fire Brand has a {{frac|3}} chance of being created as a long sword, and will otherwise be created as one of the following, with an equal probability of each: a [[saber]], a [[scimitar]], [[gauntlets]], a [[broadsword]], an [[axe]], a [[short sword]], or an [[athame]]. If none of these are valid, then it will roll for a base item type until it creates one that is appropriate for that hero or else fall back to a long sword after 100 attempts.

Frost Brand can also be reshaped into a different base item by [[dipping]] it into a [[fountain]], and can be formed into any compatible weapon that is type-identified, in the hero's inventory or uses a weapon [[skill]] that the hero is at Skilled level or better in; there are also base item choices that are only available to certain races and roles.

==Description==
Frost Brand has +1 [[to-hit]] and deals double cold damage: the damage of its base dice is dealt as explosive damage (3d8 cold + 3d8 [[physical damage]]), making it much harder to resist. While Frost Brand is wielded or worn, it has {{frac|5|6}} of the normal movement cost to attack with (e.g. it uses 10 movement points vs. the 12 given to a standard hero), and it will not resist being used in [[two weapon combat]] with Fire Brand (or vice versa).
{{stub}}
{{dNetHack-326}}
[[Category:dNetHack artifacts]]
[[Category:notdNetHack artifacts]]
[[Category:notnotdNetHack artifacts]]

@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
    |versus=targets without [[cold resistance]]
    |skill=long sword
-   |properties=<ul><li>can be reshaped with a [[fountain]]</li><li>tripled damage against monsters [[vulnerable]] to cold</li><li>can be [[twoweapon]]ed with [[Fire Brand (dNetHack)|Fire Brand]] in either hand</li></ul>
+   |properties=<ul><li>can be reshaped with a [[fountain]]</li><li>tripled damage against monsters [[vulnerable]] to cold</li><li>can be paired with [[Fire Brand (dNetHack)|Fire Brand]] for [[two weapon combat]]</li></ul>
    |whenwielded=<ul><li>[[frost resistance]]</li></ul>
    |cost=3000
@@ Line 36: / Line 36: @@
 The table below covers the breadth of what Frost Brand can be generated as depending on whether it is gifted, randomly generated or wished for:
 {| class="wikitable"

@@ Line 36: / Line 36: @@
 The table below covers the breadth of what Frost Brand can be generated as depending on whether it is gifted, randomly generated or wished for:
 {| class="wikitable"
@@ Line 148: / Line 149: @@
 |-
 | [[diskos]]
-| No
+| Yes
-| No
+| Yes
 | [[Anachrononaut]] and [[Android]] only
 | Yes
 |-
 | [[hunter's axe]]
-| No
+| Yes
-| No
+| Yes
 | [[Undead Hunter]] only
 | Yes
@@ Line 172: / Line 173: @@
 |-
 | [[short sword]]
 | Yes
 | Yes

@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 In [[dNetHack]], [[notdNetHack]] and [[notnotdNetHack]], '''[[Frost Brand]]''' is significantly changed from its behavior in ''[[NetHack]]''&mdash;it can appear as one of many available [[base item]] types, with the default being a [[long sword]], and it appears as an '''ice-runed''' variation of its base item when [[unidentified]].
-[[Fire Brand (dNetHack)|Fire Brand]] is the ember-runed, [[Fire (damage)|fire-attuned]] counterpart of Frost Brand.
+[[Fire Brand (dNetHack)|Fire Brand]] is the ember-runed, [[Fire (element)|fire-attuned]] counterpart of Frost Brand.
 ==Generation==

@@ Line 62: / Line 62: @@
 ==Description==
-Frost Brand has +1 [[to-hit]] and deals double cold damage: the damage of its base dice is dealt as explosive damage (3d8 cold + 3d8 [[physical damage]]), making it much harder to resist. While Frost Brand is wielded or worn, it has {{frac|5|6}} of the normal movement cost to attack with (e.g. it uses 10 movement points vs. the 12 given to a standard hero), and it will not resist being used in [[two weapon combat]] with Fire Brand (or vice versa).
+Frost Brand has +1 [[to-hit]] and deals double [[cold]] damage: the damage of its base dice is dealt as explosive damage (3d8 cold + 3d8 [[physical damage]]), making it much harder to resist. While Frost Brand is wielded or worn, it has {{frac|5|6}} of the normal movement cost to attack with (e.g. it uses 10 movement points vs. the 12 given to a standard hero), and it will not resist being used in [[two weapon combat]] with Fire Brand (or vice versa).
 {{stub}}
 {{dNetHack-326}}