Poisoned weapon - Revision history

Umbire the Phantom: /* Variants */ lede

2026-05-13T22:38:03Z

‎Variants: lede

Umbire the Phantom: re-organize and touch up

2026-04-23T22:05:45Z

re-organize and touch up

Umbire the Phantom: black web

2026-04-23T21:52:40Z

black web

Umbire the Phantom: /* SpliceHack */ oopsie

2026-04-20T18:39:58Z

‎SpliceHack: oopsie

Umbire the Phantom: /* dNetHack */ said details

2026-04-20T18:39:41Z

‎dNetHack: said details

Umbire the Phantom: /* dNetHack */ detailing and re-organizing

2026-04-20T17:41:08Z

‎dNetHack: detailing and re-organizing

Umbire the Phantom: /* Variants */ SLASH'EM generation

2026-04-20T07:28:53Z

‎Variants: SLASH'EM generation

Umbire the Phantom: dnh + splice + comment

2026-04-20T06:21:20Z

dnh + splice + comment

Umbire the Phantom: /* Manually handling poison */ specify lines

2026-04-20T02:23:49Z

‎Manually handling poison: specify lines

Umbire the Phantom: some more copyedit

2026-04-20T02:16:37Z

some more copyedit

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 ==Variants==
-''NetHack'' [[variant]]s often add several other means of poisoning weapons and expand on which weapon types can be poisoned. They may also add [[artifact]]s or other items that function as '''permanently poisoned weapons''', including through the use of [[object properties]].
+''NetHack'' [[variant]]s often expand on which weapon types can be poisoned, and some add other types of potions and substances that a weapon can be coated in. Some ''NetHack'' variants may also add [[artifact]]s or other items that function as '''permanently poisoned weapons''', including through the use of [[object properties]].
 ===SLASH'EM===

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 {{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Per {{commit|8f7258dc35a92daaf530e9f5858c95ee114a0c99}}, Grimtooth is permanently poisoned, and each hit with the artifact against targets without poison resistance having a {{frac|4}} chance of dealing harsher poison damage, with a further {{frac|10}} chance of causing [[instadeath]].}}
 ==Effects of poison==
-Poisoned weapons and projectiles that hit a hero or monster deal their standard physical damage in addition to any poison damage, and ignore [[magic cancellation]].
+Poisoned projectiles that hit a hero or monster deal their standard physical damage plus +1d6 poison damage, ignoring [[magic cancellation]].
-A hero without [[poison resistance]] that is hit by a poisoned projectile has a {{frac|4|5}} chance of losing 1 point of [[strength]], a {{frac|30}} chance of the poison being fatal, and otherwise they take up to 6 [[HP]] of extra damage, with the chances applied per individual projectile and all of these effects being blocked by poison resistance.{{refsrc|src/mthrowu.c|285|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/mthrowu.c|628|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
+A hero without [[poison resistance]] that is hit by a poisoned projectile has a {{frac|4|5}} chance of losing 1 point of [[strength]], a {{frac|30}} chance of the poison being fatal, and otherwise they take +1d6 damage, with the chances applied per individual projectile and all of these effects being blocked by poison resistance.{{refsrc|src/mthrowu.c|285|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/mthrowu.c|628|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
-A monster without poison resistance that is hit by a hero's poisoned weapon or projectile takes up to 6 more points of damage, with a {{frac|10}} chance of the poison being fatal{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|1135|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}&mdash;a monster hit with a poisoned weapon or projectile thrown or shot by another monster takes up to 6 more points of damage, with a {{frac|30}} chance of the poison being fatal.{{refsrc|src/mthrowu.c|374|version=NetHack 3.6.7|name="nonplayerdart"}}
+A monster without poison resistance that is hit by a hero's poisoned weapon or projectile takes +1d6 damage, with a {{frac|10}} chance of the poison being fatal{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|1135|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}&mdash;a monster hit with a poisoned weapon or projectile thrown or shot by another monster takes +1d6 damage with a {{frac|30}} chance of the poison being fatal.{{refsrc|src/mthrowu.c|374|version=NetHack 3.6.7|name="nonplayerdart"}} Poison resistance blocks the extra damage and chance of instant death in both cases.
-Note that the [[erinys]] and the [[Master Assassin]] both have a weapon attack that is poisonous and behaves accordingly, independent of whether any physical weapon they are wielding is itself poisoned.{{refsrc|src/monst.c|2396|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/monst.c|3069|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
+Of note is that the [[erinys]] and the [[Master Assassin]] both have a weapon attack that is poisonous, and behaves accordingly independent of whether they are using actual poisoned weapons.{{refsrc|src/monst.c|2396|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/monst.c|3069|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
-A [[metallivore]] or [[gelatinous cube]] (including a hero in the form of one) that eats a poisoned weapon experiences the same effects on strength and HP as eating a poisonous corpse, including both effects being blocked by poison resistance{{refsrc|src/eat.c|2579|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}&mdash;gelatinous cubes naturally have poison resistance and are thus typically unaffected.
+A [[metallivore]] or [[gelatinous cube]] (including a hero in the form of one) that eats a poisoned weapon experiences the same effects on strength and HP as eating a poisonous corpse, including both effects being blocked by poison resistance{{refsrc|src/eat.c|2579|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}&mdash;gelatinous cubes naturally have poison resistance, and are thus typically unaffected.
 {{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Per {{commit|d0b11fd2c05dae5ebc7a3ff6425257e6ed372894}}, poisoned weapons do not instantly kill the hero, instead dealing an additional 6 + 4d6 damage (half of which is subtracted from the hero's maximum HP) and inflicting harsher lowering of attribute points.}}
 ==Strategy==

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:52, 23 April 2026
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	The [[poison-secreting]] and [[acid-secreting]] [[object properties]] can be found on some weapons, and those weapons have a chance of automatically applying coatings of basic or acidic poison to themselves on each turn if they do not have the respective coating already applied.		The [[poison-secreting]] and [[acid-secreting]] [[object properties]] can be found on some weapons, and those weapons have a chance of automatically applying coatings of basic or acidic poison to themselves on each turn if they do not have the respective coating already applied.
		+
		+	[[The Black Web entity]] is a [[Spirits (dNetHack)\|spirit]] that grants the hero the ability to fire poisoned [[Spike (dNetHack)\|spikes]] using its active power while bound, and also grants the hero shadowblade attacks which are always treated as coated in basic poison and are used for both passive and active powers.

	Some [[dNetHack artifacts\|artifact weapons]] also utilize poison in some manner or another:		Some [[dNetHack artifacts\|artifact weapons]] also utilize poison in some manner or another:

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 * Sleep ([[potion of sleeping]], [[sleep]]
 * Paralysis ([[potion of paralysis]], [[paralysis]])
-* Oil ([[potion of oil]], [[confusion]])
+* Oil ([[potion of oil]])
 ===EvilHack===

@@ Line 60: / Line 60: @@
 ===dNetHack===
-In [[dNetHack]], [[notdNetHack]] and [[notnotdNetHack]], poisoned weapons are reworked, with +1d6 damage against non-resistant monsters and a {{frac|10}} chance of severe damage rather than instant death: this inflicts 80 damage to monsters and 3d6 damage to the hero.<!--pending further details--> Lawful [[Knight/dNetHack|Knights]], [[Samurai/dNetHack|Samurai]] and [[Valkyrie/dNetHack|Valkyries]] take a -1 penalty to alignment record for attacking with a poisoned weapon.
+In [[dNetHack]], [[notdNetHack]] and [[notnotdNetHack]], poisoned weapons are reworked, dealing +1d6 damage against non-resistant monsters with a {{frac|10}} chance of severe damage occurring instead, rather than instant death: this inflicts +80 damage to monsters and +3d6 damage to the hero, rather than +1d6 for both. Lawful [[Knight/dNetHack|Knights]], [[Samurai/dNetHack|Samurai]] and [[Valkyrie/dNetHack|Valkyries]] take a -1 penalty to alignment record for attacking with a poisoned weapon.
 There are also several distinct types of "poison" that can be used to coat weapons and inflict different forms of damage and/or harmful status [[properties]], most of which also have a corresponding [[potion]] that can produce those coatings via dipping:

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 ===dNetHack===
-In [[dNetHack]], [[notdNetHack]] and [[notnotdNetHack]], there are several distinct types of "poison" that can be used to coat weapons and inflict different forms of damage and/or harmful status [[properties]], most of which also have a corresponding [[potion]] that can produce those coatings via dipping:
+In [[dNetHack]], [[notdNetHack]] and [[notnotdNetHack]], poisoned weapons are reworked, with +1d6 damage against non-resistant monsters and a {{frac|10}} chance of severe damage rather than instant death: this inflicts 80 damage to monsters and 3d6 damage to the hero.<!--pending further details--> Lawful [[Knight/dNetHack|Knights]], [[Samurai/dNetHack|Samurai]] and [[Valkyrie/dNetHack|Valkyries]] take a -1 penalty to alignment record for attacking with a poisoned weapon.
 * Basic poison (potion of sickness, poison)
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 * Dire poison (no potion, poison and acid)
-[[Potion of blood (dNetHack)|Potions of blood]] from poisonous or acidic monsters can be used as substitutes for coating items in poison or acid, respectively.
+[[Potion of blood (dNetHack)|Potions of blood]] from poisonous or acidic monsters can be used as substitutes for coating items in poison or acid, respectively. [[Beartrap]]s and all weapons that can deal piercing and/or slashing damage can be poisoned&mdash;launchers, lightsaber-style weapons, firearms ammo (minus the [[blood-spear]]), and sticks of dynamite all explicitly cannot be poisoned. Some other items can be poisoned in unique ways:
 * [[Viperwhip]]s are a special type of weapon that can stores multiple 'doses' of a single type of poison (though this behavior is currently bugged).
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 * The [[Eldritch style|eldritch knightly stance]] paired with the spell of {{+ of|poison spray}} or {{+ of|acid splash}} will cause the wielded the weapon to be treated as a poisoned weapon of the respective type, i.e. basic poison or acidic poison&mdash;this will add the corresponding effects of those poisons, including bonus damage, potential for a poison instakill, and '''alignment penalties if used by a lawful Knight'''.
-The [[poison-secreting]] and [[acid-secreting]] [[object properties]] can be found on some weapons, and those weapons have a chance of automatically apply coatings of basic or acidic poison to themselves on each turn if they do not have the respective coating already applied.
+The [[poison-secreting]] and [[acid-secreting]] [[object properties]] can be found on some weapons, and those weapons have a chance of automatically applying coatings of basic or acidic poison to themselves on each turn if they do not have the respective coating already applied.
-Some [[dNetHack artifacts|artifacts]] also utilize poison in some manner or another:
+Some [[dNetHack artifacts|artifact weapons]] also utilize poison in some manner or another:
 * The [[Fuma-itto no Ken (dNetHack)|Fuma-itto no Ken]] is a chaotic [[Ninja-to (dNetHack)|ninja-to]] that is permanently poisoned.

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 In [[SLASH'EM]], the hero can poison weapons by dipping them in a [[toilet]].{{refsrc|fountain.c|519|version=SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2}}
-All weapons and projectiles that use one of the following [[skill]]s can be poisoned:{{refsrc|obj.h|200|version=SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2}} [[dagger]], [[knife]], [[axe]], [[pick-axe]], [[short sword]], [[broad sword]], [[long sword]], [[two-handed sword]], [[scimitar]], [[saber]], [[polearms]], [[spear]], [[javelin]], [[trident]], [[lance]], [[bow]], [[crossbow]], and [[shuriken]].<!--TODO: double check this, maybe with Ion--> Firearms ammo and [[sticks of dynamite]] explicitly cannot be poisoned.{{refsrc|obj.h|195|version=SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2}}
+All weapons and projectiles that use one of the following [[skill]]s can be poisoned:{{refsrc|obj.h|200|version=SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2}} [[dagger]], [[knife]], [[axe]], [[pick-axe]], [[short sword]], [[broad sword]], [[long sword]], [[two-handed sword]], [[scimitar]], [[saber]], [[polearms]], [[spear]], [[javelin]], [[trident]], [[lance]], [[bow]], [[crossbow]], and [[shuriken]].<!--TODO: double check this, maybe with Ion--> Firearms ammo and [[sticks of dynamite]] explicitly cannot be poisoned.{{refsrc|obj.h|195|version=SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2}} Randomly generated weapons that can be poisoned have a {{frac|100}} chance of generating as poisoned.{{refsrc|mkobj.c|444|version=SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2}}
 Poisoned weapons deal damage as normal against monsters that [[Need +x weapon to hit|normally need enchanted weapons to be damaged]].

@@ Line 64: / Line 64: @@
 * Basic poison (potion of sickness, poison)
 * Filth (no potion, [[disease]])
-* Sleep ([[potion of sleeping]], [[sleep]]
+* Sleep ([[potion of sleeping]], [[sleep]])
 * Blinding ([[potion of blindness]], [[blind]])
 * Paralysis ([[potion of paralysis]], [[paralysis]])
@@ Line 88: / Line 88: @@
 * The [[Fuma-itto no Ken (dNetHack)|Fuma-itto no Ken]] is a chaotic [[Ninja-to (dNetHack)|ninja-to]] that is permanently poisoned.
 * [[Lolth's Fang]] is a [[Drow (monster attribute)|drow-favoring]] [[droven short sword]] that is permanently poisoned.
 * [[Plague (dNetHack)|Plague]] is a chaotic [[bow]] that grants bonus poison damage to arrows fired from it, and such arrows will always be treated as poisoned.
 * [[dNetHack artifacts#Serpent's Tooth|Serpent's Tooth]] is a lawful [[Intelligent artifact|intelligent]] [[athame]] that is permanently poisoned.
 ===EvilHack===

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 ==Manually handling poison==
-A hero can poison a stack of darts, shuriken, crossbow bolts, or arrows by [[dipping]] them in a potion of sickness.{{refsrc|src/potion.c|2114|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} A hero's weapon that is poisoned has a [[weight]]-based chance (which is always {{frac|10}} in practice) of its poison wearing off after each hit.{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|1117|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} Poisoned weapons that are dipped into a [[potion of healing]], {{! of|extra healing|or=1|full healing}} will immediately lose their poison and use up the potion.{{refsrc|src/potion.c|2125|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
+A hero can poison a stack of darts, shuriken, crossbow bolts, or arrows by [[dipping]] them in a potion of sickness.{{refsrc|src/potion.c|2114|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} A hero's weapon that is poisoned has a [[weight]]-based chance (which is always {{frac|10}} in practice) of its poison wearing off after each hit.{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|1117|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} Poisoned weapons that are dipped into a [[potion of healing]], {{! of|extra healing|or=1|full healing}} will immediately lose their poison and use up the potion.{{refsrc|src/potion.c|2125-L2131|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
 Lawful heroes take a -1 penalty to [[alignment record]] for using a poisoned weapon (unless their record is lower than -10), and [[Samurai]] take a separate -1 penalty to alignment record for using poisoned weapons.{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|1122|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|1125|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}

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 {{tocright}}
-In ''[[NetHack]]'', various [[projectile]] [[weapon]]s can be [[poisoned]] by [[dipping]] them in a [[potion of sickness]], and under some circumstances they can also generate as poisoned&mdash;these '''poisoned weapons''' can deal extra damage and even prove [[Instant death|deadly]] to [[monster]]s that the hero hits with them, but they can be just as deadly to a hero on the other end of them.
+In ''[[NetHack]]'', various [[projectile]] [[weapon]]s can be coated with [[poison]] by [[dipping]] them in a [[potion of sickness]], and under some circumstances they can also generate as poisoned&mdash;these '''poisoned weapons''' can deal extra damage and even prove [[Instant death|deadly]] to [[monster]]s that the hero hits with them, but they can be just as deadly to a hero on the other end of them.
 ==Generation==
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 ==Effects of poison==
 A hero without [[poison resistance]] that is hit by a poisoned projectile has a {{frac|4|5}} chance of losing 1 point of [[strength]], a {{frac|30}} chance of the poison being fatal, and otherwise they take up to 6 [[HP]] of extra damage, with the chances applied per individual projectile and all of these effects being blocked by poison resistance.{{refsrc|src/mthrowu.c|285|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/mthrowu.c|628|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
 A monster without poison resistance that is hit by a hero's poisoned weapon or projectile takes up to 6 more points of damage, with a {{frac|10}} chance of the poison being fatal{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|1135|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}&mdash;a monster hit with a poisoned weapon or projectile thrown or shot by another monster takes up to 6 more points of damage, with a {{frac|30}} chance of the poison being fatal.{{refsrc|src/mthrowu.c|374|version=NetHack 3.6.7|name="nonplayerdart"}}
-Poisoned weapons and projectiles that hit a hero or monster ignore [[magic cancellation]]. Note that the [[erinys]] and the [[Master Assassin]] both have a weapon attack that is poisonous and behaves accordingly, independent of whether any physical weapon they are wielding is itself poisoned.{{refsrc|src/monst.c|2396|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/monst.c|3069|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
+Note that the [[erinys]] and the [[Master Assassin]] both have a weapon attack that is poisonous and behaves accordingly, independent of whether any physical weapon they are wielding is itself poisoned.{{refsrc|src/monst.c|2396|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/monst.c|3069|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
 A [[metallivore]] or [[gelatinous cube]] (including a hero in the form of one) that eats a poisoned weapon experiences the same effects on strength and HP as eating a poisonous corpse, including both effects being blocked by poison resistance{{refsrc|src/eat.c|2579|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}&mdash;gelatinous cubes naturally have poison resistance and are thus typically unaffected.
-{{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Per {{commit|d0b11fd2c05dae5ebc7a3ff6425257e6ed372894}}, poison no longer instantly kills the hero: severe poison instead deals an additional 6 + 4d6 damage, half of which is subtracted from the hero's maximum HP, and inflicts harsher lowering of attribute points.}}
+{{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Per {{commit|d0b11fd2c05dae5ebc7a3ff6425257e6ed372894}}, poisoned weapons do not instantly kill the hero, instead dealing an additional 6 + 4d6 damage (half of which is subtracted from the hero's maximum HP) and inflicting harsher lowering of attribute points.}}
 ==Manually handling poison==