Stormbringer - Revision history

Netzhack: /* Description */ Wording

2026-05-26T12:43:01Z

‎Description: Wording

Umbire the Phantom: word choice

2025-10-07T19:42:36Z

word choice

Umbire the Phantom: /* SLASH'EM */ copyedit

2025-08-06T11:04:16Z

‎SLASH'EM: copyedit

Umbire the Phantom: /* Origin */ word choice

2025-08-06T11:01:26Z

‎Origin: word choice

Umbire the Phantom: /* Strategy */ word choice

2025-08-06T10:39:13Z

‎Strategy: word choice

Umbire the Phantom: /* Forcing Stormbringer */ critical misread on my part...

2025-08-06T10:37:23Z

‎Forcing Stormbringer: critical misread on my part...

Umbire the Phantom: /* Generation */ too early

2025-07-02T17:22:45Z

‎Generation: too early

Umbire the Phantom: cite, consistency

2025-07-02T17:22:27Z

cite, consistency

Umbire the Phantom: pothole, prepping for move

2025-05-22T11:35:03Z

pothole, prepping for move

Umbire the Phantom: pothole

2025-05-09T21:55:12Z

pothole

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 ==Description==
-Stormbringer grants +1d5 [[to-hit]] and deals an extra +d2 in bonus [[damage]] to monsters without [[drain resistance]]&mdash;the life-draining reduces the target's level by 1, and lowers their current and maximum HP accordingly (with the default value being 1d8).{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|956|nethack=3.6.7|comment=<tt>monhp_per_lvl()</tt> function}} The wielder will then be healed for half of the HP reduction rounded down, which is roughly 2 HP on average. Stormbringer is also [[bloodthirsty]], attacking peaceful monsters and pets without confirmation if the hero attempts to move onto their square while wielding it. Stormbringer also grants drain resistance when wielded, and is itself immune to the effects of the {{+ of|drain life}} spell.{{refsrc|src/zap.c|606|version=NetHack 3.6.7|comment=<tt>drain_item()</tt> function; items that grant drain resistance cannot be drained}}
+Stormbringer grants +1d5 [[to-hit]] and deals an extra +d2 in bonus [[damage]] to monsters without [[drain resistance]]&mdash;the life-draining reduces the target's level by 1, and lowers their current and maximum HP accordingly (i.e., by 1d8 for most monsters).{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|956|nethack=3.6.7|comment=<tt>monhp_per_lvl()</tt> function}} The wielder will then be healed by half of that HP reduction rounded down, which is roughly 2 HP on average. Stormbringer is also [[bloodthirsty]], attacking peaceful monsters and pets without confirmation if the hero attempts to move onto their square while wielding it. Stormbringer also grants drain resistance when wielded, and is itself immune to the effects of the {{+ of|drain life}} spell.{{refsrc|src/zap.c|606|version=NetHack 3.6.7|comment=<tt>drain_item()</tt> function; items that grant drain resistance cannot be drained}}
 Levels drained from [[Troll (monster class)|trolls]] with Stormbringer are permanently lost, while levels drained from the [[Wizard of Yendor]] will be restored when he next revives, and the [[Riders]] preserve their HP values at time of death and retain it for their revival (including any HP loss incurred by Stormbringer).{{refsrc|src/zap.c|606|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}

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 ===Forcing Stormbringer===
-[[Elf (starting race)|Elven]] Priests and Rangers can arrange for their first [[sacrifice]] gift to be Stormbringer: since a hero's will always be [[co-aligned]] and never attack their race (eliminating [[Grimtooth]] for elves), only [[Sting]] and [[Orcrist]] compete with Stormbringer, and both of them can be #[[named]]. Conversely, [[Orc (starting race)|orcish]] heroes can never receive Sting or Orcrist for the aforementioned reasons, and thus orcish [[Rogue]]s and Rangers have a {{frac|2}} chance to receive Stormbringer as a first gift. In rare cases, if Stormbringer has already been generated on a bones level, this may preclude sacrifice gifts altogether; a [[helm of opposite alignment]] can remedy the situation.
+[[Elf (starting race)|Elven]] Priests and Rangers can arrange for their first [[sacrifice]] gift to be Stormbringer: since a hero's will always be [[co-aligned]] and never attack their race (eliminating [[Grimtooth]] for elves), only [[Sting]] and [[Orcrist]] compete with Stormbringer, and both of them can be #[[named]]. Conversely, [[Orc (starting race)|orcish]] heroes can never receive Sting or Orcrist for the aforementioned reasons, and thus orcish [[Rogue]]s and Rangers have a {{frac|2}} chance of receiving Stormbringer as a first gift. In rare cases, if Stormbringer has already been generated on a bones level, this may preclude sacrifice gifts altogether; a [[helm of opposite alignment]] can remedy the situation.
 Theoretically, almost any hero could get a guaranteed Stormbringer if they are polymorphed into elven form and converted to chaotic from a helm of opposite alignment&mdash;the exception is a hero that started as chaotic ''and'' is of a role gets a guaranteed first sacrifice gift. However, this is very much a [[stupid ascension trick]] rather than practical advice.

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 ==Variants==
 ===SLASH'EM===
-In [[SLASH'EM]], Stormbringer's bonuses are changed to +5 to-hit and +2 damage as with [[SLASH'EM artifacts|all artifacts]], though it still deals an additional +1d8 when draining levels, which only raises its average by half a point compared to ''NetHack''.
+In [[SLASH'EM]], Stormbringer's bonuses are changed to flat ones as with [[SLASH'EM artifacts|all artifacts]], with +5 to-hit and +2 damage bonuses: the artifact still deals an additional +1d8 damage when draining levels, which only raises its average by half a point compared to ''NetHack''.
 A runesword is generated in the [[Lawful Quest]] at level creation, which has a {{frac|20}} probability (5%) of being turned into Stormbringer if it has not already been generated.
-Stormbringer is still as strong as in ''NetHack'', but is outpaced in damage by other returning artifacts such as [[Excalibur]] and [[Snickersnee]], and also pales somewhat in comparison to newly-added chaotic artifacts such as the [[Bat from Hell (SLASH'EM)|Bat from Hell]], [[Doomblade]] and [[Serpent's Tongue]]. However, Stormbringer's [[drain resistance]] and reliable to-hit boost keep it significantly strong throughout the game, especially in SLASH'EM's challenging early game stage, and can deal with monsters that have a [[wand of draining]] as well as late-game [[Deep dragon (SLASH'EM)|deep dragons]].
+Stormbringer is still as strong as in ''NetHack'', but is outpaced in damage by other returning artifacts such as [[Excalibur]] and [[Snickersnee]], and also pales somewhat in comparison to newly-added chaotic artifacts such as the [[Bat from Hell (SLASH'EM)|Bat from Hell]], [[Doomblade]] and [[Serpent's Tongue]]. However, Stormbringer's [[drain resistance]] and reliable to-hit boost keep it significantly strong throughout the game, especially in SLASH'EM's challenging early game, and can deal with monsters that have a [[wand of draining]] as well as late-game [[Deep dragon (SLASH'EM)|deep dragons]].
-While SLASH'EM allows two weapon combat to be performed with two artifacts, extrinsics granted by wielding the artifacts are only applied for the main weapon, so Stormbringer should be a hero's primary weapon if they plan to utilize its drain resistance while two-weaponing. Additionally, Stormbringer's bloodthirsty properties are also active even while in the off-hand, printing the following message with each applicable attack:
+While SLASH'EM allows two-weapon combat to be performed with two artifacts, extrinsics granted by wielding the artifacts are only applied for the main weapon, so Stormbringer should be a hero's primary weapon if they plan to utilize its drain resistance while two-weaponing. Additionally, Stormbringer's bloodthirsty properties are also active even while in the off-hand, printing the following message with each applicable attack:
 {{message|The black blade will not be thwarted!}}

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 ==Origin==
 {{Wikipedia|Stormbringer}}
-Stormbringer is a weapon that appears in a number of fantasy stories from author [[People of secondary interest to NetHack#Michael Moorcock|Michael Moorcock]] featuring Elric of Melniboné. Stormbringer is a cursed daemon sword with a will of its own and a hunger for souls, which it instills into Elric and frequently torments him with by using the bloodlust to make him kill his friends and loved ones; Elric hates the sword, but is too dependent on its power. It physically appears as a black sword with runes engraved deep in the blade, reflected by its appearance as a runesword in ''NetHack''.
+Stormbringer is a weapon that appears in a number of fantasy stories from author [[People of secondary interest to NetHack#Michael Moorcock|Michael Moorcock]] featuring Elric of Melniboné. It physically appears as a black sword with runes engraved deep in the blade, reflected by its appearance as a runesword in ''NetHack''. Stormbringer is a cursed daemon sword with a will of its own and a hunger for souls, which it instills into Elric, and the blade frequently torments him by using the bloodlust to make him kill his friends and loved ones; Elric hates the sword, but is also too dependent on its power.
 ==Messages==

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 Stormbringer is among the most desirable chaotic artifacts in the game: [[twoweaponing]] Stormbringer with a [[silver]] weapon is particularly effective, since many drain-resistant monsters (including monsters with draining attacks) are ''also'' silver haters. Chaotic [[Ranger]]s will most appreciate an effective melee option, especially if they have not mapped out [[Gehennom]] to use their arrows reliably, while chaotic [[Priest]]s can pair it with their [[quest artifact]], [[The Mitre of Holiness]], to blunt damage from drain-resistant [[M2_DEMON|demons]] and [[undead]]. For heroes trying to maximize Stormbringer's enchantment, [[engraving]] with the artifact is still viable for reducing its [[enchantment]].
-However, those seeking to use Stormbringer as their main weapon should be extremely careful around pets if possible, and even a careful player may accidentally attack a pet with it&mdash;if you elect to keep a pet on hand, you may consider unwielding Stormbringer or switching to a secondary weapon when not in combat, especially when dealing with [[aligned priest]]s or [[shopkeepers]]. Additionally, if any pets you plan to keep are not drain resistant, they should ideally have high enough health to withstand accidental hits and a way to increase their [[tameness]] to prevent them turning on you.
+However, those seeking to use Stormbringer as their main weapon should be extremely careful around pets if possible, and even a careful player may accidentally attack a pet with it&mdash;if you elect to keep a pet on hand, you may consider unwielding Stormbringer or switching to a secondary weapon when not in combat, especially when dealing with [[aligned priest]]s or [[shopkeepers]]. Additionally, if any pets you plan to keep are not drain resistant, they should ideally have high enough health to withstand accidental hits, and you should have methods of increasing their [[tameness]] available to prevent them turning on you too quickly.
 As most hostile spellcasters are either drain resistant or else possess high [[magic resistance (monster)|monster magic resistance]], Stormbringer can bypass the latter group's defenses to reduce their level where the drain life spell cannot, though it will often kill non-resistant monsters before the effects become noticable. Famine and Pestilence may also be ideal targets for the weapon in some situations, since they revive with their current max HP rather than their original base HP.

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 [[Elf (starting race)|Elven]] Priests and Rangers can arrange for their first [[sacrifice]] gift to be Stormbringer: since a hero's will always be [[co-aligned]] and never attack their race (eliminating [[Grimtooth]] for elves), only [[Sting]] and [[Orcrist]] compete with Stormbringer, and both of them can be #[[named]]. Conversely, [[Orc (starting race)|orcish]] heroes can never receive Sting or Orcrist for the aforementioned reasons, and thus orcish [[Rogue]]s and Rangers have a {{frac|2}} chance to receive Stormbringer as a first gift. In rare cases, if Stormbringer has already been generated on a bones level, this may preclude sacrifice gifts altogether; a [[helm of opposite alignment]] can remedy the situation.
-Theoretically, almost any hero could get a guaranteed Stormbringer if polymorphed into elven form and converted to chaotic from a helm of opposite alignment&mdash;the exception is if you started as chaotic ''and'' your role gets a guaranteed first sacrifice gift. However, this is very much a [[stupid ascension trick]] rather than practical advice.
+Theoretically, almost any hero could get a guaranteed Stormbringer if they are polymorphed into elven form and converted to chaotic from a helm of opposite alignment&mdash;the exception is a hero that started as chaotic ''and'' is of a role gets a guaranteed first sacrifice gift. However, this is very much a [[stupid ascension trick]] rather than practical advice.
-{{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|The changes to sacrifice gifts mean that forcing Stormbringer via this exact method is no longer possible for elven Priests: per {{commit|b1a5a9c3903a0282f82787d20fd70f13196e2465}}, Demonbane is their first sacrifice gift, though they have a {{frac|2}} chance of obtaining Stormbringer as their next gift by naming Sting and Orcrist, then using a sacrifice valued at 9 or higher&mdash;this will produce either Stormbringer or the unaligned [[Frost Brand]]. Elven Rangers can still reliably force Stormbringer as a first gift with this given method as well, since a first gift will always be co-aligned and the other gift candidates for sacrifices of 9 or higher value are Frost Brand and the lawful [[Grayswandir]]. Orcish Rogues and Rangers still have a {{frac|2}} chance of their first gift being Stormbringer if they offer a sacrifice of 9 or higher value.}}
+{{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|The changes to sacrifice gifts mean that forcing Stormbringer via this exact method is no longer possible for elven Priests, since Demonbane is made into their first sacrifice gift per {{commit|b1a5a9c3903a0282f82787d20fd70f13196e2465}}&mdash;elven Rangers can still reliably force Stormbringer with the above method, and orcish Rogues and Rangers still have a {{frac|2}} chance of their first gift being Stormbringer.}}
 ===Average damage calculation===

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 Stormbringer is not randomly generated, as runeswords are not generated randomly, though it can be [[wish]]ed for or found in [[bones]].
-A chaotic [[hero]] may receive Stormbringer as a possible [[sacrifice gift]]. Stormbringer is the default neutral [[crowning]] gift for a chaotic hero in most roles: the only exceptions are chaotic [[Monk]]s and [[Wizard]]s, who can only receive it this way by carrying their role's crowning gift [[spellbook]] ({{+ of|finger of death]] for Wizards, and {{+ of|restore ability}} for Monks) when they are crowned.{{refsrc|src/pray.c|783|nethack=3.6.7}}
+A chaotic [[hero]] may receive Stormbringer as a possible [[sacrifice gift]]. Stormbringer is the default neutral [[crowning]] gift for a chaotic hero in most roles: the only exceptions are chaotic [[Monk]]s and [[Wizard]]s, who can only receive it this way by carrying their role's crowning gift [[spellbook]] ({{+ of|finger of death}} for Wizards, and {{+ of|restore ability}} for Monks) when they are crowned.{{refsrc|src/pray.c|783|nethack=3.6.7}}
-{{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Per {{commit|d87cadaf}} and {{commit|c2c797fa357bef663fa3d962850196350a9cdb3b}}, artifact balance is substantially reworked: artifacts have 2 additional internal stats&mdash;the minimum [[sacrifice]] value required to obtain them by sacrificing (which is usually just the [[difficulty]] rating of the monster sacrificed), and a flat number added to the weapon's [[enchantment]] when it is either randomly generated or gifted.
+{{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Per {{commit|d87cadaf}} and {{commit|c2c797fa357bef663fa3d962850196350a9cdb3b}}, artifact balance is substantially reworked: artifacts have 2 additional internal stats&mdash;the minimum sacrifice value required to obtain them by sacrificing (which is usually just the [[difficulty]] rating of the monster sacrificed), and a flat number added to the weapon's [[enchantment]] when it is either randomly generated or gifted.
 Stormbringer requires a sacrifice with a value of at least 9, and will not have anything added to its enchantment when randomly generated or given as a sacrifice gift.}}

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 ===EvilHack===
-In [[EvilHack]], Stormbringer can be [[Forge (dungeon feature)|forged]] together with [[Werebane]] to create [[Shadowblade]], an artifact [[athame]].
+In [[EvilHack]], Stormbringer can be [[Forge (dungeon feature)|forged]] together with [[Werebane]] to create [[Shadowblade (EvilHack)|Shadowblade]], an artifact [[athame]].
 ==Encyclopedia entry==