The Tsurugi of Muramasa - Revision history

Umbire the Phantom: bones + temp

2026-06-28T13:45:42Z

bones + temp

Umbire the Phantom: recent

2026-06-28T12:13:49Z

recent

Umbire the Phantom: nh5 + history

2026-06-28T11:18:02Z

nh5 + history

Umbire the Phantom: word choice, detailing, split off *dnh version

2026-06-28T10:42:56Z

word choice, detailing, split off *dnh version

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

2026-06-26T15:02:46Z

‎SLASH'EM: word choice

Umbire the Phantom: spacing

2026-01-29T09:16:04Z

spacing

Umbire the Phantom: /* EvilHack */ detailing

2025-10-14T03:28:10Z

‎EvilHack: detailing

K2: /* EvilHack */ wielded, not carried

2025-04-16T00:24:00Z

‎EvilHack: wielded, not carried

Umbire the Phantom: /* EvilHack */ 0.9

2025-02-04T23:31:23Z

‎EvilHack: 0.9

Umbire the Phantom: word choice

2025-01-19T09:19:54Z

word choice

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
    |affiliation=<ul><li>[[lawful]]</li><li>[[Samurai]]</li><li>[[Intelligent artifacts|intelligent]]</ul>
    |whencarried=<ul><li>acts as [[luckstone]]</li></ul>
-   |whenwielded=<ul><li>bisection</li><li>[[protection]]</li></ul>
+   |whenwielded=<ul><li>[[bisection]]</li><li>[[protection]]</li></ul>
    |cost=4500
    |weight=60
@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 ==Generation==
-For Samurai, The Tsurugi of Muramasa is always generated on the goal level of the Samurai quest, where the blessed +0 artifact is placed on [[Ashikaga Takauji]]'s square during level creation.{{refsrc|dat/Sam-goal.lua|59|nethack=5.0.0}}
+For Samurai, The Tsurugi of Muramasa is always generated on the goal level of the Samurai quest, where the blessed +0 artifact is placed on [[Ashikaga Takauji]]'s square during level creation.{{refsrc|dat/Sam-goal.lua|59|nethack=5.0.0}} If a Samurai loads a [[bones]] level containing the quest artifact, it will always be reverted to its base item.
 ==Description==

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
    |smalldmg=1d16 '''+1d8''' (2-24)
    |largedmg=1d8+2d6 '''+1d8''' (4-28)
-   |tohit=<nowiki>+2</nowiki>
+   |tohit='''<nowiki>+2</nowiki>'''
    |skill=two-handed sword
    |size=two-handed
-   |affiliation=<ul><li>[[lawful]]</li><li>[[Samurai]]</li><li>[[intelligent artifacts|intelligent]]</ul>
+   |affiliation=<ul><li>[[lawful]]</li><li>[[Samurai]]</li><li>[[Intelligent artifacts|intelligent]]</ul>
    |whencarried=<ul><li>acts as [[luckstone]]</li></ul>
    |whenwielded=<ul><li>bisection</li><li>[[protection]]</li></ul>
@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 ==Strategy==
 The chance of bisection by The Tsurugi of Muramasa makes it very dangerous for Samurai to face their [[quest nemesis]] [[Ashikaga Takauji]] in melee while he is wielding it: players may employ high-damage ranged attacks, [[Polymorph control|controlled]] [[polymorph]], a [[boulder fort]], or a [[wand of death]] among other options to liberate the artifact from him while minimizing the odds of instant death.

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
    |name=The Tsurugi of Muramasa
    |base=tsurugi
-   |smalldmg=1d16 '''+1d8'''
+   |smalldmg=1d16 '''+1d8''' (2-24)
-   |largedmg=1d8+2d6 '''+1d8'''
+   |largedmg=1d8+2d6 '''+1d8''' (4-28)
    |tohit=<nowiki>+2</nowiki>
    |skill=two-handed sword
@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 ==Generation==
-For Samurai, The Tsurugi of Muramasa is always generated on the goal level of the Samurai quest, where it is placed on [[Ashikaga Takauji]]'s square at level creation.
+For Samurai, The Tsurugi of Muramasa is always generated on the goal level of the Samurai quest, where the blessed +0 artifact is placed on [[Ashikaga Takauji]]'s square during level creation.{{refsrc|dat/Sam-goal.lua|59|nethack=5.0.0}}
 ==Description==
-While carried, The Tsurugi of Muramasa acts as a [[luckstone]], and while wielded, it provides extrinsic [[protection]], augmenting the [[hero]]'s [[magic cancellation]] as with a [[ring of protection]], but not cumulative with one. The Tsurugi deals +[[d notation|d8]] bonus damage against all monsters, and it has a {{frac|20}}} chance (5%) of [[bisect]]ing and [[Instadeath|instantly killing]] [[Physical size|medium-size]] or smaller [[monster]]s that it hits, including any monster [[engulfing]] the wielder&mdash;monsters that are large or bigger instead take [[double damage]].
+While carried, The Tsurugi of Muramasa acts as a [[luckstone]], and while [[wielded]], it also provides extrinsic [[protection]] by augmenting the [[hero]]'s [[magic cancellation]] as with a [[ring of protection]] (but not cumulative with one).{{refsrc|src/artifact.c|524-L533|nethack=5.0.0|comment=<tt>confers_luck()</tt> function}}{{refsrc|src/artifact.c|696-L709|nethack=5.0.0|comment=<tt>protects()</tt> function}}{{refsrc|src/artifact.c|873-L878|nethack=5.0.0}} As a weapon, The Tsurugi of Muramasa deals +[[d notation|d8]] bonus damage against all monsters, and it has a {{frac|20}}} chance (5%) of [[bisection]]:{{refsrc|src/artifact.c|1551-L1594|nethack=5.0.0}} this [[Instant death|instantly kills]] any [[Physical size|medium-size]] or smaller [[monster]] (including the hero), as well as any monster [[engulfing]] the wielder regardless of their size, while monsters that are large or bigger instead take [[double damage]].
 Unlike most other quest artifacts, The Tsurugi of Muramasa has no effect when [[invoked]].
@@ Line 64: / Line 64: @@
 The Tsurugi of Muramasa is introduced along with most of the other quest artifacts in [[NetHack 3.1.0]].
-The Tsurugi of Muramasa providing extrinsic protection while wielded is introduced in [[NetHack 3.6.0]].
+The Tsurugi of Muramasa providing extrinsic protection while wielded is added in [[NetHack 3.6.0]] via {{commit|33d9b7131157bf54188c2cee1c8d0a78cbede9fe}} and {{commit|5bd6ba0d1ced743d801da8014e5647ed334dab94}}.
 ==Origin==
@@ Line 169: / Line 169: @@
 creature it is wielded against, instantly killing them.
 }}
-{{nethack-367}}
 [[Category:Quest artifacts|Tsurugi of Muramasa]]
 [[Category:Artifact weapons|Tsurugi of Muramasa]]
 [[Category:Luck items|Tsurugi of Muramasa]]

@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 ==Description==
-While carried, The Tsurugi of Muramasa acts as a [[luckstone]], and while wielded, it provides extrinsic [[protection]], augmenting your [[magic cancellation]] as with a [[ring of protection]], but not cumulative with one. The Tsurugi deals +[[d notation|d8]] bonus damage against all monsters, and it has a {{frac|20}}} chance (5%) of [[bisect]]ing and [[Instadeath|instantly killing]] [[Physical size|medium-size]] or smaller [[monster]]s that it hits, including any monster [[engulfing]] the wielder; large-or-bigger monsters instead take [[double damage]].
+While carried, The Tsurugi of Muramasa acts as a [[luckstone]], and while wielded, it provides extrinsic [[protection]], augmenting the [[hero]]'s [[magic cancellation]] as with a [[ring of protection]], but not cumulative with one. The Tsurugi deals +[[d notation|d8]] bonus damage against all monsters, and it has a {{frac|20}}} chance (5%) of [[bisect]]ing and [[Instadeath|instantly killing]] [[Physical size|medium-size]] or smaller [[monster]]s that it hits, including any monster [[engulfing]] the wielder&mdash;monsters that are large or bigger instead take [[double damage]].
 Unlike most other quest artifacts, The Tsurugi of Muramasa has no effect when [[invoked]].
 ==Strategy==
-The chance of bisection makes it very dangerous for Samurai to face their [[quest nemesis]] [[Ashikaga Takauji]] in melee. Those facing him may employ ranged attacks, [[Polymorph control|controlled]] [[polymorph]], a [[boulder fort]], or a [[wand of death]] among other options to liberate the artifact from him.
+The chance of bisection by The Tsurugi of Muramasa makes it very dangerous for Samurai to face their [[quest nemesis]] [[Ashikaga Takauji]] in melee while he is wielding it: players may employ high-damage ranged attacks, [[Polymorph control|controlled]] [[polymorph]], a [[boulder fort]], or a [[wand of death]] among other options to liberate the artifact from him while minimizing the odds of instant death.
 As a two-handed weapon, if the Tsurugi becomes [[cursed]], you will need to #[[tip]] an uncursing item out of your bag to regain use of your hands. However, as an [[intelligent artifact]] it resists the [[curse items]] monster spell 80% of the time, making it much safer than most other two-handed weapons. Beyond that, the Tsurugi's extra Luck and protection renders it barely noteworthy among lawful artifacts for non-Samurai, if not artifacts in general.
-Unfortunately for Samurai themselves, that it uses the two-handed sword skill may prove a deterrent for those looking to [[twoweapon]] or use a [[shield]]. While they can attain Expert level in the skill, most samurai may already be comfortable with the easier-obtained [[Excalibur]] or [[Snickersnee]] as their main weapon and their starting [[katana]] or another [[long sword]] as their off-hand weapon. In addition to dealing roughly similar damage outside of the Tsurugi's bisection, there is a much less significant risk of item curses welding both weapons to your hands.
+Unfortunately for Samurai themselves, that it uses the two-handed sword skill may prove a deterrent for those looking to perform [[two weapon combat]] or (much more rarely) use a [[shield]]. While they can attain Expert level in the two-handed sword skill, most samurai may already be comfortable with the easier-obtained [[Excalibur]] or [[Snickersnee]] as their main weapon and their starting [[katana]] or another [[long sword]] as their off-hand weapon. In addition to dealing roughly similar damage outside of The Tsurugi of Muramasa's bisection, there is a much less significant risk of effects such as the [[curse items]] [[monster spell]] welding both weapons to your hands simultaneously&mdash;this applies even when accounting for the Tsurugi's own curse resistance and the ability to #[[tip]] [[container]]s that a hero with no free hands cannot open otherwise.
 ===Average damage calculation===
-The base damage range of the Tsurugi of Muramasa is 2&ndash;24 against small monsters, and 4&ndash;28 against large monsters before doubling damage. The average damage calculations in the following table do not include bonuses from [[Skill|weapon skills]], [[strength]], or from using a [[blessed]] weapon against [[undead]] or [[M2_DEMON|demons]]. Also, they do not include the 5% chance of either instantly killing the target (if it is a small monster) or doing double the damage (if it is a large monster). Furthermore, the [[twoweapon]] skill bonuses are not included for the damage calculations when using Excalibur with a [[katana]].
+The base damage range of the Tsurugi of Muramasa is 2&ndash;24 against small monsters, and 4&ndash;28 against large monsters before doubling damage. The average damage calculations in the following table do not include bonuses from [[Skill|weapon skills]], [[strength]], or from using a [[blessed]] weapon against [[undead]] or [[major demon]]s. Also, they do not include the 5% chance of either instantly killing the target (if it is a small monster) or doing double the damage (if it is a large monster). Furthermore, the twoweapon skill bonuses are not included for the damage calculations when using Excalibur with a katana.
 {|class="wikitable"
@@ Line 70: / Line 70: @@
 Muramasa Sengo (千子 村正) was a famous Japanese swordsmith who founded the Muramasa school and lived during the Muromachi period (14th to 16th centuries) in Kuwana of Ise Province. They were originally reputed as fine blades favored by the shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu and his vassals, but gradually became a symbol of the anti-Tokugawa movement.
-The idea of Muramasa's swords being bloodthirsty and compelling the wielders to murder or suicide is a product of both the aforementioned political shift and of 18th century Japanese lore and popular culture, such as ''kabuki'' dramas - this is also likely the source for the idea that Muramasa passed his own violence and bloodlust on to the blades he forged.
+The idea of Muramasa's swords being bloodthirsty and compelling the wielders to murder or suicide is a product of both the aforementioned political shift and of 18th century Japanese lore and popular culture, such as ''kabuki'' dramas &mdash;this is also likely the source for the idea that Muramasa passed his own violence and bloodlust on to the blades he forged.
 ==Variants==
-Variants based on NetHack 3.4.3 may not give the Tsurugi of Muramasa the ability to provide extrinsic protection.
+Some ''NetHack'' [[variant]]s based on NetHack 3.4.3 may not give the Tsurugi of Muramasa the ability to provide extrinsic protection, while other variants in general may grant additional abilities and/or make further changes to improve the artifact's performance.
 ===SLASH'EM===
 In [[SLASH'EM]], the Tsurugi of Muramasa deals +8 damage to all monsters with a {{frac|10}} chance (10%) of bisection or doubled damage depending on the target's size, and does not provide protection or magic cancellation.
-Despite its improvements from NetHack 3.4.3, the ability in SLASH'EM to [[twoweapon|dual-wield]] artifact weapons diminishes the Tsurugi's appeal considerably: combining Excalibur and Snickersnee is excellent for Samurai, since both weapons are easily available to them, use the same weapon skill, and both have a flat damage bonus against all monsters that allows far more damage on average than the Tsurugi. A Samurai who can get his hands on one of the better artifact swords, such as [[Fire Brand]], [[Frost Brand]], [[Grayswandir]], or the [[Sword of Justice]] can be even more powerful. Additionally, SLASH'EM lacks the #tip command, making it more serious if a two-handed weapon is cursed.
+Despite its improvements from NetHack 3.4.3, the ability in SLASH'EM to dual-wield artifact weapons diminishes the Tsurugi's appeal even further: combining Excalibur and Snickersnee is excellent for [[Samurai/SLASH'EM|Samurai]], since both weapons are easily available to them, use the same weapon skill, and both have a flat damage bonus against all monsters that allows far more damage on average than the Tsurugi. A Samurai who can get his hands on one of the better artifact swords, such as [[Fire Brand]], [[Frost Brand]], [[Grayswandir]], or the [[Sword of Justice]] can be even more powerful. Additionally, SLASH'EM lacks the #tip extended command, making it more serious if a two-handed weapon is cursed.
 The following table summarizes the best-case scenario average damage for the Tsurugi of Muramasa versus two-weaponing the most powerful one-handed lawful swords. The following table does not include applicable strength or ring-based damage bonuses.
@@ Line 139: / Line 139: @@
 The best case for all listed weapons assumes that a Samurai has reached Expert in the relevant skill, is attacking an undead monster or demon with a blessed weapon, and the weapon(s) are enchanted to +7. The following additional restrictions are applied to the targets for each weapon in this table:
-* Sword of Justice: not [[lawful]]ly aligned
+* Sword of Justice: not lawful-aligned
 * Fire Brand: not [[fire resistant]]
 * Frost Brand: not [[cold resistant]]
-* Grayswandir: [[silver-hating]] (only demons are both silver-hating and suffer blessed damage)
+* Grayswandir: [[silver-hating]] (as only demons are both silver-hating and suffer blessed damage)
 ===UnNetHack===
@@ Line 148: / Line 148: @@
 ===dNetHack===
-In [[dNetHack]], [[notdNetHack]] and [[notnotdNetHack]], The Tsurugi of Muramasa has +1d2 to-hit and deals double damage to all targets, with a {{frac|10}} chance (10%) of bisection. The Tsurugi acts as a luck item and grants [[automatic searching]]; it is also [[Bloodthirsty#dNetHack|bloodthirsty]] and can cause the hero to attack adjacent monsters each turn.
+{{main|The Tsurugi of Muramasa (dNetHack)}}
 ===FIQHack===

@@ Line 78: / Line 78: @@
 In [[SLASH'EM]], the Tsurugi of Muramasa deals +8 damage to all monsters with a {{frac|10}} chance (10%) of bisection or doubled damage depending on the target's size, and does not provide protection or magic cancellation.
-Despite its improvements from NetHack 3.4.3, the ability in SLASH'EM to [[twoweapon|dual-wield]] artifact weapons diminishes the Tsurugi's appeal considerably: combining Excalibur and Snickersnee is excellent for Samurai, since both weapons are easily available to them, use the same weapon skill, and both have a flat damage bonus against all monsters that allows far more damage on average than the Tsurugi. A Samurai who can get his hands on one of the better lawful swords, such as [[Fire Brand]], [[Frost Brand]], [[Grayswandir]], or the [[Sword of Justice]] can be even more powerful. Additionally, SLASH'EM lacks the #tip command, making it more serious if a two-handed weapon is cursed.
+Despite its improvements from NetHack 3.4.3, the ability in SLASH'EM to [[twoweapon|dual-wield]] artifact weapons diminishes the Tsurugi's appeal considerably: combining Excalibur and Snickersnee is excellent for Samurai, since both weapons are easily available to them, use the same weapon skill, and both have a flat damage bonus against all monsters that allows far more damage on average than the Tsurugi. A Samurai who can get his hands on one of the better artifact swords, such as [[Fire Brand]], [[Frost Brand]], [[Grayswandir]], or the [[Sword of Justice]] can be even more powerful. Additionally, SLASH'EM lacks the #tip command, making it more serious if a two-handed weapon is cursed.
 The following table summarizes the best-case scenario average damage for the Tsurugi of Muramasa versus two-weaponing the most powerful one-handed lawful swords. The following table does not include applicable strength or ring-based damage bonuses.

@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
    |material=metal
 }}
 '''The Tsurugi of Muramasa''' is the [[Samurai]] [[quest artifact]]. It is the prize for completing the [[Samurai quest]], and its default alignment is [[lawful]]. Its [[base item]] type is a [[tsurugi]].

@@ Line 155: / Line 155: @@
 ===EvilHack===
-In [[EvilHack]], the Tsurugi of Muramasa has +1d3 [[to-hit]] and grants half physical damage while wielded.
+In [[EvilHack]], the Tsurugi of Muramasa has +1d3 [[to-hit]] and grants half physical damage while wielded in addition to its other traits.
 If The Tsurugi of Muramasa is successfully [[wish]]ed for by a non-Samurai hero, there is a {{frac|x}} chance (where ''x'' is the amount of previous [[artifact]] wishes) of it being created successfully&mdash;if successful, [[Lord Sato]] will generate as the hostile owner of the artifact, placed adjacent to the hero with the artifact in his possession.

@@ Line 157: / Line 157: @@
 In [[EvilHack]], the Tsurugi of Muramasa has +1d3 [[to-hit]] and grants half physical damage while carried.
-If The Tsurugi of Muramasa is successfully [[wish]]ed for by a non-Samurai, there is an effective {{frac|x|(x+1)²}} chance (where ''x'' is the amount of previous [[artifact]] wishes) of a hostile [[Lord Sato]] generating adjacent to the hero, with the artifact in his possession.
+If The Tsurugi of Muramasa is successfully [[wish]]ed for by a non-Samurai hero, there is a {{frac|x}} chance (where ''x'' is the amount of previous [[artifact]] wishes) of it being created successfully&mdash;if successful, [[Lord Sato]] will generate as the hostile owner of the artifact, placed adjacent to the hero with the artifact in his possession.
 All of the above also applies to [[Hack'EM]].