Orcrist
) Orcrist | |
---|---|
Base item | elven broadsword |
Damage vs. small | 1d6+1d4 ×2 |
Damage vs. large | 1d6+1 ×2 |
To-hit bonus | +1d5 |
Bonus versus | orcs |
Weapon skill | broadsword |
Size | one-handed |
Affiliation | |
When carried |
(none) |
When wielded |
|
When invoked |
(none) |
Base price | 2000 zm |
Weight | 70 |
Material | wood |
Orcrist is a chaotically aligned elven broadsword which gives a +d5 to hit and double damage against all orcish monsters.
Contents
Generation
Orcrist is one of two artifacts in the game that can be created using the #name extended command, along with Sting. To do so, use #name select a normal elven broadsword, and name it Orcrist. To make sure you did it correctly, you may now try to name the sword something else—all artifacts resist naming.
Orcrist can also be given as a gift by sacrificing. This can be useful for elven Priests or Rangers who want to get Stormbringer; if they name both Orcrist and Sting before sacrificing, they are guaranteed Stormbringer as their first sacrifice gift (provided it hasn't already been generated). Orcish players will never receive Orcrist as a gift.[1]
Strategy
For a Tourist, a named Orcrist provides a way for you to viably train to basic in a medium-damage weapon early in the game thanks to its to-hit bonus, since orcs are usually plentiful and not particularly hard to hit.
History
In Hack 1.0 and Hack 1.0.1, any weapon can be named Orcrist and do extra damage against orcs; there can even be more than one Orcrist.
Hack 1.0.2 restricted this advantage to two-handed swords. Other weapons could still be named Orcrist, but would do no extra damage.
Orcrist became an elven broadsword in NetHack 3.1.0.
Mythology
This item comes from the Lord of the Rings books.
Variants
SLASH'EM
SLASH'EM changes Orcrist's alignment from chaotic to lawful.[2] Additionally, like all artifact weapons in SLASH'EM, it grants the full +5 to hit rather than 1d5 against orcs (which are more varied and can be much more powerful than in vanilla). It also gives a 15% chance of canceling any orc it hits.
SporkHack
In SporkHack, Orcrist deals an additional +d4 damage to all foes. It also warns of orcs.
dNetHack
In dNetHack, Orcrist also has +1d5 to-hit and double damage against demons, and it warns of them. However, it's unlikely to be your main weapon when you'll be encountering demons.
UnNetHack
In UnNetHack, Orcrist warns of orcs.
FIQHack
In FIQHack, your god will never grant you a nameable artifact (Sting or Orcrist)[3].
Encyclopedia entry
The Great Goblin gave a truly awful howl of rage when he
looked at it, and all his soldiers gnashed their teeth,
clashed their shields, and stamped. They knew the sword at
once. It had killed hundreds of goblins in its time, when
the fair elves of Gondolin hunted them in the hills or did
battle before their walls. They had called it Orcrist,
Goblin-cleaver, but the goblins called it simply Biter.
They hated it and hated worse any one that carried it.
References
This page may need to be updated for the current version of NetHack.
It may contain text specific to NetHack 3.6.4. Information on this page may be out of date.
Editors: After reviewing this page and making necessary edits, please change the {{nethack-364}} tag to the current version's tag or {{noversion}} as appropriate.