Amulet of reflection
An amulet of reflection is a type of amulet that appears in NetHack.
Contents
Generation
7.5% of randomly generated amulets will be an amulet of reflection. The amulet will generate as uncursed 9⁄10 of the time, blessed 1⁄20 of the time, and cursed 1⁄20 of the time.[1]
The Sokoban prize on either map of the final floor has a 1⁄2 chance of being a normally-generated amulet of reflection.[2][3]
For a character that enters the Astral Plane and is not generating conflict, the tame guardian Angel that is created next to them has a 3⁄4 chance of generating with an amulet of reflection.[4][5]
The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that the information below is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate it.
Sokoban floor 4a has a 1⁄4 chance of an amulet of reflection, and 4b has a 3⁄4 chance.Description
When worn, the amulet conveys extrinsic reflection, which causes rays to rebound in the opposite direction without damaging the wearer, and reflects passive gaze attacks upon the gazing monster. The amulet will auto-identify if it is seen reflecting a ray or gaze attack and the wearer does not have another source of reflection active.[6] Monsters will wear this amulet, and it is the only other amulet they will actively use besides an amulet of life saving.
Eating an amulet of reflection will have no effect.
The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that the information below is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate it.
Monsters may now wear the amulet of guarding as well, making this amulet slightly more difficult to identify.Strategy
The amulet of reflection is a valuable item for any player, and is a powerful defense against wand-wielding monsters and breath attacks. As such, it naturally factors into several ascension kits - compared to other sources, it does not severely penalize spellcasting like a shield of reflection, but is not as high-priority a wish as silver dragon scale mail. The amulet of reflection is sometimes replaced upon procuring another source of reflection in order to open the amulet slot for life saving or magical breathing.
Players keeping the amulet of reflection usually combine it with gray dragon scale mail and any magical cloak that is not a cloak of magic resistance - some may choose to wear a cloak of protection for MC3, and some casters using this combination may supplement their spellcasting with a robe, optionally wearing a ring of protection for MC3. The amulet is also a primary source of reflection for Monks avoiding body armor and shields, as well as conduct players: vegetarians and vegans covering resistances, nudist and/or wishless players, and so on. Sokoban's potential for an amulet of reflection makes it an enticing early-game destination once a player has established an adequate starting kit, especially if they fit any of the above play styles.
Informally identifying an amulet of reflection is somewhat tricky - in practice, confirmation usually comes in the form of a typically-undesirable ray hitting you. A wand of magic missile is the least harmful wand to have used against you; you may also prefer to zap it at a wall and see if it hits you on the rebound. One risky potential means of testing for an amulet of reflection is using a floating eye, where you are positioned in a manner that no other monsters can get to you if you are paralyzed - if you attack the eye in melee and its passive gaze is reflected by the amulet, it will auto-identify.
Beware of monsters possibly wearing the amulet, especially around the Sokoban zoo - this is ideally prevented by the scroll of scare monster placed underneath it, but it is still possible for a monster to end up on the square in a few circumstances. A closet with the scroll but no prize means one of the monsters has grabbed the amulet, and you should ideally avoid reflectable wands and spells if possible until you track it down.
History
The amulet of reflection first appears in NetHack 3.0.0.
Ki-rin are capable of wearing amulets from NetHack 3.1.0 (when they were introduced) to NetHack 3.4.3, including some variants based on those versions. This makes the ki-rin an incredibly popular steed in those versions and variants, with the amulet of reflection being a common choice for them. This was fixed in NetHack 3.6.0 via commit 1a428307.
From NetHack 3.3.0 to NetHack 3.4.3, including some variants based on those versions, Sokoban Level 4b is the only final Sokoban map that contains an amulet of reflection, effectively making it a 50/50 chance of obtaining one on the final level - some of the aforementioned variants retain this or else pay a form of homage to it. Starting in NetHack 3.6.0, both this and the other final map of Sokoban will generate either the amulet or an uncursed bag of holding as the prize.
Messages
- But it reflects from your medallion!
- A ray was reflected by an amulet of reflection; this will auto-identify it.
- But it reflects from <foo>'s amulet!
- A ray was reflected from an amulet of reflection worn by a monster.
- The floating eye's gaze is reflected by your medallion.
- You attacked a floating eye in melee, and its passive gaze was reflected; this will auto-identify the amulet and prevent you from being paralyzed.
Variants
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, an amulet of reflection is the Sokoban prize for Level 4b and Level 4d. The Sokoban amulet is also made more valuable by the ability to upgrade a sack or oilskin sack into a bag of holding.
NetHack brass
In NetHack brass, the Sokoban prize amulet is always an amulet of reflection, with the other two choices being a cloak of magic resistance and a bag of holding. Non-artifact items that provide magic resistance or reflection can wear out from repeated resistance or reflection, making duplicate reflection sources a good idea to choose for the latter case.
UnNetHack
In UnNetHack, Sokoban has a similar choice of prizes for each final level of the branch as NetHack brass: a prize amulet, a prize cloak, and a prize tool - the prize amulet has a 1⁄3 chance of being an amulet of reflection.
Obtaining chromatic dragon scale mail can free up an amulet slot used by this item for replacement with another, e.g. an amulet of flying.
dNetHack
In dNetHack, minor spires that appear within the Outlands of the Neutral Quest can generate with an amulet of reflection among one of the following sets of items:
- A silver khakkara
- A mithril plate mail, a silver wand, and a mithril buckler; this can only occur if Soulmirror has already been generated
NetHack Fourk
In NetHack Fourk, Sokoban has an amulet of reflection as the prize for the floors Upon Further Reflection, Collecting Marbles, and Back At Ya if you do not already possess one.
The November NetHack Tournament
In The November NetHack Tournament, the deathmatch opponent has a 4⁄5 chance of generating with an amulet of reflection if they represent a character that does not have an amulet.
SpliceHack
In SpliceHack, you can create a shield of reflection at a furnace by combining an amulet of reflection and a large shield.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, the Sokoban zoo closets have a prize behind each door, with one possible prize type being an amulet - the amulet has a 1⁄2 chance of being an amulet of reflection. Like other sources of reflection in EvilHack, the amulet also no longer fully protects you from the effects of rays while reflecting them, but still significantly reduces their impact.
