Athame
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| |
|---|---|
| Name | athame |
| Appearance | athame |
| Damage vs. small | 1d4 |
| Damage vs. large | 1d3 |
| To-hit bonus | +2 |
| Weapon skill | dagger |
| Size | one-handed |
| Base price | 4 zm (+10/positive enchant) |
| Weight | 10 |
| Material | iron |
An athame is a type of weapon that appears in NetHack. It is a one-handed non-stackable weapon that uses the dagger skill, and is made of iron.
The athame is the base item for the artifact Magicbane.
Contents
Generation
Athames are not randomly generated.
A master lich has an effective 6⁄91 chance of being generated with an athame.[1] An arch-lich has an effective 2⁄9 chance of being generated with an athame, which has a 1⁄4 chance of being erosion-proofed and will have its enchantment raised by 1-3 points if it is below +2[2] - there is a 1⁄13 chance to call the function for making the weapon into an artifact if possible, meaning an arch-lich has a 1⁄1170 chance (less than ~0.086%) of generating with Magicbane, the only artifact that can be generated in this manner.[3]
Player monster wizards, including Newt from the Wizard quest and those on the Astral Plane, have a 3⁄8 chance to force an athame as their initial weapon.[4][5]
Description
Engraving with a non-cursed athame will not dull the weapon - an athame can engrave up to 19 letters per turn, with up to 9 letters possible in one action. As with other weapons, an athame cannot engrave if its enchantment is -3 or lower.
Strategy
Athames are very weak as weapons, but are exceptionally suited for engraving Elbereth. Magicbane is considered valuable for this as well as its curse resistance and other valuable effects, and the item's rarity typically means that a mass majority of characters, especially non-atheist Wizards, will encounter the artifact long before they ever see a non-artifact athame - an athame found in a bones file is usually one that would be Magicbane if the character that found it had not already obtained Magicbane themselves; it is also likely to be cursed). Be sure to mind the beatitude of any athame you attempt to engrave with in order to avoid being occupied (and helpless) for more turns than intended.
History
Until NetHack 3.2.3, a +1 athame was the starting weapon for Wizards.[6] The influential Wizard Patch changed the starting weapon to the stronger but less utilitarian quarterstaff. This may have been to compensate for the Wizard's increased power from the redesigned spellcasting system, which allowed virtually unlimited casting of spells.
This patch was merged completely into mainline NetHack in version 3.3.0,[7] and wizards have begun their journey with staves ever since.
Origin
The encyclopedia entry gives a brief description of the athame's origin as a tool used by practitioners of Wicca, though the blade is not required to be double-edged. It is not specifically used as a utility tool for cutting, much less as a weapon (in fact, athames might have blunted tips to prevent accidental wounds), but as a ritual object used to trace pentagrams and circles in preparation for rituals. In NetHack, this translates into a blade suitable for making (protective) engravings.
Variants
SLASH'EM
SLASH'EM adds two specialist spellcaster roles, the Flame Mage and Ice Mage, with their own respective artifact athames, Firewall and Deep Freeze. Their player monsters, as well as the Necromancer player monster, have the same 37.5% chance of getting an athame as the wizard.[8]
Two of each of these player monsters, along with two wizards, are members of the Guild of Disgruntled Adventurers, if it is created, so non-artifact athames are more likely to appear.
dNetHack
In dNetHack, athames are most useful for inscribing wards. Wizards in dNetHack begin with a -1 athame, perhaps secondhand.
The Pen of the Void is the combined first gift and quest artifact of the Binder role, an athame useful for engraving the seals used to bind spirits of the Void. The Pen deals double damage after the Quest is completed, and has additional effects if spirits are bound into the weapon itself.
Encyclopedia entry
The consecrated ritual knife of a Wiccan initiate (one of
four basic tools, together with the wand, chalice and
pentacle). Traditionally, the athame is a double-edged,
black-handled, cross-hilted dagger of between six and
eighteen inches length.
References
- ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 728
- ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 730
- ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 732
- ↑ src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 188
- ↑ src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 245
- ↑ u_init.c in NetHack 3.2.0, line 156: no source for 3.2.3 on the wiki
- ↑ u_init.c in NetHack 3.3.0, line 161
- ↑ mplayer.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 220
