Difference between revisions of "Magic cancellation"

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'''Magic cancellation''', or, shortly, '''MC''', is a property of some pieces of [[armor]] which protects against a wide variety of special melee attacks. Having maximum magic cancellation means that only 1/50 of these attacks will succeed (assuming they would hit otherwise). It is related to [[zap]]ping a monster with a [[wand of cancellation|wand]] or [[spellbook of cancellation|spell]] of [[cancellation]], which, among its effects, causes these attacks to always fail. Magic cancellation is ''different'' from the [[extrinsic]] [[magic resistance]].
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'''Magic cancellation''', or, shortly, '''MC''', is a property of some pieces of [[armor]] which protects against a wide variety of special melee attacks by monsters, such as [[poisonous]] [[killer bee]] stings and [[lycanthropy]] through [[werejackal]] bites. Generally, magic cancellation protects against magical attacks where the monster touches the player with some part of its body. Each piece of armor has a magic cancellation number ranging from 0 to 3, where 0 is the lowest (worst) and 3 is the highest (best). Having the highest magic cancellation means that only 1/50 of magical, body-to-body melee attacks will succeed (assuming they would hit otherwise). Note that not all special attacks are considered magical, see the [[#list below]]
  
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==Protects Against==
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The relationship between magic cancellation level and chance of a body-to-body magical attack success is as follows:
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Magic cancellation reduces the chance of success of melee attacks that can be considered of a magical nature. It protects against the following:
 
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* [[Fire]] (e.g. [[fire ant]] burning attack)
 
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* [[Cold]] (e.g. [[winter wolf]] breath)
 
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* [[Shock]] (e.g. [[electric eel]] bite)
 
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* [[Sleep]] (e.g. [[homunculus]] bite)
 
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* [[Poison]] (e.g. [[killer bee]] sting)
 
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* [[Paralysis]] (e.g. [[guardian naga]] bite. Note that it does NOT protect against paralyzing [[passive attacks]] nor [[gaze attack]]s, which include the attacks of [[floating eye]]s and [[Medusa]])
 
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* [[Drain life]] (e.g. [[vampire]] bite)
 
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* [[Sticky attack]] (e.g. [[large mimic]] bite)
 
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* [[Lycanthropy]] (e.g. the [[werejackal]] bite when it is in animal form)
 
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* [[Slowing attack]] (e.g. [[Shade]] touch)
 
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* [[Teleport]] by the [[quantum mechanic]] claw
 
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* [[Sliming]] by the [[green slime]] touch
 
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* [[Disenchanting]] by the [[disenchanter]] claw (note that it does not protect against the [[passive]] disenchanting attack)
 
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* [[Power]] draining by the [[energy vortex]]
 
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* Constitution draining [[poison]] by the [[rabid rat]] bite
 
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* Dexterity draining [[poison]] by the [[quasit]] claw
 
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==Does NOT protect against==
 
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Magic cancellation does ''not'' protect against the following attacks (although [[cancellation|cancelling]] the monster will protect against some):
 
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* Ordinary physical damage including weapons, spitting, exploding and tentacle attacks
 
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* [[Spells]]
 
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* [[Gaze attack]]s
 
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* [[Breath attack]]s
 
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* [[Grabbing attack]]s
 
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* [[Engulfing]]
 
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* [[Passive attack]]s (such the [[floating eye]] paralysis attack and the [[disenchanter]]s passive attack)
 
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* [[Erosion]] attacks ([[rusting]], [[corroding]] and [[rotting]])
 
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* [[Drowning attack]]s
 
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* [[Blind]]ing attacks
 
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* [[Confusion]] attacks
 
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* [[Hallucination]] attacks
 
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* [[Stun]]ning attacks
 
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* [[Petrification]] attacks
 
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* [[Acid]] attacks
 
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* [[Seduction]]
 
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* [[Mindflayer]] intelligence drain
 
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* [[Leprechaun]] gold stealing
 
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* [[Nymph]] item stealing
 
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* [[Wizard of Yendor]] amulet stealing
 
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* [[Gremlin]] intrinsic-stealing
 
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* [[Xan]] leg attack
 
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* [[Nurse]] healing attack
 
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* [[Juiblex]] disease attack
 
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* Special attacks of the [[Riders]]
 
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==Effectiveness==
 
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Magic cancellation is a whole number from zero (no reduction in the chance of special attacks succeeding) to 3 (special attacks have 2% of their normal chance of success).  The relationship between MC level and chance of special attack success is as follows:
 
  
 
*  Magic Cancellation 0 = 100%
 
*  Magic Cancellation 0 = 100%
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Most players like to have maximum magic cancellation, but some favour the benefits conferred by a [[cloak of displacement]] (MC 2).
 
Most players like to have maximum magic cancellation, but some favour the benefits conferred by a [[cloak of displacement]] (MC 2).
  
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{{DOD}}
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==Difference between magic cancellation, cancelling a monster, and magic resistance==
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Magic cancellation is a property of armor that reduces the probability of certain special monster melee attacks of succeeding. A monster can also be ''cancelled'' by zapping a [[wand of cancellation|wand]] or a [[spellbook of cancellation|spell]] of cancellation. This is somewhat different from magic cancellation. Cancelling a monster completely removes the monsters ability to perform it's special melee attacks, while magic cancellation only reduces the probability of those attacks succeeding against the player. Also, the attacks affected by cancelling a monster is not exactly the same as those prevented though magic cancellation. See the article on [[cancellation]] to compare effects.
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Magic cancellation is not the same as [[magic resistance]]. Magic resistance is an [[extrinsic]] that protects against [[spell]], [[wand]], and [[trap]] effects and damage.
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==How it words==
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The effects of magic cancellation depends on the ''attack type'' (e.g. bites and breaths), and on the ''damage type'' (e.g. physical or cold). Magic cancellation will only work against ''certain'' attack types that deal a ''certain'' type of damage.
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===Damage from the following attack types CAN be affected by magic cancellation ===
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Magic cancellation applies only to a certain types of damage delivered through only following types of attacks. Except for the weapon attack, they all involve the monster touching the player with some part of their body:
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* Claw
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* Bite
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* Kick (note that the actual damage done by all tentacle attacks in the game bypasses magic cancellation)
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* Head butt (note that the actual damage done by all headbutts in the game bypasses magic cancellation)
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* Touch
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* Sting
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* Tentacle attack (note that the actual damage done by all tentacle attacks in the game bypasses magic cancellation)
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* Grabbing attacks (note that the actual damage done by all grabbing attacks in the game bypasses magic cancellation)
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* Weapon attacks
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===Damage types that IS affected by magic cancellation (assuming that the attack type is affected)===
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Assuming that the attack type can be affected by magic cancellation, the following damage types will be affected too:
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* [[Fire]] (e.g. [[fire ant]] bite)
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* [[Cold]] (e.g. [[lich]] touch)
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* [[Shock]] (e.g. [[electric eel]] bite)
 +
* [[Sleep]] (e.g. [[homunculus]] bite)
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* [[Poison]] (e.g. [[killer bee]] sting)
 +
* [[Paralysis]] (e.g. [[guardian naga]] bite)
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* [[Drain life]] (e.g. [[barrow wight]] weapon attack)
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* [[Sticky attack]] (e.g. [[large mimic]] bite)
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* [[Lycanthropy]] (e.g. the [[werejackal]] bite when it is in animal form)
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* [[Slowing attack]] (e.g. [[Shade]] touch)
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* [[Teleport]] by the [[quantum mechanic]] claw
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* [[Sliming]] by the [[green slime]] touch
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* [[Disenchanting]] by the [[disenchanter]] claw (note that it does not protect against the [[passive]] disenchanting attack)
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* Constitution draining [[poison]] by the [[rabid rat]] bite
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* Dexterity draining [[poison]] by the [[quasit]] claw
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* [[Power]] draining by the [[energy vortex]] (interestingly, the attack type is ''engulf'', and magic cancellation is hence bypassed. This may be a bug in the source code.)
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===Damage from the following attack types is NEVER affected magic cancellation===
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Regardless of the type of damage, the following attacks types will never be affected by magic cancellation:
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* [[Passive attacks]]s
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* [[Spitting attack]]s
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* [[Engulfing attack]]s
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* [[Breath attack]]s
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* [[Explosion]]s from proximity
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* [[Explosion]]s from dying
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* [[Gaze attack]]s
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* [[Magic spell]]s
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==The following monster damage types are NOT affected by magic cancellation==
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The following monster damage/effects are not affected by magic cancellation, regardless of how the attack was delivered:
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* Ordinary physical damage
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* [[Magic missile]] damage
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* [[Disintegration]] effects
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* [[Acid]] damage
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* [[Blind]]ing effects
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* [[Stun]]ing effects
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* [[Leg]] damage by [[Xan]]s
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* [[Petrification]] effects
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* [[Gold stealing]] effects by [[leprechaun]]
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* [[Item stealing]] effects
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* [[Erosion]] effects (including [[rusting]], [[corroding]] and [[rotting]])
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* [[Confusion]] effects
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* [[Digestion]] damage
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* [[Healing]] effects by [[nurse]]s
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* [[Drowning]] effects
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* [[Intelligence drain]] effects by [[mind flayer]]
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* [[Disease]] effect by [[Juiblex]]
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* [[Seduction]] effects
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* [[Hallucination]] effects
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* [[Amulet stealing]] effects by the [[Wizard of Yendor]]
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* [[Intrinsic-stealing]] effects by [[gremlin]]s
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* Random [[clerical spell]] effects, [[magic spell]] effects or [[breath weapon]] effects
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* Special damage effects of the [[Riders]]
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==Common misconceptions==
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Magic cancellation does NOT protect against paralyzing [[passive attacks]] nor [[gaze attack]]s, which include the attacks of [[floating eye]]s and [[Medusa]]. Magic cancellation partially protects against [[disenchanters]]; it prevents the [[disenchantment]] though the claws, but not through the disenchanters passive attack.
  
 
==References==
 
==References==

Revision as of 15:35, 26 October 2008

Magic cancellation, or, shortly, MC, is a property of some pieces of armor which protects against a wide variety of special melee attacks by monsters, such as poisonous killer bee stings and lycanthropy through werejackal bites. Generally, magic cancellation protects against magical attacks where the monster touches the player with some part of its body. Each piece of armor has a magic cancellation number ranging from 0 to 3, where 0 is the lowest (worst) and 3 is the highest (best). Having the highest magic cancellation means that only 1/50 of magical, body-to-body melee attacks will succeed (assuming they would hit otherwise). Note that not all special attacks are considered magical, see the #list below

The relationship between magic cancellation level and chance of a body-to-body magical attack success is as follows:

  • Magic Cancellation 0 = 100%
  • Magic Cancellation 1 = ~67%
  • Magic Cancellation 2 = ~35%
  • Magic Cancellation 3 = 2%
  • Monster cancelled by wand or spell = 0%

All cloaks, some pieces of body armor and the cornuthaum provide non-zero magic cancellation. Note that magic cancellation is not cumulative - your magic cancellation is the maximum of that provided by any single piece of your armour. The following items have maximum magic cancellation (3):

Most players like to have maximum magic cancellation, but some favour the benefits conferred by a cloak of displacement (MC 2).

Difference between magic cancellation, cancelling a monster, and magic resistance

Magic cancellation is a property of armor that reduces the probability of certain special monster melee attacks of succeeding. A monster can also be cancelled by zapping a wand or a spell of cancellation. This is somewhat different from magic cancellation. Cancelling a monster completely removes the monsters ability to perform it's special melee attacks, while magic cancellation only reduces the probability of those attacks succeeding against the player. Also, the attacks affected by cancelling a monster is not exactly the same as those prevented though magic cancellation. See the article on cancellation to compare effects.

Magic cancellation is not the same as magic resistance. Magic resistance is an extrinsic that protects against spell, wand, and trap effects and damage.

How it words

The effects of magic cancellation depends on the attack type (e.g. bites and breaths), and on the damage type (e.g. physical or cold). Magic cancellation will only work against certain attack types that deal a certain type of damage.

Damage from the following attack types CAN be affected by magic cancellation

Magic cancellation applies only to a certain types of damage delivered through only following types of attacks. Except for the weapon attack, they all involve the monster touching the player with some part of their body:

  • Claw
  • Bite
  • Kick (note that the actual damage done by all tentacle attacks in the game bypasses magic cancellation)
  • Head butt (note that the actual damage done by all headbutts in the game bypasses magic cancellation)
  • Touch
  • Sting
  • Tentacle attack (note that the actual damage done by all tentacle attacks in the game bypasses magic cancellation)
  • Grabbing attacks (note that the actual damage done by all grabbing attacks in the game bypasses magic cancellation)
  • Weapon attacks

Damage types that IS affected by magic cancellation (assuming that the attack type is affected)

Assuming that the attack type can be affected by magic cancellation, the following damage types will be affected too:

Damage from the following attack types is NEVER affected magic cancellation

Regardless of the type of damage, the following attacks types will never be affected by magic cancellation:

The following monster damage types are NOT affected by magic cancellation

The following monster damage/effects are not affected by magic cancellation, regardless of how the attack was delivered:

Common misconceptions

Magic cancellation does NOT protect against paralyzing passive attacks nor gaze attacks, which include the attacks of floating eyes and Medusa. Magic cancellation partially protects against disenchanters; it prevents the disenchantment though the claws, but not through the disenchanters passive attack.

References

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Editors: After reviewing this page and making necessary edits, please change the {{nethack-343}} tag to the current version's tag or {{noversion}} as appropriate.

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