Magic resistance (monster)
Monsters have innate magic resistance which is separate from the magic resistance provided via various worn or carried items. It is given as a number between 0 and 100. This is frequently given as a percentage, although this is not entirely accurate.
Monsters' magic resistance allows them to resist various attacks, generally of a "magical" nature. It is handled by the resist()[1] function.
The chance of a monster resisting is given as follows:
Chance = MR/(100 + (attack level) - (defence level))[2]
which is only equal to MR as a percentage when attack and defence level are equal.
Attack level is calculated as follows:
| Source | Attack Level |
|---|---|
| spell | Caster's level |
| wand | 12 |
| tool | 10 |
| weapon | 10 |
| scroll | 9 |
| potion | 6 |
| ring | 5 |
Defence level is the level of the defending monster (max 50).
So at level 30, the Riders are truly magic resistant, but Pestilence and Famine can be affected if their level is drained (Death is resistant to drain life).
Monsters can also gain "regular" magic resistance by wearing a cloak of magic resistance or gray dragon scale mail.
Messages
- "Foo resists!"
- A monster resisted an attack. Shown only in some cases.
References
This page may need to be updated for the current version of NetHack.
It may contain text specific to NetHack 3.4.3. Information on this page may be out of date.
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.
