Difference between revisions of "Need +x weapon to hit"

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[[SLASH'EM]] introduces two new properties derived from D&D, the ''Need +x weapon to hit'' and ''Hits monsters as a +x weapon'', where x is an integer from 1 to 4.  Essentially, monsters with the first property cannot be damaged with weapons with less than the required enchantment. It is effectively enchantment resistance.  The second property is mainly of relevance to those who keep pets, in particular, [[pacifist|pacifists]], as an otherwise strong pet may be unable to damage a particular monster.  Note that these two properties are given to both new monsters and monsters from vanilla.  It is possible to gain the ''Hits monsters as a +x weapon'' property through [[polymorph]], but not the ''Need +x weapon to hit'' property.
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In [[SLASH'EM]] and [[SlashTHEM]], new and returning [[monster]]s can have the '''"Need +x weapon to hit"''' [[property]], where x is an integer from 1 to 4 - monsters with the property cannot be damaged by weapons with less than the required enchantment. This is also informally known as '''"enchantment resistance"''', and is derived from ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' alongside the "[[Hits creatures as +x weapon]]" property.
  
==Mechanics==
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==Description==
What exactly the game checks for is dependent on what you are attacking with. If you can hit the monster, your weapon does normal damage.  If you cannot, it does no damage, but will still count towards advancing your skill.
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When in combat, the game checks the enchantment of the attacker's wielded weapon against any "Need +x weapon to hit" flags the target possesses{{refsrc|uhitm.c|769|version=SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2}} - [[artifact]]s that [[you]] attack with gain a +2 bonus to this check, {{refsrc|uhitm.c|886|version=SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2}} while [[Magicbane]] is always counted as a +4 weapon, effectively ignoring all forms of enchantment resistance when you attack with it.{{refsrc|uhitm.c|885|version=SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2}} For ranged weapons fired from [[launcher]]s, only the enchantment of the fired [[projectile]] matters.
  
===Wielded weapon===
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Monsters with the "hits creatures as a +x weapon" property - including you if you are [[polyself]]ed into such a monster - instead have that property checked against the target's enchantment resistance. This property is checked over weapon enchantments for you and for monsters in this case, though you will still gain a +2 bonus if attacking with an artifact.
The game checks the enchantment {{refsrc|uhitm.c|769|version=SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2}} of the wielded weapon.  For artifact weapons, it adds two to the enchantment check{{refsrc|uhitm.c|886|version=SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2}}, and [[Magicbane]] always counts as a +4 weapon{{refsrc|uhitm.c|885|version=SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2}}.  If the thus derived enchantment is greater than or equal to the monster's resistance, it can hit. For example, a +0 artifact weapon will hit a [[statue gargoyle]] (whose enchantment resistance is +1), but not [[Vecna]] (whose enchantment resistance is +4), since it is a +0 artifact, having for the purposes of this check +2 enchantment.  As always, there are exceptions:
 
*A silver weapon will do normal and silver damage against a silver-hating monster
 
*A poisoned weapon will always be able to hit (although it may become unpoisoned as usual)
 
*Monsters attacking with artifact weapons get no artifact bonus; only the enchantment itself is used
 
An artifact which is not sufficiently enchanted to hit a monster will not cause damage from any special attacks it might have. However, such attacks will still give their corresponding messages, leading to somewhat confusing situations such as the following:
 
  
''[[Serpent's Tongue|The twisted blade]] poisons the ki-rin!  The poison was deadly...''
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If the effective enchantment of the attack is equal to or greater than the "enchantment resistance" of the target, it will do normal damage - otherwise, the attack deals no damage, as signified by the message that will follow. Your weapons that fail to damage a monster with a "Need +x weapon to hit" property still count towards training that weapon's [[skill]]. There are some exceptions to the above:
''Your attack doesn't seem to harm the ki-rin.''
 
  
The ki-rin in the above situation was indeed unharmed.
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* A [[silver]] weapon will do normal damage ''and'' silver damage against a silver-hating monster.
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* Attacks using [[poison]]ed weapons are always able to hit; this does not include unarmed attacks that are poisoned, e.g. a poisonous sting or bite attack.
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* [[Lightsaber]]s ignore enchantment resistance, regardless of whether or not they are lit.
  
===Ranged weapons===
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Magic attacks from [[spell]]s, [[scroll]]s and [[wand]]s will function as normal.
For ranged weapons, only the enchantment of the projectile matters, not the enchantment of the launcher.  Otherwise, it works as for wielded weapons.
 
===Other items===
 
If you are wielding an item that can be enchanted or charged, whether it is [[armor]], a [[tool]], or even a [[wand]], the game still checks the enchantment/charge of that item.  The dependence on charge may seem strange, but enchantments and charges are stored by the same variable for objects ("spe"), which is the number that is checked for enchantment resistance.  This means that bashing a statue gargoyle with a wand of wishing (0:0) will do nothing, but bashing it with a wand of wishing (0:1) will hurt it.  Therefore a charged wand or tool is actually a useful backup weapon, at least for weaker monsters with enchantment resistance.  As with wielded weapons, wielded non-weapon artifacts do get a +2 bonus to this check.
 
  
===Lightsabers===
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===Bare-handed combat===
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Bare-handed attacks count as a +0 weapon irrespective of your skill level or any worn [[gloves]], with two exceptions:
  
[[Lightsaber]]s can do damage to all monsters, regardless of enchantment, charges or being lit. A +0 lit lightsaber will damage [[Vecna]], but also a +0 uncharged one. Note that when unlit, damage is puny, and enchantment is ignored.
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* You are [[polymorph]]ed into a monster with the ''hits creatures as a +x weapon'' property as mentioned above - you can hit if ''x'' is high enough.
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* You are a [[Monk]]: Monks fighting bare-handed hit creatures as a +[[XL]]/4 weapon, i.e. a level 4-7 Monk hits as +1, level 8-11 Monks hit as +2, level 12-15 Monks hit as +3, and level 16+ Monks hit as +4.
  
 
===Kicking===
 
===Kicking===
If you are kicking a monster, the relevant enchantment is the enchantment of your boots. Note that [[kicking boots]] do not help towards this, as one might expect, and that [[Whisperfeet]], the artifact [[speed boots]], do not provide a +2 bonus for this check when worn.
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If you are kicking a monster, the relevant enchantment is the enchantment of your boots. [[Kicking boots]] and artifact boots such as [[Whisperfeet]] do not gain bonuses for this check when worn.
  
===Bare-handed combat===
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===Other items===
Bare-handed attacks count as a +0 weapon irrespective of your skill, with two exceptions:
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If you are wielding an item that can be enchanted or charged, whether it is [[armor]], a [[tool]], or even a [[wand]], the game still checks the enchantment/charge of that item. This is because both values are stored by the same variable for objects ("spe"), which is checked for enchantment resistance. Therefore, bashing a [[statue gargoyle]] with a wand of wishing (0:0) will do nothing, but bashing it with a wand of wishing (0:1) will hurt it.
*You are polymorphed into a monster with the ''hits creatures as a +x weapon'' property, in which case you can hit if ''x'' is high enough.
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*You are a [[monk]]: Monks fighting bare-handed hit creatures as a +[[XL]]/4 weapon, meaning that a level 4 monk hits as +1, level 8 as +2, level 12 as +3, and level 16 as +4. Note that this does not apply for wielded weapons, i.e. a level 4 monk wielding a +0 weapon will not be able to hit a [[statue gargoyle]].
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===Artifacts===
Note that enchanted gloves do not help, contrary to what one might expect.
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The aforementioned +2 bonus to enchantment resistance checks are not only applied to artifact weapons, but to any non-weapon artifact you wield that can be enchanted or charged, as detailed in the section above. An artifact that fails a check versus enchantment resistance will not cause damage from any special attacks it might have, though it will still print the corresponding messages, leading to somewhat confusing situations such as the following example with [[Vorpal Blade]]:
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{{message|Vorpal Blade decapitates the [[ki-rin]]! Your attack doesn't seem to harm the ki-rin.}}
  
===Magic attacks===
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The ki-rin in the above situation was indeed unharmed.
Magic attacks, from spells, scrolls, and wands, will function as normal.
 
  
 
==Strategy==
 
==Strategy==
Finding yourself unable to attack a monster can be a deadly situation, as most of the monsters with enchantment resistance are rather dangerous. If you find that your main weapon is insufficiently enchanted, check the other cases above to see if you might have something able to attack the monster. If neither you nor your pet is able to damage it, then retreat and/or [[Elbereth]] are some of the only options. Whatever you do, note that attempting to attack the monster still uses turns. Also note that many monsters from vanilla NetHack (notably [[vampire|vampires]] and [[lich|liches]]) now have enchantment resistance.
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It is urgent that you maintain the enchantment of your weapons as you progress - being stonewalled by a monster with a high enchantment resistance can prove deadly. If your main weapon is insufficiently enchanted, check for wands and other sources of magic that you can use against monsters, and be sure to take note of the cases above. Charged wands or tools are actually useful last-resort options for monsters with weaker enchantment resistance; remember that artifacts get a +2 bonus to checks against enchantment. If neither you nor your pet can damage a monster and you have none of the listed options, your best bet is to retreat and/or engrave [[Elbereth]].
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The effective enchantment of a Monk's martial arts attacks rises quickly enough to keep up with the enchantment resistance of monsters, enough that they can avoid much of the aforementioned binds. Even so, they should avoid doing the [[Chaotic Quest]] before XL 16, since they will not be able to damage [[Vecna]]; descending too deep may also cause hard-to-hit [[Archon]]s to generate near the [[Castle]]. Unfortunately, enchantment resistance makes [[bare-handed combat]] for other roles very difficult to use long-term - even roles as proficient as [[Undead Slayer]]s (who can reach Grand Master level) cannot hit through any form of enchantment resistance.
  
If you are a monk, in general you will find that the effective enchantment of your attacks rises quickly enough to keep up with the resistance of monsters being generated. However, monks should avoid descending too deep or doing the [[Chaotic Quest]] before [[XL]] 16, since they will not be able to damage [[Vecna]] or the [[Archon|Archons]] that can appear near the castle.
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===Pets and enchantment resistance===
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Enchantment resistance also poses a problem for pets, since most of the readily-obtainable ones lack the ability to hit monsters with enchantment resistance. Some options and advice for managing pets that can hit through enchantment resistance and are somewhat easy to obtain are listed below:
  
If you are playing a [[pacifist]] or merely using a strong pet to attack monsters, the enchantment resistance can pose a problem.  Most easily obtainable early pets lack the ability to hit monsters with enchantment resistance.  Probably the easiest route is to get a pet that can wield weapons, and give it an enchanted weapon.  Note that an artifact weapon confers no bonus to a monster merely for being an artifact weapon - it must be enchanted. [[Magic trap|Magic traps]] in the [[Gnomish Mines]] can often leave you with some pet [[Dwarf (monster)|dwarves]] or [[Gnome (monster)|gnomes]] as pets, which can wield weapons.  Also, some baby dragons, obtainable from [[egg|eggs]], hit creatures as a +1 weapon, and are reasonably obtainable in the early game.  Those who are unable to tame a baby dragon or an intelligent monster would be well advised to save [[banana]]s: in SLASH'EM, they can be used to tame many different {{white|Y}}, including [[yeti]]s, [[sasquatch]]es, and [[zruty]], all of which hit as a +1 weapon. In the later game, a [[bullwhip]] is quite useful for disarming your pet to enchant its weapon, a useful feature in vanilla that becomes almost crucial in SLASH'EM, as there are no tamable monsters that can naturally hit even an [[Archon]], let alone a [[Solar]].
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* Most baby dragons obtained from [[egg]]s hit as +1 weapons; the exceptions are baby shimmering, silver, and deep dragons. [[Male]] characters have a decent chance of getting such a pet by picking up random eggs early on.
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* Intelligent, weapon-wielding [[humanoid]] monsters can hit reliably with a sufficiently-enchanted weapon - even tamed [[Dwarf (monster)|dwarves]] or [[Gnome (monster)|gnomes]] can do the job in theory, though in practice they will not be capable of taking on much higher-levels.
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* All characters can potentially obtain appropriate [[minion]]s from their god through sacrifice at an altar. The difficulty of accomplishing this varies by alignment and XL:
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** Lawfuls have the easiest time: not only can they obtain minions without an altar by praying at low HP, every lawful minion hits as at least a +1 weapon.
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** Neutrals have the hardest time: the only appropriate minion they can get is a [[grey unicorn]] (which hits as +2) while sacrificing at experience level 10 or below, with a better chance at lower levels.
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** Chaotics have dozens of possible minions with the property, but the selection is a mixed bag depending on experience level: Experience levels 12-16 may have the best spread of applicable minions, including [[bearded devil]]s, [[bar-lgura]]s and [[chasme]]s (which all hit as +2); black unicorns and [[shadow wolves]] also hit as +2 and can be obtained at lower levels.
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* Save any [[banana]]s you find for the various {{monclass|Y}}s that you can encounter: you can use one to tame a [[yeti]], [[sasquatch]] or [[zruty]], which all hit as a +1 weapon and deal decent base damage.
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* Early [[pet shop]]s may provide you with a viable [[figurine]] that you can bless for an appropriate pet, most likely something that can wield weapons - beware that you have a {{frac|4|5}} chance at most of a blessed figurine generating a tame monster.
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* Using a [[bullwhip]] to disarm your pet and enchant its weapon becomes almost crucial in the late game, as there are very few tameable monsters that can naturally hit an Archon or a Solar without a weapon (save e.g., another Solar or a Planetar, which are common targets for a figurine [[wish]]). Note that weapon-wielding minions will not re-wield a weapon once it is taken from them.
  
 
==See also==
 
==See also==
*[[Monsters with need +x weapon to hit]]
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* [[Monsters with need +x weapon to hit]]
*[[Monsters with hits creatures as a +x weapon]]
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* [[Monsters with hits creatures as a +x weapon]]
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
 
<references/>
 
<references/>
[[Category:SLASH'EM]]
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{{slashem-7E7|offset=1}}
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{{variant-343}}
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[[Category:SLASH'EM monsters]]
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[[Category:SlashTHEM monsters]]

Latest revision as of 02:06, 6 December 2023

In SLASH'EM and SlashTHEM, new and returning monsters can have the "Need +x weapon to hit" property, where x is an integer from 1 to 4 - monsters with the property cannot be damaged by weapons with less than the required enchantment. This is also informally known as "enchantment resistance", and is derived from Dungeons & Dragons alongside the "Hits creatures as +x weapon" property.

Description

When in combat, the game checks the enchantment of the attacker's wielded weapon against any "Need +x weapon to hit" flags the target possesses[1] - artifacts that you attack with gain a +2 bonus to this check, [2] while Magicbane is always counted as a +4 weapon, effectively ignoring all forms of enchantment resistance when you attack with it.[3] For ranged weapons fired from launchers, only the enchantment of the fired projectile matters.

Monsters with the "hits creatures as a +x weapon" property - including you if you are polyselfed into such a monster - instead have that property checked against the target's enchantment resistance. This property is checked over weapon enchantments for you and for monsters in this case, though you will still gain a +2 bonus if attacking with an artifact.

If the effective enchantment of the attack is equal to or greater than the "enchantment resistance" of the target, it will do normal damage - otherwise, the attack deals no damage, as signified by the message that will follow. Your weapons that fail to damage a monster with a "Need +x weapon to hit" property still count towards training that weapon's skill. There are some exceptions to the above:

  • A silver weapon will do normal damage and silver damage against a silver-hating monster.
  • Attacks using poisoned weapons are always able to hit; this does not include unarmed attacks that are poisoned, e.g. a poisonous sting or bite attack.
  • Lightsabers ignore enchantment resistance, regardless of whether or not they are lit.

Magic attacks from spells, scrolls and wands will function as normal.

Bare-handed combat

Bare-handed attacks count as a +0 weapon irrespective of your skill level or any worn gloves, with two exceptions:

  • You are polymorphed into a monster with the hits creatures as a +x weapon property as mentioned above - you can hit if x is high enough.
  • You are a Monk: Monks fighting bare-handed hit creatures as a +XL/4 weapon, i.e. a level 4-7 Monk hits as +1, level 8-11 Monks hit as +2, level 12-15 Monks hit as +3, and level 16+ Monks hit as +4.

Kicking

If you are kicking a monster, the relevant enchantment is the enchantment of your boots. Kicking boots and artifact boots such as Whisperfeet do not gain bonuses for this check when worn.

Other items

If you are wielding an item that can be enchanted or charged, whether it is armor, a tool, or even a wand, the game still checks the enchantment/charge of that item. This is because both values are stored by the same variable for objects ("spe"), which is checked for enchantment resistance. Therefore, bashing a statue gargoyle with a wand of wishing (0:0) will do nothing, but bashing it with a wand of wishing (0:1) will hurt it.

Artifacts

The aforementioned +2 bonus to enchantment resistance checks are not only applied to artifact weapons, but to any non-weapon artifact you wield that can be enchanted or charged, as detailed in the section above. An artifact that fails a check versus enchantment resistance will not cause damage from any special attacks it might have, though it will still print the corresponding messages, leading to somewhat confusing situations such as the following example with Vorpal Blade:

Vorpal Blade decapitates the ki-rin! Your attack doesn't seem to harm the ki-rin.

The ki-rin in the above situation was indeed unharmed.

Strategy

It is urgent that you maintain the enchantment of your weapons as you progress - being stonewalled by a monster with a high enchantment resistance can prove deadly. If your main weapon is insufficiently enchanted, check for wands and other sources of magic that you can use against monsters, and be sure to take note of the cases above. Charged wands or tools are actually useful last-resort options for monsters with weaker enchantment resistance; remember that artifacts get a +2 bonus to checks against enchantment. If neither you nor your pet can damage a monster and you have none of the listed options, your best bet is to retreat and/or engrave Elbereth.

The effective enchantment of a Monk's martial arts attacks rises quickly enough to keep up with the enchantment resistance of monsters, enough that they can avoid much of the aforementioned binds. Even so, they should avoid doing the Chaotic Quest before XL 16, since they will not be able to damage Vecna; descending too deep may also cause hard-to-hit Archons to generate near the Castle. Unfortunately, enchantment resistance makes bare-handed combat for other roles very difficult to use long-term - even roles as proficient as Undead Slayers (who can reach Grand Master level) cannot hit through any form of enchantment resistance.

Pets and enchantment resistance

Enchantment resistance also poses a problem for pets, since most of the readily-obtainable ones lack the ability to hit monsters with enchantment resistance. Some options and advice for managing pets that can hit through enchantment resistance and are somewhat easy to obtain are listed below:

  • Most baby dragons obtained from eggs hit as +1 weapons; the exceptions are baby shimmering, silver, and deep dragons. Male characters have a decent chance of getting such a pet by picking up random eggs early on.
  • Intelligent, weapon-wielding humanoid monsters can hit reliably with a sufficiently-enchanted weapon - even tamed dwarves or gnomes can do the job in theory, though in practice they will not be capable of taking on much higher-levels.
  • All characters can potentially obtain appropriate minions from their god through sacrifice at an altar. The difficulty of accomplishing this varies by alignment and XL:
    • Lawfuls have the easiest time: not only can they obtain minions without an altar by praying at low HP, every lawful minion hits as at least a +1 weapon.
    • Neutrals have the hardest time: the only appropriate minion they can get is a grey unicorn (which hits as +2) while sacrificing at experience level 10 or below, with a better chance at lower levels.
    • Chaotics have dozens of possible minions with the property, but the selection is a mixed bag depending on experience level: Experience levels 12-16 may have the best spread of applicable minions, including bearded devils, bar-lguras and chasmes (which all hit as +2); black unicorns and shadow wolves also hit as +2 and can be obtained at lower levels.
  • Save any bananas you find for the various ​Y apelike creatures that you can encounter: you can use one to tame a yeti, sasquatch or zruty, which all hit as a +1 weapon and deal decent base damage.
  • Early pet shops may provide you with a viable figurine that you can bless for an appropriate pet, most likely something that can wield weapons - beware that you have a 45 chance at most of a blessed figurine generating a tame monster.
  • Using a bullwhip to disarm your pet and enchant its weapon becomes almost crucial in the late game, as there are very few tameable monsters that can naturally hit an Archon or a Solar without a weapon (save e.g., another Solar or a Planetar, which are common targets for a figurine wish). Note that weapon-wielding minions will not re-wield a weapon once it is taken from them.

See also

References