Reflection

Reflection is a property which causes magical rays, such as cold, fire, sleep, lightning, death, and disintegration, to bounce back. Unlike how rays bounce off of walls, reflection always sends them back in the direction they came from. It also protects you from Medusa's stoning gaze and floating eyes' paralysis attack. It does not, however, protect against beams. Reflection is normally obtained extrinsically through various items, although polymorphing into a silver dragon gives you the property intrinsically.

Reflection can be acquired extrinsically from the following sources:

• Amulet of reflection
• Shield of reflection
• Silver dragon scales or silver dragon scale mail
• Wielding the Longbow of Diana, the Ranger quest artifact
• Wielding Dragonbane

It cannot be acquired by crystal plate mail, the Magic Mirror of Merlin, wielding or applying a mirror, or other silver items. However, you can kill Medusa with a mirror.

The top level of Sokoban has a 50% chance of containing an uncursed amulet of reflection. In most versions of Medusa's Island, the statue of Perseus has a 75% chance of containing a cursed +0 shield of reflection; in the titan version, the chance is 25%.

Strategy

Reflection is a high priority in the early game, and the preferred means of obtaining it are usually an amulet of reflection or silver dragon scale mail (SDSM). Players who get a wish from a magic lamp in the Gnomish Mines often use it for SDSM. A shield of reflection hinders spellcasting and prevents two-weapon combat and use of two-handed weapons, so many roles are less effective when wearing one

Reflection is especially important because of high-damage wand and breath attacks. A black dragon's disintegration breath can kill you instantly, unless you have reflection or disintegration resistance. It is very hard to gain disintegration resistance without killing a black dragon first, so reflection is the best option.

Later in the game, reflection's protective use begins to be superseded as you obtain all elemental resistances and magic resistance. However, it is still an important property because it prevents inventory damage from attack wands and breath weapons. Without reflection, keeping wands and rings in open inventory is much more dangerous.

Staying out of monsters' line of fire is not a viable alternative because monsters can move and zap at the same time. However, in melee range, breath attacks are impossible and wand usage much decreased, so movement tactics and an Elbereth cage can double for reflection in special circumstances.

Messages

A user has suggested improving this page or section as follows:

"This doesn't list all reflection messages yet."

But it reflects from your <foo>!

A ray hitting you was reflected.

For some reason you are not affected.

As above, while you are blind.

But it reflects from <monster>'s <foo>!

A ray hitting a monster was reflected.

It reflects from your <foo>!

A lightning bolt from an angry god was reflected.

For some reason you're unaffected.

As above, while you are blind.

<Monster>'s gaze is reflected by your <foo>.

A reflectable gaze attack against you was reflected.

Medusa doesn't seem to notice that her gaze was reflected.

Medusa's reflected gaze attack had no effect because she can't see the reflection.

The gaze is reflected away by <its> <foo>!

A reflectable gaze attack against a monster was reflected.

History

In NetHack 3.6.0 and earlier versions, Dragonbane did not grant reflection when wielded.

Variants

SporkHack

SporkHack introduces a spellbook of reflection.

SLASH'EM

Nighthorn grants reflection when wielded.

This page may need to be updated for the current version of NetHack.

It may contain text specific to NetHack 3.6.1. Information on this page may be out of date.

Editors: After reviewing this page and making necessary edits, please change the {{nethack-361}} tag to the current version's tag or {{noversion}} as appropriate.