Difference between revisions of "Scalpel"

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A '''scalpel''' is a kind of [[melee]] [[weapon]] that appears in ''[[NetHack]]''. It uses the [[knife]] [[skill]], and does d3 damage to both small and large [[monster]]s. It is not suitable for [[throw]]ing like other knives, and doing so carries a -2 [[to-hit]] penalty.{{refsrc|src/dothrow.c|1047|version=NetHack 3.6.1}} It is made of [[metal]].
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A '''scalpel''' is a kind of [[melee]] [[weapon]] that appears in ''[[NetHack]]''. It uses the [[knife]] [[skill]], and does d3 damage to both small and large [[monster]]s. Scalpels are not suitable for [[throw]]ing like other knives, and doing so carries a -2 [[to-hit]] penalty.{{refsrc|src/dothrow.c|1047|version=NetHack 3.6.1}} They are made of [[metal]].
  
 
==Generation==
 
==Generation==

Revision as of 13:05, 23 February 2022

) Scalpel.png
Name scalpel
Appearance scalpel
Damage vs. small 1d3
Damage vs. large 1d3
To-hit bonus +2
Weapon skill knife
Size one-handed
Base price 6 zm
(+10/positive
enchant)
Weight 5
Material metal

A scalpel is a kind of melee weapon that appears in NetHack. It uses the knife skill, and does d3 damage to both small and large monsters. Scalpels are not suitable for throwing like other knives, and doing so carries a -2 to-hit penalty.[1] They are made of metal.

Generation

Scalpels are not randomly generated on the dungeon floor, in shops, or as a death drop.

All Healers start with a +0 scalpel as their weapon.[2] A scalpel in a bones pile is a good clue that the late adventurer was a Healer.

Player monster healers on the Astral Plane have a small probability (6.25%) of generating with a scalpel as their weapon; they are much more likely to have a quarterstaff, though.[3]

Strategy

Scalpels are very poor weapons roughly on par with orcish daggers, with the only real advantage being their inherently erosion-proof material. However, knives tend to be sparse compared to other projectile weapons like daggers, and are slightly worse melee weapons themselves. In any case, the starting scalpel for Healers may be worth keeping as a backup weapon against monsters such as acid blobs that can corrode or rust weapons; you can stash or simply ditch it once you gather a decent stack of knives and/or obtain a primary weapon that is either non-iron or erode-proofed.

Variants

SLASH'EM

Scalpels are a little more useful in SLASH'EM: Healers can use them to cure sickness or sliming using the surgery technique.

xNetHack

In xNetHack, nurses have a 15 chance of generating with a scalpel.

Encyclopaedia entry

A scalpel is a very sharp knife used for surgery ... Merely
touching a medical scalpel with bare hands to test it will
cut through the skin. ... Medical scalpel blades are gradually
curved for greater precision when cutting through tissue.

[ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ]

References

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.