Difference between revisions of "Vorpal Blade"
m (→Monsters wielding Vorpal Blade: There are other methods, of course, but these two are typically the cheapest.) |
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==Monsters wielding Vorpal Blade== | ==Monsters wielding Vorpal Blade== | ||
| − | Vorpal Blade is a very dangerous weapon in the hands of a monster, since a monster with Vorpal Blade will have a 5% chance of beheading [[you]] with each attack. Therefore, you should never leave Vorpal Blade in a place where a monster can pick it up. The safest place to store Vorpal Blade is inside an ice box placed on top of an engraving of [[Elbereth]]. If you have no intention of keeping Vorpal Blade and simply want to get rid of it, either repeatedly loot a cursed [[bag of holding]] or bury it by placing it into a pit and cover the pit with a boulder. | + | Vorpal Blade is a very dangerous weapon in the hands of a monster, since a monster with Vorpal Blade will have a 5% chance of beheading [[you]] with each attack. Therefore, you should never leave Vorpal Blade in a place where a monster can pick it up. The safest place to store Vorpal Blade is inside an ice box placed on top of an engraving of [[Elbereth]]. If you have no intention of keeping Vorpal Blade and simply want to get rid of it, either forget if in some chest <!--No monster in the game can loot containers-->or repeatedly loot a cursed [[bag of holding]] or bury it by placing it into a pit and cover the pit with a boulder. |
If Vorpal Blade has not already been created in your game, the player character monsters in the [[Astral Plane]] have a small chance of being randomly generated with Vorpal Blade in their possession. [[Melee combat]] with these monsters is very dangerous. For this reason, many players make an effort to obtain Vorpal Blade during the game, even if they are not planning to use it, just to make sure the sword does not show up on the Astral Plane. | If Vorpal Blade has not already been created in your game, the player character monsters in the [[Astral Plane]] have a small chance of being randomly generated with Vorpal Blade in their possession. [[Melee combat]] with these monsters is very dangerous. For this reason, many players make an effort to obtain Vorpal Blade during the game, even if they are not planning to use it, just to make sure the sword does not show up on the Astral Plane. | ||
Revision as of 08:14, 21 July 2010
) Vorpal Blade 
| |
|---|---|
| Base item | long sword |
| Damage vs. small | 1d8 +1 (2-9) |
| Damage vs. large | 1d12 +1 (2-13) |
| To-hit bonus | +1d5 |
| Bonus versus | (any) |
| Weapon skill | long sword |
| Size | one-handed |
| Affiliation | |
| When carried |
(none) |
| When wielded |
|
| When invoked |
(none) |
| Base price | 4000 zm |
| Weight | 40 |
| Material | iron |
The Vorpal Blade is a very useful artifact weapon. It is a neutral long sword, and has a 5% chance of instantaneously killing monsters by beheading. It is shunned by some players because it only does +1 damage and d5 to-hit, but others find the insta-kill to be quite useful. The beheading only works on monsters with heads.
Neutral players other than Wizards and Monks can easily obtain Vorpal Blade by being crowned.
The Vorpal Blade originally appears in the poem Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll. In the poem, an unnamed adventurer "took his vorpal sword" in hand and sought the dangerous Jabberwock:
- "One, two! One, two! And through and through
- The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
- He left it dead, and with its head
- He went galumphing back."
The implication is that the vorpal blade beheaded the Jabberwock. Because of the origin of this weapon, in NetHack it has a 100% chance to behead Jabberwocks.
Instakill probability table
The following table summarizes the damage done by the Vorpal Blade. For example, after you hit a monster ten times, there is a 40% chance that you have beheaded it. You have also done an average of 55 points of physical damage to it. The odds of beheading a monster rise above 50% after 14 hits, at which point you have damaged the monster for approximately 77 points anyway.
| Hits | Cumulated instakill probability | Physical damage to small monsters (avg) | Physical damage to large monsters (avg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5% | 2–9 (6) | 2–13 (8) |
| 2 | 9.75% | 4–18 (11) | 4–26 (15) |
| 3 | 14.26% | 6–27 (17) | 6–39 (23) |
| 4 | 18% | 8–36 (22) | 8–52 (30) |
| 5 | 22.6% | 10–45 (28) | 10–65 (38) |
| 10 | 40% | 20–90 (55) | 20–130 (75) |
| 15 | 53.7% | 30–135 (83) | 30–195 (113) |
| 45 | 90% | 90–405 (248) | 90–585 (338) |
Monsters wielding Vorpal Blade
Vorpal Blade is a very dangerous weapon in the hands of a monster, since a monster with Vorpal Blade will have a 5% chance of beheading you with each attack. Therefore, you should never leave Vorpal Blade in a place where a monster can pick it up. The safest place to store Vorpal Blade is inside an ice box placed on top of an engraving of Elbereth. If you have no intention of keeping Vorpal Blade and simply want to get rid of it, either forget if in some chest or repeatedly loot a cursed bag of holding or bury it by placing it into a pit and cover the pit with a boulder.
If Vorpal Blade has not already been created in your game, the player character monsters in the Astral Plane have a small chance of being randomly generated with Vorpal Blade in their possession. Melee combat with these monsters is very dangerous. For this reason, many players make an effort to obtain Vorpal Blade during the game, even if they are not planning to use it, just to make sure the sword does not show up on the Astral Plane.
If you have entered the Astral Plane without accounting for the whereabouts of Vorpal Blade, it is highly recommended to wear an amulet of life saving in order to protect yourself against beheading attacks. In dire situations, it may be necessary disarm the player monster with a bullwhip.
Messages
- "Vorpal Blade decapitates the <monster>!"
- The monster has been instantly killed from the special beheading attack.
- "Vorpal Blade beheads it!"
- An monster you cannot see has been instantly killed.
- "Somehow, you miss the <monster> wildly."
- Your hit would normally have beheaded the monster, but it was lacking a head and thus had no effect. Note that no damage is applied to the monster either.
