Dagger

A dagger is a versatile type of weapon that appears in NetHack. They can be used either in melee or as a thrown projectile; they are typically cheap, plentiful, and more durable than arrows, crossbow bolts and darts.

Daggers are available in several kinds, each made of various materials (including silver) and dealing various amounts of damage.

Types of dagger

Dagger

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Name	dagger
Appearance	dagger
Damage vs. small	1d4
Damage vs. large	1d3
To-hit bonus	+2
Weapon skill	dagger
Size	one-handed
Base price	4 zm (+10/positive enchant)
Weight	10
Material	iron

The ordinary dagger (appearance: "dagger") is the most common type (3.0% of randomly generated weapons), but there are others. Daggers of this kind are made of iron and susceptible to corrosion from acidic monsters and rusting from rust monsters and water.

Orcish dagger

)
Name	orcish dagger
Appearance	crude dagger
Damage vs. small	1d3
Damage vs. large	1d3
To-hit bonus	+2
Weapon skill	dagger
Size	one-handed
Base price	4 zm (+10/positive enchant)
Weight	10
Material	iron

This dagger can be found on orcs (and in your starting inventory, if you're an orc). Its appearance as "crude dagger" is accurate (only d3 damage against small monsters instead of d4).

Being made of iron, it is susceptible to corrosion from acidic monsters and rusting from rust monsters and water like an ordinary dagger.

Orcish daggers constitute 1.2% of random weapon generation in the dungeon.

Elven dagger

)
Name	elven dagger
Appearance	runed dagger
Damage vs. small	1d5
Damage vs. large	1d3
To-hit bonus	+2
Weapon skill	dagger
Size	one-handed
Base price	4 zm (+10/positive enchant)
Weight	10
Material	wood

This dagger can be found on elves (and in your starting inventory, if you're an elf). It is superior to an ordinary dagger (d5 damage vs d4 against Small). It is also made of wood, and therefore immune to corrosion and rusting. It can, however, become burnt or rotted, but this rarely happens in practice, since most sources of fire or rot damage don't affect weapons. Passive fire attacks would be the most likely source.

Naming an elven dagger "Sting" turns it into the artifact Sting, if Sting does not yet exist.

Elven daggers constitute 1.0% of randomly-generated weapons in the dungeon.

Silver dagger

)
Name	silver dagger
Appearance	silver dagger
Damage vs. small	1d4+(1d20)
Damage vs. large	1d3+(1d20)
To-hit bonus	+2
Weapon skill	dagger
Size	one-handed
Base price	40 zm (+10/positive enchant)
Weight	12
Material	silver

The silver dagger is a very rare item. It is normally equivalent to an ordinary dagger, but does an extra d20 damage against silver-hating creatures (e.g. werewolves and demons). As a result, a stack of highly enchanted silver daggers is among the deadliest weapons in Gehennom. Another benefit of the silver dagger compared to other daggers is that it is immune to all forms of erosion.

Silver daggers constitute 0.3% of randomly-generated weapons in the dungeon.

Average damage calculation of thrown silver daggers

The following average damage calculation shows the average amount of damage dealt per turn by throwing as many silver daggers as possible. We assume the player has expert skill in dagger, which gives a +2 damage bonus, and a multishot rate of 1d3 daggers. A blessed weapon deals 1d4 extra damage against demons and undead. The worst case scenario is against a non-silver-hating, non-undead, non-demon large monster. The best case scenario is against a silver-hating undead/demon small monster.

	Weapon
	Uncursed silver dagger + 0	Blessed silver dagger +7
Against regular small monsters	$\left(\frac{1+4}{2}+2\right)\times{\frac{1+3}{2}}=\bold{9}$	$\left(\frac{1+4}{2}+7+2\right)\times{\frac{1+3}{2}}=\bold{23}$
Against regular large monsters	$\left(\frac{1+3}{2}+2\right)\times{\frac{1+3}{2}}=\bold{8}$	$\left(\frac{1+3}{2}+7+2\right)\times{\frac{1+3}{2}}=\bold{22}$
Worst case scenario	$\left(\frac{1+3}{2}+2\right)\times{\frac{1+3}{2}}=\bold{8}$	$\left(\frac{1+3}{2}+7+2\right)\times{\frac{1+3}{2}}=\bold{22}$
Best case scenario	$\left(\frac{1+4}{2}+\frac{1+20}{2}+2\right)\times{\frac{1+3}{2}}=\bold{30}$	$\left(\frac{1+4}{2}+\frac{1+20}{2}+7+2+\frac{1+4}{2}\right)\times{\frac{1+3}{2}}=\bold{49}$

Dagger skill

Dagger
Max	Role
Basic	Archeologist, Barbarian, Caveman, Knight, Samurai
Skilled	Healer
Expert	Rogue, Ranger, Tourist, Valkyrie, Wizard

The following weapons use the dagger skill:

• dagger
• elven dagger
• orcish dagger
• silver dagger
• athame

The following artifact weapons use the dagger skill:

• Grimtooth (orcish dagger)
• Magicbane (athame)
• Sting (elven dagger)

Generation

Daggers of all kinds make up 5.5% of randomly generated weapons in the dungeon. As noted above, racial daggers are commonly found on their respective racial monsters (elven daggers on elves, orcish daggers on orcs, including goblins and hobgoblins).

In addition, the following monsters may get some kind of dagger:

• Hobbits may start with an ordinary dagger (33%) or an elven dagger (33%).
• If a dwarf does not start with a dwarvish short sword, mattock, axe, or dwarvish spear, there is a 33% chance that it will have a dagger.
• Soldiers in the Yendorian army have a 50% chance of getting a dagger if their primary weapon is a polearm.
• In NetHack 3.6.0, an orcish dagger may (with 25% chance) be the starting weapon for a rogue on the Astral Plane.

Several roles start the game with one or more daggers:

• Valkyries get a +0 dagger.
• Rangers get a +1 dagger (elven for elves, orcish for orcs).
• Rogues get a stack of +0 daggers (orcish for orcs).

Strategy

Daggers can be very useful in the early game, despite their weight and low base damage. A ranged volley denies monsters even the chance to swing at you, or at least softens them up before they can engage you. All classes except Monks and Priests can attain proficiency in dagger skill and may wish to do so, under the right circumstances.

As daggers are very common, they are very useful for forcing open boxes without risk of breaking a more powerful weapon, even a Barbarian may find it worth it to grab a dagger or two for both this and throwing.

SLASH'EM

SLASH'EM features two new types of dagger, as well as new dagger artifacts.

Dark elven dagger

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Name	dark elven dagger
Appearance	black runed dagger
Damage vs. small	1d5
Damage vs. large	1d3
To-hit bonus	+2
Weapon skill	dagger
Size	one-handed
Base price	4 zm (+10/positive enchant)
Weight	10
Material	wood

This dagger is identical to an elven dagger, except in appearance. It may be generated in the inventory of drow.

Great dagger

)
Name	great dagger
Appearance	great dagger
Damage vs. small	1d6
Damage vs. large	1d7
To-hit bonus	+2
Weapon skill	dagger
Size	one-handed
Base price	500 zm (+10/positive enchant)
Weight	10
Material	metal

This is the best non-artifact dagger in SLASH'EM. It deals 1d6 damage versus small enemies, and 1d7 versus large. It is never randomly generated. The only ways to obtain one are:

• upgrade a dark or normal elven dagger,
• acquire the Necromancer quest artifact, The Great Dagger of Glaurgnaa,
• wish for one (although this is probably not worth it).

WARNING: Great Daggers DO NOT STACK. This is by design. If you upgrade to a stack of Great Daggers, it will be stacked ONLY until they are thrown or dropped individually. After that, they will never stack again.

Artifact daggers in SLASH'EM

• The Great Dagger of Glaurgnaa, the Necromancer's quest artifact
• Serpent's Tongue, a chaotic artifact dagger that is the guaranteed first sacrifice gift for Necromancers
• SLASH'EM also introduces three non-dagger artifacts which use dagger skill: Deep Freeze and Firewall, two new athames, and The Stake of Van Helsing, an artifact wooden stake

Dagger skill in SLASH'EM

All new roles in SLASH'EM can reach expert in dagger except the Yeoman, who can reach skilled.

Dagger
Max	Role
Basic	Archeologist, Barbarian, Caveman, Knight, Samurai
Skilled	Healer, Yeoman
Expert	Flame Mage, Ice Mage, Necromancer, Rogue, Ranger, Tourist, Undead Slayer, Valkyrie, Wizard

See also

• Athame, a non-dagger which uses the dagger skill.
• Grimtooth, an artifact orcish dagger.
• Sting, an artifact elven dagger.
• In SLASH'EM the Wooden stake uses the dagger skill and does 1d6 damage to both small and large targets.

Encyclopedia entry

Is this a dagger which I see before me,
The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.
I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.
Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible
To feeling as to sight? or art thou but
A dagger of the mind, a false creation,
Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?
I see thee yet, in form as palpable
As this which now I draw.

[ Macbeth, by William Shakespeare ]

References

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