Dagger

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) Dagger.png
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

A dagger is a type of weapon that appears in NetHack. It is a stackable weapon that can both be used in melee and thrown as a projectile, and is made of iron.

Generation

Various roles start the game with one or more daggers:

  • Human and gnomish Rangers start each game with a +1 dagger as their secondary weapon.[1]
  • Human Rogues start each game with a stack of +0 daggers as their secondary weapon.[2]
  • Valkyries start each game with a +0 dagger as their secondary weapon.[3]

The dagger makes up about 3.0% of randomly generated weapons. In addition to random generation, weapon shops and general stores can stock daggers.

Various monsters are also generated with daggers:

The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that it is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate this information.

As part of commit 20cbadc - which strengthens quest leaders and makes it so that killing them no longer makes the game unwinnable - The Master of Thieves generates with 2d4 non-cursed +2 daggers when serving as the Rogue quest leader.

Dagger skill

Dagger
Max Role
Basic
Skilled
Expert

The following weapons use the dagger skill:

The following artifact weapons use the dagger skill:

Rogues throwing dagger-type weapons gain a +1 multishot bonus, while Rangers throwing any projectile except for dagger-type weapons gain a +1 multishot bonus. Wielding a dagger-type weapon while eating a non-blessed tin will open the tin in 3 turns.

Strategy

Despite their weight and low base damage, daggers can be very useful in the early game: a ranged volley at sufficient skill can kill monsters before they even breach melee range, and can at least soften them up before they can engage you. They are typically cheap, plentiful, and more durable than arrows, crossbow bolts and darts, but cannot be poisoned by dipping into a potion of sickness. A spare, non-cursed dagger can also serve as a makeshift "pick" for forcing open boxes.

All roles except Monks and Priests can attain proficiency in dagger skill, and may wish to do so early on if the circumstances warrant it. Rogues and Wizards in particular can reach Expert and gain multishot bonuses, which gives them high damage potential from a "storm" of daggers. If using daggers as a primary choice of projectile, be sure to erodeproof them when possible, and avoid leaving any near metallivores such as rock moles and rust monsters - additionally, avoid throwing any enchanted daggers at disenchanters.

History

The dagger first appears in Hack 1.21 and Hack for PDP-11, variants of Jay Fenlason's Hack. It is included in the initial item list for Hack 1.0.

Variants

SLASH'EM

SLASH'EM features three new weapons that use the dagger skill: the dark elven dagger, the great dagger and the wooden stake. There are also new artifact weapons that use the dagger skill:

The dagger skill has also been adjusted:

Dagger
Max Role
Basic
Skilled
Expert

All new roles can reach expert in dagger except the Yeoman, who can reach Skilled.

dNetHack

dNetHack adds several weapons that use the dagger skill:

Any weapon that uses the dagger skill can be used to carve staves into wooden weapons.

Vampire characters in roles that would start with athames will instead start with daggers replacing each of them - currently, this only applies to the Wizard.

Carrying The Air Crystal grants a boost to the dagger skill. Andromalius, the Repentant Rogue is a spirit that grants skill in daggers when bound - his seal must contain two items from a set of several eligible objects, including a standard dagger; successfully binding him will exchange the two items for a thing, which also has a chance of being a dagger.

SpliceHack

SpliceHack adds the parazonium as a weapon that uses the dagger skill, and imports the dark elven dagger from SLASH'EM.

A dagger can be combined with an iron chain at a furnace to create a spiked chain.

notdNetHack

In notdNetHack, in addition to dNetHack details, two spirits generate with daggers when summoned by an Illithanachronounbinder: Andromalius generates with a stack of 5-15 daggers, and Balam generates with two separate large daggers.

EvilHack

EvilHack adds the dark elven dagger as a weapon that uses the dagger skill. EvilHack also adds Shadowblade, an artifact athame.

A dagger can be created at a forge by combining two arrows and a knife. Daggers can be used to create many other items:

  • A dagger can be combined with two darts to create 3-4 shuriken.
  • A dagger can be combined with two arrows to create a spear.
  • A dagger can be combined with a stiletto to create an athame.
  • A dagger can be combined with a spear to create an axe.
  • A dagger can be combined with two crossbow bolts to create a short sword.
  • A dagger can be combined with a broadsword to create a runesword.
  • A dagger can be combined with a club to create a mace.
  • A dagger can be combined with a mace to create a morning star.
  • A dagger can be combined with a dented pot to create a helmet.
  • A dagger can be combined with a helmet to create a small shield.

SlashTHEM

In addition to SLASH'EM details, SlashTHEM adds the sharpened pencil as a weapon that uses the dagger skill.

Player vampires, kobolds and doppelgangers can always reach a minimum of Basic skill in daggers.

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