Intelligent artifact

From NetHackWiki
(Redirected from Intelligent artifacts)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

In NetHack, intelligent artifacts are artifacts that have special usage requirements.

Description

To safely use an artifact that is intelligent, you must:

Otherwise, you will be blasted by the artifact, sustain 4d10 damage (2d10 if you have magic resistance), and abuse your wisdom. The blast occurs when you pick up or wish for the item, and again if you interact with it in any way except to drop it or put it in a container, as well as every time your alignment changes, until you satisfy all the conditions.

If you are of the wrong role, and also fail any of the other conditions above, then a quest artifact outside your main inventory will "evade your grasp", and you will not be able to pick it up or remove it from a container. Emptying a container with #tip will safely deposit the artifact on the floor. If the artifact is in your main inventory, it will be "beyond your control", unequip itself from you, and you won't be able to equip, apply, or invoke it. Any effects the artifact grants while carried will still work.

It is possible to get around the alignment limitation using a helm of opposite alignment. If, for example, you are lawful, but want to carry The Master Key of Thievery, you can wear the helm, switching to chaotic, then acquire the artifact, then uncurse and take off the helm. You won't be able to touch the key, and if you drop it you won't be able to pick it up again. However, the key still provides its special benefits like half physical damage while carried.

Intelligent artifacts have an 80% chance of resisting the curse items monster spell; this doesn't protect other items the curse may target.

List of intelligent artifacts

Variants

SLASH'EM

In SLASH'EM, intelligent artifacts blast you for 8d10 damage, which is lowered to 6d10 if you have magic resistance.

The alignment keys found in the alignment quests are intelligent artifacts, and generally require that you heal yourself as much as possible before touching any of the cross-aligned artifacts. The other quest artifacts dropped by each nemesis are not intelligent, but will still blast you for 8d6 damage (lowered to 6d6 with magic resistance).

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

It may contain text specific to NetHack 3.6.0. Information on this page may be out of date.

Editors: After reviewing this page and making necessary edits, please change the {{nethack-360}} tag to the current version's tag or {{noversion}} as appropriate.