Knife
) 
| |
|---|---|
| Name | Knife |
| Appearance | Knife |
| Damage vs. small | 1d3 |
| Damage vs. large | 1d2 |
| To-hit bonus | +0 |
| Weapon skill | knife |
| Size | one-handed |
| Base price | 4 zm (+10/positive enchant) |
| Weight | 5 |
| Material | iron |
A knife is a type of weapon that appears in NetHack. It is a one-handed weapon that can be used in melee and thrown, and is made of iron.
Samurai know the knife as a shito.
Generation
Knives make up 1⁄50 (2%) of all weapons that are randomly generated on the floor, in general shops or as death drops. Used armor dealerships and antique weapon outlets can also stock knives.
Many randomly-created monsters can generate with knives:
- Mordor orcs have a 1⁄3 chance of being generated with a knife.[1]
- Orc-captains have a 1⁄2 chance of being generated with Mordor orc weapons, giving them an effective 1⁄6 chance of generating with knives.[2]
- A skeleton has an effective 1⁄6 chance of generating with a knife as its weapon.[3]
- Yendorian army soldiers and watchmen have an effective 1⁄3 chance of generating with a knife as a secondary weapon.[4] Guards have a 9⁄56 chance of generating with a knife, and other mercenaries have a 1⁄4 chance.[5]
- Barrow wights and Nazgul are always generated with a knife.[6]
- Player monsters, including those generated on the Astral Plane, have a 10291 chance (~3.44%) of generating with 1-8 knives as their initial weapon before role-based replacements occur.[8][9]
Knife skill
| Knife | |
|---|---|
| Max | Role |
| Basic | |
| Skilled | |
| Expert | |
The following weapons use the knife skill:
- knife
- stiletto
- scalpel
- worm tooth
- crysknife
All knife weapons other than the scalpel are designed to be thrown.[10] The knife is the only weapon class that gives Healers a multishot bonus when thrown at Skilled level or better.[11]
There are no artifact knives.
Strategy
The knife is an unimpressive melee weapon, but may be worth collecting to use as projectiles for certain roles, particularly Healers. Unfortunately, they are somewhat sparse compared to the extremely common daggers.
As a weapon class, knives are generally some of the lowest-damage melee weapons in NetHack: the sole exception is the crysknife, which has damage roughly comparable to a long sword—the next best knife weapon is the very rare scalpel, whose damage is on par with an orcish dagger.
History
The knife first appears in NetHack 3.0.0. From this version to NetHack 3.4.3, including some variants based on those versions, knives are not intrinsically capable of being multishot.[12] Starting in NetHack 3.6.0, any stackable weapon can be thrown with multishot if you are Skilled or higher in the appropriate weapon skill.[13]
Variants
In variants that incorporate the Pirate role, all Pirates start the game with two +1 knives.
NetHack: The Next Generation
In NetHack: The Next Generation, the tooth of an algolian suntiger is a new weapon that uses the knife skill.
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, upgrading a knife can produce a stiletto and vice versa.
dNetHack
dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack add the spoon and fang of apep as weapons that use the knife skill, and Snickersnee has its base item changed to a knife.
Staves are a type of ward that can be carved into a wooden weapon with any type of weapon that uses the knife skill.
The knife itself has improved damage dice, inflicts both piercing and slashing damage, and deals 1d5 versus small monsters and 1d3 versus large monsters. Heroes in several roles can start with knives or appropriate replacement weapons:
- Binders that are not orcs, drow or elves start the game with a rusty +0 knife. Dwarven Binders start the game with a non-eroded +0 knife.
- Pirates start each game with 4-6 uncursed rustproof +0 knives.
- Samurai women start each game with a non-cursed +0 knife as their secondary weapon.
- All dwarven heroes begin the game with knowledge of all staves, along with a knife to carve those staves and a wooden club to carve into.
- All drow heroes in roles that start with knives will be given droven daggers instead.
- All elven heroes in roles that start with knives will be given elven daggers instead.
- All orcish heroes in roles that start with knives will be given orcish daggers instead.
Peasants may be generated with a knife.
xNetHack
In xNetHack, the kitchen is a type of themed room that contains knives and other cooking necessities. The slaughterhouse is a Gehennom-exclusive special maze room that also contains several knives.
SpliceHack
In SpliceHack, a knife can be combined with an iron chain at a furnace to create a spiked chain.
Carnwennan is a lawful artifact knife that has +d3 to-hit and deals +d8 damage versus all monsters. It confers searching and stealth and can be invoked to toggle invisibility.
EvilHack
EvilHack adds Secespita, a chaotic artifact copper knife that acts as the first sacrifice gift artifact for Infidels. EvilHack also merges the knife skill into the dagger skill as of version 0.8.3.
Cultists have a 1⁄3 chance of generating with a knife.
A knife can be created at a forge by combining 2 arrows and 2 darts. Knives can be used to forge several items:
- A knife can be combined with 2 arrows to create a dagger.
- A knife can be combined with 2 elven arrows to create an elven dagger.
- A knife can be combined with 2 orcish arrows to create an orcish dagger.
- A knife can be combined with 2 crossbow bolts to create a stiletto.
- A knife can be combined with a stiletto to create a scalpel.
- A knife can be combined with a short sword to create a scimitar.
- A knife can be combined with an orcish short sword to create an orcish scimitar.
- A knife can be combined with a spear to create a spetum.
- A knife can be combined with a war hammer to create a dented pot.
SlashTHEM
In SlashTHEM, in addition to SLASH'EM details, the Diver starts the game with a +2 rustproof knife. Player vampires can always reach a minimum of Basic in knife skill.
Two artifact knives exist in SlashTHEM, and some other artifacts also use the knife skill:
- Shadowblade is a chaotic artifact knife that acts as the guaranteed first sacrifice gift for Convicts.
- The Deluxe Yendorian Knife is a neutral artifact knife that acts as the Chef quest artifact. It has +6 to-hit and deals +20 damage versus all monsters, confers telepathy and acid resistance while carried, and grants fire resistance while wielded.
- Spineseeker is an artifact stiletto.
- Wormbiter is an artifact crysknife.
- Oathkeeper is an artifact stiletto.
Hack'EM
Hack'EM adds Carnwennan from SpliceHack and Secespita from EvilHack.
In addition to EvilHack forge recipes, 2 darts can be combined with 2 orcish arrows or elven arrows to create a knife.
Encyclopedia entries
Knife
Possibly perceiving an expression of dubiosity on their
faces, the globetrotter went on adhering to his adventures.
-- And I seen a man killed in Trieste by an Italian chap.
Knife in his back. Knife like that.
Whilst speaking he produced a dangerous looking clasp knife,
quite in keeping with his character, and held it in the
striking position.
-- In a knockingshop it was count of a tryon between two
smugglers. Fellow hid behind a door, come up behind him.
Like that. Prepare to meet your God, says he. Chuck! It
went into his back up to the butt.
Shito
A Japanese stabbing knife.
References
- ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 5.0.0, line 420-L421: chances of weapons for Mordor orcs
- ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 5.0.0, line 413-L414: switch for orc-captains
- ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 5.0.0, line 492-L493
- ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 5.0.0, line 199
- ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 5.0.0, line 222-L223
- ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 5.0.0, line 486: wraiths are the only monster in their class to lack weapon attacks and are thus not given weapons
- ↑ include/objects.h in NetHack 5.0.0, line 174-L392
- ↑ src/mplayer.c in NetHack 5.0.0, line 150: Default equipment; the helm is chosen from within the designated object classes inclusively in objects.h[7]
- ↑ src/mplayer.c in NetHack 5.0.0, line 267-L270: Stackable thrown weapons may be generated in multiples
- ↑ src/dothrow.c in NetHack 5.0.0, line 1433-L1435
- ↑ src/dothrow.c in NetHack 5.0.0, line 171
- ↑ dothrow.c in NetHack 3.4.3, line 110
- ↑ src/dothrow.c in NetHack 3.6.0, line 112-L113
