Drain resistance

Drain resistance, or level drain resistance, is a property in NetHack that nullifies attacks and effects that reduce the experience level of the hero or the level of a monster.

Description

Drain resistance blocks the following attacks:

• The drain life monster attack. All V vampires and W wraiths have this attack, as does & Demogorgon. If the compile-time option SEDUCE is not enabled, & foocubi become level-draining monsters as well.
• The drain life ability of The Staff of Aesculapius and Stormbringer.
• Directing the spell of drain life at oneself or a monster.
• Being seduced by a & foocubus and getting a negative effect, with the compile time option SEDUCE enabled (the default). This is one of five possible negative effects.
• One of the effects of angering your god via prayer or sacrifice.

Sources

The following monsters possess drain resistance:

• All undead, including shapeshifted vampires
• All werecreatures, including you if you have lycanthropy
• All major demons
• & Death

Drain resistance can be acquired extrinsically by wielding Stormbringer, Excalibur, or the Staff of Aesculapius. It can be obtained intrinsically by polymorphing into a monster with drain resistance or having lycanthropy.

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

Black dragon scales and black dragon scale mail also provide drain resistance.

Monsters with drain resistance

Drain resistance is intrinsic to all major demons, undead monsters, lycanthropes in either form, and & Death.

Strategy

Drain resistance is worthwhile and easily obtainable early on for non-neutral characters that have access to either a fountain (if lawful) or an altar (if chaotic).

Messages

You have a curious feeling.

Drain resistance prevented you from losing an experience level after a foocubus encounter.

Variants

SLASH'EM

In SLASH'EM, Necromancers and Undead Slayers start the game with drain resistance.

Drain resistance is much more important in the earlier stages, as it protects from the wand of draining, particularly in wand-heavy special levels such as the Guild of Disgruntled Adventurers.

In addition to the monster types listed above, the following monsters in SLASH'EM have drain resistance:

• Adult deep dragons (but not babies)
• undead slayer player monsters
• All the new undead, lycanthropes and demons

SLASH'EM also adds the following sources of drain resistance:

• Wearing deep dragon scales or deep dragon scale mail.
• Wearing an amulet of drain resistance.
• Wielding the Hand of Vecna
• Starting the game as a lycanthrope or vampire.
• Being an undead slayer or necromancer.

FIQHack

In FIQHack, drain resistance is also conferred by wearing black dragon scales or armor.