Mirror

(
Name	mirror
Appearance	looking glass
Base price	10 zm
Weight	13
Material	glass
Monster use	Will not be used by monsters.

A mirror, known as a looking glass when not identified, is a type of tool that appears in NetHack.

Generation

Nymphs are often seen with mirrors, and have a 50% chance of being generated with one.

Effects

Applying a mirror to a monster can scare it; this only works if they can see it, i.e. they are not eyeless or blind, and you must not be invisible (unless the monster can also see invisible). There is an 80% chance of the foe fleeing for 2d4 turns, unless one of the special cases below occurs. Humanoid foes and unicorns are not fooled by a mirror and won't be frightened. A cursed mirror only works half the time; the rest of the time it will "fog up" instead.

Applying a mirror to a nymph or a foocubus (a succubus in 3.4.3) will not scare them; instead, the monster will steal the mirror and teleport away.

Breaking a mirror gives a −2 penalty to Luck. Hitting a monster with a wielded mirror will cause it to break and deal one point of damage; this damage also applies to shades, though this is not particularly useful.

Strategy

Common uses of a mirror include applying it to monsters with gaze attacks, such as floating eyes, umber hulks and Medusa, in order to reflect them. However, it will not reflect the gaze of Archons, pyrolisks, or Baalzebub.

As nymphs are often generated with mirrors, it is a bad idea to attack them with spells of force bolt or any wand of striking and risk your Luck. Mirrors can be used against nymphs and foocubi to prevent the theft of more desirable (and possibly dangerous) items and/or unwanted removal of armor.

The Luck penalty for breaking a mirror can be used to intentionally lower your Luck to prevent getting crowned while praying.

Messages

The <monster> is frightened by its reflection.

You applied the mirror at a monster and frightened it.

The <monster> ignores <his/her/its> reflection.

You applied the mirror at a monster that cannot be frightened by it, or you failed to frighten it.

<Monster> doesn't have a reflection.

You applied the mirror to a vampire or ghost

The <monster> admires <him/her>self in your mirror. <He/She> takes it!

You applied the mirror at a nymph or foocubus.

The <monster> is too tired to look at your mirror.

The monster is asleep.

You reflect the ceiling.

You applied the mirror up.

You reflect the floor.

You applied the mirror down.

You reflect the murky water.

You applied the mirror underwater.

You give the fish a chance to fix their makeup.

As above while hallucinating.

You reflect <monster>'s <stomach/interior>.

You applied the mirror at a monster who is engulfing you.

The <monster> can't see anything right now.

The monster is blinded.

Vanity

Applying a mirror at yourself will often produce YAFM, particularly if you are polymorphed. If more than one of the conditions apply, the message corresponding to the one that is highest on the list will be displayed.

You look as ugly as ever.

Your charisma is 14 or lower.

You look as handsome/beautiful as ever.

Your charisma is 15 or higher.

You can't see your ugly face.

You have charisma of 14 or lower and are invisible, but can't see invisible, or are blind.

You can't see your handsome/beautiful face.

As above, but your charisma is 15 or higher.

Yikes! You've frozen yourself!

You are a floating eye without free action, and become paralyzed.)

You don't have a reflection.

You are a vampire.

Huh? That doesn't look like you!

You are an umber hulk, and become confused.)

You look <color>.

You are hallucinating. <color> is replaced with either ultraviolet, infrared, bluish-orange, reddish-green, dark white, light black, sky blue-pink, salty, sweet, sour, bitter, striped, spiral, swirly, plaid, checkered, argyle, paisley, blotchy, guernsey-spotted, polka-dotted, square, round, triangular, cabernet, sangria, fuchsia, wisteria, lemon-lime, strawberry-banana, peppermint, romantic, or incandescent.

You look peaked.

You are sick.

You look undernourished.

You are weak or worse from hunger.

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.

Per commit 2f0676c1, there are more possible descriptions of your appearance when applying a mirror to yourself.

Depending on your charisma, you might look "sublime" (charisma ≥ 25), "splendorous", (charisma ≥ 19), "beautiful"/"handsome" (charisma ≥ 16), "winsome"/"amiable" (charisma ≥ 14), "cute" (charisma ≥ 11), "plain" (charisma ≥ 9), "homely" (charisma ≥ 6), "ugly" (charisma ≥ 4) or, if none of the previous conditions apply, "hideous".

Artifacts

The Magic Mirror of Merlin is the only artifact mirror in the game. It cannot be broken like a normal mirror, as all artifacts are immune to breakage. It can, however, be stolen by a nymph or foocubus if applied at them, so doing so is a bad idea.

Encyclopedia entry

But as Snow White grew, she became more and more beautiful,
and by the time she was seven years old she was as beautiful
as the day and more beautiful than the queen herself. One
day when the queen said to her mirror:
 
       "Mirror, Mirror, here I stand.
       Who is the fairest in the land?" -
 
the mirror replied:
 
       "You, O Queen, are the fairest here,
       But Snow White is a thousand times more fair."

[ Snow White, by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm ]

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

It may contain text specific to NetHack 3.6.4. Information on this page may be out of date.

Editors: After reviewing this page and making necessary edits, please change the {{nethack-364}} tag to the current version's tag or {{noversion}} as appropriate.