Silver spear

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Name	silver spear
Appearance	silver spear
Damage vs. small	1d6 (+1d20 if silver-hating)
Damage vs. large	1d8 (+1d20 if silver-hating)
To-hit bonus	+0
Weapon skill	spear
Size	one-handed
Base price	40 zm (+10/positive enchant)
Weight	36
Material	silver

A silver spear is a type of weapon that appears in NetHack. It is a stackable one-handed weapon that uses the spear skill and is made of silver.

Generation

Silver spears make up 0.2% of all randomly generated weapons. General stores, used armor dealerships and antique weapon outlets can sell silver spears.

Player monsters, including those generated on the Astral Plane, have a ¹⁄₅₈₀ chance (below 0.2%) of being generated with a stack of 1-4 silver spears as their initial weapon before role-based replacements.

Description

As with other silver weapons, the silver spear deals the same base damage as a regular spear while being heavier, but deals additional damage to silver-hating monsters.

Strategy

Assuming no additional skills have been unlocked via sacrifice gift or crowning, heroes in roles that can reach Skilled or better in spears (e.g. Cavepeople, Priests and Rangers) may consider it as their silver weapon of choice, and it is one of the few non-restricted options available to Monks. The silver spear does only one point less damage on average against small or medium monsters than a silver saber, and deals the same base damage against large monsters (which includes most major demons), making it an attractive two-weapon option for roles restricted in saber.

Average damage calculation

The average damage calculations in the following table do not include bonuses from weapon skills, strength, or from using a blessed weapon against undead or demons.

Weapon	Not silver-hating		Silver-hating
	Small monster	Large monster	Small monster	Large monster
+0 silver spear	$\frac{1+6}{2}=\bold{3.5}$	$\frac{1+8}{2}=\bold{4.5}$	$\frac{1+6}{2}+\frac{1+20}{2}=\bold{14}$	$\frac{1+8}{2}+\frac{1+20}{2}=\bold{15}$
+7 silver spear	$\frac{1+6}{2}+7=\bold{10.5}$	$\frac{1+8}{2}+7=\bold{11.5}$	$\frac{1+6}{2}+\frac{1+20}{2}+7=\bold{21}$	$\frac{1+8}{2}+\frac{1+20}{2}+7=\bold{22}$

History

The silver spear first appears in NetHack Plus, and makes its vanilla debut in NetHack 3.3.0.

Variants

In variants with object materials systems, silver spears are removed and regular spears can have silver as an eligible material.

SLASH'EM

In SLASH'EM, Undead Slayers have a ¹⁄₄ chance of starting each game with a +0 silver spear. Lycanthrope heroes in any role that start with a silver spear will instead receive a regular spear.

The silver spear is the base item for the Holy Spear of Light, a lawful and intelligent artifact that has +5 to-hit and deals +10 damage against undead. Invoking the Holy Spear of Light permanently lights the dungeon in a certain radius around the hero, dealing damage to undead and demons caught in the light - unique monsters have a chance to resist.

dNetHack

In dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, spears can have an object material of silver. Samurai know the silver spear as a silver yari.

The Lance of Longinus is a lawful artifact silver spear that confers drain resistance while carried, and grants half physical damage, half spell damage, magic resistance, and reflection while wielded, along with a bonus to AC and DR equal to half its enchantment - wielding the Lance of Longinus will also anger demon lords similar to Excalibur. The Lance of Longinus has a ⁶⁄₇ chance of granting invulnerability while praying, even if the prayer is unsuccessful; it deals +3d7 holy damage against holy-haters if it is blessed, and deals +3d9 unholy damage against unholy-haters if it is cursed. Invoking the Lance of Longinus toggles the water walking property on or off.

SlashTHEM

In SlashTHEM, in addition to SLASH'EM details, Gladiators start each game with a +1 silver spear.

Hack'EM

In Hack'EM, tortle Undead Slayers start with silver tridents instead of silver spears.