Sol Valtiva (xNetHack)

)   Sol Valtiva
Base item	two-handed sword
Damage vs. small	1d12 +1d5
Damage vs. large	3d6 +1d5
To-hit bonus	+1d3
Bonus versus	not fire resistant
Weapon skill	two-handed sword
Size	two-handed
Affiliation	chaotic Valkyrie intelligent
When carried	half physical damage half spell damage
When wielded	(none)
When invoked	level teleport
Base price	5000 zm
Weight	93
Material	mithril

Sol Valtiva is an artifact weapon that appears in xNetHack. It replaces the Orb of Fate as the quest artifact for Valkyries and the prize for completing the Valkyrie quest. It is chaotic for wishing purposes, and its base item is a two-handed sword made of mithril.

Sol Valtiva is the signature weapon of Lord Surtur, the Valkyrie quest nemesis, which is why it is chaotic-aligned.

Generation

Unlike most quest artifacts, Sol Valtiva is not guaranteed to be blessed when it generates in the Valkyrie quest, and it may have a negative enchantment.

Description

Sol Valtiva provides +1d3 to-hit, and it deals +1d5 extra damage against monsters without fire resistance. Like Fire Brand, it can destroy the target's potions, scrolls, and spellbooks and can instakill green slimes and flammable golems.

Like the Orb of Fate, Sol Valtiva provides half physical damage and half spell damage when carried (not just when wielded), and it can be invoked to level teleport. However, it does not provide warning or act as a luckstone.

Strategy

Sol Valtiva is rather heavy, though less so than the Orb of Fate it replaces, and its solid damage as a weapon and half damage properties may be worth the weight. Chaotic players wishing for an artifact may consider it over the Master Key of Thievery, which is much lighter but lacks half spell damage.

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	Fire-resistant		Not fire-resistant
	Small monster	Large monster	Small monster	Large monster
+0 Sol Valtiva	$\frac{1+12}{2}=\bold{6.5}$	$\frac{3+18}{2}=\bold{11.5}$	$\left (\frac{1+8}{2} \right )\times 2=\bold{9}$	$\left (\frac{1+12}{2} \right )\times 2=\bold{13}$
+7 Sol Valtiva	$\frac{1+8}{2}+7=\bold{11.5}$	$\frac{1+12}{2}+7=\bold{13.5}$	$\left (\frac{1+8}{2}+7\right )\times 2=\bold{23}$	$\left (\frac{1+12}{2}+7\right )\times 2=\bold{27}$

Encyclopedia entry

This flaming sword was created in the fires of Muspelheim and
shines brightly with the red light of the sunset. It is a
powerful artifact: damage, both spell and physical, is partially
absorbed by the sword itself, and when invoked it has the power
to teleport the invoker between levels.