Stiletto
) 
| |
|---|---|
| Name | stiletto |
| Appearance | stiletto |
| 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 stiletto is a type of weapon that appears in NetHack. It is made of iron and uses the knife skill, and can double as a projectile weapon.
Contents
Generation
Stilettos make up about 0.5% of randomly generated weapons (on the floor, in shops, or as death drops).
Salamanders have a 1⁄21 chance of being generated with a stiletto.[1]
Strategy
Stilettos are identical to knives and much rarer, making them impractical to collect for use as projectiles - standard knives are somewhat more common, and weapons such as daggers, spears and the similarly-rare shuriken offer much more damage.
History
The stiletto first appears in NetHack 3.1.0. Stilettos become stackable and eligible for multishot in NetHack 3.6.0.
Origin
A stiletto is a specialized dagger with a long slender blade and needle-like point, primarily intended as a thrusting and stabbing weapon - the blade's narrow width and sharply-tapered tip allow it to penetrate deeply for this purpose. While considered a form of dagger, most stilettos are not designed for cutting or slashing, even with edged examples.
Over time, the term stiletto has been used as a general descriptive term for a variety of narrow knife blades with minimal cutting surfaces and a needle-like point, and in American English can also refer to a switchblade knife with a stiletto- or bayonet-type blade design. The term may also describe any exaggeratedly thin and pointed feature, such as a stiletto heel.
Variants
Some variants of NetHack make the stiletto somewhat more common.
dNetHack
In dNetHack, several monsters can generate with stilettos:
- A witch has a 9⁄10 chance of generating with a stiletto.
- A maid has a 4⁄5 chance of generating with a stiletto if the player character is a Samurai, and a 3⁄10 chance otherwise.
- A garo always generates with two different stilettos.
- A garo master always generates with two different stilettos, both of which are cursed and enchanted to +4.
- Glass golems and argentum golems have a 1⁄12 chance of generating with a stiletto of the same material as them, while gold golems have a 1⁄6 chance of generating with a stiletto of the same material as them.
- Seyll Auzkovyn generates with a pair of blessed mithril stilettos.
- Y-cultists have a 1⁄10 chance of generating with a stiletto - the stiletto can be made of iron (1⁄2 chance), obsidian (1⁄4 chance) or bone (1⁄2 chance), and has a 1⁄20 chance of being filth-poisoned.
- Lady Constance generates with a +7 damp and psionic mineral stiletto.
- Contaminated patients have a 1⁄4 chance of generating with a poisoned stiletto alongside a yellow robe.
- The Master of Thieves generates with a blessed +4 stiletto.
- Wizard driver and wizard leader Amm Kamerel generate with a small stiletto that will be at least +1 and has an equal chance of being made of bronze, silver or glass.
- Oona generates with a blessed +3 stiletto as her offhand weapon, with the object property of her weapon dependent on her elemental affinity (e.g. a fiery Oona will have an "arcing" stiletto, a cold Oona has a "forge-hot" stiletto and so on).
- Changed have an effective 4⁄5 chance of generating with a bone stiletto.
- Deeper ones generated in the Anachrononaut quest have an effective 1⁄3 chance of being created with a mineral stiletto as part of their weapon set - the stiletto has a 1⁄2 chance of having the rustling property, and an independent 1⁄20 chance of being damp or faded (which can stack with the former property).
- Duergar debilitators generate with a +2 stiletto, and standard duergar have a 4⁄5 chance of generate with a stiletto.
- Angband orcs generated in the Mordor Ruins Quest are always created with a stiletto.
- Carcosan courtiers generated outside of the Anachrononaut quest have a 3⁄4 chance of generating with a stiletto.
xNetHack
xNetHack removes the stiletto from the list of available objects.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, a stiletto can be created at a forge by combining 2 crossbow bolts and a knife. Stilettos can be used at a forge to create a few weapons:
- Combining a stiletto with a spear creates a ranseur.
- Combining a stiletto with a dagger creates an athame.
- Combining a stiletto with a knife creates a scalpel.
SlashTHEM
In SlashTHEM, there are two artifact stilettos:
- Oathkeeper, a neutral stiletto that has +7 to-hit and +9 damage, and is the first sacrifice gift for the Locksmith
- Spineseeker, a chaotic stiletto that has +5 to-hit and +5 damage, with a 1⁄5 chance of +d5 damage and stunning the target for d5 turns
Hack'EM
In Hack'EM, in addition to EvilHack forging recipes, upgrading a knife will produce a stiletto and vice versa.
Encyclopedia entry
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.
