Stormbringer

)   Stormbringer   (No tile)
Base item	runesword
Damage vs. small	2d4 +1d2 +1d8 (4–18)
Damage vs. large	1d6+1 +1d2 +1d8 (4–17)
To-hit bonus	+1d5
Bonus versus	not drain resistant
Weapon skill	broadsword
Size	one-handed
Affiliation	chaotic intelligent
When carried	(none)
When wielded	bloodthirsty drain resistance
When invoked	(none)
Base price	8000 zm
Weight	40
Material	iron

Stormbringer, often nicknamed Stormy by players, is an artifact that appears in NetHack. It is intelligent and chaotic-aligned, and its base item is a runesword.

Generation

Stormbringer is not randomly generated, as runeswords are not generated randomly, though it can be wished for or found in bones.

A chaotic hero may receive Stormbringer as a possible sacrifice gift. Stormbringer is the default neutral crowning gift for a chaotic hero in most roles: the only exceptions are chaotic Monks and Wizards, who can only receive it this way by carrying their role's crowning gift spellbook (finger of death for Wizards, and restore ability for Monks) when they are crowned.

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 d87cadaf and commit c2c797fa, artifact balance is substantially reworked: artifacts have 2 additional internal stats—the minimum sacrifice value required to obtain them by sacrificing (which is usually just the difficulty rating of the monster sacrificed), and a flat number added to the weapon's enchantment when it is either randomly generated or gifted.

Stormbringer requires a sacrifice with a value of at least 9, and will not have anything added to its enchantment when randomly generated or given as a sacrifice gift.

Description

Stormbringer grants +1d5 to-hit and deals an extra +d2 in bonus damage to monsters without drain resistance—the life-draining reduces the target's level by 1, and lowers their current and maximum HP accordingly (with the default value being 1d8). The wielder will then be healed for half of the HP reduction rounded down, which is roughly 2 HP on average. Stormbringer is also bloodthirsty, attacking peaceful monsters and pets without confirmation if the hero attempts to move onto their square while wielding it. Stormbringer also grants drain resistance when wielded, and is itself immune to the effects of the drain life spell.

Levels drained from trolls with Stormbringer are permanently lost, while levels drained from the Wizard of Yendor will be restored when he next revives, and the Riders preserve their HP values at time of death and retain it for their revival (including any HP loss incurred by Stormbringer).

Strategy

Stormbringer is among the most desirable chaotic artifacts in the game: twoweaponing Stormbringer with a silver weapon is particularly effective, since many drain-resistant monsters (including monsters with draining attacks) are also silver haters. Chaotic Rangers will most appreciate an effective melee option, especially if they have not mapped out Gehennom to use their arrows reliably, while chaotic Priests can pair it with their quest artifact, The Mitre of Holiness, to blunt damage from drain-resistant demons and undead. For heroes trying to maximize Stormbringer's enchantment, engraving with the artifact is still viable for reducing its enchantment.

However, those seeking to use Stormbringer as their main weapon should be extremely careful around pets if possible, and even a careful player may accidentally attack a pet with it—if you elect to keep a pet on hand, you may consider unwielding Stormbringer or switching to a secondary weapon when not in combat, especially when dealing with aligned priests or shopkeepers. Additionally, if any pets you plan to keep are not drain resistant, they should ideally have high enough health to withstand accidental hits and a way to increase their tameness to prevent them turning on you.

As most hostile spellcasters are either drain resistant or else possess high monster magic resistance, Stormbringer can bypass the latter group's defenses to reduce their level where the drain life spell cannot, though it will often kill non-resistant monsters before the effects become noticable. Famine and Pestilence may also be ideal targets for the weapon in some situations, since they revive with their current max HP rather than their original base HP.

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.

It is extremely unwise to use the travel command via _ if you have Stormbringer wielded, especially in areas filled with peacefuls: You will automatically attempt to displace any peaceful creatures you walk into, including creatures such as the watch captain or a co-aligned titan—with Stormbringer, this will result in you attempting to attack them, usually turning them hostile and potentially causing your death. The use of the command on levels where your pets are should be avoided for the same reason, and vice versa. Unwielding Stormbringer when not in combat can help avoid both scenarios.

Forcing Stormbringer

Elven Priests and Rangers can arrange for their first sacrifice gift to be Stormbringer: since a hero's will always be co-aligned and never attack their race (eliminating Grimtooth for elves), only Sting and Orcrist compete with Stormbringer, and both of them can be #named. Conversely, orcish heroes can never receive Sting or Orcrist for the aforementioned reasons, and thus orcish Rogues and Rangers have a ¹⁄₂ chance to receive Stormbringer as a first gift. In rare cases, if Stormbringer has already been generated on a bones level, this may preclude sacrifice gifts altogether; a helm of opposite alignment can remedy the situation.

Theoretically, almost any hero could get a guaranteed Stormbringer if polymorphed into elven form and converted to chaotic from a helm of opposite alignment—the exception is if you started as chaotic and your role gets a guaranteed first sacrifice gift. However, this is very much a stupid ascension trick rather than practical advice.

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.

The changes to sacrifice gifts mean that forcing Stormbringer via this exact method is no longer possible for elven Priests: per commit b1a5a9c3, Demonbane is their first sacrifice gift, though they have a ¹⁄₂ chance of obtaining Stormbringer as their next gift by naming Sting and Orcrist, then using a sacrifice valued at 9 or higher—this will produce either Stormbringer or the unaligned Frost Brand. Elven Rangers can still reliably force Stormbringer as a first gift with this given method as well, since a first gift will always be co-aligned and the other gift candidates for sacrifices of 9 or higher value are Frost Brand and the lawful Grayswandir. Orcish Rogues and Rangers still have a ¹⁄₂ chance of their first gift being Stormbringer if they offer a sacrifice of 9 or higher value.

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	Drain-resistant		Not drain-resistant
	Small monster	Large monster	Small monster	Large monster
+0 Stormbringer	$\frac{2+8}{2}=\bold{5}$	$\frac{1+6}{2}+1=\bold{4.5}$	$\frac{2+8}{2}+\frac{1+2}{2}+\frac{1+8}{2}=\bold{11}$	$\frac{1+6}{2}+1+\frac{1+2}{2}+\frac{1+8}{2}=\bold{10.5}$
+7 Stormbringer	$\frac{2+8}{2}+7=\bold{12}$	$\frac{1+6}{2}+1+7=\bold{11.5}$	$\frac{2+8}{2}+\frac{1+2}{2}+\frac{1+8}{2}+7=\bold{18}$	$\frac{1+6}{2}+1+\frac{1+2}{2}+\frac{1+8}{2}+7=\bold{17.5}$

History

Stormbringer is introduced in NetHack 3.0.0. From this version to NetHack 3.4.3, including some variants based on those versions, Stormbringer is one of many ways a player can enact drain for gain.

Origin

Stormbringer is a weapon that appears in a number of fantasy stories from author Michael Moorcock featuring Elric of Melniboné. Stormbringer is a cursed daemon sword with a will of its own and a hunger for souls, which it instills into Elric and frequently torments him with by using the bloodlust to make him kill his friends and loved ones; Elric hates the sword, but is too dependent on its power. It physically appears as a black sword with runes engraved deep in the blade, reflected by its appearance as a runesword in NetHack.

Messages

Your bloodthirsty blade attacks!

You moved into a peaceful or tame monster while wielding Stormbringer, causing you to attack them.

The <black> blade draws the <life> from <the monster>!

You used Stormbringer to attack a non-drain resistant monster.

The <black> blade drains your <life>!

You were hit by Stormbringer and do not have drain resistance.

You feel an unholy blade drain your <life>!

As above, while blind.

Variants

SLASH'EM

In SLASH'EM, Stormbringer's bonuses are changed to +5 to-hit and +2 damage as with all artifacts, though it still deals an additional +1d8 when draining levels, which only raises its average by half a point compared to NetHack.

A runesword is generated in the Lawful Quest at level creation, which has a ¹⁄₂₀ probability (5%) of being turned into Stormbringer if it has not already been generated.

Stormbringer is still as strong as in NetHack, but is outpaced in damage by other returning artifacts such as Excalibur and Snickersnee, and also pales somewhat in comparison to new chaotic artifacts such as the Bat from Hell, Doomblade and Serpent's Tongue. However, Stormbringer's drain resistance and reliable to-hit boost keep it significantly strong throughout the game, especially in SLASH'EM's challenging early game stage, and can deal with monsters that have a wand of draining as well as late-game deep dragons.

While SLASH'EM allows two weapon combat to be performed with two artifacts, extrinsics granted by wielding the artifacts are only applied for the main weapon, so Stormbringer should be a hero's primary weapon if they plan to utilize its drain resistance while two-weaponing. Additionally, Stormbringer's bloodthirsty properties are also active even while in the off-hand, printing the following message with each applicable attack:

The black blade will not be thwarted!

SpliceHack

In SpliceHack, Stormbringer can be invoked to scare monsters.

EvilHack

In EvilHack, Stormbringer can be forged together with Werebane to create Shadowblade, an artifact athame.

Encyclopedia entry

There were sounds in the distance, incongruent with the sounds of even this nameless, timeless sea: thin sounds, agonized and terrible, for all that they remained remote - yet the ship followed them, as if drawn by them; they grew louder - pain and despair were there, but terror was predominant.
Elric had heard such sounds echoing from his cousin Yyrkoon's sardonically named 'Pleasure Chambers' in the days before he had fled the responsibilities of ruling all that remained of the old Melnibonean Empire. These were the voices of men whose very souls were under siege; men to whom death meant not mere extinction, but a continuation of existence, forever in thrall to some cruel and supernatural master. He had heard men cry so when his salvation and his nemesis, his great black battle-blade Stormbringer, drank their souls.

[ The Lands Beyond the World, by Michael Moorcock ]