Strength

Strength is an attribute in NetHack.

Percentile strength

Like all attributes, strength ranges between 3 and 25. However, as in early editions of Dungeons & Dragons, strength has the unique property that values between 18 and 19 are given in percentage terms rather than jumping straight from 18 to 19, as with other attributes. For example, a strength of 18/35 means roughly that one is 35% of the way between 18 strength and 19 strength. Depending on race, characters can attain a maximum strength of 18, 18/50 or 18/** (which stands for 18/100) in their natural form, and need gauntlets of power or a ring of gain strength to increase strength to 19 or more. However, for gameplay purposes, there are not very many differences between a strength of 18/** and a strength of 25. Specifically, increasing your strength from 18/** to 25 will increase your carrying capacity (but only if your constitution is less than 17), make objects thrown or kicked by you travel further, and allow you to throw Mjollnir if you have it.

Effects

Strength corresponds to the ability to have more weight in your inventory. Also, the stronger you are, the more damage you do in melee combat, and the farther you can throw objects.

Uses of strength

Strength is required for the following activities:

• To cast spells, you need strength of at least 4.
• To jump (except with the spell) or do self-teleportation, you need strength of at least 6.
• To break most wands, you need strength of at least 10; balsa wands can be broken with as low as 5 strength.
• To throw Mjollnir, you need strength of 25.

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.

Glass wands can also be broken with 5 strength.

Strength affects the following activities:

• Greater strength usually allows you to carry more inventory without being encumbered.
• Greater strength speeds setting a bear trap.
• Greater strength speeds escape from a web.
• Greater strength increases digging speeds.
• Greater strength makes it more likely to kick open a door or secret corridor.
• Greater strength increases damage done to monsters when kicking them.
• Greater strength makes it more likely to successfully open or close a door.
• Greater strength makes a shopkeeper charge you more for destroying a shop wall.
• Greater strength increases the range for throwing objects.
• Greater strength speeds opening tins.
• Strength greater than 18 makes it possible to shatter a door when kicking it instead of just breaking it open.
• Greater strength allows better accuracy when fighting and increases damage per hit, as shown by the following table:

strength	to-hit	damage
3–5	−2	−1
6–7	−1	0
8–15	0	0
16	0	+1
17	+1	+1
18	+1	+2
18/01–18/50	+1	+3
18/51–18/75	+2	+3
18/76–18/90	+2	+4
18/91–18/99	+2	+5
18/**–25	+3	+6

The to-hit adjustment applies to all melee attacks. The damage adjustment affects melee and thrown weapons unless attacking with mirrors that break, eggs, cream pies, blinding venom, or acid venom. It does not affect items fired from a launcher.

Strength in game formulas

Some of the game formulas require strength to be an integer between 3 and 25 (without percentages). When that is needed, NetHack will map strengths between 18/01 and 21 as follows:

A strength of...	maps to...
18/01–18/31	19
18/32–18/81	20
18/82–21	21

This mapping is used for:

• Calculating carrying capacity
• Calculating the damage done by kicking
• Calculating the maximum distance traveled by thrown or kicked objects
• Calculating the chance of kicking down a door
• Calculating the time it takes to open a non-blessed tin by hand
• Calculating the chance of opening or closing an unlocked door

For example, the maximum range of a thrown dagger is Str/2 squares. Thus, if your strength is 18/31, you can throw a dagger 9 squares (19/2 rounded down), but if your strength is 18/32, you can throw it 10 squares (20/2 rounded down).

Events that alter strength

Strength may increase when:

• you eat a giant corpse
• you eat non-cursed royal jelly or spinach ("you feel like Popeye!")
• you are at least weak, and eat or pray, and are no longer weak

Potions of gain ability and lumps of royal jelly will only increase your strength by 1 (e.g., from 18/01 to 18/02). Spinach and giant corpses sometimes increase your strength by more than one. If the corpse or tin will increase strength and your strength is less than 18, there's a 1 in 4 chance of increasing your strength by 1d6 points. If the corpse or tin increases strength and your strength is between 18 and 18/84, your strength will be increased by 1d10. If your strength is at least 18/85, it can only be increased by 1.

Strength may decrease when:

• you become hungry to the point of being weak
• you are affected by the drain strength monster spell
• you are poisoned
• you eat cursed royal jelly or spinach

There are many ways to exercise your strength. One popular way is to push boulders around. (One possibility: whenever you need to heal, spend your time pushing a boulder back and forth at one of the higher dungeon levels.)

Messages

You feel strong!

You gained a point of strength.

You feel very strong!

You gained more than a point of strength.

You must have been exercising diligently.

In addition to the above, if the gain was due to exercise.

You feel weak!

You lost a point of strength.

You haven't been exercising properly.

In addition to the above, if the loss was due to abuse.

Exercising and abusing strength

Strength is exercised by the following:

• Being stressed or strained (once every ten turns)
• Having intrinsic regeneration from eating a ring of regeneration (once every five turns) (wearing a ring or wielding the Staff of Aesculapius does not exercise strength)
• Kicking a door, whether or not you succeed in opening it, unless you cause a booby trapped door to explode
• Throwing a heavy iron ball or a boulder
• Pushing a boulder, unless you are riding a steed
• Trying to force a lock using a blunt weapon, whether or not you succeed (using a bladed weapon exercises dexterity)
• Attempting to open or close a door, which resists
• Being healed by a nurse (one in three chance)
• Consorting with a foocubus and getting the "You feel restored to health!" message
• Being healed by fire as an iron golem, or by lightning as a flesh golem
• Drinking a potion of extra healing or full healing
• Reading a non-cursed scroll of enchant armor while not wearing armor
• Attacking a monster in melee

Strength is abused by the following:

• Being weak from hunger on a turn whose number is a multiple of 10
• Being hit or dragged by an iron ball while descending stairs
• Hurting your leg by kicking
• Straining a muscle when kicking at empty space
• Kicking a booby trapped door, causing it to explode
• Being hurt in any kind of explosion
• Being choked or crushed by a monster's attack
• While polymorphed into a black or brown pudding, being divided by a monster's attack
• Having your leg pricked by a xan
• Being burned by an acid attack, including an engulfing attack and a breath attack, without acid resistance
• Being subjected to a monster's acid passive attack
• Being digested (without slow digestion)
• Being pummeled by debris (by an air elemental)
• Consorting with a foocubus, and getting the "You feel exhausted" message
• Breaking out of your armor when polymorphing
• Reading a cursed scroll of enchant armor while not wearing armor
• Reading a scroll of destroy armor while not wearing armor, if you are confused, or the scroll is non-cursed
• Sitting while trapped in a spiked pit
• Being choked by an amulet of strangulation (once every turn)
• Being hit by a falling rock
• Falling into a pit, spiked or not
• Zapping yourself with a wand of striking or a force bolt spell
• Being hit by a magic missile (but not if you zapped yourself or the attack is passive)

Variants

SLASH'EM

SLASH'EM changes the behavior of the gauntlets of power, and strength between 18/** and 25 is handled differently. Strength grants bonuses to damage and to-hit as follows:

strength	to-hit	damage
3–5	−2	−1
6–7	−1	0
8–15	0	0
16	0	+1
17	+1	+1
18	+1	+2
18/01–18/99	+1	+3
18/**	+2	+4
19	+2	+5
20	+3	+6
21	+3	+7
22	+4	+8
23	+4	+9
24	+5	+10
25	+5	+11