Thiefbane
| ) Thiefbane (No tile) | |
|---|---|
| Base item | long sword |
| Damage vs. small | 1d8 +1 + level drain + cancellation + beheading |
| Damage vs. large | 1d12 +1 + level drain + cancellation + beheading |
| To-hit bonus | +5 |
| Bonus versus | @ |
| Weapon skill | long sword |
| Size | one-handed |
| Affiliation | |
| When carried |
(none) |
| When wielded |
(none) |
| When invoked |
(none) |
| Base price | 1500 zm |
| Weight | 40 |
| Material | iron |
Thiefbane is an artifact weapon in SLASH'EM, SlashTHEM, SpliceHack, Hack'EM, and UnNetHack. Generally a chaotic long sword, it is found in the possession of One-eyed Sam in the Black Market.
Contents
Description
Against monsters represented by @, Thiefbane has a 10% chance of beheading, causes level drain similar to Stormbringer, and has +5 to hit and +1 damage. Thiefbane also has a 1 in 6 chance of canceling any @ it hits.[1] This also means that Thiefbane will subject you to artifact blasts even if you are chaotic, since you are always represented by @.
In UnNetHack, Thiefbane's base item class has been changed to two-handed sword and the player is in danger of being decapitated even if not in a form symbolized by @.
Generation
Thiefbane will always be generated in One-Eyed Sam's inventory. It cannot be randomly generated or wished for[2], or even found in bones[3].
Thiefbane will be well-enchanted, but it is not generated rustproof, as players who elect to kill Sam via controlled polymorph into a giant shoggoth will discover.
Strategy
Thiefbane is the primary reason that angering One-eyed Sam is frequently a game-ending mistake; against the player, it is easily the deadliest weapon in the game. However, in the player's hands, it is somewhat underwhelming, as for the most part non-player @ are not particularly dangerous or common. One possible exception is on the Astral Plane, with its hordes of aligned priests and player monsters, but even there, most players will likely prefer a weapon such as Vorpal Blade or Excalibur.
References
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"Update to reflect THEM/Hack'EM"
