Artifacts

Artifacts are unique items that may be generated throughout the dungeon. Many predefined Rooms have guaranteed artifacts, but most ordinary items (and some not-so-ordinary) have a 1% chance of being created as an artifact.

Artifacts can get any of several special features, some depending on type: intrinsics, light radius, bonus AC, bonus attack (that chains with normal damage on weapons), bonus throw attack, and eventually may have zappable properties (not implemented yet). They also get a random name attached and are identifiable by a little "!" on them (like a unique monster).

Intrinsics

They can get random intrinsics, which are conferred on anyone equipping the item (or using a consumable item): Each artifact has a 90% chance of having at least one "good" intrinsic, and 10% chance for each additional good intrinsic. (That is, 9% chance of two or more, 0.9% chance of three or more, etc..) The artifacts can also gain "bad" intrinsics (Aflame is fun), 10% chance of getting one and 10% for each more. These random intrinsics are in addition to any provided by the original item. The random combinations can produce odd effects; for example, an artifact conferring both Fire Resistance and Vulnerable to Fire would at first glance seem to do nothing... but if the user would otherwise have either intrinsic, this artifact will effectively cancel it! In theory an item can get up to 99 good and 99 bad intrinsics; in practice, the current algorithm cannot produce more than 6 (see below).

There is a small (1%) chance of an artifact getting the special "carry intrinsic", meaning that its intrinsics are applied to anyone carrying the item. Such items can be booby-traps, or major advantages to your game.

Light Radius

If an artifact doesn't get any intrinsics (10% chance), it gets extra light radius by default. Otherwise they have a 10% chance of getting it. Which means that in game, when you find an artifact, if it is lit, there's a 50% chance of the artifact having no intrinsics at all.

When generating the artifact, if it has a light radius, it gets 2 squares of light radius and 30% chance of each more (up to 6 squares).

Bonus AC

Only weapons and armor artifacts can get bonus AC. If it is an armor, it gets at least +1 bonus AC. Weapons have 10% chance of getting +1 bonus AC. Both have a 30% chance of getting each extra +1 AC (up to 99).

Bonus Attack

Weapons always get bonus attack (chained to their original attack damage). Other items have a 10% chance of getting it.

The type of damage can be physical (pulverize), fire (burn), cold (freeze), shock (zap), acid (dissolve), light (blind), or death (drain). The attack can be of (1-3)d(1-9)+(0-4). The item also gets its original bonus to-hit plus a 30% chance of getting +1 and 30% chance for each additional +1.

Bonus Throw Attack

Only weapons may get this bonus. Throwing weapons always get this bonus, other weapons get a 10% chance of having it. Both the range of the attack and the bonus to-hit of the attack are the original ones plus 30% chance for each +1 (up to 99). The extra damage is (1-3)d(1-9)+(0-4) and it is chained to the original attack in case the weapon could already be thrown.

Other Details

• Drinking/reading an artifact potion or scroll will give you the artifact's intrinsics temporarily, depending on the item's evil/holy status: Evil, 2-500 turns, normal 300-500 turns, Holy 300-2000 turns. Artifact potions leave normal bottles.
• Artifact wands inflict their intrinsics on their target! For each affected creature, each intrinsic separately lasts 2,3,or 4d50+100 turns depending whether the wand was evil, normal, or holy respectively. The monsters created by an artifact Wand of Create Monster will start with the artifact's intrinsics, for the same duration.
• If an Artifact weapon is converted into its "special form" (e.g. turning a Long Sword into an Flaming Sword) or vice versa, it remains an artifact and keeps all its special characteristics. Any features gained in the transformation will work as usual. However, the item may no longer be "identified".
• Artifacts cannot be polymorphed. Also, an item's intrinsics can protect the item itself: An item with Fire Resistance cannot be burned, nor one with Acid Resistance dissolved, regardless of its material. Similarly, an item with Position Fixed cannot be fetched or otherwise teleported.
• The ultra-rare Scroll of Omnipotence can transform a single item into an artifact.

Mechanics and Trivia

• An artifact's intrinsics are linked to its name; specifically, the name is created first, then used to seed the RNG for the rest of the artifact creation.
  • Other features are also linked to the name, but also affected by the item class.
  • There are less than 10,000 possible names, but some are far more common than others, so duplicates within a single game are entirely possible.
  • Thus, if two artifacts have the same name, they will also have the same intrinsics, no matter what the base item is. This is deterministic across all games. EXAMPLE: In v117, any artifact named Treyslug will grant Unchanging.
  • The light radius and whether it has carry intrinsic will also match; if the two items are of the same item class (armor, weapon, throwing weapon, none of those), then AC and bonus damage will likewise match.
  • With the current name generation algorithm, there is only one possible artifact with 6 intrinsics (which is the actual maximum): Braskyyzyyz will have Life saved, Stoning resistance, Can dig, Search, and also Vulnerable to cold and Missing finger.
  • There are three artifacts possible with both Fire Resistance and Aflame: Frosttreyupa, Bazyyzslug, and Worupawor (the former two will also have light radius).
• The available intrinsics include Life Saved; if this actually is invoked, there are some odd possibilities: If more than one worn (or carried) item could have provided the intrinsic, the first of these found in the inventory will be destroyed. However, an artifact potion or wand can also provide intrinsics, and this appears to take precedence over the item search; that is, the player or other creature will come back without the intrinsic, but not item will be destroyed.