Artifacts are special items in ADOM, which are indestructible through conventional means and are unique (with the exception of the si and the antediluvian dwarven map fragments).
Artifacts can be generated in different ways; several are only available through the completion of certain quests, while others are randomly generated in a variety of ways including precrowning, shops, greater vaults, surges of power, the Merchant Guild, and random drops.
While equipped, all artifacts increase food consumption by 0.5 units per turn per artifact. Crowned players get a discounted cost of 0.25 units per turn per artifact. This penalty is rounded down, meaning that PCs who are not crowned can equip a single artifact without penalty, while those who are crowned can equip three.
Most artifacts can only be destroyed by being sacrificed to a deity or fed to the Demented Ratling. Notable exceptions include the potion of literacy, which disappears after it is drunk, and the ring of the master cat, which will explode if the PC kills a cat while wearing it. The Elemental Chaos Orbs cannot be destroyed by any means whatsoever. Monsters that flee into the wilderness while carrying an artifact can be found roaming the wilderness[1].
Guaranteed Artifacts[]
Name | Type of Item | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Chaos Orb of Elemental Fire | Tool | Tower of Eternal Flames | Grants +10 Strength while equipped, can be 'U'sed to replicate the Fireball spell. Vital for winning the game. |
Chaos Orb of Elemental Air | Tool | Air Temple | Grants +10 Dexterity while equipped, can be 'U'sed to summon a tame air elemental. Vital for winning the game. |
Chaos Orb of Elemental Earth | Tool | Earth Temple | Grants +10 Toughness while equipped, can be 'U'sed to replicate the Earthquake spell. Vital for winning the game. |
Chaos Orb of Elemental Water | Tool | Water Temple | Grants +10 Willpower while equipped, can be 'U'sed to completely heal the PC. Vital for winning the game. |
Chaos Orb of Elemental Mana | Tool | Mana Temple | Grants +10 Mana while equipped, can be 'U'sed to completely restore PP and add Mana. Vital for winning the game. |
Si | Tool | CoC D:8 | Replicates indefinitely while in the player's inventory. |
Sword of Nonnak | Weapon | Dwarven Graveyard | Found by digging at the grave of Griff Bloodax in the lower level of the Dwarf Graveyard. Weak weapon, but provides nice increase to Willpower. |
Big Punch | Weapon | Dwarftown | Reward for completing Thrundarr's Quests. Powerful weapon, but extremely heavy. |
Rolf's Companion | Weapon | Dwarftown | Given to lawfuls by the dwarven mystic. Damage increases dramatically when paired with Rolf's Saviour. |
Death's Sting | Weapon | Arena | Awarded for winning 20 fights in the Arena. Can be traded to Bart for skills and weapons training. |
Needle | Weapon | CoC UL:4 | Awarded completing Sharad-Waador's Quest. Damage increases dramatically when paired with Sting. |
Sting | Weapon | Assassins' Guild | Carried by the assassin prince. Damage increases dramatically when paired with Needle. |
Moon Sickle | Two-Handed Weapon | Caverns of Chaos | Found on a random level between Dwarftown and the wall of flames. Corrupts when used to attack, turns potions into potions of raw chaos. |
Rune-covered trident | Two-Handed Weapon | Received at level 16 or 36 | Reward for sending Blup to his mother. Raven-born characters receive at level 16. Others receive at 36. |
Axe of the minotaur emperor | Two-Handed Weapon | Minotaur Maze | Reward for slaying the minotaur emperor. Extremely heavy. Large loss of DV as a two-hander. Good at scoring critical hits and excellent damage. |
Sceptre of Chaos | Two-Handed Weapon | SIL | Found on the floor of the SIL, guarded by MaLaKaI. Essential for an ordinary chaos god ending. Makes a poor weapon as it corrupts and dooms the PC. |
Trident of the Red Rooster | Two-Handed Weapon | Terinyo | Reward for giving Khelavaster the crumpled scroll. Essential for Ultra Endings. |
Crown of science | Helmet | Darkforge | Lying on the ground in a hidden room in Darkforge. Dubious value; dooms, but provides a large increase to Learning. |
Crown of Chaos | Helmet | Ancient Stone Circle | Reward for killing Keriax. Essential for Ultra and ordinary chaos god endings. Useless otherwise; corrupts while carried, dooms while worn. |
Ancient mummy wrapping | Body armor | The Pyramid | Dropped by Rehetep when killed. Provides numerous useful intrinsics in exchange for mediocre DV/PV and significant loss of Appearance. |
True Strength | Girdle | D:50 | Available only to a Paragon of Order. One of the most desirable artifacts, but quite difficult to obtain. |
Shield of raw steel | Shield | Darkforge | Reward for Killing Guth'Alak. Dubious value; corrupts the PC, but provides two elemental immunities. |
Rolf's Saviour | Shield | Dwarftown | Reward for completing Thrundarr's Quests; guaranteed for lawful PCs who ask Thrundarr about Rolf beforehand. Increases damage of Rolf's Companion while worn. |
Elemental gauntlets | Gauntlets | Dwarven Graveyard | Hidden in a small room behind the grave of Griff Bloodax. Protects worn rings, reduces corrupting effects of Chaos Orbs. |
Boots of great speed | Boots | Quickling Tree | Guarded by a quickling king and queen at the end of the Quickling Tree. Gives great speed but corrupts while carried and dooms while equipped; extremely situational. |
Black torc | Necklace | Druid Dungeon | Only available to players who take the Kill Keethrax quest. Useful intrinsics and speed boost, but curses the PC. |
Ankh | Necklace | The Pyramid | Dropped by Rehetep. Gives luck, fate smiles, and increases luck. |
Amulet of raw steel | Necklace | Darkforge | Reward for Killing Thrundarr. Corrupts while carried or equpped, considered to be generally useless. |
Medal of Chaos | Necklace | High Mountain Village | Reward for completing Gaab'Baay's Quests. Required for an ordinary chaos god ending or Ultra ending; dubious value otherwise. |
Ring of the master cat | Ring | Caverns of Chaos | Players who have not killed any cats receive it from the cat lord. One of the best artifacts in the game due to its Dexterity and speed bonuses. |
Ring of the High Kings | Ring | Hall of the High Kings | Used to allow players to pass the eternal guardian. Otherwise unremarkable. |
Phial of Caladriel | Potion | Gremlin Cave | Casts light when 'U'sed for all of the PC's PP. Can temporarily blind humanoids if thrown at them; limited use otherwise. |
Potion of literacy | Potion | Dwarftown | Reward for completing Thrundarr's Quests. Grants the Literacy skill to illiterate players, or raises it and trains Learning otherwise. |
Amulet of resurrection | Amulet | Lawenilothehl (August 30) | Only generated on Resurrection Day, in the black market. Works as an upgraded, indestructible amulet of life saving. |
Tome of donors | Book | Moldy dungeon | Found on the 5th level of the moldy dungeon. Can be read for various beneficial random effects. |
Antediluvian dwarven map fragment | Scroll | Various | Six of these can be found. The complete map can be assembled once all have been collected. |
Ancient dwarven key | Tool | Eerie Glade | Found in a special grave in an eerie glade; required to open the portal at the bottom of the Sinister dungeon. |
Antediluvian dwarven map | Scroll | Assembled from map fragments | Reading this reveals the location of Rolf's fortress. |
Unpick axe | Weapon | Rolf's fortress | Found on the first level of Rolf's fortress; it is a pick axe that can be used both to dig and create walls. |
Bergbringer | Tool | Stone dragon caves | Dropped by Katharamandus. It is necessary to complete Rolf's quest and to access the volcano. Using it causes an earthquake. |
Gleaming dwarven rune axe | Weapon | Rolf's fortress | Rewarded by Rolf upon successful completion of his quest. An excellent weapon with good damage and defense. |
Gleaming dwarven shield | Shield | Rolf's fortress | Rewarded by Rolf upon successful completion of his quest. One of the best shields in the game. |
Heart of Ancardia | Tool | Volcano | Found on the 16th and final level of the volcano. Using it summons a fire elemental companion. |
Cornucopia | Tool | Fungal Caves | Dropped by the Fungoid overlord. Increases luck when equipped; can be zapped to increase satiation. |
Horn of plenty | Tool | Fungal Caves | Dropped by the Fungoid overlord. Increases luck when equipped; can be zapped to create herbs, food, and water. |
Chain mail of raw steel | Body armor | Darkforge | Reward for kill the seraphim of order. Grants regeneration and paralysis resistance, but corrupts. |
Weird fire starter | Tool | Minotaur maze | Found on the final level of the maze. Using it in the right place and time opens up the Ultimate Dungeon. |
Scroll of omnipotence | Scroll | Ultimate Dungeon | Dropped by the Supreme balor. |
Crowning-Only Artifacts[]
Name | Type of Item | Notes |
---|---|---|
Foeslammer | Two-handed Weapon | Crowning gift for Chaos Knights Very powerful weapon that slays humanoids and plants, and has an increased critical hit rate even against other monsters. Spreads terror. |
Spiked armor of chaos and terror | Body armor | Crowning gift for Chaos Knights Amazing PV and grants fire immunity, resistance to cold, and resistance to acid. Spreads terror, so it cannot be worn around shopkeepers or in villages without angering them. |
Moloch's Thorns | Boots | Crowning gift for Chaos Knights Extremely heavy and strong boots that allow the wearer to kick with devastating force and control teleportation, but also slow him/her down. Automatically smash any altar the PC stands on, risking divine retribution. |
Crowned spiked helmet of chaos lordship | Helmet | Crowning gift for Chaos Knights Very strong helmet that provides water breathing and see invisible. Spreads terror. |
Fencing gloves of St. Montojja | Gauntlets | Crowning gift for Duelists Provides stun and confusion resistance, and great bonuses to Dexterity, speed, and DV; very good artifact overall. |
Rapier of the needle | Weapon | Crowning gift for Duelists Decent damage potential, with a slightly increased critical hit rate. Good bonuses to Dexterity, speed, and DV. |
Staff of Creation | Two-handed weapon | Crowning gift for Mist Elves Provides an enormous boost to Willpower and grants fire immunity and resistance to cold, shock, confusion, and death rays. Mediocre as a weapon. |
Ring of the archmages | Ring | Crowning gift for Wizards Improves DV, PV, mana, and PP regeneration. Grants resistance to sleep, death rays, paralysis, and shock. Grants see invisible and teleport control. |
Random Artifacts[]
Name | Type of Item | Notes |
---|---|---|
Black Thumb | Weapon | Minor boost to Toughness, slays plants. Not very useful. |
Black whip of extinction | Weapon | Whip that slays animals, dragons, demons, unlife, humanoids, giants, undead, insects, plants, and jellies. |
Bloody Rose | Weapon | Whip with a high chance to score critical hits. Grants resistance to stunning and shock. |
Bugbiter | Weapon | One-handed spear that increases Dexterity and slays insects, but has mediocre damage potential. |
Cat's Claw | Weapon | Bad damage, but the Dexterity bonus makes it decent for missile users or spellcasters. |
Eagle's Claw | Weapon | Sword that is good at scoring critical hits and causes the wielder to levitate. Slays undead, unlife, and insects. Grants immunity to cold and resistance to confusion. |
Executor | Weapon | Slays demons and undead, increases speed and Strength. Good despite it cursing the PC. |
Hammerhead | Weapon | Unbreakable pickaxe. |
Hornet's Sting | Weapon | Rapier whose to-hit, DV/PV, and speed bonuses improve as it drinks blood. Grants teleportitis and teleport control, but is not very useful as a weapon. |
Justifier | Weapon | Demon and undead slayer and deals double damage for Paladins. Does half damage for other classes. |
Kinslayer | Weapon | Humanoid slayer with respectable damage. Autocursing makes it annoying versus disarming enemies and in Ice Queen Domain. |
Masher | Weapon | Mace whose damage and strength bonuses improve as it drinks blood. Grants resistance to stunning, resistance to confusion, and see invisible. |
Michals Transmogrifier | Weapon | Mace that spreads terror and improves charisma. Stone statues damaged by it are tamed. Grants shock resistance. |
Purifier | Weapon | Excellent damage and slaying powers, grants luck. |
Scorched spear | Weapon | One-handed spear that slays plants and grants cold immunity. Bad damage for an artifact. |
Serpent's Bite | Weapon | Always poisoned, slays humanoids, high critical hit rate. |
Scorpion's Sting | Weapon | Poisonous spear with respectable damage. Improves speed. Grants luck, see invisible, poison resistance, and confusion resistance. |
Silence of the Dead | Weapon | Poisonous, humanoid-slaying dagger whose to-hit, damage, and dexterity bonuses improve as it drinks blood. It grants resistance to poison, sleep, and death rays. It grants luck, fate smiles, see invisible, and water breathing. It returns when thrown. |
Skullcrusher | Weapon | Humanoid slayer, increases Strength, and grants resistance to stunning and confusion. |
Trusted One | Weapon | Grants resistance to acid, cold, fire, shock, sleep, petrification, stunning, death rays, and paralysis, increases DV and PV, but terrible as a weapon. |
Whip of the vampire snake | Weapon | Whip whose to-hit, damage, dexterity, and speed bonuses improve as it drinks blood. Grants resistance to poison. |
Arak's Guard | Two-handed weapon | Pole arm whose to-hit, damage, and toughness bonuses improve as it drinks blood. |
Death's Blade | Two-Handed Weapon | Provides death ray resistance, but fails to substantially outclass eternium two-handed swords. |
Grod | Two-Handed Weapon | Excellent damage, slays demons, often scores critical hits, provides fire immunity. Nasty loss of DV, especially as a two-hander. |
Hammer of the gods | Two-Handed Weapon | Provides shock immunity and returns when thrown. Uses the Clubs & Hammers weapon skill. |
Headman's Hand | Two-handed weapon | Two-hander whose to-hit and damage improve as it drinks blood. Good at scoring critical hits. Grants resistance to death rays and immunity to cold. |
Judge & Jury | Two-handed weapon | Two-hander whose to-hit, damage, and dexterity bonuses improve as it drinks blood. Grants death ray resistance, shock resistance, and see invisible. |
Kalmius' Shield | Two-handed weapon | Staff with respectable damage that improves willpower, DV, and PP regeneration. Grants death ray resistance and paralysis resistance. |
Lead great axe | Two-handed weapon | Poisonous two-hander that slays plants and is good at scoring critical hits. |
Long Sting | Two-Handed Weapon | Boosts Perception and speed and grants paralysis resistance, but has low damage. Has great to-hit when thrown, but doesn't return. |
Nature's Breath | Two-handed weapon | Unlife-slaying recharging staff that creates an herb patch when zapped. Grants resistance to poison, sleep, paralysis, and disease. |
Soaker | Two-Handed Weapon | Grants paralysis resistance, but deals low damage. Has great to-hit when thrown, but doesn't return. |
Staff of the Archmagi | Two-Handed Weapon | Substantial increase to Mana. Can be activated to cast Improved Fireball. Usually not worth using over a shield. |
Staff of the Wanderer | Two-Handed Weapon | Boosts Toughness and grants useful intrinsics, but usually not worth using over a shield. |
Staff of wonder | Two-handed weapon | Recharging staff that grants knowledge of a random spell when zapped. Good bonuses, but contains the essence of Chaos and Corruption. |
Vanquisher | Two-Handed Weapon | Slays dragons, undead, unlife, humanoids, demons, and jellies. |
Wyrmlance | Two-Handed Weapon | Slays dragons. |
Devilbane | Missile | Returning scurgar that slays demons. |
Sonic Boom | Missile | Boomerang that improves DV, PV, dexterity, and speed. Grants shock immunity and confusion resistance. Enemies damaged by it are stunned. |
Thunderstroke | Missile | Extremely powerful quarrel that returns when fired. |
True Aim | Missile | Very powerful arrow that returns when fired. |
Sun's Messenger | Missile Weapon | Indestructible bow with great damage modifiers and undead slaying. |
The Far Slayer | Missile Weapon | Fantastic to-hit and damage. |
Whirlwind | Missile Weapon | Useful for PCs with good sling proficiency, grants fire resistance. |
Lust for Glory | Shield | Mediocre DV/PV but grants resistance to death rays, paralyzation, and petrification. |
Nature's Friend | Shield | Grants all elemental resistances, but has low DV. |
Protector | Shield | Excellent stats, grants resistance to sleep, stunning, and confusion. |
The Wall | Shield | Gives a massive amount of DV and PV. Improves toughness and grants resistance to stunning. |
Chain mail of the martyred crusader | Body armor | Greatly improves willpower, protects against background corruption, and improves PP regeneration. Grants luck, fate smiles, poison resistance, death ray resistance, confusion resistance, water breathing, shock immunity, and disease immunity. |
Nature's Companion | Body armor | Immunity to fire and shock, excellent bonus to speed. |
Perion's mithril plate mail | Body armor | Excellent PV, and provides fire resistance, acid resistance, and disease immunity. |
Robes of resistance | Body armor | Excellent PV, nice bonus to Toughness, grant resistance to acid, fire, and shock. |
Robe of the master monk | Body armor | Lightweight armor that improves willpower and speed. Grants see invisible, water breathing, and disease immunity. Grants resistance to fire, cold, shock, poison, sleep, paralysis, and confusion. |
Shirt of the Saints | Body armor | Lightweight armor that grants see invisible, confusion resistance, and sleep resistance. |
Wyrm's Behest | Body armor | Grants luck and immunity to all four elements. |
Circlet of the pure mind | Helmet | Improves willpower and PP regeneration. Grants resistance to death rays and confusion. |
Crown of leadership | Helmet | Bonus to charisma, respectable stats, grants poison resistance, see invisible, and confusion resistance. |
Helm of the Night Watchmen | Helmet | Improves perception and generates light. Grants resistance to sleep, stunning, and confusion. |
Iron Crown of Havlor | Helmet | Massive DV and PV, especially for a helmet. Hefty to-hit penalties. |
Third Eye | Helmet | Randomly maps nearby parts of the current level. Improves perception and grants see invisible. |
Celestrix | Girdle | Massive bonus to DV/PV, particularly for a girdle, plus numerous desirable intrinsics, but situational since it also causes dooming. |
Potion belt | Girdle | Makes carried potions weightless and immune to item destruction. |
Brannalbin's Cloak of Defense | Cloak | Cloak of invisbility that grants resistance to all the elements. |
Cloak of Oman | Cloak | Very nice DV/PV and Dexterity bonuses. Gives teleportitis, which is useful once controlled, but dangerous and annoying otherwise. |
Tattered cloak of the dark souls | Cloak | Autocursing cloak of invisibility that reduces willpower. Grants resistance to sleep. |
Venom Mantle | Cloak | Grants resistance to poison and immunity to acid. Monsters attacking in melee are damaged and blinded by acid. |
Bracers of pure might | Bracers | Bracers that improve DV, PV, strength, and speed. They protect against background corruption and grant see invisible. |
Bracers of war | Bracers | Excellent bonuses to PV, DV, and Dexterity. Grant regeneration, bonus melee critical hit chance, and resistance to stunning, death rays, and confusion. |
Manacles of madness | Bracers | Autocursing bracers that improve learning and PP regeneration. Grant teleportitis, acid resistance, and see invisible. |
Quicksilver bracers | Bracers | Improve DV, PV, and speed. Grant resistance to petrification, paralysis, and shock. |
Ironfist | Gauntlets | Great bonus to Strength. |
Shezestriakis | Gauntlets | Excellent DV and grant resistance to poison, acid, cold, fire, and shock, but absolutely colossal penalty to to-hit. Autocursing, which make swapping rings annoying. |
Boots of the divine messenger | Boots | Excellent bonus to Dexterity. Grant teleport control, paralysis resistance, and death ray resistance. |
Boots of the far wanderer | Boots | Improve willpower and speed. Grant both teleportitis and teleport control. Grant water breathing and sleep resistance. |
Amulet of indomitable life | Amulet | Improves DV, PV, and toughness. Grants regeneration, disease immunity, poison resistance, and death ray resistance. |
Aylas Holy Scarf | Amulet | Fantastic DV/PV bonuses, especially for an amulet. Grants disease immunity and protection from background corruption. |
Preserver | Amulet | Excellent bonuses to PV, DV, and Willpower. Grants regeneration, paralysis resistance, poison resistance, and luck. |
Stone of the ages | Amulet | Improves DV, PV, and learning. Grants resistance to death rays, paralysis, and petrification. Can absorb artificial aging. |
Ring of immunity | Ring | Provides immunity to all elemental damage and good PV/DV. |
Black tome of Alsophocus | Book | Very dangerous. Reading it teaches a random spell, but adds corruption determined by the difficulty of the spell. Contains the Essence of Chaos and Corruption. |
Silver key | Tool | Acts essentially as an unbreakable set of keys. Can generate locked, trapped doors on an empty square in exchange for PP. |
Scroll of the finder | Scroll | Acts as a scroll of magic mapping, gold detection, item detection, monster detection, or treasure creation. Not consumed when read, but each read causes a small amount of corruption. |
Version History[]
Due to a bug in 1.1.1[2], a number of artifacts were only possible to generate through crowning: Aylas Holy Scarf, Black Thumb, Boots of the divine messenger, Brannalbin's Cloak of Defense, Bugbiter, Cat's Claw, Cloak of Oman, Death's Blade, Grod, Iron Crown of Havlor, Justifier, Kinslayer, Nature's Friend, Perion's mithril plate mail, Shezestriakis, Shirt of the Saints, Silver key, Staff of the Wanderer, Sun's Messenger, True Aim, Trusted One, and Vanquisher. It was also impossible for Celestrix and Lust for Glory to generate.
Exclusive crowning gifts for Chaos Knights, Duelists, and Mist Elves were added in 1.2.0: Crowned spiked helmet of chaos lordship, Fencing gloves of St. Montojja, Foeslammer, Moloch's Thorns, Rapier of the needle, Spiked armor of chaos and terror, and Staff of Creation. The Amulet of resurrection was made available on a resurrection day. Pickpocketing artifacts was made impossible[3]. Thunderstroke and True Aim were given the ability to return, and Silver key was given the ability to create trapped doors. Various means of modifying and destroying artifacts were prevented.
In 2.1.0, Tome of donors was added.
In 2.3.0, the artifacts related to the Rolf quest were added: Ancient dwarven key, Antediluvian dwarven map, Antediluvian dwarven map fragment, Bergbringer, Gleaming dwarven rune axe, Gleaming dwarven shield, Heart of Ancardia and, Unpick axe.
In 2.3.2, Perion's mithril plate mail was given higher PV, to-hit bonuses, and disease immunity. Aylas Holy Scarf was given background corruption protection and disease immunity.
More random artifacts were added in 3.0.0: Amulet of indomitable life, Arak's Guard, Black whip of extinction, Bloody Rose, Boots of the far wanderer, Bracers of pure might, Chain mail of the martyred crusader, Circlet of the pure mind, Devilbane, Eagle's Claw, Headman's Hand, Helm of the Night Watchman, Hornet's Sting, Judge & Jury, Kalmius' Shield, Lead great axe, Manacles of madness, Masher, Michals Transmogrifier, Nature's Breath, Potion belt, Quicksilver bracers, Robe of the master monk, Scorpion's Sting, Scroll of the finder, Silence of the Dead, Sonic Boom, Staff of wonder, Stone of the ages, Tattered cloak of the dark souls, The Wall, Third Eye, Venom Mantle, Whip of the vampire snake, and Wyrm's Behest. Also, Ring of the archmages was added as an exclusive crowning gift for wizards. The artifacts relating to the Heavenly Area, Fungal Caves, and Ultimate Dungeon were added: Cornucopia, Chain mail of raw steel, Horn of plenty, Scroll of omnipotence, and Weird fire starter.