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''This article is about stabbing attacks. For the removed [[potion]], see [[potion of stabbing]].''

'''Stabbing''' can occur any time you deliver a melee attack to an enemy that is distracted, asleep, or otherwise unable to defend itself properly. These attacks deal significantly more damage, ignoring [[EV]] and [[SH]]. For a dedicated character, stabs can end combat in a single blow.

==Stab Tiers==
There are two types of conditions where you can stab:

'''High-tier stab conditions'''
*[[Sleep]]
*[[Paralysis]]
*[[Petrify|Petrified]]

'''Low-tier stab conditions'''
*[[Petrify]]ing
*Held in a [[throwing net]] or [[web]]
*[[Blind]] (or if the player is [[invisible]] and unseen)
*[[Fear|Fleeing]]
*[[Charm]]ed or otherwise friendly
*[[Confusion|Confused]]
*Awake, but hasn't noticed you yet
*Distracted (whether by damage from a non-player source, [[Dithmenos]]'s Shadow Slip invocation, or through [[Gozag]]'s gold aura)

==Stabbing Odds==
Your chance to stab depends on the tier of the stab:
*High-tier stabs are guaranteed, so long as your character is capable of stabbing.
*Low-tier stabs have a <code>1 + [[dex]] + ([[Stealth (Skill)|Stealth_skill]] + Wpn_skill)/2</code> % chance to stab.

50% of stabbing attempts with the [[Spriggan's Knife]] are treated as if the target is sleeping.

You cannot make stab attacks when:
*You are [[confused]]
*The target is [[invisible]], and you cannot [[see invisible]]
*You are worshipping [[The Shining One]] (who considers stabbing dishonorable)
*You are attacking with [[Manifold Assault]]

Additionally, a sleeping target can't be stabbed if you're attacking with [[Vhi's Electric Charge]] or [[rampaging]] in [[seven-league boots]] (petrified or paralysed targets ''can'' be stabbed).

Monsters cannot stab. There are a few stab-like effects: a [[sleep]]ing creature will take bonus damage from monster melee attacks, and a [[shadow]] deals bonus damage if it's invisible (and the target can't see invisible). However, these are completely separate from the stabbing mechanic.

==Stabbing Damage==
The additional damage from a stab attempt varies based on the target's status effect, the weapon you make the attack with, your skill with the weapon, and your Stealth skill. The stab tier and your weapon are the largest factors.

[[Short Blades]] are especially effective at stabbing, and receive a "good stab" bonus, with [[dagger]]s getting a larger boost. Attacks from [[Felid]]s' claws, [[Spider Form]], or any melee attack while wearing the [[hood of the Assassin]], also receive an equivalent bonus. All other weapons/melee attacks are identical.

===Formula===
There are three sources of damage, listed in order of operation:<ref>{{source ref|0.32.1|attack.cc|1476}}</ref>

*[[Short Blades]] and other "good stab" items get an innate source of flat damage. [[Dagger]]s get an additional boost.
*All weapons get a multiplier to damage, which depends on stab tier, skill, and is increased when using Short Blades. This multiplier does not account for enemy [[AC]], but does account for [[slaying]], [[Fighting]], [[brand]], etc.
*All weapons get a flat bonus to damage on top. This is modified by stab tier only.

====1. "Good Stab" bonus====
*If using Short Blades or equivalent, take base value <code>DEX/10 × (1 + (weapon_skill + stealth_skill)/2)</code>. This is doubled for daggers.
*If base value > 10 (after the dagger bonus), it is modified by <code>10 * log2(1 + base/10)</code>, where the final value is capped at 30.
*Then, this value is multiplied by <code>1 + (weapon_skill + stealth_skill)/20</code> if high-tier, or <code>1 + (weapon_skill + stealth_skill)/80</code> if low-tier. This number is added to your damage.

There is a breakpoint at base value = 35 for daggers, base value = 70 for other Short Blades, where the base value is maximised. The value multiplier still increases by skill, but the increase is smaller.

====2. Multiplier====
The stab bonus is a multiplier of damage before AC is applied. The table below details the damage multiplier from your skills, tier, and weapon type:

{{#invoke:Stab_bonus|stab_table}}

====3. Extra flat damage====
All weapons get bonus damage equal to <code>1d<(weapon_skill + stealth_skill)/2></code> for high-tier stabs, or <code>1d<(weapon_skill + stealth_skill)/8></code> for low-tier stabs.

==Strategy==
"Pure" [[Stealth]] is less viable than other offensive skills. The enemy always has a chance to wake up... and training only Short Blades and Stealth means you can't deal with anything that wakes up. Plus, enemies often spawn in packs, and if one enemy detects you, they all wake up.

Thus, a typical "stabber" character will often rely on magic to incapacitate their enemies. [[Hexes]] spells (like [[Ensorcelled Hibernation]], [[Confusing Touch]]) as well as spells in certain other schools ([[Mephitic Cloud]], [[Petrify]], etc.) will give you opportunities to stab. Certain gods, like [[Uskayaw]], can work in a similar way. A [[wand of paralysis]] is a limited, but powerful way to disable enemies. Also, any means of having [[allies]] can let you get distraction stabs here and there.

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="400px" heights="400px" class="left" mode="nolines">
File:Stab status.png|thumb|left|In tiles, monsters will indicate whether or not they can be stabbed as follows:<br>? means they can be low-tier stabbed<br>zzz means they can be high-tier stabbed
</gallery>

==History==
*Prior to [[0.33]], you could not stab with 0 or less [[dexterity]].
*Prior to [[0.27]], stabs would bypass some of your target's AC, depending on your [[Stealth]] and weapon skills. This was converted into a flat bonus to stabbing damage instead.
*Prior to [[0.20]], The Shining One would inflict [[penance]] for stabbing intelligent foes that were not demons or undead.
*In [[0.19]], four tiers of stabbing attacks were replaced by just two tiers. Stabs against distracted and petrified targets were buffed: +50% damage and +100% damage, respectively. Petrifying and net stabs got -50% to damage, and invisible stabs had their proc chance reduced.
*Prior to [[0.16]], Long Blades were slightly more effective at stabbing than most other weapons, and [[club]]s and [[rod]]s could stab for special effects.
*Prior to [[0.13]], Stabbing was a skill of its own, rather than being the average of your Stealth and weapon skills.

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Game mechanics]]

Stabbing - Revision history

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