👉 This page details the exact odds of successfully wishing for enchanted items in GnollHack, explaining why wishing for a +5 weapon usually results in a +0 item.
When you wish for an enchanted item (like a weapon or armor) with a specific enchantment level, such as a "+3 long sword", the game performs a safety check. If you ask for an enchantment that is deemed too high by the game's internal random rolls, your wish "evaporates," and you are given a +0 item instead.
This mechanic prevents players from easily acquiring maximally enchanted gear without engaging with the game's enchantment systems (like reading scrolls of enchant weapon).
The Double-Roll Mechanic
When a wish is made, the game rolls two independent random enchantment values based on the type of item you requested. For your wish to succeed and grant the requested enchantment, the amount you asked for must be less than or equal to at least one of these two random rolls.
If you ask for an enchantment that is higher than both rolls, the wish fails and yields a +0 item.
Non-Hell Wishing Odds
Outside of Gehennom (Hell), the random number generator heavily favors low enchantments. It uses a formula that increments the enchantment with a 1-in-3 chance per step. Because of this, asking for anything higher than +2 is extremely risky.
General Armor
This includes items like Dragon Scale Mail, Iron Shoes, and single-handed launchers. These items have a hard cap of +3. Wishing for +4 or +5 is mathematically impossible and will always fail.
| Wished Enchantment | Chance of Success |
|---|---|
| +1 | 100.00% |
| +2 | 37.04% |
| +3 | 12.76% |
| +4 | 0.00% |
| +5 | 0.00% |
Single-Handed Weapons & Elven Armor
This includes typical weapons like the Long Sword, and Elven items like the Elven Cloak. These have a hard cap of +4.
| Wished Enchantment | Chance of Success |
|---|---|
| +1 | 100.00% |
| +2 | 37.04% |
| +3 | 12.76% |
| +4 | 4.30% |
| +5 | 0.00% |
Two-Handed Melee Weapons
This includes large weapons like the Two-Handed Sword or Halberd. These can technically generate up to +7, making a +4 or +5 wish possible, though exceptionally rare.
| Wished Enchantment | Chance of Success |
|---|---|
| +1 | 100.00% |
| +2 | 37.04% |
| +3 | 12.76% |
| +4 | 4.30% |
| +5 | 1.44% |
Magical Rings
Magical rings do not use the heavily skewed generation formula. Instead, they roll uniformly between 1 and 5 (a flat 20% chance for each number). As a result, it is much safer to wish for a highly enchanted ring than it is to wish for highly enchanted armor or weapons.
| Wished Enchantment | Chance of Success |
|---|---|
| +1 | 100.00% |
| +2 | 97.33% |
| +3 | 89.33% |
| +4 | 76.00% |
| +5 | 57.33% |
Wishing in Gehennom (Hell)
When you make a wish while located in Gehennom (Hell), the game uses much more favorable random generation distributions for weapons and most body armor. The generator switches to a 50/50 coin flip increment rather than a 1-in-3 chance, massively boosting the odds for higher enchantments.
ℹ️ Note: Magical Rings are completely unaffected by being in Hell, and retain the exact same odds as the Non-Hell table above.
General Armor in Hell
In Hell, general armor uses a slightly higher limit, meaning you can now theoretically get a +4 (but not +5). The odds match the non-Hell single-handed weapons table.
| Wished Enchantment | Chance of Success |
|---|---|
| +1 | 100.00% |
| +2 | 37.04% |
| +3 | 12.76% |
| +4 | 4.30% |
| +5 | 0.00% |
Weapons & Specialty Armor in Hell
All melee weapons, thrown weapons, elven armor, and leather body armor benefit significantly from the 50/50 generation formula in Hell. Because their maximum limits in Hell are all +5 or higher, they all share the exact same favorable odds for wishes between +1 and +5.
| Wished Enchantment | Chance of Success |
|---|---|
| +1 | 100.00% |
| +2 | 54.17% |
| +3 | 28.13% |
| +4 | 14.32% |
| +5 | 7.23% |
Summary
Because of the skewed probability distributions:
- Wishing for anything higher than +2 on armor or 1H weapons outside of Hell is overwhelmingly likely to fail (yield +0).
- If you want a guaranteed enchantment on your weapons or armor via a wish, the safest bet is +1 (100% success rate).
- If you are willing to gamble, +2 works about a third of the time outside of Hell, or slightly more than half the time in Hell.
- Wishing for +3 or higher is largely a waste of a wish unless you are wishing for a ring, or are specifically wishing for a weapon while inside Gehennom.