Wishing Guide

👉 This guide explains the mechanics and probabilities of wishing for items in GnollHack, including item qualities, affixes, multiple quantities, and artifacts.

📦 Quantities

When wishing for multiple items at once (e.g., "3 potions of healing" or "20 +2 arrows"), the quantity you receive depends on the item type and its stackability.

Item Type	Rules & Maximum Quantity
Ammunition & Missiles	Guaranteed up to 20 per wish (e.g., arrows, bolts, rocks).
Candles	Guaranteed up to 7 per wish.
Gems	Hard limited to 1 per wish, despite being stackable.
Non-stackable Items	Hard limited to 1 per wish (e.g., weapons, armor, most tools, artifacts).
Other Stackable Items	Success is based on a probability check (see table below). Capped at 5 per wish (e.g., potions, scrolls).

If the probability check for other stackable items fails, you will receive exactly 1 item instead of the requested amount. The success chances are:

Requested Quantity	Success Chance
1	100%
2	67%
3	50%
4	33%
5	17%

💡 Example: Wishing for "3 potions of full healing" gives you a 50% chance to get all 3; otherwise you receive exactly 1. Wishing for "20 arrows" guarantees you 20 arrows.

⚔️ Weapon Qualities

Weapons have base quality probabilities. Note that Elite, Celestial, Primordial, and Infernal qualities always require positive luck. If the probability check fails, you will receive a normal quality weapon instead.

Quality Level	Success Chance
Exceptional	100%
Elite	80%
Celestial / Primordial / Infernal	25%

💡 Example: Wishing for an "exceptional long sword" will always succeed in granting the Exceptional quality.

🛡️ Armor Qualities

Armor quality probabilities are generally much lower than weapons. However, some specific armors have double or half exceptionality modifiers. Positive luck is required for all of these qualities. If the probability check fails, you will receive a normal quality armor piece instead.

Quality Level	Standard Chance	Double Chance	Half Chance
Exceptional	50%	100%	50%
Elite	25%	50%	12.5%
Celestial / Primordial / Infernal	5%	10%	2.5%

Specific Exceptionality Modifiers

• Double Exceptionality Chance: This modifier significantly increases the probability of rolling high-tier qualities. It is applied natively to the following standard armors: splint mail, banded mail, chain mail, scale mail, studded leather armor, ring mail, and leather armor.
• Half Exceptionality Chance: This modifier decreases the probability of rolling high-tier qualities to balance highly advanced materials. It is intrinsically applied to items made of mithril, adamantium, orichalcum, and hard crystal.

💡 Example: Wishing for "elite splint mail" uses the Double Chance column (50%), whereas "elite dwarvish mithril-coat" uses the Half Chance column (12.5%).

🪄 Wand Qualities

Wands can only be Exceptional or Elite, and they require positive luck. They cannot be generated as Celestial, Primordial, or Infernal. If the probability check fails, you will receive a normal quality wand instead.

Quality Level	Success Chance
Exceptional	50%
Elite	25%

💡 Example: Wishing for a "blessed elite wand of death" has a 25% chance to grant the Elite quality (provided you have positive luck).

🪄 Elemental Enchantments

You can wish for an elemental enchantment prefix (freezing, flaming, electrified, or death-magical) on weapons and armor that support it.

• Elemental Prefix: 100% chance to obtain if you have positive luck.
• Note: If you wish for a death-magical enchantment on an item that cannot receive it, you will receive an electrified enchantment instead.

💡 Example: Wishing for a "freezing long sword" is guaranteed to grant the freezing prefix as long as your luck is positive.

🔮 Mythic and Legendary Affixes

Wishing for Mythic and Legendary affixes requires positive luck to obtain specific powers. Without positive luck, you will only receive an item with one random affix (or none).

Random Affixes

Request Type	Success Chance	Failure Consequence
Random Mythic (One Affix)	100%	N/A
Random Legendary (Two Affixes)	33%	Item is generated with only one random affix.

Specific Affixes

When wishing for specific affixes, the game distinguishes between Common affixes and Rare affixes (of Elemental Protection, of the Last Alliance, of Banishment, Witch-King's, Olympian, Jotunheimian, and Melnibonean). Rare affixes individually only have a 33% chance to be successfully granted.

Specific Mythic (One Affix)

Affix Type	Success Chance
Common Affix	100%
Rare Affix	33%

(If this fails, the item is generated normally without the affix).

Specific Legendary (Two Affixes)

When requesting a Legendary item with two specific affixes, there is an initial 33% chance to be allowed to keep both affixes. Then, each affix is individually evaluated based on its rarity (100% for Common, 33% for Rare).

Requested Affixes	Success Chance (Both)
Two Common Affixes	33%
One Common + One Rare Affix	11%
Two Rare Affixes	~3.7% (1/27)

(If you fail the initial check, or one of the affix checks fails, the item will be generated with only one specific affix (Mythic) or no affixes (Normal)).

💡 Example: Wishing for a "long sword of orc slaying" (Specific Mythic, Common) has a 100% chance to grant the affix. Wishing for "Witch-King's plate mail of fire resistance" (Specific Legendary, 1 Rare + 1 Common) has an 11% chance to successfully grant both affixes.

🪢 Belts of Giant Strength

When wishing for a specific belt of giant strength, the chance of successfully obtaining it depends on its strength level. If the check fails, you will receive a Belt of hill giant strength instead.

Belt Type	Success Chance
Belt of hill giant strength	100%
Belt of stone giant strength	83%
Belt of frost giant strength	67%
Belt of fire giant strength	50%
Belt of storm giant strength	33%

👑 Artifact Wishing

The probability of obtaining an artifact through wishing depends heavily on how many artifacts have already been generated in the current game.

Generated Artifacts	Success Chance
0 to 2	100%
3	67%
4	50%
5	40%
6	33%
7	29%

(For 3 or more existing artifacts, the formula is exactly $2/n$, where $n$ is the number of already generated artifacts).

💡 Example: Wishing for "Frost Brand" early in the game (0 to 2 artifacts already generated) has a 100% success rate.

🛠️ Item Conditions and Modifiers

You can prepend condition modifiers to your wish (e.g., "blessed rustproof long sword"). Some conditions are always guaranteed, while others will fail or even backfire if your luck is negative.

Modifier Type	Wishing Terms	Success Chance & Rules
Beautitude	blessed, uncursed	100% chance if your luck is non-negative. ⚠️ Warning: If you wish for these with negative luck, the item will be generated as cursed instead (unless intrinsically uncurseable).
Damage Proofing	rustproof, fireproof, corrodeproof, rotproof, fixed	100% chance if your luck is non-negative. If your luck is negative, the request is ignored and the item generates normally.
Poisoned	poisoned	100% chance on applicable weapons if your luck is non-negative. If your luck is negative, the request is ignored.
Greased	greased	100% chance, regardless of luck.

💡 Example: Wishing for a "blessed rustproof long sword" with negative luck will result in a cursed, non-rustproof long sword. Wishing for a "greased cursed long sword" will always give you exactly what you asked for.

📝 Complex Wishing Examples

Here are some examples of highly specific wishes that combine multiple mechanics from this guide.

Wishing Prompt	Mechanics Explained
blessed +3 exceptional freezing long sword	Combines quality (Exceptional, 100% chance for weapons) and an elemental prefix (freezing, 100% chance with positive luck).
uncursed celestial splint mail of lightness	Combines celestial armor and a Mythic suffix. Splint mail has the Double Exceptionality Chance (boosting celestial from 5% to 10%). The common mythic suffix has a 100% chance to apply.
blessed celestial Witch-King's plate mail of fire resistance	Highly complex legendary armor request. Getting this exact item requires succeeding the Celestial check (5%) AND the Legendary checks (11% chance to keep both affixes). The two checks run independently.

ℹ️ More Information

• Enchantment Wishing Chances — Learn about success chances when wishing for item enchantments