# Throw

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You can throw just about any object you can carry in your inventory. To throw an item, press t, then the item letter, then a direction. Alternatively, quiver the item using shift&nbsp;+ q, then fire the item with f. A thrown item acts as a projectile until it lands or hits something. You can generally specify a quantity as well (except for weapons), but the specific command to do so depends on your interface. In ASCII, press t, followed by a number, then a direction. In Windows, press t, check the item you wish to throw, specify a number, then a direction.

Contents

1 Throwing different types of objects

1.1 Weapons
1.2 Potions
1.3 Gems
1.4 Gold pieces
1.5 Food
1.6 Other items

2 Range
3 References

Throwing different types of objects
Weapons

A user has suggested improving this page or section as follows:
"Please clarify the effect of throwing weapons that are not traditionally thrown (i.e. swords, clubs, maces, etc.). Is there a damage or to-hit modification?"

Throwing weapons at monsters is a good strategy to use, especially when facing monsters with a passive attack. Daggers have a bonus to hit and thus are good throwing weapons. Other ranged weapons with this bonus include darts, shuriken, and spears. You can also throw arrows and crossbow bolts, but they are more effective when fired from a bow or crossbow.
Those of sufficient skill or who meet certain other conditions may be able to throw multiple weapons in one turn.
A boomerang will circle around and return to you when thrown, which allows it to hit several monsters (and possibly you as well).
The artifact weapon Mjollnir requires a strength of 25 to throw. If thrown by a Valkyrie, it will usually return to her hand.
An Aklys can be thrown a max range of 4 and will return 99% of the time.  It doesn't have a strength or role requirement.
A greased item may slip when attempting to throw it, resulting in the object falling to the ground or sending it flying toward a random direction.
A cursed weapon doesn't weld to your hand when thrown, but it may fly to another direction. You can't throw a cursed weapon that has welded itself to your hand.

Potions
The chance of hitting a monster with a thrown potion is Dex − 125;[1] it does not depend on the monster's AC. If the potion misses, it will break without an effect on the target.
A monster that is hit by a potion will receive the effects of the potion's vapors. For example, throwing a potion of blindness at a monster will cause it to go blind, if the monster can go blind. Similarly, throwing a potion of healing at your pet can be used to heal it. Thrown potions are generally less effective than quaffed potions.
If you are adjacent to the place where a thrown potion breaks, you may be affected by its vapors.
Monsters can and will throw harmful potions at you, so be careful when leaving potions on the ground or they might be used against you later. Knowing this can help identify potions that are thrown at you. The potions that monsters like to throw are paralysis, blindness, confusion, sleeping, and acid.
A potion of oil can serve as a Molotov cocktail if you apply it before you throw it, dealing 4d4 damage.

Gems
Throwing a gem is the same as throwing a rock if you are throwing them at a monster. You can also throw gems at a unicorn of your alignment to increase your Luck. Throwing a gem to a hostile unicorn will pacify it, but has a random effect on Luck.

Gold pieces
Throwing gold pieces at certain monsters can work as a bribe. Throwing all your gold at a vault guard will also satisfy him. It will vanish along with the guard. ("That should do.  Now beat it!"[2])
Throwing one gold piece in shops can help you determine if there is a mimic in its path, as it will block the gold piece. This may also wake the mimic, so be careful when doing this while standing next to a potential mimic.
Throwing your money away might keep it out of the greedy hands of a leprechaun, allowing you to retrieve it later.

Food
You can throw a treat to a pet to help train it to fetch items for you. Domestic animals can be tamed with thrown food appropriate to their diet. Most other food thrown at these animals will change them from hostile to peaceful. Be wary of throwing food to a pet that is eating, as your pet is so intent on devouring the food that the thrown item may hit them, which is considered abuse.
Throwing a cream pie at a monster can blind it. The Keystone Kops like to throw these pies at you.
Throwing an egg will cause it to break. A thrown cockatrice egg can turn a creature to stone if the target is vulnerable to petrification. There is a Luck penalty for breaking eggs that you have laid with the #sit command.
The chance of hitting a monster with an egg or a pie is the same as the chance of hitting it with a potion: Dex − 125.
Throwing a clove of garlic at an undead creature might scare it.

Other items
Throwing a heavy iron ball that is chained to you will pull you along in that direction for up to 4 squares, but beware using this method to cross water—the ball will travel 5 squares, and if it lands in water, you will be pulled down into the water with it. If you have an iron ball, it is worth throwing at enemies for its considerable damage and bonus to hit.
Giants can throw boulders, therefore you can throw boulders if you polymorph into a giant. Thrown boulders have +6 to-hit[3] and deal 1d20 damage plus strength bonus.
Throwing anything straight up in the air will cause it to hit you on the head, potentially fatally. This is especially true at staircases. Wearing protective headgear can reduce the damage, but it's better to simply avoid doing this. If in an undesirable polymorph, however, this "fatal" damage can be used to return you to your normal form sooner.
Throwing while levitating will propel you in the opposite direction. You will take damage if this propels you into a wall, even if you were already against the wall.

Range
When you throw an object, there is a maximum distance that it can travel before it falls to the ground and stops. If the object hits a monster or obstacle, it will stop immediately.
The range depends on the type of object and your strength,[4] as shown in the following table:

Item
Strength

3
4–5
6–7
8–9
10–11
12–13
14–15
16–17
18/00–18/31
18/32–21
22–23
24
25

Arrow, rock or gem (excluding loadstone)with appropriate launcher[5]

2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
13

Arrow or bolt without appropriate launcher[6]

0
1
1
2
2
3
3
4
4
5
5
6
6

Mjollnir[7]

—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
6

Other object with weight&nbsp;&lt; 40[8]

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
12

In addition:

For a crossbow bolts fired from a crossbow, the range is 8, independent of strength.[9][10]
For a wielded aklys, the range has a maximum of 4.[11]
For a boulder, the range is 20 (but boulders can only be thrown when you are polymorphed into a giant).[12]
For a heavy iron ball, the range is the same as for "other object with weight &lt; 40", minus the weight of the ball divided by 100 (rounded down).[13] This is capped at 5 when the ball is chained to you.[14]
A thrown loadstone always has a range of 1, unless you are wielding a sling, in which case the range is 2.[15] You cannot throw it at all if it is cursed.
For all other objects, the range is the same as for "other object with weight &lt; 40", minus the weight of the object divided by 40 (rounded down).[16]
If you are underwater, the range of any thrown object is 1.[17]
In any case, the range of a thrown object will always be at least 1, unless the object you are throwing is an arrow or bolt with no appropriate launcher (in which case the range is 0 if your Strength is 3), or a pile of gold (in which case the range is 0 if it is too heavy).[18]
References

↑ dothrow.c in NetHack 3.6.1, line 1703

↑ dokick.c in NetHack 3.4.3, line 323

↑ dothrow.c in NetHack 3.6.0, line 1420

↑ dothrow.c in NetHack 3.4.3, line 943

↑ dothrow.c in NetHack 3.4.3, line 961

↑ dothrow.c in NetHack 3.4.3, line 961

↑ dothrow.c in NetHack 3.4.3, line 977

↑ dothrow.c in NetHack 3.4.3, line 952

↑ src/dothrow.c in NetHack 3.6.6, line 1206

↑ include/hack.h in NetHack 3.6.6, line 18

↑ src/dothrow.c in NetHack 3.6.6, line 1255

↑ dothrow.c in NetHack 3.4.3, line 975

↑ dothrow.c in NetHack 3.4.3, line 950

↑ dothrow.c in NetHack 3.4.3, line 955

↑ dothrow.c in NetHack 3.4.3, line 961

↑ dothrow.c in NetHack 3.4.3, line 952

↑ dothrow.c in NetHack 3.4.3, line 981

↑ dothrow.c in NetHack 3.4.3, line 1739

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