# Thiefbane

)   Thiefbane   

Base item

long sword

Damage vs. small

1d8 +1 + level drain + cancellation + beheading

Damage vs. large

1d12 +1 + level drain + cancellation + beheading

To-hit bonus

+5

Bonus versus

@

Weapon skill

long sword

Size

one-handed

Affiliation

chaotic

When carried

(none)

When wielded

(none)

When invoked

(none)

Base price

1500 zm

Weight

40

Material

iron

Thiefbane is always generated in the inventory of One-Eyed Sam (unless wished for before Sam is generated). Thiefbane is typically generated with an enchantment, but the greater prize is the instadeath by decapitation (10% chance) on monsters symbolized by @. Thiefbane also has a 1 in 6 chance of canceling whatever it hits, which is probably you.[1]
Note that Thiefbane may blast you, even if you are chaotic.

Acquiring Thiefbane
Given that One-eyed Sam is level 24 and carries most of an ascension kit, it's usually a bad idea to simply engage her in melee. A scroll of earth or scroll of flood may fix One-eyed Sam on her spot (assuming she is not flying), and highly enchanted firearms or poisoned darts work fine for the kill. More suggestions can be found at the black market page.
However, this is not neccessary to acquire Thiefbane. If you are appropriately fast, armored, brave, or stupid, and you have the disarm technique and can hit with something you are at least skilled in, you can steal Thiefbane. Be aware that you still risk decapitation. If you try that, you will need an escape plan that works despite the black market's restrictions. One way is to apply (break) a wand of digging, trapping her (away from the door).  Note that unless you are wearing an amulet of life saving, you don't really need an escape plan, since you won't be around to use it.

UnNetHack
In UnNetHack, Thiefbane's base item class has been changed to two-handed sword and the player is in danger of being decapitated even if not in a form symbolized by @.
As if that's not hard enough, UnNethack does not allow Thiefbane to be wished for (the code calls this wishing abuse).[2] So you're going to have to fight her and her sword.

References

↑ src/artifact.c in UnNetHack revision 1406, line 1206

↑ src/objnam.c in UnNetHack revision 1406, line 3036