# Talk:Intelligent artifact
When do you get blasted? It seems like it's when you pick them up, but it doesn't seem entirely clear—is it that, or when you apply/invoke them? Rezecib 14:04, March 30, 2010 (UTC)

You get blasted when you pick up the artifact, remove it from a container, apply, wield, put on, or invoke (even if unsuccessful). You do not get blasted when you drop it or put it into a container. You might get blasted upon eating it or sacrificing it, although that would require either polymorph or playing SLASH'EM (hand of vecna and eye of the beholder can blast you. Bad idea to eat them anyways). -- Qazmlpok 15:16, March 30, 2010 (UTC)
Do you get blasted before or after any other effects? For example, if a non-healer #invokes the Staff of Aesculapius, does it first blast and then restore half of missing HP, or does the healing effect happen before the blasting? --169.253.194.1 13:38, 27 April 2012 (UTC)
You get blasted before the other effects. So, #invoking the Staff of Aesculapius to restore HP is a bad idea for non-healers, unless they have enough HP to survive the blast. Similarly, if you wish for or pick up another role's quest artifact that gives magic resistance, but don't have another source of magic resistance, you take the full 4d10 damage, not the reduced 2d10. The magic resistance doesn't activate until after the blast. --Erica 14:17, 27 April 2012 (UTC)
SLASH'EM
Are all the alignment quest artifacts intelligent? What about the keys? Seems like the cross-aligned quests will end with a big blast. -- Slandor 03:12, June 23, 2010 (UTC)

Yeah, they're all intelligent. Which of course means you will have to deal with 8d10 blasting damage at least twice, probably more. I think magic resistance only reduces it to 6d10, so that's not too much help. I suppose this could be a problem for pacifists, at least until they start alchemizing potions of healing. -Ion frigate 04:01, June 23, 2010 (UTC)
Ain't it 4d10 , twice? at minima?Newtkiller 05:03, June 23, 2010 (UTC)
It's 8d10 in SLASH'EM, at least per artifact blast (and my own experience). You'll end up being blasted at least twice, once when picking up a needed cross-aligned key, and once when using said key in Vlad's Tower. -Ion frigate 07:32, June 23, 2010 (UTC)
Are these the only new intelligent artifacts in SLASH'EM (besides the new quest artifacts)? Anyway, seems like I shouldn't try the Chaotic Quest with 110 HP no matter how many Elbereths I can burn. --Slandor 13:31, June 23, 2010 (UTC)
Shit, I was totally wrong.  Only the alignment keys are intelligent, the quest artifacts are not.  I'll go back and change that now...  As for the chaotic quest, I would definitely try it with 110 HP, it's not so much how many HP you have, but how quickly you can take out the liches.  If the portal lands you well away from the main body of them, you can lure them away one at a time; if it lands you in the middle of them, then they'll probably start summoning undead/nasties quicker than you can kill them. -Ion frigate 22:59, June 23, 2010 (UTC)
"evade your grasp"
if you try to take something out of a container and it evades your grasp, do you fail to take it out or do you take it out then drop it?
do the other methods of getting stuff into your inventory also cause the "evades your grasp" message? for example, polyed into an engulfing monster or a nymph. --194.116.198.179 11:22, 12 August 2011 (UTC)
The artifact will blast you, "evade your grasp", and remain in the container
Presumably, but to my knowledge monsters don't pick up quest artifacts anyways since it would blast them. IIRC stealing stormbringer/excalibur while not of the proper alignment will blast you, so I imagine that if you could steal a quest artifact it would continue to evade your grasp. I also wasn't aware it was possible to get a monster's inventory by engulfing; are you sure about that? -- Qazmlpok 12:23, 12 August 2011 (UTC)
i wasn't making statements, just asking questions. as a purple worm, can you engulf a covetous monster with the amulet? as a gelatinous cube, can you pick up an artefact? if you pick up a container would you digest it and would the item go into your inventory? thinking about a stunt run with all the class artefacts. would it be possible? pudding wishing? careful (wizzard?) bones with all the ones you can't pick up in a container?  hmm. --212.183.128.45 18:39, 12 August 2011 (UTC)
You cannot engulf containers with contents, as opposed to real monster gelatinous cubes. You can pick up all artifacts if you're (converted to) neutral and use a helm of opposite alignment. Pets do pick up quest artifacts and get their when-carried effects, even cross-aligned ones, but will not hang on to them or otherwise use them unless it's coaligned armor or weapon. --Tjr 18:47, 12 August 2011 (UTC)