# Invulnerability
Invulnerability is a condition temporarily granted to the player while they make a successful prayer to their own god. Prayer requires three turns,[1] and invulnerability is in effect until the prayer ends. Invulnerability protects the player from most harmful effects, but poison clouds and mind flayers' psychic blasts can still deal damage.
While you are invulnerable:

Monsters pull back from making melee attacks against you, and grabbing monsters loosen their grip.[2]
Swallowing attacks have no effect.[3]
You are considered unencumbered for healing and exercise/abuse purposes.[4]
Teleportitis does not operate.[5]
Harassment from the Wizard of Yendor does not operate; e.g. the Wizard will not reappear.[6]
If trapped in lava, you will not sink further.[7]
You do not become hungrier.[8]
Timeouts other than for Luck do not operate; in particular, stoning, sliming, strangulation, vomiting, and sickness freeze at the point where the prayer began.[9]
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, drinking a potion of invulnerability grants an effect that is vastly different from the invulnerability caused by praying. This sort of invulnerability does not prevent death by any source other than hit-point loss.

References

↑ pray.c in NetHack 3.4.3, line 1582

↑ mhitu.c in NetHack 3.4.3, line 528

↑ mhitu.c in NetHack 3.4.3, line 332

↑ allmain.c in NetHack 3.4.3, line 154

↑ allmain.c in NetHack 3.4.3, line 219

↑ allmain.c in NetHack 3.4.3, line 266

↑ allmain.c in NetHack 3.4.3, line 362

↑ gethungry in eat.c

↑ timeout.c in NetHack 3.4.3, line 185

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It may contain text specific to NetHack 3.4.3. Information on this page may be out of date.
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