# Trouble
For the Wizard of Yendor's ability to clone himself, see Double Trouble.
A trouble is an unfortunate condition that might be fixed by a prayer to your god. There are two kinds: a major trouble is more serious and will usually be fixed by any successful prayer, whereas a minor trouble is less serious and will usually only be fixed when praying on a coaligned altar.

Contents

1 Major troubles

1.1 Critical HP

2 Minor troubles
3 Uncursing items

3.1 Major troubles
3.2 Minor troubles

4 References

Major troubles
This table lists major troubles, from most to least urgent. If you have multiple troubles, and only one is fixed, it will be the first one in this table.

Trouble
Condition
Remedy

Stoning

You are turning to stone by some non-instantaneous means.

The stoning condition is cured.

Sliming

You are turning to slime.

The sliming condition is cured.

Strangulation

You are wearing an amulet of strangulation, of any BUC.

The amulet is destroyed.

Standing in lava

You are trapped in lava.

You are teleported to a safe position.

Sickness

You are afflicted by a disease attack or by food poisoning

Your sickness is cured.

Severe hunger

Your hunger status is weak or worse.

Your nutrition value is set to 900.

Low HP

Your current hit points are critically low. See below for specifics

Your max HP is increased 1d5 if below 5*level + 11, and your HP is restored to maximum.

Lycanthropy

You are afflicted by lycanthropy.

Your lycanthropy is cured.

Extreme encumbrance

Your encumbrance is overtaxed or worse, and your strength has been drained by at least 4.

Your strength is restored to its normal value.

Stuck in a wall

You are surrounded in all eight directions by solid rock, the edges of the map, or blocked boulders. Boulders are considered blocked by rock, map edges, and other boulders, but only if you are not a giant. Xorns and earth elementals are never considered stuck.

You are teleported to a safe position. In NetHack 3.6.1, if this fails, you are given phasing for 4d4+4 turns.

Cursed levitation

You are wearing a cursed ring of levitation or cursed levitation boots.

The item is made uncursed.

No free hands

You have no free hands. This can be caused by wielding a cursed two-handed weapon, wielding a cursed weapon and a cursed shield, or by being polymorphed into a form that has no hands.

Any curse on your wielded weapon is removed; this will not remove the curse on your shield. If your polymorphed form has no hands, you are reverted to your normal form, provided you are not wearing an amulet of unchanging. If you are, and the amulet is cursed, the curse is removed instead.

Cursed blindness

You are wearing a cursed blindfold or cursed towel.

The item is made uncursed.

Critical HP
In versions of NetHack prior to 3.6.0 and derived variants, your current HP is considered critically low when it is less than or equal to 1⁄7 of your maximum HP, or less than or equal to 5 HP.
NetHack 3.6.0 changes the calculation to take your experience level into account. If your maximum HP is greater than (level&nbsp;×&nbsp;15), it will be treated as being (level&nbsp;×&nbsp;15) for this purpose. Your level is also used to determine what fraction of your maximum HP is considered critically low:

Experience level
Threshold

1–5

1⁄5

6–13

1⁄6

14–21

1⁄7

22–29

1⁄8

30

1⁄9

If your current HP is less than or equal to the given fraction of your maximum HP, or less than or equal to 5, you are considered critically injured.

Minor troubles
This table lists minor troubles, from most to least urgent. If you have multiple minor troubles (and no major ones), but only one is fixed, it will be the first one in this table.

Trouble
Condition
Remedy

Punishment

You are attached to an iron ball and chain.

Your punishment is lifted.

Cursed fumbling

You are wearing cursed gauntlets of fumbling or fumble boots.

The item is made uncursed.

Cursed item

You have a cursed item worn or wielded, a cursed item in your alternate-weapon slot, or a cursed luckstone or loadstone in your open inventory. (The Tsurugi of Muramasa counts as a luckstone.)  Since NetHack 3.6.1, a worn cursed helm of opposite alignment is not considered a problem.

The item is made uncursed.

Cursed saddle

You are riding a steed with a cursed saddle.

The item is made uncursed.

Blindness

You have been temporarily blinded.

Your blindness is cured.

Attribute loss

One or more of your attributes has been reduced from its normal value.

All of your attributes are restored.

Wounded legs

Your legs are wounded.

Your legs are cured.

Hunger

Your hunger status is hungry.

Your nutrition value is set to 900.

Stunning

You have been stunned.

The stun effect is removed.

Confusion

You are confused.

Your confusion is cured.

Hallucination

You are hallucinating.

Your hallucination is cured.

Uncursing items
If you have multiple cursed items causing you trouble, they will be uncursed in the following order:

Major troubles
Levitation boots
Ring of levitation (left hand)
Ring of levitation (right hand)
Two-handed weapon, or one-handed weapon while wearing a cursed shield
Blindfold or towel
Minor troubles
Gauntlets of fumbling
Fumble boots
Loadstone, if strained or worse
One-handed weapon, if wearing a ring on your right hand[1]
Gloves
Shield
Cloak
Body armor
Helm
Boots
Shirt
Amulet
Left ring
Right ring
Lenses
Weapon
Alternate weapon (not wielded)
First item in your inventory that is a luckstone, loadstone, or the Tsurugi of Muramasa
References

↑ The code specifies two-handed weapons here too, but as a major trouble that should have been fixed already. (pray.c#line217)

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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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