In SLASH'EM, items may be upgraded into other objects, by dipping them into a potion of gain level[1], or by the gnomish tinker technique. Listed are the various item transformations. If an object has multiple possible upgrades listed, the upgrades are equally likely unless otherwise noted. Note that upgrading objects does not break polymorphless conduct, and upgraded objects do not need to be dipped in a potion of restore ability to make the upgrade permanent, as polymorphed objects do in SLASH'EM. Much information taken from (and thanks to) Eva Myers's spoiler[2].
Weapons and ammunition[]
Daggers[]
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Orcish dagger | Dagger |
| Dagger | elven dagger, or dark elven dagger |
| Great dagger | |
| Elven dagger | Great dagger |
| Dark elven dagger |
This is a good source of great daggers, since they are never randomly generated. Great daggers never stack, but there is a bug in item upgrading that enables you to make a stack of great daggers by upgrading a stack of elven or dark elven daggers.
Short swords[]
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Orcish short sword | Short sword |
| Elven short sword | Dwarvish short sword |
| Dark elven short sword | |
| Short sword | |
| Dwarvish short sword | elven short sword, or dark elven short sword |
Bows[]
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Elven bow | Bow |
| Dark elven bow | |
| Yumi | |
| Orcish bow | |
| Bow | elven bow, dark elven bow, or yumi |
Arrows[]
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Elven arrow | Arrow |
| Dark elven arrow | |
| Ya | |
| Orcish arrow | |
| Arrow | elven arrow, dark elven arrow, or ya |
Other weapons[]
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Knife | Stiletto |
| Stiletto | Knife |
| Axe | Battle-axe |
| Battle-axe | Axe |
| Pick-axe | Dwarvish mattock |
| Dwarvish mattock | Pick-axe |
| Broadsword | Elven broadsword |
| Elven broadsword | Broadsword |
| Club | Aklys |
| Aklys | Club |
| War hammer | Heavy hammer |
| Heavy hammer | War hammer |
Armor[]
Cloaks[]
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Cloak of protection | oilskin cloak, or elven cloak |
| Cloak of invisibility | |
| Cloak of magic resistance | |
| Cloak of displacement | |
| Dwarvish cloak | |
| Orcish cloak | |
| Oilskin cloak | cloak of protection, cloak of invisibility, cloak of magic resistance, or cloak of displacement |
| Elven cloak |
Helmets[]
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Fedora | Elven leather helm |
| Elven leather helm | Fedora |
| Dented pot | Orcish helm |
| Orcish helm | Dwarvish iron helm |
| Helm of brilliance | |
| Helm of telepathy | |
| Dwarvish iron helm | helm of brilliance, or helm of telepathy |
| Cornuthaum | Dunce cap |
| Dunce cap | Cornuthaum |
Gloves[]
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Leather gloves | gauntlets of swimming, or gauntlets of dexterity |
| Gauntlets of swimming | Leather gloves |
| Gauntlets of dexterity |
Shields[]
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Elven shield | Uruk-hai shield, or orcish shield |
| Uruk-hai shield | Elven shield |
| Orcish shield | |
| Dwarvish roundshield | Large shield |
| Large shield | Dwarvish roundshield |
Robes[]
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Robe | robe of protection, or robe of power |
| Robe of protection | Robe |
| Robe of power |
Other armor[]
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Elven mithril-coat | Dark elven mithril-coat |
| Dark elven mithril-coat | Elven mithril-coat |
| Orcish chain mail | Chain mail |
| Chain mail | Orcish chain mail |
| Studded leather armour | Leather armour |
| Leather jacket | |
| Leather armour | Studded leather armour |
| Low boots | High boots |
| High boots | Low boots |
Tools[]
Containers[]
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Large box | Chest |
| Ice box | |
| Chest | Ice box |
| Sack | 4/5 chance of oilskin sack, 1/5 chance of bag of holding |
| Oilskin sack | Bag of holding |
| Bag of holding | Oilskin sack |
Magical tools[]
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Tin whistle | Magic whistle |
| Magic whistle | Tin whistle |
| Wooden flute | Magic flute (10-14 charges) |
| Magic flute | Wooden flute |
| Tooled horn | frost horn, fire horn, or horn of plenty |
| Horn of plenty | Tooled horn |
| Fire horn | |
| Frost horn | |
| Wooden harp | Magic harp (10-14 charges) |
| Magic harp | Wooden harp |
| Crystal ball | Magic marker |
| Magic marker | Crystal ball (3-12 charges, unless marker had fewer) |
Mundane tools[]
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Towel | Blindfold |
| Blindfold | Towel |
| Credit card | Skeleton key |
| Lock pick | |
| Skeleton key | Lock pick |
| Leash | Saddle |
| Saddle | Leash |
| Tin opener | Tinning kit (70-99 charges) |
| Tinning kit | Tin opener |
| Tallow candle | Wax candle |
| Wax candle | Tallow candle |
| Oil lamp | Brass lantern |
| Brass lantern | Oil lamp |
Food[]
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| K-ration | cram ration, or food ration |
| C-ration | |
| Lembas wafer | |
| Food ration | Lembas wafer |
| Cram ration |
Stones[]
| Old Object | New Object |
|---|---|
| Loadstone | Flint stone |
| Flint stone | luckstone, or healthstone |
Strategy[]
Upgrading objects, either by potions of gain level or the tinker techinque, is the "poor hacker's polypiling"[3]. It can be used to get some good items without many of the the risks of polypiling. Most of the transformations are also reversible, although polypiling in SLASH'EM is by default reversible, since objects revert after some time. Also note that most of the magical items transform into other magical items, and mundane items change into other mundane items. Thus, with a few exceptions, it is not a viable way to make more magical items for polypiling. However, many useful items can be obtained, including helms of brilliance, healthstones, tinning kits and magic markers.
Cost and safety[]
One potion is used up per item (or stack of items) transformed, if using a potion of gain level. If using the tinker technique, much more time passes, using up food, and spawning enemies. Thus gnomes can save on potions, but must find a safe place to tinker, so they are neither interrupted or killed. Boulder forts work well, but may be hard to come by early in the game. Shops work very well in the early game, with the door locked. If you lack a way of (un)locking the door, you can also pick up an unpaid item, and let the shopkeeper block the door. Be sure not to stand in a straight line from the door, so monsters can't shoot you, and beware tunneling monsters.
Enchanted armor and weapons[]
One good use of upgrading is to get highly-enchanted armor or weapons. A +5 orcish helm may be upgraded into a +5 helm of brilliance. Also, since many transformations are reversible, the player may change a highly enchanted piece of armor from one type to another. For example, a wizard has less use of a +3 helm of telepathy than a +3 helm of brilliance. Similarly, a player could upgrade a +2 orcish dagger into a +2 great dagger, for two-weaponing with (or skill-training for) Magicbane.
Polyfodder[]
Objects may also be upgraded for use in polypiling. Most magical items transform into other magical items, and most mundane items transform into other mundane items. Thus upgrading objects for polyfodder will often be a waste of potions or time spent tinkering. The exceptions are mundane items which transform into magical items:
- flint stones
- dwarvish helms
- orcish helms
- dented pots
- dwarvish cloaks
- orcish cloaks
- leather gloves
- robes
- tin whistles
- wooden harps
- wooden flutes
- tooled horns
- sacks
