Magic Affixes

The words that turn plain steel blue: what each prefix and suffix does, and which drops can carry it.

How magic items are named #

A magic item is named after its affixes: the prefix goes before the base name and the suffix after it, as in King's Long Sword of haste. An item has a prefix, a suffix or both. When the full name is too wide for the item panel, the base's short name is used instead: King's Bastard Sword of slaughter becomes King's Sword of slaughter.

When an item turns magic, it gets only a prefix 5 times in 24, only a suffix 5 times in 8, and both 1 time in 6.
Magic items found in the depths are unidentified (shop wares are not). Such an item shows only its base name, in blue, and its affixes do nothing until it is identified.
A staff with a spell is named after it (Long Staff of Fireball). It takes a prefix 1 time in 10 (any staff prefix, curses included), or always when the item may only have good affixes, but never a suffix.

Item level #

Every random item gets an item level from where it comes. When the item is made magic, each affix is drawn among those whose level lies between half the item level (never more than 25) and the item level. A level 20 item takes affixes of level 10 to 20; a level 60 item, 25 to 60. Weak affixes stop appearing on deep drops, and the strongest need a high item level.

Source	Item level	Magic
Monsters	the level of the monster type	on a lucky roll: 13% at item level 1, 21% at 10, 39% at 30
Unique monsters	the level of the monster type, +4	always
Elite packs (extra item, 40%)	the elite's own level (difficulty included, +2, at most 63), +4	always
Chests, sarcophagi, barrels, racks, bookcases	twice the depth	on a lucky roll; some containers always
Tostig's fine arms	your level −1 to +2 (from 1 to 30)	always
Hob the Lame	twice your level	always
Sabine's staves	twice her store level	always

Lucky roll. An item turns magic when a d100 roll comes up 10 or less (11%), or else when a second d100 roll is no higher than its item level. Rings, amulets and staves are always magic, and so is everything marked "always" above.
Curses. Items from unique monsters, elite packs, shops, some containers and the quest rewards of Nightmare and Hell may only take bonuses (affixes marked useful in the data, which is every bonus but Sharp). Of the other magic items, two in three are held to bonuses too; only the last third can roll a curse.
Alignment. A good-aligned prefix never comes with an evil-aligned suffix, and an evil-aligned prefix never with a good-aligned suffix.
Weight. Among the affixes that fit, each is drawn in proportion to its weight.
Value. Each affix adds a value between its two numbers, in proportion to its roll. The base value is then multiplied by the sum of the affixes' multipliers. When the multipliers add up to less than zero, the base value divided by that sum is taken off instead, which leaves most cursed items worth 1 gold.

Uniques follow the same item levels: see how uniques drop.

Normal, Nightmare and Hell #

Base items. On Nightmare monsters count 15 levels higher, and on Hell 30, when the game picks which base item they drop (unique monsters too). Heavy armour and great weapons can fall from the first depths; on Hell even a level 1 monster can drop any base item.
Affixes and uniques. The item level of a monster's drop stays the level of its monster type on every difficulty. A Full Plate Mail dropped on Hell by a weak monster still takes the affixes of a low item level.
Elite packs are the exception: their extra item uses the elite's full level. The strongest monster types are level 30, so their elites drop items of level 36 on Normal, 51 on Nightmare and 66 on Hell. The strongest affixes are level 60: only Hell elites of monster types of level 24 or more, and Hob the Lame once you reach level 30, offer items that high.
Chests and other containers use twice the depth on every difficulty.
Quest rewards on Nightmare and Hell become a random magic item of the same kind, with an item level of twice the quest's depth, +4.

Prefixes #

83 prefixes. Effects in blue help; effects in red are curses. A range is rolled when the item is made.

Prefix	Effect	Level	Item types	Kind	Alignment	Weight	Value
Tin	chance to hit: -6 to -10%	3	weapons, bows, jewellery	Curse	—	2	0, ×-3
Brass	chance to hit: -1 to -5%	1	weapons, bows, jewellery	Curse	—	2	0, ×-2
Bronze	chance to hit: +1–5%	1	weapons, bows, jewellery	Bonus	—	2	100–500, ×2
Iron	chance to hit: +6–10%	4	weapons, bows, jewellery	Bonus	—	2	600–1,000, ×3
Steel	chance to hit: +11–15%	6	weapons, bows, jewellery	Bonus	—	2	1,100–1,500, ×5
Silver	chance to hit: +16–20%	9	weapons, bows, jewellery	Bonus	Good	2	1,600–2,000, ×7
Gold	chance to hit: +21–30%	12	weapons, bows, jewellery	Bonus	Good	2	2,100–3,000, ×9
Platinum	chance to hit: +31–40%	16	weapons, bows	Bonus	Good	2	3,100–4,000, ×11
Mithril	chance to hit: +41–60%	20	weapons, bows	Bonus	Good	2	4,100–6,000, ×13
Meteoric	chance to hit: +61–80%	23	weapons, bows	Bonus	—	2	6,100–10,000, ×15
Weird	chance to hit: +81–100%	35	weapons, bows	Bonus	—	2	10,100–14,000, ×17
Strange	chance to hit: +101–150%	60	weapons, bows	Bonus	—	2	14,100–20,000, ×20
Useless	-100% damage	5	weapons, bows	Curse	—	2	0, ×-8
Bent	-50 to -75% damage	3	weapons, bows	Curse	—	2	0, ×-4
Weak	-25 to -45% damage	1	weapons, bows	Curse	—	2	0, ×-3
Jagged	+20–35% damage	4	weapons, bows	Bonus	—	2	250–450, ×3
Deadly	+36–50% damage	6	weapons, bows	Bonus	—	2	500–700, ×4
Heavy	+51–65% damage	9	weapons, bows	Bonus	—	2	750–950, ×5
Vicious	+66–80% damage	12	weapons, bows	Bonus	Evil	2	1,000–1,450, ×8
Brutal	+81–95% damage	16	weapons, bows	Bonus	—	2	1,500–1,950, ×10
Massive	+96–110% damage	20	weapons, bows	Bonus	—	2	2,000–2,450, ×13
Savage	+111–125% damage	23	weapons, bows	Bonus	—	2	2,500–3,000, ×15
Ruthless	+126–150% damage	35	weapons, bows	Bonus	—	2	10,100–15,000, ×17
Merciless	+151–175% damage	60	weapons, bows	Bonus	—	2	15,000–20,000, ×20
Clumsy	to hit: -6 to -10%, -50 to -75% damage	5	weapons, bows, staves	Curse	—	2	0, ×-7
Dull	to hit: -1 to -5%, -25 to -45% damage	1	weapons, bows, staves	Curse	—	2	0, ×-5
Sharp	to hit: +1–5%, +20–35% damage (never on good-only items)	1	weapons, bows, staves	Bonus	—	2	350–950, ×5
Fine	to hit: +6–10%, +36–50% damage	6	weapons, bows, staves	Bonus	—	2	1,100–1,700, ×7
Warrior's	to hit: +11–15%, +51–65% damage	10	weapons, bows, staves	Bonus	—	2	1,850–2,450, ×13
Soldier's	to hit: +16–20%, +66–80% damage	15	weapons, staves	Bonus	—	2	2,600–3,950, ×17
Lord's	to hit: +21–30%, +81–95% damage	19	weapons, staves	Bonus	—	2	4,100–5,950, ×21
Knight's	to hit: +31–40%, +96–110% damage	23	weapons, staves	Bonus	—	2	6,100–8,450, ×26
Master's	to hit: +41–50%, +111–125% damage	28	weapons, staves	Bonus	—	2	8,600–13,000, ×30
Champion's	to hit: +51–75%, +126–150% damage	40	weapons, staves	Bonus	—	2	15,200–24,000, ×33
King's	to hit: +76–100%, +151–175% damage	28	weapons, staves	Bonus	—	2	24,100–35,000, ×38
Vulnerable	-51 to -100% armor	3	armour, shields	Curse	—	2	0, ×-3
Rusted	-25 to -50% armor	1	armour, shields	Curse	—	2	0, ×-2
Fine	+20–30% armor	1	armour, shields	Bonus	—	2	20–100, ×2
Strong	+31–40% armor	3	armour, shields	Bonus	—	2	120–200, ×3
Grand	+41–55% armor	6	armour, shields	Bonus	—	2	220–300, ×5
Valiant	+56–70% armor	10	armour, shields	Bonus	—	2	320–400, ×7
Glorious	+71–90% armor	14	armour, shields	Bonus	Good	2	420–600, ×9
Blessed	+91–110% armor	19	armour, shields	Bonus	Good	2	620–800, ×11
Saintly	+111–130% armor	24	armour, shields	Bonus	Good	2	820–1,200, ×13
Awesome	+131–150% armor	28	armour, shields	Bonus	Good	2	1,220–2,000, ×15
Holy	+151–170% armor	35	armour, shields	Bonus	Good	2	5,200–6,000, ×17
Godly	+171–200% armor	60	armour, shields	Bonus	Good	2	6,200–7,000, ×20
Red	resist fire: +10–20%	4	weapons, bows, staves, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	500–1,500, ×2
Crimson	resist fire: +21–30%	10	weapons, bows, staves, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	2,100–3,000, ×2
Crimson	resist fire: +31–40%	16	weapons, bows, staves, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	3,100–4,000, ×2
Garnet	resist fire: +41–50%	20	weapons, bows, staves, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	8,200–12,000, ×3
Ruby	resist fire: +51–60%	26	weapons, bows, staves, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	17,100–20,000, ×5
Blue	resist lightning: +10–20%	4	weapons, bows, staves, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	500–1,500, ×2
Azure	resist lightning: +21–30%	10	weapons, bows, staves, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	2,100–3,000, ×2
Lapis	resist lightning: +31–40%	16	weapons, bows, staves, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	3,100–4,000, ×2
Cobalt	resist lightning: +41–50%	20	weapons, bows, staves, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	8,200–12,000, ×3
Sapphire	resist lightning: +51–60%	26	weapons, bows, staves, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	17,100–20,000, ×5
White	resist magic: +10–20%	4	weapons, bows, staves, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	500–1,500, ×2
Pearl	resist magic: +21–30%	10	weapons, bows, staves, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	2,100–3,000, ×2
Ivory	resist magic: +31–40%	16	weapons, bows, staves, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	3,100–4,000, ×2
Crystal	resist magic: +41–50%	20	weapons, bows, staves, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	8,200–12,000, ×3
Diamond	resist magic: +51–60%	26	weapons, bows, staves, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	17,100–20,000, ×5
Topaz	resist all: +10–15%	8	weapons, bows, staves, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	2,000–5,000, ×3
Amber	resist all: +16–20%	12	weapons, bows, staves, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	7,400–10,000, ×3
Jade	resist all: +21–30%	18	weapons, bows, staves, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	11,000–15,000, ×3
Obsidian	resist all: +31–40%	24	weapons, bows, staves, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	24,000–40,000, ×4
Emerald	resist all: +41–50%	31	weapons, bows, staves, shields	Bonus	—	1	61,000–75,000, ×7
Hyena's	mana: -11 to -25	4	staves, jewellery	Curse	—	1	100–1,000, ×-2
Frog's	mana: -1 to -10	1	staves, jewellery	Curse	Evil	1	0, ×-2
Spider's	mana: +10–15	1	staves, jewellery	Bonus	Evil	1	500–1,000, ×2
Raven's	mana: +15–20	5	staves, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	1,100–2,000, ×3
Snake's	mana: +21–30	9	staves, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	2,100–4,000, ×5
Serpent's	mana: +30–40	15	staves, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	4,100–6,000, ×7
Drake's	mana: +41–50	21	staves, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	6,100–10,000, ×9
Dragon's	mana: +51–60	27	staves, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	10,100–15,000, ×11
Wyrm's	mana: +61–80	35	staves	Bonus	—	1	15,100–19,000, ×12
Hydra's	mana: +81–100	60	staves	Bonus	—	1	19,100–30,000, ×13
Angel's	spell levels +1	15	staves	Bonus	Good	1	25,000, ×2
Arch-Angel's	spell levels +2	25	staves	Bonus	Good	1	50,000, ×3
Plentiful	extra charges (×2) (only on staves with a spell)	4	staves	Bonus	—	1	2,000, ×2
Bountiful	extra charges (×3) (only on staves with a spell)	9	staves	Bonus	—	1	3,000, ×3
Flaming	fire hit damage: 1–10	7	weapons, staves	Bonus	—	1	5,000, ×2
Lightning	lightning hit damage: 2–20	18	weapons, staves	Bonus	—	1	10,000, ×2

Suffixes #

95 suffixes.

Suffix	Effect	Level	Item types	Kind	Alignment	Weight	Value
of quality	+1–2 points of damage	2	weapons, bows	Bonus	—	1	100–200, ×2
of maiming	+3–5 points of damage	7	weapons, bows	Bonus	—	1	1,300–1,500, ×3
of slaying	+6–8 points of damage	15	weapons	Bonus	—	1	2,600–3,000, ×5
of gore	+9–12 points of damage	25	weapons	Bonus	—	1	4,100–5,000, ×8
of carnage	+13–16 points of damage	35	weapons	Bonus	—	1	5,100–10,000, ×10
of slaughter	+17–20 points of damage	60	weapons	Bonus	—	1	10,100–15,000, ×13
of pain	+2–4 damage taken from enemies	4	armour, shields, jewellery	Curse	Evil	1	0, ×-4
of tears	+1 damage taken from enemies	2	armour, shields, jewellery	Curse	Evil	1	0, ×-2
of health	-1 damage taken from enemies	2	armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	Good	1	200, ×2
of protection	-2 damage taken from enemies	6	armour, shields	Bonus	Good	1	400–800, ×4
of absorption	-3 damage taken from enemies	12	armour, shields	Bonus	Good	1	1,001–2,500, ×10
of deflection	-4 damage taken from enemies	20	armour	Bonus	Good	1	2,500–6,500, ×15
of osmosis	-5 to -6 damage taken from enemies	50	armour	Bonus	Good	1	7,500–10,000, ×20
of frailty	-6 to -10 to strength	3	weapons, bows, armour, shields, jewellery	Curse	Evil	1	0, ×-3
of weakness	-1 to -5 to strength	1	weapons, bows, armour, shields, jewellery	Curse	Evil	1	0, ×-2
of strength	+1–5 to strength	1	weapons, bows, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	200–1,000, ×2
of might	+6–10 to strength	5	weapons, bows, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	1,200–2,000, ×3
of power	+11–15 to strength	11	weapons, bows, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	2,200–3,000, ×4
of giants	+16–20 to strength	17	weapons, bows, armour, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	3,200–5,000, ×7
of titans	+21–30 to strength	23	weapons, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	5,200–10,000, ×10
of paralysis	-6 to -10 to dexterity	3	weapons, bows, armour, shields, jewellery	Curse	Evil	1	0, ×-3
of atrophy	-1 to -5 to dexterity	1	weapons, bows, armour, shields, jewellery	Curse	Evil	1	0, ×-2
of dexterity	+1–5 to dexterity	1	weapons, bows, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	200–1,000, ×2
of skill	+6–10 to dexterity	5	weapons, bows, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	1,200–2,000, ×3
of accuracy	+11–15 to dexterity	11	weapons, bows, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	2,200–3,000, ×4
of precision	+16–20 to dexterity	17	weapons, bows, armour, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	3,200–5,000, ×7
of perfection	+21–30 to dexterity	23	bows, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	5,200–10,000, ×10
of the fool	-6 to -10 to magic	3	weapons, bows, staves, armour, shields, jewellery	Curse	Evil	1	0, ×-3
of dyslexia	-1 to -5 to magic	1	weapons, bows, staves, armour, shields, jewellery	Curse	Evil	1	0, ×-2
of magic	+1–5 to magic	1	weapons, bows, staves, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	200–1,000, ×2
of the mind	+6–10 to magic	5	weapons, bows, staves, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	1,200–2,000, ×3
of brilliance	+11–15 to magic	11	weapons, bows, staves, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	2,200–3,000, ×4
of sorcery	+16–20 to magic	17	weapons, bows, staves, armour, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	3,200–5,000, ×7
of wizardry	+21–30 to magic	23	staves, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	5,200–10,000, ×10
of illness	-6 to -10 to vitality	3	weapons, bows, armour, shields, jewellery	Curse	Evil	1	0, ×-3
of disease	-1 to -5 to vitality	1	weapons, bows, armour, shields, jewellery	Curse	Evil	1	0, ×-2
of vitality	+1–5 to vitality	1	weapons, bows, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	Good	1	200–1,000, ×2
of zest	+6–10 to vitality	5	weapons, bows, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	Good	1	1,200–2,000, ×3
of vim	+11–15 to vitality	11	weapons, bows, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	Good	1	2,200–3,000, ×4
of vigor	+16–20 to vitality	17	weapons, bows, armour, jewellery	Bonus	Good	1	3,200–5,000, ×7
of life	+21–30 to vitality	23	jewellery	Bonus	Good	1	5,200–10,000, ×10
of trouble	-6 to -10 to all attributes	12	weapons, bows, armour, shields, jewellery	Curse	Evil	1	0, ×-10
of the pit	-1 to -5 to all attributes	5	weapons, bows, armour, shields, jewellery	Curse	Evil	1	0, ×-5
of the sky	+1–3 to all attributes	5	weapons, bows, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	800–4,000, ×5
of the moon	+4–7 to all attributes	11	weapons, bows, armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	4,800–8,000, ×10
of the stars	+8–11 to all attributes	17	weapons, bows, armour, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	8,800–12,000, ×15
of the heavens	+12–15 to all attributes	25	weapons, bows, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	12,800–20,000, ×20
of the zodiac	+16–20 to all attributes	30	jewellery	Bonus	—	1	20,800–40,000, ×30
of the vulture	life: -11 to -25	4	armour, shields, jewellery	Curse	Evil	1	0, ×-4
of the jackal	life: -1 to -10	1	armour, shields, jewellery	Curse	Evil	1	0, ×-2
of the fox	life: +10–15	1	armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	100–1,000, ×2
of the jaguar	life: +16–20	5	armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	1,100–2,000, ×3
of the eagle	life: +21–30	9	armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	2,100–4,000, ×5
of the wolf	life: +30–40	15	armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	4,100–6,000, ×7
of the tiger	life: +41–50	21	armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	6,100–10,000, ×9
of the lion	life: +51–60	27	armour, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	10,100–15,000, ×11
of the mammoth	life: +61–80	35	armour	Bonus	—	1	15,100–19,000, ×12
of the whale	life: +81–100	60	armour	Bonus	—	1	19,100–30,000, ×13
of fragility	decreased durability (to 1)	3	weapons, armour, shields	Curse	Evil	1	0, ×-4
of brittleness	decreased durability (-26 to -75%)	1	weapons, armour, shields	Curse	Evil	1	0, ×-2
of sturdiness	high durability (+26–75%)	1	weapons, armour, shields	Bonus	—	1	100, ×2
of craftsmanship	high durability (+51–100%)	6	weapons, armour, shields	Bonus	—	1	200, ×2
of structure	high durability (+101–200%)	12	weapons, armour, shields	Bonus	—	1	300, ×2
of the ages	indestructible	25	weapons, armour, shields	Bonus	—	1	600, ×5
of the dark	-40% light radius	6	weapons, armour, jewellery	Curse	Evil	1	0, ×-3
of the night	-20% light radius	3	weapons, armour, jewellery	Curse	Evil	1	0, ×-2
of light	+20% light radius	4	weapons, armour, jewellery	Bonus	Good	1	750, ×2
of radiance	+40% light radius	8	weapons, armour, jewellery	Bonus	Good	1	1,500, ×3
of flame	fire arrow damage: 1–3	1	bows	Bonus	—	1	2,000, ×2
of fire	fire arrow damage: 1–6	11	bows	Bonus	—	1	4,000, ×4
of burning	fire arrow damage: 1–16	35	bows	Bonus	—	1	6,000, ×6
of shock	lightning arrow damage: 1–6	13	bows	Bonus	—	1	6,000, ×2
of lightning	lightning arrow damage: 1–10	21	bows	Bonus	—	1	8,000, ×4
of thunder	lightning arrow damage: 1–20	60	bows	Bonus	—	1	12,000, ×6
of many	high durability (+100%)	3	bows	Bonus	—	1	750, ×2
of plenty	high durability (+200%)	7	bows	Bonus	—	1	1,500, ×3
of thorns	attackers take 1–3 damage	1	armour, shields	Bonus	—	1	500, ×2
of corruption	drains all mana	5	weapons, armour, shields	Curse	Evil	1	-1,000, ×2
of thieves	halves trap damage	11	armour, shields, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	1,500, ×2
of the bear	knocks the target back	5	weapons, bows, staves	Bonus	Evil	1	750, ×2
of the bat	hits steal 3% mana	8	weapons	Bonus	—	1	7,500, ×3
of vampires	hits steal 5% mana	19	weapons	Bonus	—	1	15,000, ×3
of the leech	hits steal 3% life	8	weapons	Bonus	—	1	7,500, ×3
of blood	hits steal 5% life	19	weapons	Bonus	—	1	15,000, ×3
of piercing	pierces the target's armor: 2–6	1	weapons, bows	Bonus	—	1	1,000, ×3
of puncturing	pierces the target's armor: 4–12	9	weapons, bows	Bonus	—	1	2,000, ×6
of bashing	pierces the target's armor: 8–24	17	weapons	Bonus	—	1	4,000, ×12
of readiness	quick attack	1	weapons, bows, staves	Bonus	—	1	2,000, ×2
of swiftness	fast attack	10	weapons, bows, staves	Bonus	—	1	4,000, ×4
of speed	faster attack	19	weapons, staves	Bonus	—	1	8,000, ×8
of haste	fastest attack	27	weapons, staves	Bonus	—	1	16,000, ×16
of balance	fast hit recovery	1	armour, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	2,000, ×2
of stability	faster hit recovery	10	armour, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	4,000, ×4
of harmony	fastest hit recovery	20	armour, jewellery	Bonus	—	1	8,000, ×8
of blocking	fast block	5	shields	Bonus	—	1	4,000, ×4