Mechanic
Thorns
Thorns is Hit damage dealt as a separate hit. By default, a character with Thorns retaliates when an enemy hits them with a Melee Attack.0.5.4d
Current data
Catalog version 0.5.4d
No direct 0.5 patch change is linked to this page. The displayed values are current for catalog version 0.5.4d.
What Thorns does
Current rulesBuild a Thorns value, then let an enemy hit you with a Melee Attack to trigger the default retaliation. The resulting Thorns hit is neither Attack nor Spell damage. Scale it with applicable Thorns, damage-type, critical, ailment, penetration, and enemy-side modifiers rather than Attack, Spell, weapon, Melee, or Projectile modifiers.
- Thorns is Hit damage
- A Thorns retaliation creates its own Hit against the enemy. It resolves independently from the enemy Hit that triggered it and can use the normal rules for damage types, Critical Hits, mitigation, and ailments.
- Default trigger is a Melee Attack Hit
- If you have Thorns damage, you inherently retaliate when an enemy hits you with a Melee Attack. A source must explicitly expand this trigger before a ranged Attack, Spell, or other Hit can cause the same retaliation.
- Attack and Spell modifiers do not apply
- Thorns is not Attack or Spell damage. It is also not inherently Melee, Projectile, or damage with a particular weapon, so modifiers restricted to those classifications do not scale the Thorns hit.
- Use the Thorns damage type
- Physical Thorns can use applicable Physical Damage modifiers and is mitigated by Armour unless an effect ignores it. Fire, Cold, Lightning, or Chaos Thorns instead use their matching damage-type rules.
- Critical chance starts at zero
- Thorns has 0% base Critical Hit Chance unless a passive, item, or other effect grants Thorns Critical Hit Chance. Increased Critical Hit Chance has nothing to multiply until a base chance exists.
- Other Thorns hits are not always retaliation
- An item, skill, or support can deal your Thorns damage at another time. That hit still deals Thorns damage, but effects that specifically require you to Retaliate do not apply unless the action is a retaliation.
Ways to gain, trigger, and scale Thorns
6 casesFlat Thorns damage
Equipment, runes, essences, passives, and unique effects can grant a flat Physical or elemental Thorns damage range.
Currency: Essence of Hysteria, Greater Rune of TithingRelated: Crown of Thorns, Icetomb, Cloak of FlameExpanded triggers
Specific items can make Thorns retaliate against more kinds of Hits or deal Thorns damage when you hit an enemy yourself.
Related: Crown of the Pale King, Prized PainCritical Thorns
First gain base Thorns Critical Hit Chance. Briarpatch and Thornhide are examples. Then applicable increases to Critical Hit Chance and Critical Damage Bonus can improve the separate Thorns hit.
Related: Briarpatch, Critical Hit, Critical Damage Bonus, ThornhidePassive-tree scaling
Current notable passives can derive Physical Thorns from Body Armour, increase damage after blocking, leech Thorns damage as Life, ignore Armour, or grant base Critical Hit Chance.
Related: Revenge, Retaliation, Vengeance, Spiked Armour, ThornhideLimits and exceptions
4 rules- Modifiers restricted to Attack, Spell, Melee, Projectile, a weapon type, or local weapon damage do not apply to the separate Thorns hit.
- Default retaliation requires an enemy Melee Attack Hit. Other trigger conditions need explicit wording.
- Dealing Thorns damage through another effect does not automatically count as Retaliating.
- Thorns cannot critically hit until an effect grants base Thorns Critical Hit Chance.
Related pages
16 connectionsmechanicHit
unique itemCrown of Thorns
unique itemCrown of the Pale King
unique itemPrized Pain
skillBriarpatch
unique itemIcetomb
unique itemCloak of Flame
currencyEssence of Hysteria
currencyGreater Rune of Tithing
A Hit is an instantaneous damage event. Any damage that is not damage over time is Hit damage, whether it comes from an Attack, a Spell, Thorns, or another effect.
mechanicAttackAn Attack is a skill with the Attack tag. It normally takes its base damage, attack speed, and base Critical Hit Chance from an equipped Martial Weapon, unless the skill states a different rule.
mechanicSpellA Spell is a skill with the Spell tag. Any base damage, Cast Time, and base Critical Hit Chance it lists come from the skill rather than the inherent damage, Attack Speed, or base Critical Hit Chance on a weapon.
mechanicMeleeMelee Attacks directly hit with a Strike or deal Melee damage through a Slam. They usually scale from a Martial Weapon or Unarmed base, but Melee is not a damage type and does not include Projectiles created by the Attack.
mechanicCritical HitCritical Hits deal +100% extra damage (i.e. twice as much damage) by default. Critical Damage Bonuses can further modify this value.
mechanicCritical Damage BonusCritical Damage Bonus determines how much extra damage a Critical Hit deals. The default player and minion value is +100%, so an otherwise identical Critical Hit deals twice the damage of a non-critical Hit.
mechanicBleedingBleeding is a damaging Ailment that deals Physical damage over time and bypasses Energy Shield. It lasts five seconds by default and requires an explicit chance or effect that can inflict Bleeding.
mechanicPoisonPoison is a damaging Ailment that deals Chaos damage over time and bypasses Energy Shield. It lasts two seconds by default and requires an explicit chance or effect that can inflict Poison.
unique itemCrown of Thorns+(100-150) to maximum Energy Shield
unique itemCrown of the Pale King(50-100)% increased Armour and Energy Shield
unique itemPrized Pain+(20-30) to Strength
skillBriarpatchWhile active, a portion of the Physical Attack damage you deal is stored. Casting a Spell uses the stored damage to create a patch of Thorny Ground that deals Spell damage to moving enemies.
unique itemIcetomb+(20-30) to Strength
unique itemCloak of Flame+(30-50) to maximum Energy Shield
currencyEssence of HysteriaRemoves a random modifier and augments a Rare item with a new guaranteed modifier
currencyGreater Rune of TithingMartial Weapon: Meta Skills gain 10% increased Energy
Related mechanics
1
Items and gems using this mechanic
24 connections
Direct relationBeetlebite(20-30)% increased Movement Speed
Direct relationBelly of the Beast(100-150)% increased Armour and Evasion
Direct relationBriarpatch(10-20)% increased Movement Speed
Direct relationCat O' Nine Tails+(120-200) to maximum Life
Direct relationCloak of Flame+(30-50) to maximum Energy Shield
Direct relationCrown of the Pale King(50-100)% increased Armour and Energy Shield
Direct relationCrown of Thorns+(100-150) to maximum Energy Shield
Direct relationDreadfist(60-100)% increased Armour
Direct relationEdyrn's Tusks(120-160)% increased Armour
Direct relationIcetomb+(20-30) to Strength
Direct relationKaltenhalt(80-120)% increased Evasion Rating
Direct relationPrized Pain+(20-30) to Strength
Direct relationSerle's GritMaximum Quality is 40%
Direct relationThe Blood ThornAdds (8-12) to (16-18) Physical Damage
Uses ThornsBarbed(11-16) to (17-23) Physical Thorns damage
Uses ThornsEdged(64-97) to (98-145) Physical Thorns damage
Uses ThornsEmergent InstinctHelmets: Targets that are Blinded, Maimed, and Bleeding cannot Evade your Hits
Uses ThornsEssence of HysteriaRemoves a random modifier and augments a Rare item with a new guaranteed modifier
Uses ThornsGreater Rune of TithingMartial Weapon: Meta Skills gain 10% increased Energy
Uses ThornsGreater Tempered RuneMartial Weapon: Adds 9 to 12 Physical Damage
Uses ThornsJagged(101-151) to (152-220) Physical Thorns damage
Uses ThornsLegacy of BriarpatchBoots: +15% to Thorns Critical Hit Chance
Uses ThornsLegacy of Crown of ThornsHelmets: Pain Attunement
Uses ThornsLegacy of Edyrns TusksBody Armours: 50% chance to inflict Bleeding on Hit, 50% reduced Slowing Potency of Debuffs on You