A Pound of Flesh

**A Pound of Flesh** is an unlockable passive item added in *The Binding of Isaac: Repentance*.

## Effects

* Devil Deals and Black Market items can now be paid with Coins.
	+ Anything that generates Devil Deals (such as  or the special chests in Dark Room) will also create items that cost coins.
* Items in Shops now cost health.
* Consumables in shops have no cost, but are surrounded with spikes and can't be pushed out with an explosion.

## Notes

* Buying shop items for health does not prevent Angel Rooms from appearing.
* Taking a health consumable surrounded by spikes at a single heart or less will still result in Isaac's death.
* Immunity to spikes or invulnerability of any kind ({eg. via {i|The Gamekid}} does not prevent damage when taking consumables in shops.
* Shop consumables cannot be taken during invincibility frames, e.g. from taking another consumable.
* When transformed into a ghost in Downpour II, shop consumables can be taken for free even without .
* The item is not available to  Keeper and  Tainted Keeper normally. If acquired through ,  or such, it has no effect.

## Synergies

* : All shops become free stat-ups if the food item is chosen.
* : The price never increases, staying at one red heart container/three soul hearts for each item, and one full heart of damage for pickups.
	+ However, Restock's coin cost increase mechanic is still present, and if Pound of Flesh is lost, the items will have their equivalent coin cost displayed.
	+ With , this can result in infinite stat gains.
	+ If a Heart is on sale, Isaac can trigger items that activate upon taking damage indefinitely.
	+ If a Lil' Battery is on sale, Isaac can buy items indefinitely with certain active items such as  with  or  with .
	+ When transformed into a ghost in Downpour II or as  Tainted Jacob, or playing as The Lost, Isaac can buy items indefinitely.
* : Buying a Red Heart will out-heal the damage taken from the spikes if Isaac can survive it.
* /  / Percs!: The spikes only deal half a heart damage, allowing Isaac to gain health from buying hearts.
	+ With , any character except  Bethany can buy items indefinitely if a Soul Heart is on sale.

## Interactions

* : Items in Devil Rooms that would otherwise cost two heart containers will only cost one if found in Shops.
* : No effect. Spikes generated surrounding consumables will not be removed.
* /  /  /  / : Unless Isaac is  The Lost, the spikes around consumables will simply break the shield without letting him take them.
* : Consumables can no longer be picked up in shops.
* : Ensures that items in the  secret shop only cost one heart container, but Devil Deal prices are not reduced, and other shop items already only cost one heart container.
* : Items and pickups generated outside Devil Rooms will cost health, but items generated inside Devil Rooms will cost coins.
* : Because shop items no longer cost coins, stat bonuses are no longer gained from buying shop items, but they are gained from Devil Deals.
* The Lost: Only one item can be picked up from each shop; any other items will vanish. Consumables can be taken for free.
	+ However, multiple items can be bought from Devil Deals.
	+ Items will not disappear when taking any consumable.
	+ With , the Lost can buy items indefinitely.
* : Items in the secret shop can cost two heart containers.
* : Doesn't change the conditions to lose or keep the cross even when spending health in shops.
* : Affects Angel Shops the same way it does regular shops.
* : Devil Deals will have their price reduced. Shop items will cost the same amount of health.
* : Store Credit becomes a useless trinket, as neither Devil Deals nor shop items will become free.

## Trivia

* The name of this item is a reference to Shakespeare’s play *The Merchant of Venice*, where the Jewish moneylender Shylock asks the bankrupt Antonio for 'a pound of flesh' in payment for his debt.
* The name of this item matches the description of the , which also references the play.
* This is the only item with the `nokeeper` item tag.