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NetHack 2.3 Update Pt. 04 of 12
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Mike Stephenson
Apr 11, 1988, 7:45:18 AM4/11/88
to
This is the only one today. This completes the "spoilers" manual, although
this manual is slightly out of date, as it was written for 2.2, it still
applies for the majority of 2.3.
------------------------------cut here-------------------------------------
#! /bin/sh
# This is a shell archive, meaning:
# 1. Remove everything above the #! /bin/sh line.
# 2. Save the resulting text in a file.
# 3. Execute the file with /bin/sh (not csh) to create the files:
# Spoilers.mm.b
# This archive created: Mon Apr 4 08:52:27 1988
export PATH; PATH=/bin:$PATH
echo shar: extracting "'Spoilers.mm.b'" '(40689 characters)'
if test -f 'Spoilers.mm.b'
then
echo shar: will not over-write existing file "'Spoilers.mm.b'"
else
cat << \SHAR_EOF > 'Spoilers.mm.b'
.LI
Invisible Stalker: this monster is invisible; the letter is what you
see with ring or potion of see invisible. (Or telepathy)
Eating corpse confuses you and/or allows you to see invisible
thereafter (not to mention turn you invisible for a while!)
.LI
Jackal: usually edible, but seems to rot fast, or perhaps sometimes start
a bit rotten, though not enough to kill you, just confuse you.
.LI
Keystone Kop: The guys that come to get you when you rob a store. Do not
eat them! They are poisonous. Keep their pies, though. Killing a
Kop is bad luck. Pies blind you temporarily, which isn't bad if you
have telepathy. There is a # wipe command. Their numbers seem to increase
with the amount stolen.
.LI
Leprechaun: if it hits while you are carying gold, will do no damage but
will teleport away with a lot of gold. If it hits while you have
no gold, does damage. Can also pick up piles of gold, even from under
your feet. Eating corpse may do poison damage, but bestows teleportation
as with the ring, but permanently. Usually have a pile of gold on them,
including any they took from you. Good for building up experience in
the lowest levels (40+ XP).
.LI
Mimic: Poses as object in shop or elsewhere. Step outside shop, the items
that vanish are mimics. Once they hit you, they can prevent you from
moving off the square until they are dead (or you teleport away).
Edible. (When eaten, you mimic a treasure chest for 30 turns)
In shops, mimics are usually seen as inverted armor, i.e.
armor is ``['' and mimics ``].''
Mimics often mimic doorways (+) or chests of gold ($). They can be
discovered by searching, including the ring. Wand of cancellation will
also show them up.
.LI
Nymph: Seduces you and swipes many possessions, including at least one armor
that she talked you into taking off. Or, may just grab an item.
Either way, she teleports away. Eating corpse is just like eating a
leprechaun corpse. Kill her, and you get your possessions back. Ignores
Elbereth. (But see ring of adornment.) You may ignore her charms if
you zap her with a wand of cancellation. (NetHack nymphs are very fast and
can pick you clean after a few encounters \- stay away from them.)
.LI
Orc: Always appear in swarms. If you see one, there are others.
Edible in NetHack. May have personal treasure. Scroll
and wand of monster creation (but not polymorph) may create 8-9 of
them. Call your weapon Orcrist and whack away. Can carry items around
that they find on the floor, i.e. in shops.
.LI
Purple Worm: Not that hard to deal with, by the time you get to that
level. They swallow and digest like the trapper, but
you faster, and towards the end you cannot hit. This is
their main attack, and it is dangerous.
.LI
Quasit or Quantum Mechanic\(dg: Fast (3 spaces and/or attacks per move),
but little damage per blow. Quantum mechanics will teleport you with
the message ``You are uncertain of your position.''
.LI
Rust Monster: Rusts armor when it hits. Items that will rust: all armor
(except leather) and helmets. Elven
cloaks, shields, and gloves are unaffected. An elven cloak will
protect the armor underneath it from rusting. Note that once you
start taking off your armor, he cannot harm it, unlike rogue. Takes no
hit points. Try wand of cancellation. An item may only be rusted to
-3.
.LI
Snake: can hide under items on floor. Can appear in numbers from fountains.
.LI
Troll: in D&D and rogue, regenerates its wounds. Hack Trolls do not seem
to be as nasty as rogue Trolls. Several hits per move.
.LI
Umber Hulk: chance of confusing you (as potion) if you catch sight of it.
Save a potion of blindness (and a potion of healing) for the umber
hulk if you detect him beforehand. Unlike rogue, umber hulks seem
to have more than one chance of confusing you.
.LI
Vampire: Hits from the vampire reduce your maximum hit points,
which is almost as unpleasant as wraiths.
You can drive a vampire away with one hit while wielding a clove of
garlic.
.LI
Wraith: in D&D, drains one level/hit. Drops you an experience level if it
gets in a good hit. In extreme cases, may take several levels if it
hits well several times. When you kill it, you will go back up one
level if you've lost any (but won't get the extra experience points).
Wraiths usually don't drain levels if you have good armor;
Eat corpse to gain experience level \- one of the fastest and easiest
ways to increase your level.
.LI
Xorn: In Hack, a xorn is a tough monster, about the same as
attacking a ettin.
.LI
Yeti: gives cold resistance when eaten.
.LI
Zombie: edible.
.LI @)
Human (you, shopkeeper or guard): Shopkeepers guards will kill you if you
make them mad. They are tough
and ignore Elbereth. If you teleport out with unpaid
items, they will pursue you.
See shops under other for ways of dealing
with them. Don't try to genocide shopkeepers. Genociding shopkeepers
genocides all humans (@). You are a human and thus will vanish too.
Killing humans, including shopkeepers or guards,
reduces your luck, an internal variable. It also kills telepathy.
(but you can then regain it in the usual manner).
Eating a shopkeeper produces the message: ``You cannibal! You'll be
sorry for this!''
You may encounter a shop on a ghost level that has been robbed by the
ghost. In that case, the shopkeeper is likely to take your money for
the items stolen by the ghost and even kill you if he's still angry.
.LI ,)
Trapper: The trapper possesses a unique attack
\- it simply swallows and digests you. After being swallowed by a
trapper, you will get the message ``The trapper digests you'' about
every third turn. You can still hit him from within, and stand a
good chance of killing him. If you don't, after about six (6)
such messages you will get the message "The trapper digests you
totally!". If such is the case, better luck with your next character.
If you have been swallowed by a trapper, you may polymorph it into
some other creature whose digestive tract may be less hostile.
Wands of digging will blast through his
stomach, leaving him very weak. Two bolts of cold didn't seem to
faze him too much. Teleport out if you can. When teleporting out of a
trapper, a ring of teleport control will let you choose where you want
to go as usual, but not let you see the level while choosing.
A wand of teleport monster will take you with the trapper.
.P
Digesting seems to be cumulative, so if you escape one trapper
after 5 digesting messages, be very wary of being swallowed by
another trapper. He may digest you totally in one turn.
.LI &)
Demon: a monster with strength second only to the purple worm,
with a high armor class and good magic
resistance. (Note: demons are not resistant
to fire.) Demons replicate; one demon will
give rise to a second, and a third, etc. The way to deal with this is
to back the bunch (or perhaps even just the original) into a dead-end
and start hacking away. Replicas cannot appear unless there is room next
to the replicator. This could also be useful when you have some spare
firepower and need some experience points.
A wand of cancellation will stop or prevent replication.
The wand of undead turning makes them turn tail and run.
.LI ~)
Lurker Above: another swallowing creature.
.LI :)
Chameleon: Whereas the mimic will mimic objects, the chameleon will
mimic other monsters. When hard pressed, the chameleon will
revert to its original form. Also unlike the mimic, the chameleon
changes form constantly. So if you see a monster, and then look
again and see a different one, it's probably a chameleon.
Chameleons have all the powers of the monsters
they emulate. If you see a genocided monster, it is a chameleon.
.LI "`` '')"
(a space) Ghost: incredibly hard to hit. Does little damage. Always has
``ghost hoard'' that can be obtained by killing the ghost
or by sneaking around it. Remember all items in these hoards are
stickeycursed.
Sneaking around a ghost is easier than destroying it, because they
move slowly and do little damage per hit. Find a good running loop.
Don't get caught in a dead end \- you'll either get killed or starve
to death. If you're getting clobbered by a ghost, do not retreat
toward an up staircase! If a ghost kills you, you may become a ghost
on the same level. If many people are ``ghosted''
there, future dungeon-delvers face the grim prospect of several ghosts and
their dogs! This can get them killed before they can escape, which
aggravates the problem. (It may be advisable to ask root or the games
manager to remove a \fIbones.n\fR level that has reached absurd proportions.)
In addition, If you are about to die on a ghost level, drop
everything; When you become a ghost, your hoard will not be stickeycursed
Ghosts are surprisingly easy to kill if you have a lot of experience
(level 11+). Worth 175XP.
.LI ;)
Giant Eel\(dg: Rumor has it that eels hide under mud and that a unicorn
can clear the water so that you can see them. They wrap themselves around
you and pull you into the mud to drown.
.LI 1)
Wizard of Yendor: Guardian of the Amulet, a powerful wizard who may
not stay dead (NetHack).
.LI 2)
Mail Daemon: You won't get a crack at this one; this creature delivers
scrolls of mail to you and quickly departs.
.LI 9)
Giant: Powerful creature found on lower levels. Eating one increases
your strength.
.LE
.H 1 "WEAPONS AND ARMOR"
.H 2 "Weapons"
.P
.so weapon.tbl
'
.H 2 "Armor Items"
'
.TS
box, center, tab (#);
c c c c c
l n n n n.
Name#Chance#Weight#Ac#Protection
_
helmet#3#1#9#0
plate mail#5#5#3#2
splint mail#7#5#4#1
banded mail#9#5#4#0
chain mail#10#5#5#1
scale mail#10#5#6#0
ring mail#12#5#7#0
.TE
.sp
The armors below do not rust.
.TS
box, center, tab (#);
c c c c c
l n n n n.
Name#Chance#Weight#Ac#Protection
_
studded leather#12#3#7#1
elfin chain mail#1#1#5#3
bronzeplate mail#6#5#4#0
crystalplate mail#1#5#3#2
leather armor#15#3#8#0
elven cloak#5#0#9#3
shield#3#0#9#0
pair of gloves#1#1#9#0
.TE
.P
Protection refers to magical effects.
.P
.H 3 "Elven Cloaks"
Magic cloaks that increase your
armor class by one and protect you from
enchantments. Elven cloaks do protect your armor from being
dissolved by rust monsters or acid blobs. They can be enchanted.
.H 3 "Helmets"
Prone to digestion by rust monsters,
but they protect you from piercers and from rocks dropping on you
in mazes (if you get that far).
.H 3 "Gloves"
These normally improve your armor class by one, but
their greatest advantage is in preventing you from getting stoned by cockatrice
cadavers. If you have a wand of wishing, ask for ``a pair of +3 gloves.''
Gloves allow you to pick up and even wield
cockatrice cadavers, turning monsters
to stone right and left until the corpse rots away.
This tactic is not recommended because is very hazardous. If you
subsequently fall down the stairs (as is usual when heavily loaded) you will
touch the cadaver and die. Note also that this is inconsiderate of other
players, as any player taking your hoard will encounter
the cockatrice cadaver before they reach the gloves you were using. If you
have a second pair of gloves, please put them at the bottom of your inventory,
and the cockatrice at the top, except of course for the gloves you are
wearing. (drop items above it, then pick them up again).
Any grave-robber should reach your spare pair and be overloaded before
he hits the cadaver, allowing him to put on the gloves. Note that the cadaver
will eventually rot away, so don't throw away your weapon.
.H 3 "Armor"
Various types of armor have different basic armor classes, and
any given suit may have a plus or minus in addition. Minused armor (including
the other items under this heading) is almost always stickeycursed. Note that
most armor takes some time to put on or take off, and that once you start
either process, you will follow through no matter what is attacking you.
.H 1 "SCROLLS, POTIONS, RINGS AND WANDS"
'
.H 2 " Scrolls"
'
Unless stated otherwise, all scrolls identify themselves.
Exception: detect scrolls will give a ``strange feeling'' if there are none of
their objects on the level, and enchant/damage/destroy weapons/armor will do
the same if you are not wearing any of the item affected.
.P
All scrolls give strange effects when confused or hallucinating.
.P
.TS
tab (#),center,box;
c c c c
l n | l n.
Name#Chance#Name#Chance
_
enchant armor#6#genocide#2#
destroy armor#5#light#10
confuse monster#5#teleportation#5
scare monster#4#gold detection#4
blank paper#3#food detection#1
remove curse#6#identify#18
enchant weapon#6#magic mapping#5
damage weapon#5#amnesia#3
create monster#5#fire#5
taming#1#punishment#1
.TE
.P
.AL
.LI
genocide: everyone's favorite scroll.
Also prevents
the creation by scroll or wand of more monsters of the type.
Note that genociding cockatrices does not remove their cadavers (so you
still have to watch those ghost treasure hoards).
Also, you can't genocide monsters represented by punctuation
marks (chameleons :, trappers , , demons &, lurkers above ~).
Does not prevent you from polymorphing a monster into the genocided
type or chameleons from assuming that form.
.LI
destroy armor: Destroys outermost layer of armor. If you are wearing
only armor, it is destroyed. If you are wearing armor and a helmet,
the helmet is destroyed. Elven cloak over armor destroys cloak first.
.LI
enchant armor: As destroy armor, but +1 added to enchantment.
Also removes stickeycurse. Don't overdo it; armor tends to
evaporate if enchanted beyond +3.
.LI
enchant weapon: weapon in hand or random if barehanded. Otherwise as
enchant armor, applied to weapons.
.P
Both enchants make item glow green.
There are two kinds of these \- one makes your weapon glow green
for a ``moment,'' the other for a ``while.'' The first is +1, the
second is +2. This also applies to enchant armor, and damage weapon.
If barehanded (or naked skin for armor) your skin itches or hands
twitch. Also applies to damage weapon and destroy
armor. Enchanting a worm tooth turns it into a crysknife, a very
powerful weapon. Overenchanted weapons (> +3) also evaporate.
.LI
damage weapon: -1 added to weapon. No effect on or of stickeycurse.
Makes item glow black. (see enchant weapon)
Read on a crysknife, this turns it back into a wormtooth, and
reports that your weapon seems duller.
.LI
food/gold/object/monster detection: briefly see all on level.
.LI
magic mapping: all rooms, corridors, secret doors and stairs on level
revealed. Amnesia is the nemesis.
.LI
amnesia: accumulated map of level lost, except for where you're standing.
In NetHack, the message ``Who was that Maud person anyway'' is displayed.
This is an inside joke, as previous versions say: ``Thinking of Maud
you forget everything else.''
.LI
teleportation: random spot on level. See ring of teleport control.
Useful in shops.
.LI
fire: reduces your maximum hit points permanently.
.LI
taming: difficult to identify. If a monster is in sight, it becomes tame,
like your dog, but there is no message. The monster is then equivalent
to a polymorphed dog. Thereafter, scroll is named in inventory.
Reading it when surrounded by multiple monsters seems to affect only
the ones nearest you, i.e., a maximum of 8 monsters could be affected.
Warning: If you abandon a tame monster (on a level) it will go wild,
and will not be pacified by tripe. Tamed ghosts are possible, but because
they do not eat anything, they cannot be rewarded and hence
eventually return to their accustomed hostile state.
.LI
identify: identify one item. A few (perhaps 1 in 10) of these will ID
all items of a type that you own. Use it on rings first, potions
second. Note that if you choose to ID a)ll items, then you had better
have one of the special types, or you will only get the first item in
your inventory identified.
.LI
remove curse: gets rid of all stickeycurses on worn items.
``You feel like someone is helping you.'' This scroll is very
important! Anyone wielding a -3 dart, wearing a cursed ring of
levitation, or dragging about a heavy iron ball can attest to
this fact.
.LI
create monster: one monster in adjacent square, appropriate to level.
Note if it creates orcs or killer bees, it will make a whole tribe of
them.
.LI
monster confusion: your hands begin to glow blue. The next monster you
hit with a hand-to-hand attack will be confused, and your hands will
stop glowing. A confused monster (assuming it survives the blow that
confused it) will move in random directions, attacking anything in its
way. This includes you (so don't confuse your dog!) or other
monsters.
.LI
punishment: this cursed scroll outfits you with a ball and chain,
indicated on the screen by @_0. The ball, if left to drag, may slow
you down. However, it can also be picked up, and if then wielded as a
weapon, is devastatingly effective. It is also very heavy, however,
and scrolls of enchant weapon have no effect on it.
The remove curse scroll will cause ball and chain to come loose; you
can drop them then, but I'd suggest sticking with them if you're
strong enough. Also good for getting around fast. Try picking up the
ball, and throwing it in the direction you want to go.
It is possible that this scroll may reduce your luck
to 0 for the duration.
.LI
scare monster: Similar to rogue in use. If you pick up a scroll that
``turned to dust,'' it \fIwas\fR a scare monster scroll that had already
been dropped. If you read a scare monster scroll, the message is displayed:
``You hear maniacal laughter in the distance.'' This is the gods laughing
at your stupidity, for you are supposed to drop the scroll on the floor.
Monsters will not attack you when you stand on one, nor will they cross it
if dropped in a corridor. Unlike Elbereth, you can fight from a scare
monster scroll. You can move on and off the scroll if you avoid picking
it up; if you pick it up it will turn to dust.
.LI
blank: this scroll "appears to be blank." This scroll may be utilized
with a magic marker: write the name of a scroll you are already familiar
with (i.e. one that you've read at least once).
.LE
.P
'
.H 2 "Potions"
'
.S 8 10
.W 7i
.TS
center,box;
c c c
lw(.9i) | lw(2.3i) | lw(3i).
Potion Standard Message Special Case(s)
_
restore strength Wow! This makes you feel great! T{
... looks sound and hale again! (Thrown to monster)
T}
gain energy Magical energies course through your body. T{
You feel feverish. (Confused)
T}
whiskey Ooph! This tastes like liquid fire! T{
You feel somewhat dizzy. (Vapor)
T}
invisibility Gee! All of a sudden, your can't see yourself. T{
For an instant you couldn't see you right hand. (Vapor)
.br
You feel rather airy. (Blinded)
T}
fruit juice This tastes like fruit juice.
healing You begin to feel better. T{
... looks sound and hale again! (Thrown to monster)
T}
paralysis Your feet are frozen to the floor! T{
Something seems to be holding you. (Vapor)
.br
You are motionlessly suspended. (Levitated)
T}
monster detection You sense the presence of monsters. T{
You feel threatened. (No monsters)
T}
object detection You sense the presence of objects. T{
You sense the presence of objects close nearby.
.br
You feel a pull downward. (No objects)
T}
sickness Yech! This stuff tastes like poison. T{
... looks rather ill. (Thrown to monster)
T}
confusion Huh, What? Where am I? T{
What a trippy feeling. (Hallucinating)
.br
You feel somewhat dizzy. (Vapor)
T}
gain strength Wow do you feel strong! T{
... looks sound and hale again! (Thrown to monster)
T}
speed You are suddenly moving much faster. T{
Your knees seem more flexible now. (Vapor)
.br
Your legs get new energy. (Fast)
T}
blindness A cloud of darkness falls upon you. T{
It suddenly gets dark. (Vapor)
.br
Bummer! Everything is dark! Help! (Hallucinating)
T}
gain level You feel more experienced.
extra healing You feel much better. T{
... looks sound and hale again! (Thrown to monster)
T}
levitation You're floating in the air! (Hallucinating)
hallucination Oh wow! Everything looks so cosmic! T{
You have a vision for a moment. (Vapor)
T}
holy water You feel full of awe. T{
This burns like acid. (When you are a Z,V,W or &)
.br
... shrieks in pain! (Thrown to a Z,V,W,' ' or &)
T}
.TE
.S
.W
'
.H 2 "Rings"
'
.TS
tab (#),center,box;
c c c c
l n | l n.
Name#Chance#Name#Chance
_
adornment#?#protection#?
aggravate monster#?#protection from shape changers#?
cold resistance#?#regeneration#?
conflict#?#searching#?
fire resistance#?#see invisible#?
gain strength#?#stealth#?
hunger#?#teleport control#?
increase damage#?#teleportation#?
levitation#?#warning#?
poison resistance#?##
.TE
.P
.VL 10
.LI
NOTE:
all rings increase your food consumptions to varying degrees.
.LE
.P
.AL
.LI
cold resistance: You are invulnerable to cold, including backblasts from
the wand and freezing spheres.
.LI
fire resistance: You are invulnerable to fire, including backblasts from
the wand and dragon breath.
.LI
teleport control: gives you control of teleport destination, no matter what
does the teleporting. Try to teleport into a wall or monster and you get a
random teleport. Gives no control of when you go, just where.
.LI
regeneration: Regain extra one hit point per round (but increases food
consumption dramatically).
.LI
conflict: causes monsters to attack each other instead of you, if they are
next to each other.
.LI
hunger: Increases hunger.
.LI
stealth: Monsters don't wake up when you enter a room.
.LI
searching: finds secret doors/traps more easily, and occasionally without
searching. Does not necessarily work on first try.
Also finds mimics and piercers.
.LI
increase damage: Increases the damage you do to monsters when hitting them.
.LI
protection: Increases your armor class and probably your (internal) saving
throws. Can be +1, +2, etc or cursed -1,-2, etc.
.LI
teleportation: teleports you randomly about every once in a while. No way
to control when, but a ring of teleport control determines where.
Without this ring, destination
is random on level. Is usually stickeycursed and uses a great deal of food
energy.
.LI
adornment: useless in rogue, but in Hack it protects against nymphs
(they're dazzled by it and can't attack).
.LI
resistance to poison: You are invulnerable to poison (including poison
corpses but not rotted ones, and all poison stings, bites, and potions).
does not protect you from rotted (tainted) meat or potions of sickness.
.LI
gain strength: Just what it says. Increments as with ring of protection.
.LI
protection from shape changers: Forces chameleons to take on their
true form (:).
.LI
warning: glows in various colors, which may be indications of approaching
monsters, traps, etc. Code unknown.
.LI
levitation: equivalent to a potion of levitation when worn. Has minor
advantages if you wish to avoid traps, but a cursed ring of levitation
could spell the end of your character! You are unaffected by traps,
but you cannot pick anything up or go downstairs.
.LI
see invisible: same as potion.
.P
You can wear only one of these items on each hand at any time, so
a stickeycursed ring is a pain when say, you want protection from fire, but
you're too heavily loaded to take off your increase strength ring, and your
ring of searching is stuck on.
.LE
'
.H 2 "Wands"
'
.TS
tab (#),center,box;
c c c c
l n | l n.
Name#Chance#Name#Chance
_
light#10#cancellation#5
secret door detection#5#teleportation#5
create monster#5#make invisible#7
wishing#1#probing#2
striking#7#digging#5
nothing#2#magic missile#10
slow monster#5#fire#5
speed monster#5#sleep#5
undead turning#5#cold#5
polymorph#5#death#1
.TE
.P
When a wand is out of charges and you zap it, ``Nothing Happens.''
.P
.AL
.LI
Wishing: you usually get 3 wishes, and wishing for wands of wishing
produces wands with 0 charges left. When it asks you what you want,
answer with the exact syntax it would appear in your inventory as, if
you had identified it with the scroll of ID. The wand does not ID
it for you, so be sure and keep track of what you've received and
name the items as necessary.
If you wish for an illegal item or a non-existent item,
you get a random one. You can wish for any plussed item up to +3,
above that you take your chances. You can wish for one wand or 3 of
any other non-plussed item with each wish. Sample wishes:
.BL
.LI
+3 plate mail/pair of gloves/helmet/elven cloak/crysknife
.LI
3 potions of gain level
.LI
ring of regeneration/teleport control(#)
.LI
3 tins (No way to specify spinach, but the odds are good)
.LE
.P
Wishing for ``a wand of wishing (3)'' will not work.
``Illegal'' wishes that seem to work often are +7 plate, 3 +3 crysknives
(but sometimes gives 3 -3 crysknives) Your luck may influence the
chance of getting many items. In NetHack, it's a good idea to wish for
rare spellbooks.
.LI
Drain Life: usually kills target creature, taking
half of everything else's hit points, including yours. This is a ray.
.LI
Sleep: of variable duration, and doesn't seem to work on bats. Some
monsters get saving throws (i.e., a chance not to be affected). This
is a ray.
.LI
Fire, Cold, Lightning, Magic Missile: all fire rays/bolts/zaps which do
damage to anything they hit. (See note below.) Cold seems to do the
most damage, missiles do the least, fire seems to have the longest range.
.LI
Striking: wand hits the first monster in the direction you point it, even
from a considerable (but not infinite) distance. Not a ray.
.LI
Polymorph: turns one monster or thing into a random other.
Of course, most people would rather turn a dragon
into a bat than vice versa. Use on your dog intil you get a monster
well above norm for your level, or a mega-monster. May not change all
characteristics of the monster (i.e., speed may be unchanged).
Warning: if you polymorph your dog, then leave his level (fall in
a trapdoor, etc) he will not be tamed merely by throwing food at
him (need taming scroll). The dungeon apparently forgets he ever
was your dog. While it may be fun to polymorph your dog, you are
better advised to use it against any mega-monsters that you may
find at the higher level (e.g. Dragons, demons, trappers). Your
dog is a fairly strong monster in his own right.
This wand is almost as useful as digging when you're being digested
by a trapper or a purple worm; have you ever been inside a nymph?
.LI
Make invisible: makes monster invisible, permanently.
Don't use on dog, you'll just keep tripping over him. Easy to
confuse with teleport away. No use whatsoever, except to maybe keep you
from taking the wand of teleport away for granted.
.LI
Teleport monster: monster teleported to random spot on level.
Check to be sure you don't have a wand of invisibility. Note
that the monster will usually head straight back home at top speed,
and if he finds you still there, or on the way out, he will be pissed.
.LI
Haste monster: monster moves twice as fast. Use on dog, but watch you
don't trip on him.
.LI
Slow monster: monster moves at half speed. Some monsters get multiple
attacks every other round (i.e. xorn: 3 claws and bite, or shopkeeper:
2 fists).
.LI
Digging: This produces new corridor sections, and doors where the ray
intersects a room wall. Also useful for blasting your way out of a trapper.
.LI
Undead turning: somewhat like fear, but no effect on most monsters.
Undead are: zombies, ghosts, wraiths, vampires, demons and
perhaps other monsters. Destroys weaker undead, causes bigger ones
to flee, including demons.
.LI
Create monster: Creates a monster next to you, just like the scroll.
This wand may be useful to keep around if you are ever desperately short on
food. If you are, create a monster, kill it, and feast on the remains!
.LI
Cancellation: Should knock out any magical abilities of the monster.
Monsters affected:
.TS
center;
c c
l l.
Monster Effect
_
Nymphs cancels her magical allure.
Wraiths cancels life draining.
Demons cancels powers of replication.
Leprechauns cancels teleport ability
.TE
Monsters which are not affected:
Rust Monsters, Dragons, Invisible Stalkers, Chameleons, Cockatrices,
Floating Eyes.
.LI
Secret door detection: discovers all secret doors in room or in sight in
a corridor. If there are none, a charge is used and the wand seems
to do nothing. This wand also detects shape-changers in the
room (e.g. mimics, piercers). Usually comes in 10+ charges.
.LI
Light: lights up dark rooms. Usually comes in 10+ charges.
.LI
Probing: Gives stats on a creature in the direction you indicate. Tells
hit points, maximum, how much gold.
.LE
.H 3 "Don't shoot your own foot off."
Note that ray/straight-line wands are best fired when you are
diagonally aligned with your target so that ricochets can't hit you.
ricochets can be used to hit targets that won't get in straight line of fire
(leprechauns, shopkeepers, etc.), or to get two hits on a
target. Shots into corners
bounce straight back at you. Doors can reflect a diagonal shot back at you,
and the wand of fire reflects diagonally back at you occasionally just for the
heck of it. Wands seem to have differing, and possibly partly random, maximum
ranges.
.H 3 "Test them first."
When you get a wand, try zapping it. If it is non-directional, (like
wishing) you will usually find out what it is immediately. If not, hit
<ESC> when it asks you what direction, and save it until you reach a monster.
This lets you ID many wands before you find a monster to test
them out on, and improves the odds that a partly-tested, directional wand
will turn out to be offensive, rather than secret door detection or light.
.H 1 "EXTENDED COMMAND SET"
These commands are accessed by first entering a pound sign (#)
followed by the command or a question mark. Not found in all
versions of Hack.
.VL 10
.LI #dip
Use for every potion that you want to quaff the #dip command,
dip arrows, bolts or darts in the potion and if it was a potion of :
Sickness or Paralysis: your dipped weapon gets stronger.
Holy water: your weapon gets blessed and is better in use
against the undead. Note that positive potions have a
positive effect on monsters. The dip command can also be used
with fountains. (see ``Fountains'' and ``Excalibur.'')
.LI #pray
You can pray after intervals of approximately 500 turns.
Praying restores strength, fills the stomach and heals.
You can use the option time to see how much time has passed.
Nothing bad will happen, but be sure that your time has come.
.LI #sit
Use this command while you are on an throne (\).
You might get a wish (Chance 1 in 86) but also you can lose
your gold or your possessions get cursed or identified.
.LI #wipe
Clean your face when dirty.
.LI #breathe
First polymorph yourself in a Dragon.
.LI #remove
First polymorph into a Nymph
.LI #cast
Cast spell. See next section.
'
.H 2 "Spells and Spellbooks"
'
Spells are found in spellbooks and learned via the ``X'' command.
Save extra spellbooks; if you read a scroll of amnesia you may
forget all your spells. Most spellbooks are booby-trapped with
poison or other effects (``You feel threatened'' accompanied by paralysis)
and yield no spell.
.P
.TS H
tab (#),center,box;
c c c c c c
l n n | l n n.
Name#Chance#Level#Name#Chance#Level
_
.TH
magic missile#4#2#detect unseen#4#3
fireball#2#4#extra healing#3#3
sleep#6#1#charm monster#3#3
cone of cold#1#5#levitation#3#4
finger of death#1#7#restore strength#2#4
healing#6#1#invisibility#3#4
detect monsters#5#1#detect treasure#3#4
force bolt#4#1#dig#2#5
light#5#1#remove curse#2#5
confuse monster#5#2#magic mapping#2#5
cure blindness#3#2#identify#1#5
slow monster#4#2#turn undead#1#6
create monster#4#2#polymorph#1#6
detect food#5#2#create familiar#1#6
haste self#3#3#teleport away#2#6
cause fear#4#3#cancellation#1#7
cure sickness#3#3#genocide#1#7
.TE
.P
There most powerful spellbooks are, in order of importance: Polymorph,
Genocide, Identify, Charm Monster, Magic Mapping, Digging and Finger of
Death.
.P
The polymorph spell works on objects as well as monsters, although
the object type remains consistent. You can lay down a pile of objects
and cast the spell until you collect those desired. There is no
limit to the number of objects you can polymorph at one time.
A high level characters can even polymorph themselves. To accomplish
this, enter a period (.) when prompted for the direction. There are
certain disadvantages to self-polymorphing. If you polymorph into a
non-humanoid creature, you will not be able to use your weapon or
armor. Although you inherit all the creatures characteristics, this
may also include low hit points.
.P
Note that healing and extra healing do not increase your hitpoints
past the maximum (in NetHack 1.4 or later).
.H 1 "ITEMS (Tools, Gems, etc.)"
.H 2 "Tools"
Tools are ``applied'' with the ``a'' command.
'
.H 3 "Whistles"
When you blow an ordinary whistle (syntax is ``a whistle'')
you produce a high whistling sound and your dog,
immediately heads in your direction. Particularly useful if you are
teleporting randomly. Magic whistles (syntax is ``magic
whistle'') produce a strange whistling sound, and teleport your dog to you.
Be careful, whistling may also wake up other denizens of the level.
.P
.H 3 "Icebox"
This is the Archaeologist/Speleologist's ``large box.'' Corpses
promptly placed in it will not spoil. It is, however, incredibly heavy and
you must be carrying both the box and the corpse to use it. You may want to
leave it on the first level and go back for it when you've had some spinach.
.P
.H 3 "Camera"
Tourists start out with this one. Flash in the direction of a
monster to temporarily dazzle the monster.
.P
.H 3 "Pickaxe"
Archaeologist's handy tool. Can be used to dig down or
around. Will even get in a shop if you're persistent, though the shopkeeper
will ask you to leave it outside.
.P
.H 3 "Leash"
Supposedly quite handy, though code isn't clean yet (dropping the leash
still leaves fido tethered to you).
.H 3 "Can Opener"
The best thing to open tins with.
'
.H 2 "Amulet"
'
The Amulet of Yendor, the lengendary item from the days of Rogue, is
found on level 40, guarded by the Wizard of Yendor and his faithful
Hell Hound. (See the section on lower level ``Strategy'' for a
discussion of obtaining the Amulet.)
You can also wish the Amulet, but you will get a cheap
imitation amulet instead.
'
.H 2 "Gems"
'
.TS
tab(#),center, box;
c c c
l n n.
Name#Chance#Value
_
dilithium crystal#1#4500
diamond#1#4000
ruby#1#3500
sapphire#1#3000
emerald#1#2500
turquoise#1#2000
aquamarine#1#1500
tourmaline#1#1000
topaz#1#900
opal#1#800
garnet#1#700
amethyst#1#650
agate#2#600
onyx#2#550
jasper#2#500
jade#2#450
.TE
.H 1 "TRICKS AND OTHER NON-INTUITIVE ACTIONS"
.H 2 "Elbereth"
If you E)ngrave Elbereth with your bare hands (-), it acts
as a sign of peace. Most monsters are then unable to attack you as
long as you do not move off the square or fight a monster next to you.
Exceptions are dragons, which breathe fire, angry shopkeepers, and
(in NetHack only) any creature normally armed with a projectile weapon:
.TS
center;
c c
l l.
Monster weapon
_
centaurs crossbow bolts
orcs darts
kops cream pies
.TE
(In Nethack, you cannot throw
things from an Elbereth, but you can still use wands. There is also a
chance of inadvertently smudging the word, thus breaking the spell.)
Other than movement or hand-to-hand fighting, you
can do anything on an Elbereth, such as quaffing potions, reading scrolls, etc.
.P
Note that if you step off the square, or violate it by fighting, the letters
are disturbed and the inscription is no good anymore. However, you can write
it again on the next turn, even on the same square. If you teleport off the
square, you are no longer protected, but if you find it again, it will be
undisturbed and potent. A NetHack Magic Marker can draw an indelible
Elbereth that you can fight from.
.H 2 "Orcrist"
If your weapon in hand is named Orcrist, it gets a hefty bonus
on damage (rumored to be +10) against orcs.
.H 2 "Excalibur"
Dipping a long sword you have called Excalibur is rumored to eventually
yield a +5 long sword (after some initial damage). There are possible
complications (see ``Fountains'').
.H 2 "Hit Points and Nurses"
Ironically, nurses do a great deal of damage in battle. However, if you
unwield your weapon and strip yourself of all armor, a nurse will heal
you. She will even go so far as to continue past your maximum hit
points. It is possible to follow a nurse around and gain scores of
hit points.
.H 2 "Your Score"
Beyond mere survival, an important aspect of the game is your score.
You get points for gold, gems (if you leave the dungeon with
them), and the Amulet. (The first amulet is worth 5000, each successive
(genuine) amulet doubles your score.) You also seem to get points for the
following things: levels descended to (so dungeon-diving may help),
and magic items identified or possibly just tried out (or possibly
just accumulated). And also, experience points, seemingly 4-for-1.
Leaving the dungeon with a pet (especially an experienced one) is
also worth points. Mapping out rooms, and possibly discovering
secret doors may add to your score.
.H 2 "Luck"
This is an internal variable that can make life in the dungeon
much easier or much harder. Little is known about it, but it probable affects
your chances of finding secret doors, waking up monsters, saving vs. magic,
and possibly hitting and being hit by monsters. Giving gems to a unicorn is
increases your luck by one point, while killing/eating humans, unicorns, dogs
kops and nurses decreases your luck by \fIfive\fR points. Throwing a worthless
piece of glass to a unicorn costs you one point, as does playing during
the unlucky phase of the moon. Note that when the moon is full, you see
the message ``You are lucky, full moon tonight!'' and your luck is
\fIincreased\fR by one point.
It is also rumored that there is also a small chance to
decrease it slightly by killing defenseless (blinded) monsters.
The absolute range of luck is -10 to +10, and you begin with a value
from 1 to 4, inclusive (ignoring the phase of the moon).
.bp
.ce 1
\fBAPPENDIX A: HACK REFERENCE SHEET\fR
.S 8 10
.TS
tab (#),center,expand,box;
c s s s s s
c c c c c c
c l | c l | c l.
COMMAND SUMMARY
_
\fIx\fR#Command#\fIx\fR#Command#\fIx\fR#Command
_
a#apply, use#j#move down#s#search
b#move down-left#k#move up#t#throw in direction
c#call item#l#move right#u#move up-right
d#drop item#m#skip over#v#program version
e#eat food#n#move down-right#w#wield weapon
<#up stairs#o#display options#x#list spells
>#down stairs#p#pay off shopkeeper#:#look
h#move left#q#quaff potion#z#zap wand
i#inventory#r#read scroll#?#this list
_
A#take off some armor#J#run down#S#save game
B#run down-left#K#run up#T#take off armor
C#name something#L#run right#U#run up-right
D#drop objects#,#pick up all#V#game history
E#engrave#N#run down-right#W#wear armor
^R#redraw screen#O#set options#X#transcribe
^P#last message#P#put on ring#Y#run up-left
H#run left#Q#quit game#\e#list discovered items
I#select inventory#R#take off ring#/#identify
.TE
.P
.TS
tab (#),center,expand,box;
c c c c c c c c c
c l l | c l l | c l l.
N#Name#Attack#N#Name#Attack#N#Name#Attack
_
A#giant ant#saps strength#V#vampire#lowers max. HP#r#rockmole
B#bat##W#wraith#takes levels#s#scorpion#poison stings
C#centaur##X#xorn#+hits#s#giant spider
D#dragon#flames#Y#yeti##t#tengu#teleports
E#floating eye#transfixes#Z#zombie##u#unicorn#friendly
F#freezing sphere#cold blasts#a#acid blob#corrodes#v#violet fungi#holds
G#gnome##b#giant beetle##w#long worm#divides
H#hobgoblin##c#cockatrice#petrifies#w#wumpus
I#invisible stalker##d#dog##x#xan#pricks
J#jackal##e#ettin#tough#y#yellow light#blinds
K#keystone kop#throws pies#f#fog cloud##z#zruty
K#kobold##g#gel. cube#freezes# #ghost#tough
L#leprechaun#steals gold#h#homunculus#sleep#@#shopkeeper#tough
M#mimic#chest(])#i#imp##`#lurker above#swallows
N#nymph#steals items#j#jaguar##,#trapper#swallows
O#orc#uses darts#k#killer bee#poison stings#:#chameleon#changes
P#purple worm#swallows#l#leocrotta##;#giant eel
Q#quasit#FAST#m#minotaur##&#demon#replicates
Q#quantum mech.#teleports you#n#nurse#heals#1#Wizard#magic
R#rust monster#rusts armor#o#owlbear#hugs#2#mail daemon#delivers mail
S#snake#poison bites#p#piercer#drops#9#giant#throws boulders
T#troll#regenerates#q#quiv. blob#
U#umber hulk#confuses#r#giant rat#
.TE
.P
.TS
tab (%),center,expand,box;
c s s s s s
c c c c c c
l l || l n | l n.
EXTENDED COMMAND SET/EXPERIENCE LEVELS
_
Command%Effect%Level%Points%Level%Points
_
#breathe:%to breathe fire%1 =%initial%8 =%640
#cast:%to cast spells%2 =%10%9 =%1280
#dip:%to dip an item%3 =%20%10 =%2560
#pray:%to pray%4 =%40%11 =%5120
#remove:%to steal an item%5 =%80%12 =%10240
#sit:%to sit on a throne%6 =%160%13 =%20480
#wipe:%to wipe eyes%7 =%320%14 =%40960
.TE
.S
.TC
SHAR_EOF
if test 40689 -ne "`wc -c < 'Spoilers.mm.b'`"
then
echo shar: error transmitting "'Spoilers.mm.b'" '(should have been 40689 characters)'
fi
fi # end of overwriting check
# End of shell archive
exit 0
--
Mike Stephenson
this manual is slightly out of date, as it was written for 2.2, it still
applies for the majority of 2.3.
------------------------------cut here-------------------------------------
#! /bin/sh
# This is a shell archive, meaning:
# 1. Remove everything above the #! /bin/sh line.
# 2. Save the resulting text in a file.
# 3. Execute the file with /bin/sh (not csh) to create the files:
# Spoilers.mm.b
# This archive created: Mon Apr 4 08:52:27 1988
export PATH; PATH=/bin:$PATH
echo shar: extracting "'Spoilers.mm.b'" '(40689 characters)'
if test -f 'Spoilers.mm.b'
then
echo shar: will not over-write existing file "'Spoilers.mm.b'"
else
cat << \SHAR_EOF > 'Spoilers.mm.b'
.LI
Invisible Stalker: this monster is invisible; the letter is what you
see with ring or potion of see invisible. (Or telepathy)
Eating corpse confuses you and/or allows you to see invisible
thereafter (not to mention turn you invisible for a while!)
.LI
Jackal: usually edible, but seems to rot fast, or perhaps sometimes start
a bit rotten, though not enough to kill you, just confuse you.
.LI
Keystone Kop: The guys that come to get you when you rob a store. Do not
eat them! They are poisonous. Keep their pies, though. Killing a
Kop is bad luck. Pies blind you temporarily, which isn't bad if you
have telepathy. There is a # wipe command. Their numbers seem to increase
with the amount stolen.
.LI
Leprechaun: if it hits while you are carying gold, will do no damage but
will teleport away with a lot of gold. If it hits while you have
no gold, does damage. Can also pick up piles of gold, even from under
your feet. Eating corpse may do poison damage, but bestows teleportation
as with the ring, but permanently. Usually have a pile of gold on them,
including any they took from you. Good for building up experience in
the lowest levels (40+ XP).
.LI
Mimic: Poses as object in shop or elsewhere. Step outside shop, the items
that vanish are mimics. Once they hit you, they can prevent you from
moving off the square until they are dead (or you teleport away).
Edible. (When eaten, you mimic a treasure chest for 30 turns)
In shops, mimics are usually seen as inverted armor, i.e.
armor is ``['' and mimics ``].''
Mimics often mimic doorways (+) or chests of gold ($). They can be
discovered by searching, including the ring. Wand of cancellation will
also show them up.
.LI
Nymph: Seduces you and swipes many possessions, including at least one armor
that she talked you into taking off. Or, may just grab an item.
Either way, she teleports away. Eating corpse is just like eating a
leprechaun corpse. Kill her, and you get your possessions back. Ignores
Elbereth. (But see ring of adornment.) You may ignore her charms if
you zap her with a wand of cancellation. (NetHack nymphs are very fast and
can pick you clean after a few encounters \- stay away from them.)
.LI
Orc: Always appear in swarms. If you see one, there are others.
Edible in NetHack. May have personal treasure. Scroll
and wand of monster creation (but not polymorph) may create 8-9 of
them. Call your weapon Orcrist and whack away. Can carry items around
that they find on the floor, i.e. in shops.
.LI
Purple Worm: Not that hard to deal with, by the time you get to that
level. They swallow and digest like the trapper, but
you faster, and towards the end you cannot hit. This is
their main attack, and it is dangerous.
.LI
Quasit or Quantum Mechanic\(dg: Fast (3 spaces and/or attacks per move),
but little damage per blow. Quantum mechanics will teleport you with
the message ``You are uncertain of your position.''
.LI
Rust Monster: Rusts armor when it hits. Items that will rust: all armor
(except leather) and helmets. Elven
cloaks, shields, and gloves are unaffected. An elven cloak will
protect the armor underneath it from rusting. Note that once you
start taking off your armor, he cannot harm it, unlike rogue. Takes no
hit points. Try wand of cancellation. An item may only be rusted to
-3.
.LI
Snake: can hide under items on floor. Can appear in numbers from fountains.
.LI
Troll: in D&D and rogue, regenerates its wounds. Hack Trolls do not seem
to be as nasty as rogue Trolls. Several hits per move.
.LI
Umber Hulk: chance of confusing you (as potion) if you catch sight of it.
Save a potion of blindness (and a potion of healing) for the umber
hulk if you detect him beforehand. Unlike rogue, umber hulks seem
to have more than one chance of confusing you.
.LI
Vampire: Hits from the vampire reduce your maximum hit points,
which is almost as unpleasant as wraiths.
You can drive a vampire away with one hit while wielding a clove of
garlic.
.LI
Wraith: in D&D, drains one level/hit. Drops you an experience level if it
gets in a good hit. In extreme cases, may take several levels if it
hits well several times. When you kill it, you will go back up one
level if you've lost any (but won't get the extra experience points).
Wraiths usually don't drain levels if you have good armor;
Eat corpse to gain experience level \- one of the fastest and easiest
ways to increase your level.
.LI
Xorn: In Hack, a xorn is a tough monster, about the same as
attacking a ettin.
.LI
Yeti: gives cold resistance when eaten.
.LI
Zombie: edible.
.LI @)
Human (you, shopkeeper or guard): Shopkeepers guards will kill you if you
make them mad. They are tough
and ignore Elbereth. If you teleport out with unpaid
items, they will pursue you.
See shops under other for ways of dealing
with them. Don't try to genocide shopkeepers. Genociding shopkeepers
genocides all humans (@). You are a human and thus will vanish too.
Killing humans, including shopkeepers or guards,
reduces your luck, an internal variable. It also kills telepathy.
(but you can then regain it in the usual manner).
Eating a shopkeeper produces the message: ``You cannibal! You'll be
sorry for this!''
You may encounter a shop on a ghost level that has been robbed by the
ghost. In that case, the shopkeeper is likely to take your money for
the items stolen by the ghost and even kill you if he's still angry.
.LI ,)
Trapper: The trapper possesses a unique attack
\- it simply swallows and digests you. After being swallowed by a
trapper, you will get the message ``The trapper digests you'' about
every third turn. You can still hit him from within, and stand a
good chance of killing him. If you don't, after about six (6)
such messages you will get the message "The trapper digests you
totally!". If such is the case, better luck with your next character.
If you have been swallowed by a trapper, you may polymorph it into
some other creature whose digestive tract may be less hostile.
Wands of digging will blast through his
stomach, leaving him very weak. Two bolts of cold didn't seem to
faze him too much. Teleport out if you can. When teleporting out of a
trapper, a ring of teleport control will let you choose where you want
to go as usual, but not let you see the level while choosing.
A wand of teleport monster will take you with the trapper.
.P
Digesting seems to be cumulative, so if you escape one trapper
after 5 digesting messages, be very wary of being swallowed by
another trapper. He may digest you totally in one turn.
.LI &)
Demon: a monster with strength second only to the purple worm,
with a high armor class and good magic
resistance. (Note: demons are not resistant
to fire.) Demons replicate; one demon will
give rise to a second, and a third, etc. The way to deal with this is
to back the bunch (or perhaps even just the original) into a dead-end
and start hacking away. Replicas cannot appear unless there is room next
to the replicator. This could also be useful when you have some spare
firepower and need some experience points.
A wand of cancellation will stop or prevent replication.
The wand of undead turning makes them turn tail and run.
.LI ~)
Lurker Above: another swallowing creature.
.LI :)
Chameleon: Whereas the mimic will mimic objects, the chameleon will
mimic other monsters. When hard pressed, the chameleon will
revert to its original form. Also unlike the mimic, the chameleon
changes form constantly. So if you see a monster, and then look
again and see a different one, it's probably a chameleon.
Chameleons have all the powers of the monsters
they emulate. If you see a genocided monster, it is a chameleon.
.LI "`` '')"
(a space) Ghost: incredibly hard to hit. Does little damage. Always has
``ghost hoard'' that can be obtained by killing the ghost
or by sneaking around it. Remember all items in these hoards are
stickeycursed.
Sneaking around a ghost is easier than destroying it, because they
move slowly and do little damage per hit. Find a good running loop.
Don't get caught in a dead end \- you'll either get killed or starve
to death. If you're getting clobbered by a ghost, do not retreat
toward an up staircase! If a ghost kills you, you may become a ghost
on the same level. If many people are ``ghosted''
there, future dungeon-delvers face the grim prospect of several ghosts and
their dogs! This can get them killed before they can escape, which
aggravates the problem. (It may be advisable to ask root or the games
manager to remove a \fIbones.n\fR level that has reached absurd proportions.)
In addition, If you are about to die on a ghost level, drop
everything; When you become a ghost, your hoard will not be stickeycursed
Ghosts are surprisingly easy to kill if you have a lot of experience
(level 11+). Worth 175XP.
.LI ;)
Giant Eel\(dg: Rumor has it that eels hide under mud and that a unicorn
can clear the water so that you can see them. They wrap themselves around
you and pull you into the mud to drown.
.LI 1)
Wizard of Yendor: Guardian of the Amulet, a powerful wizard who may
not stay dead (NetHack).
.LI 2)
Mail Daemon: You won't get a crack at this one; this creature delivers
scrolls of mail to you and quickly departs.
.LI 9)
Giant: Powerful creature found on lower levels. Eating one increases
your strength.
.LE
.H 1 "WEAPONS AND ARMOR"
.H 2 "Weapons"
.P
.so weapon.tbl
'
.H 2 "Armor Items"
'
.TS
box, center, tab (#);
c c c c c
l n n n n.
Name#Chance#Weight#Ac#Protection
_
helmet#3#1#9#0
plate mail#5#5#3#2
splint mail#7#5#4#1
banded mail#9#5#4#0
chain mail#10#5#5#1
scale mail#10#5#6#0
ring mail#12#5#7#0
.TE
.sp
The armors below do not rust.
.TS
box, center, tab (#);
c c c c c
l n n n n.
Name#Chance#Weight#Ac#Protection
_
studded leather#12#3#7#1
elfin chain mail#1#1#5#3
bronzeplate mail#6#5#4#0
crystalplate mail#1#5#3#2
leather armor#15#3#8#0
elven cloak#5#0#9#3
shield#3#0#9#0
pair of gloves#1#1#9#0
.TE
.P
Protection refers to magical effects.
.P
.H 3 "Elven Cloaks"
Magic cloaks that increase your
armor class by one and protect you from
enchantments. Elven cloaks do protect your armor from being
dissolved by rust monsters or acid blobs. They can be enchanted.
.H 3 "Helmets"
Prone to digestion by rust monsters,
but they protect you from piercers and from rocks dropping on you
in mazes (if you get that far).
.H 3 "Gloves"
These normally improve your armor class by one, but
their greatest advantage is in preventing you from getting stoned by cockatrice
cadavers. If you have a wand of wishing, ask for ``a pair of +3 gloves.''
Gloves allow you to pick up and even wield
cockatrice cadavers, turning monsters
to stone right and left until the corpse rots away.
This tactic is not recommended because is very hazardous. If you
subsequently fall down the stairs (as is usual when heavily loaded) you will
touch the cadaver and die. Note also that this is inconsiderate of other
players, as any player taking your hoard will encounter
the cockatrice cadaver before they reach the gloves you were using. If you
have a second pair of gloves, please put them at the bottom of your inventory,
and the cockatrice at the top, except of course for the gloves you are
wearing. (drop items above it, then pick them up again).
Any grave-robber should reach your spare pair and be overloaded before
he hits the cadaver, allowing him to put on the gloves. Note that the cadaver
will eventually rot away, so don't throw away your weapon.
.H 3 "Armor"
Various types of armor have different basic armor classes, and
any given suit may have a plus or minus in addition. Minused armor (including
the other items under this heading) is almost always stickeycursed. Note that
most armor takes some time to put on or take off, and that once you start
either process, you will follow through no matter what is attacking you.
.H 1 "SCROLLS, POTIONS, RINGS AND WANDS"
'
.H 2 " Scrolls"
'
Unless stated otherwise, all scrolls identify themselves.
Exception: detect scrolls will give a ``strange feeling'' if there are none of
their objects on the level, and enchant/damage/destroy weapons/armor will do
the same if you are not wearing any of the item affected.
.P
All scrolls give strange effects when confused or hallucinating.
.P
.TS
tab (#),center,box;
c c c c
l n | l n.
Name#Chance#Name#Chance
_
enchant armor#6#genocide#2#
destroy armor#5#light#10
confuse monster#5#teleportation#5
scare monster#4#gold detection#4
blank paper#3#food detection#1
remove curse#6#identify#18
enchant weapon#6#magic mapping#5
damage weapon#5#amnesia#3
create monster#5#fire#5
taming#1#punishment#1
.TE
.P
.AL
.LI
genocide: everyone's favorite scroll.
Also prevents
the creation by scroll or wand of more monsters of the type.
Note that genociding cockatrices does not remove their cadavers (so you
still have to watch those ghost treasure hoards).
Also, you can't genocide monsters represented by punctuation
marks (chameleons :, trappers , , demons &, lurkers above ~).
Does not prevent you from polymorphing a monster into the genocided
type or chameleons from assuming that form.
.LI
destroy armor: Destroys outermost layer of armor. If you are wearing
only armor, it is destroyed. If you are wearing armor and a helmet,
the helmet is destroyed. Elven cloak over armor destroys cloak first.
.LI
enchant armor: As destroy armor, but +1 added to enchantment.
Also removes stickeycurse. Don't overdo it; armor tends to
evaporate if enchanted beyond +3.
.LI
enchant weapon: weapon in hand or random if barehanded. Otherwise as
enchant armor, applied to weapons.
.P
Both enchants make item glow green.
There are two kinds of these \- one makes your weapon glow green
for a ``moment,'' the other for a ``while.'' The first is +1, the
second is +2. This also applies to enchant armor, and damage weapon.
If barehanded (or naked skin for armor) your skin itches or hands
twitch. Also applies to damage weapon and destroy
armor. Enchanting a worm tooth turns it into a crysknife, a very
powerful weapon. Overenchanted weapons (> +3) also evaporate.
.LI
damage weapon: -1 added to weapon. No effect on or of stickeycurse.
Makes item glow black. (see enchant weapon)
Read on a crysknife, this turns it back into a wormtooth, and
reports that your weapon seems duller.
.LI
food/gold/object/monster detection: briefly see all on level.
.LI
magic mapping: all rooms, corridors, secret doors and stairs on level
revealed. Amnesia is the nemesis.
.LI
amnesia: accumulated map of level lost, except for where you're standing.
In NetHack, the message ``Who was that Maud person anyway'' is displayed.
This is an inside joke, as previous versions say: ``Thinking of Maud
you forget everything else.''
.LI
teleportation: random spot on level. See ring of teleport control.
Useful in shops.
.LI
fire: reduces your maximum hit points permanently.
.LI
taming: difficult to identify. If a monster is in sight, it becomes tame,
like your dog, but there is no message. The monster is then equivalent
to a polymorphed dog. Thereafter, scroll is named in inventory.
Reading it when surrounded by multiple monsters seems to affect only
the ones nearest you, i.e., a maximum of 8 monsters could be affected.
Warning: If you abandon a tame monster (on a level) it will go wild,
and will not be pacified by tripe. Tamed ghosts are possible, but because
they do not eat anything, they cannot be rewarded and hence
eventually return to their accustomed hostile state.
.LI
identify: identify one item. A few (perhaps 1 in 10) of these will ID
all items of a type that you own. Use it on rings first, potions
second. Note that if you choose to ID a)ll items, then you had better
have one of the special types, or you will only get the first item in
your inventory identified.
.LI
remove curse: gets rid of all stickeycurses on worn items.
``You feel like someone is helping you.'' This scroll is very
important! Anyone wielding a -3 dart, wearing a cursed ring of
levitation, or dragging about a heavy iron ball can attest to
this fact.
.LI
create monster: one monster in adjacent square, appropriate to level.
Note if it creates orcs or killer bees, it will make a whole tribe of
them.
.LI
monster confusion: your hands begin to glow blue. The next monster you
hit with a hand-to-hand attack will be confused, and your hands will
stop glowing. A confused monster (assuming it survives the blow that
confused it) will move in random directions, attacking anything in its
way. This includes you (so don't confuse your dog!) or other
monsters.
.LI
punishment: this cursed scroll outfits you with a ball and chain,
indicated on the screen by @_0. The ball, if left to drag, may slow
you down. However, it can also be picked up, and if then wielded as a
weapon, is devastatingly effective. It is also very heavy, however,
and scrolls of enchant weapon have no effect on it.
The remove curse scroll will cause ball and chain to come loose; you
can drop them then, but I'd suggest sticking with them if you're
strong enough. Also good for getting around fast. Try picking up the
ball, and throwing it in the direction you want to go.
It is possible that this scroll may reduce your luck
to 0 for the duration.
.LI
scare monster: Similar to rogue in use. If you pick up a scroll that
``turned to dust,'' it \fIwas\fR a scare monster scroll that had already
been dropped. If you read a scare monster scroll, the message is displayed:
``You hear maniacal laughter in the distance.'' This is the gods laughing
at your stupidity, for you are supposed to drop the scroll on the floor.
Monsters will not attack you when you stand on one, nor will they cross it
if dropped in a corridor. Unlike Elbereth, you can fight from a scare
monster scroll. You can move on and off the scroll if you avoid picking
it up; if you pick it up it will turn to dust.
.LI
blank: this scroll "appears to be blank." This scroll may be utilized
with a magic marker: write the name of a scroll you are already familiar
with (i.e. one that you've read at least once).
.LE
.P
'
.H 2 "Potions"
'
.S 8 10
.W 7i
.TS
center,box;
c c c
lw(.9i) | lw(2.3i) | lw(3i).
Potion Standard Message Special Case(s)
_
restore strength Wow! This makes you feel great! T{
... looks sound and hale again! (Thrown to monster)
T}
gain energy Magical energies course through your body. T{
You feel feverish. (Confused)
T}
whiskey Ooph! This tastes like liquid fire! T{
You feel somewhat dizzy. (Vapor)
T}
invisibility Gee! All of a sudden, your can't see yourself. T{
For an instant you couldn't see you right hand. (Vapor)
.br
You feel rather airy. (Blinded)
T}
fruit juice This tastes like fruit juice.
healing You begin to feel better. T{
... looks sound and hale again! (Thrown to monster)
T}
paralysis Your feet are frozen to the floor! T{
Something seems to be holding you. (Vapor)
.br
You are motionlessly suspended. (Levitated)
T}
monster detection You sense the presence of monsters. T{
You feel threatened. (No monsters)
T}
object detection You sense the presence of objects. T{
You sense the presence of objects close nearby.
.br
You feel a pull downward. (No objects)
T}
sickness Yech! This stuff tastes like poison. T{
... looks rather ill. (Thrown to monster)
T}
confusion Huh, What? Where am I? T{
What a trippy feeling. (Hallucinating)
.br
You feel somewhat dizzy. (Vapor)
T}
gain strength Wow do you feel strong! T{
... looks sound and hale again! (Thrown to monster)
T}
speed You are suddenly moving much faster. T{
Your knees seem more flexible now. (Vapor)
.br
Your legs get new energy. (Fast)
T}
blindness A cloud of darkness falls upon you. T{
It suddenly gets dark. (Vapor)
.br
Bummer! Everything is dark! Help! (Hallucinating)
T}
gain level You feel more experienced.
extra healing You feel much better. T{
... looks sound and hale again! (Thrown to monster)
T}
levitation You're floating in the air! (Hallucinating)
hallucination Oh wow! Everything looks so cosmic! T{
You have a vision for a moment. (Vapor)
T}
holy water You feel full of awe. T{
This burns like acid. (When you are a Z,V,W or &)
.br
... shrieks in pain! (Thrown to a Z,V,W,' ' or &)
T}
.TE
.S
.W
'
.H 2 "Rings"
'
.TS
tab (#),center,box;
c c c c
l n | l n.
Name#Chance#Name#Chance
_
adornment#?#protection#?
aggravate monster#?#protection from shape changers#?
cold resistance#?#regeneration#?
conflict#?#searching#?
fire resistance#?#see invisible#?
gain strength#?#stealth#?
hunger#?#teleport control#?
increase damage#?#teleportation#?
levitation#?#warning#?
poison resistance#?##
.TE
.P
.VL 10
.LI
NOTE:
all rings increase your food consumptions to varying degrees.
.LE
.P
.AL
.LI
cold resistance: You are invulnerable to cold, including backblasts from
the wand and freezing spheres.
.LI
fire resistance: You are invulnerable to fire, including backblasts from
the wand and dragon breath.
.LI
teleport control: gives you control of teleport destination, no matter what
does the teleporting. Try to teleport into a wall or monster and you get a
random teleport. Gives no control of when you go, just where.
.LI
regeneration: Regain extra one hit point per round (but increases food
consumption dramatically).
.LI
conflict: causes monsters to attack each other instead of you, if they are
next to each other.
.LI
hunger: Increases hunger.
.LI
stealth: Monsters don't wake up when you enter a room.
.LI
searching: finds secret doors/traps more easily, and occasionally without
searching. Does not necessarily work on first try.
Also finds mimics and piercers.
.LI
increase damage: Increases the damage you do to monsters when hitting them.
.LI
protection: Increases your armor class and probably your (internal) saving
throws. Can be +1, +2, etc or cursed -1,-2, etc.
.LI
teleportation: teleports you randomly about every once in a while. No way
to control when, but a ring of teleport control determines where.
Without this ring, destination
is random on level. Is usually stickeycursed and uses a great deal of food
energy.
.LI
adornment: useless in rogue, but in Hack it protects against nymphs
(they're dazzled by it and can't attack).
.LI
resistance to poison: You are invulnerable to poison (including poison
corpses but not rotted ones, and all poison stings, bites, and potions).
does not protect you from rotted (tainted) meat or potions of sickness.
.LI
gain strength: Just what it says. Increments as with ring of protection.
.LI
protection from shape changers: Forces chameleons to take on their
true form (:).
.LI
warning: glows in various colors, which may be indications of approaching
monsters, traps, etc. Code unknown.
.LI
levitation: equivalent to a potion of levitation when worn. Has minor
advantages if you wish to avoid traps, but a cursed ring of levitation
could spell the end of your character! You are unaffected by traps,
but you cannot pick anything up or go downstairs.
.LI
see invisible: same as potion.
.P
You can wear only one of these items on each hand at any time, so
a stickeycursed ring is a pain when say, you want protection from fire, but
you're too heavily loaded to take off your increase strength ring, and your
ring of searching is stuck on.
.LE
'
.H 2 "Wands"
'
.TS
tab (#),center,box;
c c c c
l n | l n.
Name#Chance#Name#Chance
_
light#10#cancellation#5
secret door detection#5#teleportation#5
create monster#5#make invisible#7
wishing#1#probing#2
striking#7#digging#5
nothing#2#magic missile#10
slow monster#5#fire#5
speed monster#5#sleep#5
undead turning#5#cold#5
polymorph#5#death#1
.TE
.P
When a wand is out of charges and you zap it, ``Nothing Happens.''
.P
.AL
.LI
Wishing: you usually get 3 wishes, and wishing for wands of wishing
produces wands with 0 charges left. When it asks you what you want,
answer with the exact syntax it would appear in your inventory as, if
you had identified it with the scroll of ID. The wand does not ID
it for you, so be sure and keep track of what you've received and
name the items as necessary.
If you wish for an illegal item or a non-existent item,
you get a random one. You can wish for any plussed item up to +3,
above that you take your chances. You can wish for one wand or 3 of
any other non-plussed item with each wish. Sample wishes:
.BL
.LI
+3 plate mail/pair of gloves/helmet/elven cloak/crysknife
.LI
3 potions of gain level
.LI
ring of regeneration/teleport control(#)
.LI
3 tins (No way to specify spinach, but the odds are good)
.LE
.P
Wishing for ``a wand of wishing (3)'' will not work.
``Illegal'' wishes that seem to work often are +7 plate, 3 +3 crysknives
(but sometimes gives 3 -3 crysknives) Your luck may influence the
chance of getting many items. In NetHack, it's a good idea to wish for
rare spellbooks.
.LI
Drain Life: usually kills target creature, taking
half of everything else's hit points, including yours. This is a ray.
.LI
Sleep: of variable duration, and doesn't seem to work on bats. Some
monsters get saving throws (i.e., a chance not to be affected). This
is a ray.
.LI
Fire, Cold, Lightning, Magic Missile: all fire rays/bolts/zaps which do
damage to anything they hit. (See note below.) Cold seems to do the
most damage, missiles do the least, fire seems to have the longest range.
.LI
Striking: wand hits the first monster in the direction you point it, even
from a considerable (but not infinite) distance. Not a ray.
.LI
Polymorph: turns one monster or thing into a random other.
Of course, most people would rather turn a dragon
into a bat than vice versa. Use on your dog intil you get a monster
well above norm for your level, or a mega-monster. May not change all
characteristics of the monster (i.e., speed may be unchanged).
Warning: if you polymorph your dog, then leave his level (fall in
a trapdoor, etc) he will not be tamed merely by throwing food at
him (need taming scroll). The dungeon apparently forgets he ever
was your dog. While it may be fun to polymorph your dog, you are
better advised to use it against any mega-monsters that you may
find at the higher level (e.g. Dragons, demons, trappers). Your
dog is a fairly strong monster in his own right.
This wand is almost as useful as digging when you're being digested
by a trapper or a purple worm; have you ever been inside a nymph?
.LI
Make invisible: makes monster invisible, permanently.
Don't use on dog, you'll just keep tripping over him. Easy to
confuse with teleport away. No use whatsoever, except to maybe keep you
from taking the wand of teleport away for granted.
.LI
Teleport monster: monster teleported to random spot on level.
Check to be sure you don't have a wand of invisibility. Note
that the monster will usually head straight back home at top speed,
and if he finds you still there, or on the way out, he will be pissed.
.LI
Haste monster: monster moves twice as fast. Use on dog, but watch you
don't trip on him.
.LI
Slow monster: monster moves at half speed. Some monsters get multiple
attacks every other round (i.e. xorn: 3 claws and bite, or shopkeeper:
2 fists).
.LI
Digging: This produces new corridor sections, and doors where the ray
intersects a room wall. Also useful for blasting your way out of a trapper.
.LI
Undead turning: somewhat like fear, but no effect on most monsters.
Undead are: zombies, ghosts, wraiths, vampires, demons and
perhaps other monsters. Destroys weaker undead, causes bigger ones
to flee, including demons.
.LI
Create monster: Creates a monster next to you, just like the scroll.
This wand may be useful to keep around if you are ever desperately short on
food. If you are, create a monster, kill it, and feast on the remains!
.LI
Cancellation: Should knock out any magical abilities of the monster.
Monsters affected:
.TS
center;
c c
l l.
Monster Effect
_
Nymphs cancels her magical allure.
Wraiths cancels life draining.
Demons cancels powers of replication.
Leprechauns cancels teleport ability
.TE
Monsters which are not affected:
Rust Monsters, Dragons, Invisible Stalkers, Chameleons, Cockatrices,
Floating Eyes.
.LI
Secret door detection: discovers all secret doors in room or in sight in
a corridor. If there are none, a charge is used and the wand seems
to do nothing. This wand also detects shape-changers in the
room (e.g. mimics, piercers). Usually comes in 10+ charges.
.LI
Light: lights up dark rooms. Usually comes in 10+ charges.
.LI
Probing: Gives stats on a creature in the direction you indicate. Tells
hit points, maximum, how much gold.
.LE
.H 3 "Don't shoot your own foot off."
Note that ray/straight-line wands are best fired when you are
diagonally aligned with your target so that ricochets can't hit you.
ricochets can be used to hit targets that won't get in straight line of fire
(leprechauns, shopkeepers, etc.), or to get two hits on a
target. Shots into corners
bounce straight back at you. Doors can reflect a diagonal shot back at you,
and the wand of fire reflects diagonally back at you occasionally just for the
heck of it. Wands seem to have differing, and possibly partly random, maximum
ranges.
.H 3 "Test them first."
When you get a wand, try zapping it. If it is non-directional, (like
wishing) you will usually find out what it is immediately. If not, hit
<ESC> when it asks you what direction, and save it until you reach a monster.
This lets you ID many wands before you find a monster to test
them out on, and improves the odds that a partly-tested, directional wand
will turn out to be offensive, rather than secret door detection or light.
.H 1 "EXTENDED COMMAND SET"
These commands are accessed by first entering a pound sign (#)
followed by the command or a question mark. Not found in all
versions of Hack.
.VL 10
.LI #dip
Use for every potion that you want to quaff the #dip command,
dip arrows, bolts or darts in the potion and if it was a potion of :
Sickness or Paralysis: your dipped weapon gets stronger.
Holy water: your weapon gets blessed and is better in use
against the undead. Note that positive potions have a
positive effect on monsters. The dip command can also be used
with fountains. (see ``Fountains'' and ``Excalibur.'')
.LI #pray
You can pray after intervals of approximately 500 turns.
Praying restores strength, fills the stomach and heals.
You can use the option time to see how much time has passed.
Nothing bad will happen, but be sure that your time has come.
.LI #sit
Use this command while you are on an throne (\).
You might get a wish (Chance 1 in 86) but also you can lose
your gold or your possessions get cursed or identified.
.LI #wipe
Clean your face when dirty.
.LI #breathe
First polymorph yourself in a Dragon.
.LI #remove
First polymorph into a Nymph
.LI #cast
Cast spell. See next section.
'
.H 2 "Spells and Spellbooks"
'
Spells are found in spellbooks and learned via the ``X'' command.
Save extra spellbooks; if you read a scroll of amnesia you may
forget all your spells. Most spellbooks are booby-trapped with
poison or other effects (``You feel threatened'' accompanied by paralysis)
and yield no spell.
.P
.TS H
tab (#),center,box;
c c c c c c
l n n | l n n.
Name#Chance#Level#Name#Chance#Level
_
.TH
magic missile#4#2#detect unseen#4#3
fireball#2#4#extra healing#3#3
sleep#6#1#charm monster#3#3
cone of cold#1#5#levitation#3#4
finger of death#1#7#restore strength#2#4
healing#6#1#invisibility#3#4
detect monsters#5#1#detect treasure#3#4
force bolt#4#1#dig#2#5
light#5#1#remove curse#2#5
confuse monster#5#2#magic mapping#2#5
cure blindness#3#2#identify#1#5
slow monster#4#2#turn undead#1#6
create monster#4#2#polymorph#1#6
detect food#5#2#create familiar#1#6
haste self#3#3#teleport away#2#6
cause fear#4#3#cancellation#1#7
cure sickness#3#3#genocide#1#7
.TE
.P
There most powerful spellbooks are, in order of importance: Polymorph,
Genocide, Identify, Charm Monster, Magic Mapping, Digging and Finger of
Death.
.P
The polymorph spell works on objects as well as monsters, although
the object type remains consistent. You can lay down a pile of objects
and cast the spell until you collect those desired. There is no
limit to the number of objects you can polymorph at one time.
A high level characters can even polymorph themselves. To accomplish
this, enter a period (.) when prompted for the direction. There are
certain disadvantages to self-polymorphing. If you polymorph into a
non-humanoid creature, you will not be able to use your weapon or
armor. Although you inherit all the creatures characteristics, this
may also include low hit points.
.P
Note that healing and extra healing do not increase your hitpoints
past the maximum (in NetHack 1.4 or later).
.H 1 "ITEMS (Tools, Gems, etc.)"
.H 2 "Tools"
Tools are ``applied'' with the ``a'' command.
'
.H 3 "Whistles"
When you blow an ordinary whistle (syntax is ``a whistle'')
you produce a high whistling sound and your dog,
immediately heads in your direction. Particularly useful if you are
teleporting randomly. Magic whistles (syntax is ``magic
whistle'') produce a strange whistling sound, and teleport your dog to you.
Be careful, whistling may also wake up other denizens of the level.
.P
.H 3 "Icebox"
This is the Archaeologist/Speleologist's ``large box.'' Corpses
promptly placed in it will not spoil. It is, however, incredibly heavy and
you must be carrying both the box and the corpse to use it. You may want to
leave it on the first level and go back for it when you've had some spinach.
.P
.H 3 "Camera"
Tourists start out with this one. Flash in the direction of a
monster to temporarily dazzle the monster.
.P
.H 3 "Pickaxe"
Archaeologist's handy tool. Can be used to dig down or
around. Will even get in a shop if you're persistent, though the shopkeeper
will ask you to leave it outside.
.P
.H 3 "Leash"
Supposedly quite handy, though code isn't clean yet (dropping the leash
still leaves fido tethered to you).
.H 3 "Can Opener"
The best thing to open tins with.
'
.H 2 "Amulet"
'
The Amulet of Yendor, the lengendary item from the days of Rogue, is
found on level 40, guarded by the Wizard of Yendor and his faithful
Hell Hound. (See the section on lower level ``Strategy'' for a
discussion of obtaining the Amulet.)
You can also wish the Amulet, but you will get a cheap
imitation amulet instead.
'
.H 2 "Gems"
'
.TS
tab(#),center, box;
c c c
l n n.
Name#Chance#Value
_
dilithium crystal#1#4500
diamond#1#4000
ruby#1#3500
sapphire#1#3000
emerald#1#2500
turquoise#1#2000
aquamarine#1#1500
tourmaline#1#1000
topaz#1#900
opal#1#800
garnet#1#700
amethyst#1#650
agate#2#600
onyx#2#550
jasper#2#500
jade#2#450
.TE
.H 1 "TRICKS AND OTHER NON-INTUITIVE ACTIONS"
.H 2 "Elbereth"
If you E)ngrave Elbereth with your bare hands (-), it acts
as a sign of peace. Most monsters are then unable to attack you as
long as you do not move off the square or fight a monster next to you.
Exceptions are dragons, which breathe fire, angry shopkeepers, and
(in NetHack only) any creature normally armed with a projectile weapon:
.TS
center;
c c
l l.
Monster weapon
_
centaurs crossbow bolts
orcs darts
kops cream pies
.TE
(In Nethack, you cannot throw
things from an Elbereth, but you can still use wands. There is also a
chance of inadvertently smudging the word, thus breaking the spell.)
Other than movement or hand-to-hand fighting, you
can do anything on an Elbereth, such as quaffing potions, reading scrolls, etc.
.P
Note that if you step off the square, or violate it by fighting, the letters
are disturbed and the inscription is no good anymore. However, you can write
it again on the next turn, even on the same square. If you teleport off the
square, you are no longer protected, but if you find it again, it will be
undisturbed and potent. A NetHack Magic Marker can draw an indelible
Elbereth that you can fight from.
.H 2 "Orcrist"
If your weapon in hand is named Orcrist, it gets a hefty bonus
on damage (rumored to be +10) against orcs.
.H 2 "Excalibur"
Dipping a long sword you have called Excalibur is rumored to eventually
yield a +5 long sword (after some initial damage). There are possible
complications (see ``Fountains'').
.H 2 "Hit Points and Nurses"
Ironically, nurses do a great deal of damage in battle. However, if you
unwield your weapon and strip yourself of all armor, a nurse will heal
you. She will even go so far as to continue past your maximum hit
points. It is possible to follow a nurse around and gain scores of
hit points.
.H 2 "Your Score"
Beyond mere survival, an important aspect of the game is your score.
You get points for gold, gems (if you leave the dungeon with
them), and the Amulet. (The first amulet is worth 5000, each successive
(genuine) amulet doubles your score.) You also seem to get points for the
following things: levels descended to (so dungeon-diving may help),
and magic items identified or possibly just tried out (or possibly
just accumulated). And also, experience points, seemingly 4-for-1.
Leaving the dungeon with a pet (especially an experienced one) is
also worth points. Mapping out rooms, and possibly discovering
secret doors may add to your score.
.H 2 "Luck"
This is an internal variable that can make life in the dungeon
much easier or much harder. Little is known about it, but it probable affects
your chances of finding secret doors, waking up monsters, saving vs. magic,
and possibly hitting and being hit by monsters. Giving gems to a unicorn is
increases your luck by one point, while killing/eating humans, unicorns, dogs
kops and nurses decreases your luck by \fIfive\fR points. Throwing a worthless
piece of glass to a unicorn costs you one point, as does playing during
the unlucky phase of the moon. Note that when the moon is full, you see
the message ``You are lucky, full moon tonight!'' and your luck is
\fIincreased\fR by one point.
It is also rumored that there is also a small chance to
decrease it slightly by killing defenseless (blinded) monsters.
The absolute range of luck is -10 to +10, and you begin with a value
from 1 to 4, inclusive (ignoring the phase of the moon).
.bp
.ce 1
\fBAPPENDIX A: HACK REFERENCE SHEET\fR
.S 8 10
.TS
tab (#),center,expand,box;
c s s s s s
c c c c c c
c l | c l | c l.
COMMAND SUMMARY
_
\fIx\fR#Command#\fIx\fR#Command#\fIx\fR#Command
_
a#apply, use#j#move down#s#search
b#move down-left#k#move up#t#throw in direction
c#call item#l#move right#u#move up-right
d#drop item#m#skip over#v#program version
e#eat food#n#move down-right#w#wield weapon
<#up stairs#o#display options#x#list spells
>#down stairs#p#pay off shopkeeper#:#look
h#move left#q#quaff potion#z#zap wand
i#inventory#r#read scroll#?#this list
_
A#take off some armor#J#run down#S#save game
B#run down-left#K#run up#T#take off armor
C#name something#L#run right#U#run up-right
D#drop objects#,#pick up all#V#game history
E#engrave#N#run down-right#W#wear armor
^R#redraw screen#O#set options#X#transcribe
^P#last message#P#put on ring#Y#run up-left
H#run left#Q#quit game#\e#list discovered items
I#select inventory#R#take off ring#/#identify
.TE
.P
.TS
tab (#),center,expand,box;
c c c c c c c c c
c l l | c l l | c l l.
N#Name#Attack#N#Name#Attack#N#Name#Attack
_
A#giant ant#saps strength#V#vampire#lowers max. HP#r#rockmole
B#bat##W#wraith#takes levels#s#scorpion#poison stings
C#centaur##X#xorn#+hits#s#giant spider
D#dragon#flames#Y#yeti##t#tengu#teleports
E#floating eye#transfixes#Z#zombie##u#unicorn#friendly
F#freezing sphere#cold blasts#a#acid blob#corrodes#v#violet fungi#holds
G#gnome##b#giant beetle##w#long worm#divides
H#hobgoblin##c#cockatrice#petrifies#w#wumpus
I#invisible stalker##d#dog##x#xan#pricks
J#jackal##e#ettin#tough#y#yellow light#blinds
K#keystone kop#throws pies#f#fog cloud##z#zruty
K#kobold##g#gel. cube#freezes# #ghost#tough
L#leprechaun#steals gold#h#homunculus#sleep#@#shopkeeper#tough
M#mimic#chest(])#i#imp##`#lurker above#swallows
N#nymph#steals items#j#jaguar##,#trapper#swallows
O#orc#uses darts#k#killer bee#poison stings#:#chameleon#changes
P#purple worm#swallows#l#leocrotta##;#giant eel
Q#quasit#FAST#m#minotaur##&#demon#replicates
Q#quantum mech.#teleports you#n#nurse#heals#1#Wizard#magic
R#rust monster#rusts armor#o#owlbear#hugs#2#mail daemon#delivers mail
S#snake#poison bites#p#piercer#drops#9#giant#throws boulders
T#troll#regenerates#q#quiv. blob#
U#umber hulk#confuses#r#giant rat#
.TE
.P
.TS
tab (%),center,expand,box;
c s s s s s
c c c c c c
l l || l n | l n.
EXTENDED COMMAND SET/EXPERIENCE LEVELS
_
Command%Effect%Level%Points%Level%Points
_
#breathe:%to breathe fire%1 =%initial%8 =%640
#cast:%to cast spells%2 =%10%9 =%1280
#dip:%to dip an item%3 =%20%10 =%2560
#pray:%to pray%4 =%40%11 =%5120
#remove:%to steal an item%5 =%80%12 =%10240
#sit:%to sit on a throne%6 =%160%13 =%20480
#wipe:%to wipe eyes%7 =%320%14 =%40960
.TE
.S
.TC
SHAR_EOF
if test 40689 -ne "`wc -c < 'Spoilers.mm.b'`"
then
echo shar: error transmitting "'Spoilers.mm.b'" '(should have been 40689 characters)'
fi
fi # end of overwriting check
# End of shell archive
exit 0
--
Mike Stephenson
Mail: Genamation Inc. Phone: (416) 475-9434
351 Steelcase Rd. W
Markham, Ontario. UUCP: uunet!{mnetor,utzoo}!genat!genpyr!mike
Canada L3R 3W1 uunet!{mnetor,utzoo}!genat!mike
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