monsters difficulty level list (spoilers)
Lars Huttar
As you may know, Nethack internally uses a rough ranking system to
indicate how monsters compare to each other in difficulty.
The ranking is used for things like
- making sure randomly appearing monsters are appropriate for the level
- deciding whether a monster is likely to benefit from deliberately
entering a polymorph trap
- deciding what objects to use against the player, e.g. a wand of striking
vs. lightning
The values for all monsters are pre-generated into the source code,
but as it's just a long list of numbers it's pretty hard to read.
For curiosity's sake I redid the list to put the name of
each monster next to its "difficulty level".
Warning: possible spoilers below.
Anybody know how to type a ^L into Internet Explorer?
Here's the list, sorted by difficulty level:
1, /* fox */
1, /* goblin */
1, /* grid bug */
1, /* jackal */
1, /* kobold */
1, /* kobold zombie */
1, /* lichen */
1, /* long worm tail */
1, /* newt */
1, /* sewer rat */
2, /* acid blob */
2, /* bat */
2, /* brown mold */
2, /* coyote */
2, /* gas spore */
2, /* gecko */
2, /* giant rat */
2, /* gnome zombie */
2, /* green mold */
2, /* hobbit */
2, /* human */
2, /* large kobold */
2, /* red mold */
2, /* shrieker */
2, /* yellow mold */
3, /* cave spider */
3, /* dwarf zombie */
3, /* floating eye */
3, /* garter snake */
3, /* giant bat */
3, /* gnome */
3, /* hobgoblin */
3, /* homunculus */
3, /* iguana */
3, /* Keystone Kop */
3, /* kitten */
3, /* kobold lord */
3, /* little dog */
3, /* manes */
3, /* orc */
3, /* orc zombie */
3, /* werejackal */
3, /* wererat */
4, /* baby crocodile */
4, /* black naga hatchling */
4, /* centipede */
4, /* dwarf */
4, /* elf zombie */
4, /* fog cloud */
4, /* giant ant */
4, /* gnome lord */
4, /* golden naga hatchling */
4, /* gray ooze */
4, /* guardian naga hatchling */
4, /* hill orc */
4, /* imp */
4, /* kobold mummy */
4, /* kobold shaman */
4, /* Kop Sergeant */
4, /* leprechaun */
4, /* monkey */
4, /* paper golem */
4, /* pony */
4, /* rabid rat */
4, /* red naga hatchling */
4, /* rock mole */
4, /* rock piercer */
4, /* rothe */
4, /* straw golem */
4, /* werejackal */
4, /* wererat */
4, /* woodchuck */
5, /* blue jelly */
5, /* bugbear */
5, /* dingo */
5, /* dog */
5, /* ghoul */
5, /* gnome mummy */
5, /* gnomish wizard */
5, /* housecat */
5, /* human zombie */
5, /* jellyfish */
5, /* killer bee */
5, /* Kop Lieutenant */
5, /* lemure */
5, /* Mordor orc */
5, /* mountain nymph */
5, /* orc shaman */
5, /* Uruk-hai */
5, /* violet fungus */
5, /* water nymph */
5, /* wood nymph */
5, /* yellow light */
6, /* ape */
6, /* black unicorn */
6, /* brown pudding */
6, /* dust vortex */
6, /* dwarf lord */
6, /* dwarf mummy */
6, /* fire ant */
6, /* giant beetle */
6, /* gnome king */
6, /* gold golem */
6, /* gray unicorn */
6, /* iron piercer */
6, /* jaguar */
6, /* Kop Kaptain */
6, /* lizard */
6, /* orc mummy */
6, /* piranha */
6, /* plains centaur */
6, /* quivering blob */
6, /* raven */
6, /* rope golem */
6, /* snake */
6, /* soldier ant */
6, /* spotted jelly */
6, /* werewolf */
6, /* white unicorn */
6, /* wolf */
6, /* Woodland-elf */
7, /* attendant */
7, /* barrow wight */
7, /* black light */
7, /* chameleon */
7, /* chickatrice */
7, /* chieftain */
7, /* crocodile */
7, /* elf mummy */
7, /* ettin zombie */
7, /* giant eel */
7, /* giant spider */
7, /* Green-elf */
7, /* horse */
7, /* human mummy */
7, /* hunter */
7, /* ice vortex */
7, /* large cat */
7, /* large dog */
7, /* leather golem */
7, /* lynx */
7, /* mumak */
7, /* neanderthal */
7, /* ninja */
7, /* ogre */
7, /* orc-captain */
7, /* owlbear */
7, /* page */
7, /* panther */
7, /* quasit */
7, /* roshi */
7, /* student */
7, /* tengu */
7, /* thug */
7, /* vampire bat */
7, /* warrior */
7, /* water moccasin */
7, /* werewolf */
7, /* winter wolf cub */
7, /* yeti */
8, /* abbot */
8, /* acolyte */
8, /* apprentice */
8, /* carnivorous ape */
8, /* cockatrice */
8, /* djinni */
8, /* dwarf king */
8, /* ettin mummy */
8, /* flaming sphere */
8, /* forest centaur */
8, /* freezing sphere */
8, /* gargoyle */
8, /* gelatinous cube */
8, /* giant */
8, /* green slime */
8, /* gremlin */
8, /* Grey-elf */
8, /* guide */
8, /* incubus */
8, /* leocrotta */
8, /* ochre jelly */
8, /* pyrolisk */
8, /* python */
8, /* red naga */
8, /* rust monster */
8, /* scorpion */
8, /* shocking sphere */
8, /* small mimic */
8, /* soldier */
8, /* stone giant */
8, /* succubus */
8, /* tiger */
8, /* warg */
8, /* watchman */
8, /* wood golem */
8, /* wraith */
9, /* baby long worm */
9, /* baby purple worm */
9, /* energy vortex */
9, /* giant zombie */
9, /* glass piercer */
9, /* hell hound pup */
9, /* horned devil */
9, /* large mimic */
9, /* long worm */
9, /* mountain centaur */
9, /* ogre lord */
9, /* pit viper */
9, /* quantum mechanic */
9, /* sasquatch */
9, /* shark */
9, /* stalker */
9, /* steam vortex */
9, /* troll */
9, /* warhorse */
9, /* winter wolf */
9, /* wumpus */
9, /* xan */
10, /* air elemental */
10, /* barbed devil */
10, /* black naga */
10, /* cobra */
10, /* earth elemental */
10, /* electric eel */
10, /* erinys */
10, /* fire elemental */
10, /* fire vortex */
10, /* flesh golem */
10, /* giant mummy */
10, /* hill giant */
10, /* sergeant */
10, /* water elemental */
11, /* couatl */
11, /* doppelganger */
11, /* elf-lord */
11, /* Elvenking */
11, /* fire giant */
11, /* giant mimic */
11, /* marilith */
11, /* monk */
11, /* ogre king */
11, /* vrock */
11, /* water demon */
11, /* winged gargoyle */
11, /* xorn */
11, /* zruty */
12, /* Aleax */
12, /* archeologist */
12, /* barbarian */
12, /* black pudding */
12, /* caveman */
12, /* cavewoman */
12, /* clay golem */
12, /* elf */
12, /* ghost */
12, /* healer */
12, /* hezrou */
12, /* ice troll */
12, /* knight */
12, /* lieutenant */
12, /* lurker above */
12, /* priest */
12, /* priestess */
12, /* queen bee */
12, /* ranger */
12, /* rock troll */
12, /* rogue */
12, /* salamander */
12, /* samurai */
12, /* tourist */
12, /* umber hulk */
12, /* valkyrie */
12, /* vampire */
12, /* watch captain */
12, /* wizard */
13, /* baby black dragon */
13, /* baby blue dragon */
13, /* baby gray dragon */
13, /* baby green dragon */
13, /* baby orange dragon */
13, /* baby red dragon */
13, /* baby silver dragon */
13, /* baby white dragon */
13, /* baby yellow dragon */
13, /* bone devil */
13, /* ettin */
13, /* frost giant */
13, /* golden naga */
13, /* nurse */
13, /* Oracle */
13, /* titanothere */
13, /* water troll */
14, /* captain */
14, /* disenchanter */
14, /* guard */
14, /* hell hound */
14, /* ice devil */
14, /* lich */
14, /* mind flayer */
14, /* prisoner */
14, /* shade */
14, /* skeleton */
14, /* trapper */
14, /* vampire lord */
15, /* aligned priest */
15, /* baluchitherium */
15, /* nalfeshnee */
15, /* sandestin */
15, /* shopkeeper */
15, /* stone golem */
16, /* guardian naga */
16, /* Olog-hai */
17, /* minotaur */
17, /* Nazgul */
17, /* pit fiend */
17, /* purple worm */
17, /* Scorpius */
18, /* demilich */
18, /* glass golem */
18, /* jabberwock */
18, /* master mind flayer */
18, /* Vlad the Impaler */
19, /* Angel */
19, /* Ashikaga Takauji */
19, /* Lord Surtur */
19, /* storm giant */
20, /* balrog */
20, /* black dragon */
20, /* blue dragon */
20, /* Dark One */
20, /* gray dragon */
20, /* green dragon */
20, /* Master Assassin */
20, /* orange dragon */
20, /* red dragon */
20, /* silver dragon */
20, /* titan */
20, /* white dragon */
20, /* yellow dragon */
21, /* ki-rin */
21, /* master lich */
22, /* Croesus */
22, /* Hippocrates */
22, /* iron golem */
22, /* Ixoth */
22, /* King Arthur */
22, /* kraken */
22, /* Lord Carnarvon */
22, /* Lord Sato */
22, /* mastodon */
22, /* Norn */
22, /* Orion */
22, /* Pelias */
22, /* Shaman Karnov */
22, /* Thoth Amon */
22, /* Twoflower */
22, /* Wizard of Balance */
23, /* Chromatic Dragon */
23, /* Cyclops */
23, /* Minion of Huhetotl */
23, /* Nalzok */
24, /* Master of Thieves */
25, /* Medusa */
26, /* Archon */
26, /* Juiblex */
29, /* arch-lich */
30, /* Arch Priest */
30, /* Grand Master */
30, /* high priest */
31, /* Master Kaen */
31, /* Yeenoghu */
34, /* Death */
34, /* Famine */
34, /* Pestilence */
34, /* Wizard of Yendor */
36, /* Geryon */
36, /* Orcus */
40, /* Dispater */
45, /* Baalzebub */
53, /* Asmodeus */
57, /* Demogorgon */
The scores are based on several things. The following factors give higher scores:
- higher monster level
- lower ac
- group creation, especially large groups (like orcs)
- having range attacks
- extra high speed
- number of attacks, especially:
- magic attacks
- weapon attacks by strong monsters
- triple weight for "special" damage types (drain level,
stoning, drain strength, drain dex, drain co, lycanthropy)
[Note some of the worst ones are not listed here! Maybe this code
just hasn't been updated to reflect new attack types?]
- number of other non-physical damage types, e.g. electric
[but grid bugs are explicitly excluded from this bonus!]
- leprechauns are explicitly downgraded because they do so little damage
It's kind of interesting that the lowly cockatrice, cause of so many YASD's,
is only 8 on this scale! Maybe the scale would be more accurate if
insta-kill and near-insta-kill attacks were given greater weight than
the draining attacks. E.g. stoning, sliming, disease, drowning...
On the other hand, I guess difficulty level is not really just about
dying. Mind-flayers can make life pretty difficult, but they're
rarely life-threatening.
I was also surprised that the feared mumak got a rating of only 7.
I suppose that's because the rating system only counts *number* of attacks,
while the mumak's terror is in how much damage each of his attacks does.
The air elemental also seems underrated at 10. Again, it has only one attack
but a very powerful one, and ultra-high speed that the granularity of
the rating system glosses over.
But, looks like they got Demogorgon right!
Lars
Chigbo Ikejiani
Aug 2001 18:21:33 +0300, Jukka Lahtinen chose to regale us with their
infinite wisdom thusly...
> hut...@cs.oberlin.edu (Lars Huttar) writes:
>
> >For curiosity's sake I redid the list to put the name of
> >each monster next to its "difficulty level".
>
> > 3, /* werejackal */
> > 3, /* wererat */
> > 4, /* werejackal */
> > 4, /* wererat */
>
> (And werewolves, too.)
> Is one of them used for the human form and the other for the other form?
Almost certainly.
--
Proving that "mature teenager" is not an oxymoron.
"In the normal world, this would make me look stupid.
But because this *is*, after all, a sci-fi thriller, they serve
to make me appear menacing" {www.detonate.net/matrix]
Dylan O'Donnell
> Hark, denizens of rec.games.roguelike.nethack! On this blessed day of 1
> Aug 2001 18:21:33 +0300, Jukka Lahtinen chose to regale us with their
> infinite wisdom thusly...
> > hut...@cs.oberlin.edu (Lars Huttar) writes:
> >
> > >For curiosity's sake I redid the list to put the name of
> > >each monster next to its "difficulty level".
> > ..snip..
> >
> > > 3, /* werejackal */
> > > 3, /* wererat */
> > ..snip..
> > > 4, /* werejackal */
> > > 4, /* wererat */
> >
> > Why are werejackal and wererat mentioned twice, with two different values?
> > (And werewolves, too.)
> > Is one of them used for the human form and the other for the other form?
>
> Almost certainly.
Certainly :-) Animal forms of werejackals/rats/wolves have MONSTRs one
higher than their human counterpart; I don't believe this makes any
gameplay difference, since MONSTR is only checked when creating a
monster and kitting it out (werefoo are always generated in their
human form), sacrificing corpses (all werefoo corpses are of the human
form), or deciding whether it's going to benefit from selfpoly (checks
whether MONSTR is under 6, and there's no 5/6 split between
wereforms).
--
: Dylan O'Donnell http://www.spod-central.org/~psmith/ :
: "The Foo service relies upon the Bar system service, which is :
: currently experiencing problems in dimensional stability, :
: believed to be caused by a passing walrus." -- pdp :