Difference between revisions of "Archon"
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They have an active gaze attack that [[blind]]s and [[stun]]s you ("you are blinded by the Archon's radiance!"). To prevent these effects, you can [[blind]] yourself or wear [[The Eyes of the Overworld]]. | They have an active gaze attack that [[blind]]s and [[stun]]s you ("you are blinded by the Archon's radiance!"). To prevent these effects, you can [[blind]] yourself or wear [[The Eyes of the Overworld]]. | ||
| − | If neither [[Demonbane]] nor [[Sunsword]] have yet been created, the first Archon to be generated will be [[ | + | If neither [[Demonbane]] nor [[Sunsword]] have yet been created, the first Archon to be generated will be [[Monster starting inventory|given]] one of them;{{refsrc|makemon.c|268|comment=the game always tries to give overlord A's one of the two artifacts; if the chosen artifact has already been generated, it will be converted to a normal [[rustproof]] long sword. Thus, when one of the two artifacts has already been generated, the next Archon generated has a 50% chance of receiving the other.}} they are also guaranteed a [[shield of reflection]]. |
| − | Archons have such high [[difficulty]] that even for a level 30 [[player|character]] they cannot appear before [[dungeon level]] 22. | + | Archons have such high [[difficulty]] that even for a level 30 [[player|character]] they cannot appear before [[dungeon level]] 22. Since the [[Dungeons of Doom]] end at or before level 29 and Archons cannot be generated in [[Gehennom]], most characters will not see one before finding the [[Amulet of Yendor]]. Once you have the Amulet, your effective dungeon level is at least 45, so Archons may be randomly generated from the [[Castle]] up. There are no guaranteed Archons in the game. There is one exception to these rules—the random [[angelic being|A]] generated on the second version of [[Medusa's Island]] could theoretically be an Archon, but it is quite unlikely.{{refsrc|makemon.c|1318}} |
==Strategy== | ==Strategy== | ||
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[[Pacifist]]s may use an early wish for a blessed [[figurine]] of an Archon. | [[Pacifist]]s may use an early wish for a blessed [[figurine]] of an Archon. | ||
| − | Excessive use of [[genocide]] may lead to an "[[Archonstorm]]", a scenario in which overwhelming numbers of Archons begin to appear in the [[endgame]], in place of other high-level monsters that have been genocided. Neutral and chaotic players can keep the chances of such a scenario low by using genocide sparingly. (Lawful humans will probably want to use moderation in using genocide as well, due to the | + | Excessive use of [[genocide]] may lead to an "[[Archonstorm]]", a scenario in which overwhelming numbers of Archons begin to appear in the [[endgame]], in place of other high-level monsters that have been genocided. Neutral and chaotic players can keep the chances of such a scenario low by using genocide sparingly. (Lawful humans will probably want to use moderation in using genocide as well, due to the −1 [[alignment record|alignment penalty]] associated with it.) |
| − | == | + | ==As pets== |
| − | As mentioned above, Archons make outstanding pets. They are permanently [[fast]] after they cast [[haste self]], use their blinding gaze (monsters don't get stunned by this attack), hit hard and wear some armor types. A level 25 or higher Archon will [[Magic resistance (monster)|always ignore]] [[conflict]].<!-- Yes, the Sceptre of Might also counts as RING_CLASS for conflict resistance purposes.--> A level 32 or higher Archon will also be immune to polymorph traps (but not levelporters). The easiest way to get a pet Archon is to apply a blessed [[figurine]] of an Archon. It is possible for a high level character to tame an Archon with a spell of charm monster but it may require a number of attempts. The [[Castle]] is the most promising place to | + | As mentioned above, Archons make outstanding pets. They are permanently [[fast]] after they cast [[haste self]], use their blinding gaze (monsters don't get stunned by this attack), hit hard, and wear some armor types. A level 25 or higher Archon will [[Magic resistance (monster)|always ignore]] [[conflict]].<!-- Yes, the Sceptre of Might also counts as RING_CLASS for conflict resistance purposes.--> A level 32 or higher Archon will also be immune to polymorph traps (but not levelporters). The easiest way to get a pet Archon is to apply a blessed [[figurine]] of an Archon. It is possible for a high-level character to tame an Archon with a {{spell of|charm monster}} spell, but it may require a number of attempts. The [[Castle]] is the most promising place to farm for one with the {{spell of|create monster}} spell once your level is high enough, but [[Vlad's Tower]] might also do. |
| − | Archons will wear [[gloves]], [[helm]] | + | Archons will wear [[gloves]], [[helm]]s, [[boots]], and [[shield]]s, but they're too large to wear any armor that fits on the body. (Note that [[speed boots]] do not increase Archons' speed to "very fast"). To get a pet Archon to wear armor, enchant the piece of armor and then drop it in front of the Archon. Archons will also pick up and use a variety of items, including [[unicorn horn]]s, [[amulet of life saving|amulets of life saving]] and [[potion of gain level|potions of gain level]]. |
Archons will wield weapons left for them but getting them to drop their starting weapon can be difficult. Applying a [[bullwhip]] towards them can strip them of their current weapon, allowing you to hand them another weapon or simply giving you the opportunity to enchant their starting one before handing it back. If you give your pet an artifact while it is carrying nothing else, it will never unwield it: monsters prefer (non-cross-aligned) artifact weapons over everything else, and rank those they have by position in an internal list. | Archons will wield weapons left for them but getting them to drop their starting weapon can be difficult. Applying a [[bullwhip]] towards them can strip them of their current weapon, allowing you to hand them another weapon or simply giving you the opportunity to enchant their starting one before handing it back. If you give your pet an artifact while it is carrying nothing else, it will never unwield it: monsters prefer (non-cross-aligned) artifact weapons over everything else, and rank those they have by position in an internal list. | ||
| − | == | + | ==SLASH'EM== |
| + | In [[SLASH'EM]], because the dungeon is much deeper, there is a higher probability you'll encounter them before the castle. [[Planetar and Solar|Solars]] make even better pets. | ||
| − | + | Take into account that here you will [[need +x weapon to hit|need +4 weapon to hit]] them. If you were planning to use [[firearms]] to bypass their reflection, you'll need +4 [[bullet]]s. | |
| − | + | ==dNethack== | |
| − | + | {{main|Archon (dNetHack)}} | |
| − | + | Archons in [[dNetHack]] are now split into 7 varieties. The counterpart to the vanilla Archon is a [[Archon (dNetHack)#Throne Archon|Throne Archon]]. In addition, as the #loot command can now take items from pets, it's much easier to remove Sunsword or Demonbane from a pet. You can also use this to give them a different artifact or a non-artifact enchanted weapon, and take Sunsword for yourself. | |
| − | == | ||
| − | |||
| − | |||
==Origin== | ==Origin== | ||
| − | Archon is Greek (ἄρχων arkhon) for "ruler" or "lord". It refers to ancient Greek "ruling gods". | + | ''Archon'' is Greek (ἄρχων ''arkhon'') for "ruler" or "lord". It refers to ancient Greek "ruling gods". |
==Encyclopaedia entry== | ==Encyclopaedia entry== | ||
Revision as of 06:17, 25 August 2019
A archon 
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 26 |
| Attacks |
Weapon 2d4, Weapon 2d4, Gaze 2d6 blinding and stunning, Claw 1d8, Spell-casting |
| Base level | 19 |
| Base experience | 730 |
| Speed | 16 |
| Base AC | −6 |
| Base MR | 80 |
| Alignment | 15 (lawful) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 1 (Very rare) |
| Genocidable | No |
| Weight | 1450 |
| Nutritional value | 400 |
| Size | Large |
| Resistances | Fire, Cold, Shock, Sleep, Poison |
| Resistances conveyed |
None |
|
An Archon:
| |
| Reference | monst.c#line1106 |
Archons are the most powerful of the angelic beings and, indeed, possess the second highest difficulty level of all randomly generated monsters (next to the arch-lich). They are exceedingly popular as pets due to their power (and as pets cannot cast attack spells, the arch-lich is far less desirable as a pet due to its weak cold attack and complete lack of other physical attacks).
They have an active gaze attack that blinds and stuns you ("you are blinded by the Archon's radiance!"). To prevent these effects, you can blind yourself or wear The Eyes of the Overworld.
If neither Demonbane nor Sunsword have yet been created, the first Archon to be generated will be given one of them;[1] they are also guaranteed a shield of reflection.
Archons have such high difficulty that even for a level 30 character they cannot appear before dungeon level 22. Since the Dungeons of Doom end at or before level 29 and Archons cannot be generated in Gehennom, most characters will not see one before finding the Amulet of Yendor. Once you have the Amulet, your effective dungeon level is at least 45, so Archons may be randomly generated from the Castle up. There are no guaranteed Archons in the game. There is one exception to these rules—the random A generated on the second version of Medusa's Island could theoretically be an Archon, but it is quite unlikely.[2]
Strategy
The best way to fight Archons is to use a cockatrice/chickatrice corpse and be blinded to protect yourself from the stunning and blinding effects of their gaze. Wearing the Eyes of the Overworld also prevents you from being stunned or blinded by this attack. Archons' guaranteed shield will reflect a death ray (or any other ray, for that matter), but Vorpal Blade can decapitate them. They are too large to be bisected.
Another option is to try avoiding them and keep moving. Their inability to unlock doors can help. Archons will always be peaceful for lawful characters of non-negative alignment. Some players consider this a significant advantage of being lawful.
Pacifists may use an early wish for a blessed figurine of an Archon.
Excessive use of genocide may lead to an "Archonstorm", a scenario in which overwhelming numbers of Archons begin to appear in the endgame, in place of other high-level monsters that have been genocided. Neutral and chaotic players can keep the chances of such a scenario low by using genocide sparingly. (Lawful humans will probably want to use moderation in using genocide as well, due to the −1 alignment penalty associated with it.)
As pets
As mentioned above, Archons make outstanding pets. They are permanently fast after they cast haste self, use their blinding gaze (monsters don't get stunned by this attack), hit hard, and wear some armor types. A level 25 or higher Archon will always ignore conflict. A level 32 or higher Archon will also be immune to polymorph traps (but not levelporters). The easiest way to get a pet Archon is to apply a blessed figurine of an Archon. It is possible for a high-level character to tame an Archon with a charm monster spell, but it may require a number of attempts. The Castle is the most promising place to farm for one with the create monster spell once your level is high enough, but Vlad's Tower might also do.
Archons will wear gloves, helms, boots, and shields, but they're too large to wear any armor that fits on the body. (Note that speed boots do not increase Archons' speed to "very fast"). To get a pet Archon to wear armor, enchant the piece of armor and then drop it in front of the Archon. Archons will also pick up and use a variety of items, including unicorn horns, amulets of life saving and potions of gain level.
Archons will wield weapons left for them but getting them to drop their starting weapon can be difficult. Applying a bullwhip towards them can strip them of their current weapon, allowing you to hand them another weapon or simply giving you the opportunity to enchant their starting one before handing it back. If you give your pet an artifact while it is carrying nothing else, it will never unwield it: monsters prefer (non-cross-aligned) artifact weapons over everything else, and rank those they have by position in an internal list.
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, because the dungeon is much deeper, there is a higher probability you'll encounter them before the castle. Solars make even better pets.
Take into account that here you will need +4 weapon to hit them. If you were planning to use firearms to bypass their reflection, you'll need +4 bullets.
dNethack
Archons in dNetHack are now split into 7 varieties. The counterpart to the vanilla Archon is a Throne Archon. In addition, as the #loot command can now take items from pets, it's much easier to remove Sunsword or Demonbane from a pet. You can also use this to give them a different artifact or a non-artifact enchanted weapon, and take Sunsword for yourself.
Origin
Archon is Greek (ἄρχων arkhon) for "ruler" or "lord". It refers to ancient Greek "ruling gods".
Encyclopaedia entry
Archons are the predominant inhabitants of the heavens.
However unusual their appearance, they are not generally
evil. They are beings at peace with themselves and their
surroundings.
References
- ↑ makemon.c in NetHack 3.4.3, line 268: the game always tries to give overlord A's one of the two artifacts; if the chosen artifact has already been generated, it will be converted to a normal rustproof long sword. Thus, when one of the two artifacts has already been generated, the next Archon generated has a 50% chance of receiving the other.
- ↑ makemon.c in NetHack 3.4.3, line 1318
This page may need to be updated for the current version of NetHack.
It may contain text specific to NetHack 3.4.3. Information on this page may be out of date.
Editors: After reviewing this page and making necessary edits, please change the {{nethack-343}} tag to the current version's tag or {{noversion}} as appropriate.
