Bones

In NetHack, a bones level (also known as a bones file or simply bones) refers to a level that is saved when the player character dies, which may be loaded in place of a normal level in some future game. Only one bones file is stored per dungeon level: it has a ¹⁄₃ chance of being loaded in place of a standard map for that level, and will otherwise remain untouched.

Traps in early dungeon levels can feature "fake bones" that emulate actual bones files.

Generation

If a character dies on an eligible dungeon level, they have a $\frac{\lfloor \frac{depth}{4} \rfloor}{\lfloor \frac{depth}{4} \rfloor + 1}$ chance of leaving bones, where D is equivalent to the depth of that level. In practice, this means that a bones file is never created or loaded above dungeon level 4. It is also entirely possible for a bones level to be saved as bones again if it is loaded as an eligible level by another character who is then killed on that level - in rare cases, players may encounter a triple or even quadruple bones.

Assuming that the level in question is eligible, the odds of a bones file being created can be expressed as inversely proportional to the equation floor(depth/4) + 1 - there is a ¹⁄₂ chance of bones being created at dungeon levels 4-7, a ²⁄₃ chance of bones being created at levels 8-11, a ³⁄₄ chance of bones being created on DL 12-15, a ⁴⁄₅ chance of bones being created on DL 16-19, and so on.

In addition to dungeon levels 1-3, the other following levels are ineligible to create bones files on:

• Any level with dungeon branch stairs or a magic portal (including a level that has a portal in a Fake Wizard's Tower)
• The first level of the Gnomish Mines, if it is created on DL 3.
• Mines' End
• Sokoban
• The home and goal levels of the Quest
• Fort Ludios
• Medusa's Island
• The Castle
• The top and bottom floors of Vlad's Tower
• The top and bottom floors of The Wizard's Tower
• The vibrating square level
• Moloch's Sanctum
• Any of the Elemental Planes, including the Astral Plane

The same levels are ineligible to load bones files on, minus the Gnomish Mines if it appears on DL 3.

Bones files created in eligible special levels such as Minetown may be loaded as a different depth, and are generally exceptions to ad-hoc rules regarding dungeon generation (e.g. "no polymorph traps above dungeon level 8").

Fake bones

As mentioned above, "fake bones" can be generated on traps in early dungeon levels: a trap that is lethal in some manner will generate a pre-aged corpse along with some cursed objects atop the pile, and traps that generate and/or shoot objects will have at least a few of those objects among the pile.

Description

A bones level will contain some remnant of the former player character - this remnant is determined at the time of death, and is usually a named ghost, though other remnants can occur depending on the monster who killed them:

• If the character was killed by any V (vampire, vampire lord, or Vlad), a named (regular) vampire replaces the ghost.
• If the character was killed by any W (wraith, barrow wight, or Nazgul), a named wraith replaces the ghost.
• If the character was killed by a ghoul, the ghost is replaced with a named ghoul.
• If the character was killed by a mummy, the ghost is replaced with the appropriate equivalent mummy (human mummy, elf mummy, etc.) bearing the late character's name and holding their inventory - they will also be generated with a mummy wrapping if they do not already possess one.
• If the character was killed or petrified by a cockatrice of chickatrice, a statue of the character containing their inventory is left instead of a monster and/or corpse, even if the player did not die by stoning.

If the cause of death does not leave behind a statue or a mummy, a headstone will be generated on the spot where the character was killed, with any monster that represents the former player character generated asleep atop it; every item in the former character's inventory will be placed atop the headstone, along with their corpse if applicable. A character that dies and leaves behind a statue will instead have their inventory made into the statue's contents.

The level will also be saved in the state it was in at the time of their death, with some exceptions:

• The invocation items and the Amulet of Yendor are always replaced with mundane equivalents:
  • The Amulet is replaced by a cursed cheap plastic imitation of the Amulet of Yendor.
  • The Candelabrum of Invocation is replaced by a cursed, partly-used and unlit wax candle.
  • The Bell of Opening is replaced by a cursed bell.
  • The Book of the Dead is replaced by a cursed spellbook of blank paper.
• Former pets will become hostile.
• The following monsters will not be present:
  • Medusa
  • the Wizard of Yendor
  • Vlad the Impaler
  • your quest nemesis
  • your quest leader
• Corpses of unique monsters are exchanged for doppelganger corpses, and their statues will be animated as doppelgangers in the guise of those monsters - tins of unique monsters will be made empty.

A character that loads a bones level will always have their quest artifact and any other artifact that was already created in their game replaced with their regular base items - for example, a character that has generated Stormbringer and loads a bones level where the former character had Stormbringer will find a runesword in their bones pile instead. All artifacts that are not replaced will revert to their base alignment, e.g. the Mitre of Holiness in bones is always lawful, even if found in the bones of a chaotic priest. Every other item in the former character's inventory has a ⁴⁄₅ chance each of being cursed outright, and with the above exceptions will otherwise retain their original beatitude.

Bones files locations

On the Windows port, the data for a bones file is stored in the playground directory. As the filename contains clues to where the player died, it is trivial to identify potential bones levels. The file is created when a character dies on a bones-capable level, and is deleted when a bones level is reached and incorporated into an active game - if the character later dies on a bones-capable level, the file may be re-created with the appropriate filename. A player observing the files within the playground can notice when a suitable level is coming up and spot if bones are loaded for that level.

The file naming format used is "bon<branch><role>.<level>" - for example, "bonM0.T" is a bones file for Minetown. The file itself is not meant to be human-readable. The characters used in the filename are defined in dungeon.def:

• <branch> is one of:
  • D – Dungeons of Doom
  • M – Gnomish Mines
  • G – Gehennom
  • T – Vlad's Tower
  • Q – Quest
• <role>:
  • Is normally "0", if part of the normal dungeon
  • Changes to represent specific quest branches, e.g. "Bar" for Barbarian, "Wiz" for Wizard, etc.
• <level> is one of:
  • Numbers 1 through 53 – these correspond to ordinary levels that are eligible for leaving bones. This number is offset from the first of the branch appropriate—e.g. if the bones are on the second level of the mines, the filename would be "bonM0.2".
  • O – Oracle (if <branch> is "D", as the Oracle can only be in the Dungeons of Doom and Orcus Town shares "O")
  • T – Minetown
  • R – Rogue level
  • V – Valley of the Dead
  • A – Asmodeus' Lair
  • B – Baalzebub's Lair
  • J – Juiblex's Swamp
  • O – Orcus Town (if <branch> is "G", as Orcus Town can only be in Gehennom and the Oracle shares "O")
  • X – Wizard's Tower

Wizard mode

In wizard mode, you will be prompted when you reach a bones level with the message "Get bones? [yn] (n)", allowing you to selectively retrieve the bones file for that level. You'll also get the prompt "Unlink bones? [yn] (n)". Selecting y removes that bones file from the possible set of bones files for normal games.

When you die on a bones-suitable level, you will be presented with the opportunity to "Save bones? [yn] (n)", allowing you to selectively save bones files. If there was already a bones file for that level (i.e. you said "no" to getting bones when entering a level) you will also be prompted with "Bones file already exists. Replace? [yn] (n)", allowing you to selectively overwrite the bones file for that level.

Strategy

Bones levels can be a double-edged sword: the bones pile they contain will have all the dead adventurer's possessions, but it will also contain most of the monsters that were present on the level as well, including the one that likely killed the previous character - if that monster has dangerous armor, weapons, wands, and/or other items, it is also very likely to use them against you. A ghost created on top of the bones pile can prevent monsters from gaining access to the former character's inventory until it is woken up and moves off the pile; conversely, a wraith or vampire will immediately try to pick up and equip what they can to use against you.

Killing or luring the ghost or monster away gives you access to the bones pile, which contains the entire inventory of the player when they died. EIt is thus usually a bad idea to quaff, read, wield, or wear anything from a bones pile until it has been properly BUC identified. Turning off autopickup temporarily before you step onto the bones pile is a good idea, so you can look through the items at your leisure and don't accidentally encumber yourself by picking up many items at once.

If there is a bag in the bones pile, it may be a bag of holding (unless the adventurer appears to be an early Rogue or Archeologist, in which case it's probably just a sack). Since the bag may be cursed, it might not be wise to loot it on the spot and risk destroying its contents. Try to lift it; if you find it very difficult or impossible, it is likely a cursed bag of holding. If you can get it into your inventory, you can treat it with a scroll of remove curse or dip it in a potion of holy water. If not, you can zap a wand of cancellation at it on the floor to uncurse it. As a last resort, you can tip it.

Beware! The original killer is still lurking about the level, probably not too far from the site of the bones. If you discover a bones pile with very advanced items, be very careful about running into whatever managed to kill your predecessor! A headstone generates under the bones pile; this means that you can't engrave Elbereth on that square to keep monsters from attacking you while you sort through it. If you need to fight, step into another square. Alternatively, stand on top of a scroll of scare monster. (There might even be one in the bones pile already.)

On the other hand, you want to get at any wands of fire or lightning the player may have been carrying before monsters can use them against you. Luckily, the ghost on top is generated asleep and will prevent other monsters from moving onto the pile until you wake it up.

Forensics

Objects that the deceased player has named will be reset to whatever description that object has in the current player's game. In other words, if the deceased had a yellow potion named "this burns when thrown" (meaning it was acid), but acid in the current player's game is a purple potion, the potion will show up as purple, without a name. The exception to this rule is fruit, which retains its name in bones piles. Thus, naming your fruit "Look out for the master mind flayer!" is a clever dying action to inform the next player about your demise. Engraving is a more restrictive method of issuing such warnings, as you can only engrave a maximum of eight characters per turn, which limits your final vocabulary to phrases like "purple h", "GWTWOD", or "Archon".

Assuming that the game is being played on a public server that provides dumplogs, the less scrupulous may look up the dumplog to see what items were carried. As these logs include an ASCII image of the game map at time of death, determining which of the logs belongs to the body you found is simple. This is probably cheating, though, and some players frown upon it.

When encountering a bones level, it can be advantageous to know some details of the deceased, or at least his or her class. For example, if you find a grave with a quarterstaff, a randomly named cloak, two spellbooks, and a magic marker, you can be fairly certain the corpse is that of an early wizard, from which you can deduce that the cloak is a cloak of magic resistance. This method comes with no guarantees, but the more "indicator items" you find, the more certain you can be.

Class	is indicated by
Archeologist	bullwhip, fedora, tinning kit
Barbarian	two-handed sword, battle-axe
Caveman	large number of rocks and/or flint stones
Healer	scalpel, stethoscope
Knight	lance, many apples and carrots, saddle (possibly on a horse)
Monk	many apples and oranges, a robe
Priest	4 potions of water, both of: mace and robe
Ranger	two large stacks of arrows
Rogue	large stack of daggers, sack, lock pick
Samurai	large stack of ya (bamboo arrows), katana and short sword
Tourist	Hawaiian shirt, expensive camera, credit card, stack of 4 scrolls
Valkyrie	long sword, small shield, dagger
Wizard	quarterstaff, randomly named cloak, two spellbooks, two rings, a few scrolls and potions, one wand

Rogues and Valkyries are hard to identify, since they both start with items common to other classes, or commonly generated. A +3 small shield almost certainly used to belong to a Valkyrie, but to determine the enchantment, you need to either identify or try on the shield.

Some other things that may indicate that a level is a bones level:

• An abnormally large concentration of different monsters.
• Wounded monsters (can be identified with a stethoscope, but note that ordinary traps can also wound monsters).
• Broken doors (can be identified with far look).
• Unusual holes in walls (but they may also be created by a tunneling monster, especially if there are tunnels containing rocks nearby).
• Empty or partly empty throne rooms, zoos, leprechaun halls, or other special rooms.
• Engraved messages other than those randomly placed by NetHack.
• Few to no items lying on the floor.
• Suspicious or unusual items around the level. For example, disarmed bear traps are never generated randomly.
• Containers with contents unlike those randomly generated, such as weapons and armor.
• Piles of items related to specific monsters. A collection of quarterstaffs or leather armors, or even a noticeable number of elven, dwarvish, or orcish items can indicate that some combat has occurred on the level before you arrived.
• A ghost, in a room other than a graveyard. Note that bones ghosts will always be named after the dead player, and a ghost with one of the random names does not indicate bones. Also, a few special levels generate one random ghost when they are created; this also does not indicate bones.
• A named mummy, wraith, vampire, or green slime.
• Named monsters.
• Monsters which should not be generated for this particular level or at your current difficulty (for example, an archon on DL4).
• Presence of corpses, which are never randomly generated, except in the Valley of the Dead, Orcish Town, and on top of traps in the first four levels of the Dungeons of Doom or behind iron bars. (Corpses might also be caused by random monsters dying to traps.)
• Presence of fruit (slime mold) with a different name from the one you set is a dead giveaway.

Ethics

Using bones items in a normal game is perfectly fine. Bones can often make a difficult game much easier by providing items that the current player has not "earned" yet. If you are going for some record, especially a speed run, the ascension is likely more impressive if not using bones items at all.

From a game design point of view, bones are potentially unbalancing, and a few players object to using bones items for this reason. Finding one's own bones is an even more difficult position. Luckily on a public server there are enough players that this is unlikely to happen too frequently.

If the deceased player's dumplog is available, it can be used to identify items in the bones pile. This could be considered cheating. Many players do it, but endless debates rage on RGRN about the value of such wins. Please disclose dumplog usage.

History

In NetHack 3.4.3 and some previous versions, including variants based on these versions, the statues and corpses of unique monsters will revive as those monsters - this is bug C342-54, and is fixed in NetHack 3.6.0 via commit fbfb8e92.

Variants

A user has suggested improving this page or section as follows:

"Add further information about changes introduced in variants (for example UnNetHack)."

SLASH'EM

In the Windows port of SLASH'EM, the portion of the filename containing the role name can be "Law", "Neu" and "Cha", which represents the alignment quests, and the letter representing the branch can be "N", which corresponds to the nymph level.

UnNetHack

In the Windows port of UnNetHack, the portion of the filename containing the letter representing the branch can be "N", which corresponds to the nymph level.

dNethack

In dNetHack, additional non-standard monsters can be left behind in place of a ghost if a bones file is created:

• Characters killed by dreadblossom swarms and shades that leave bones will become a monster of the same type behind instead of a ghost.
• Characters killed by dread seraphs leave behind skeletons.
• Characters killed by gnoll ghouls leave behind regular ghouls.
• Binders will always leave broken shadows instead of ghosts in a bones file.

Note that Mammon does not currently leave a golden statue in a bones file.

FIQHack

Bones in FIQHack are more dangerous than in vanilla: the ghost will have the same intrinsics as the deceased character, and there is also a 33% chance that the ghost will be replaced with a player monster that has the same inventory, spells, and intrinsics as the dead character.

See also

• Hearse
• Ghost
• Options § bones