Dungeon fern
F dungeon fern 
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | |
| Attacks |
Gaze 0d0 produce spores |
| Base level | 12 |
| Base experience | |
| Speed | 2 |
| Base AC | 10 |
| Base MR | 0 |
| Alignment | 0 (neutral) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 1 (Very rare) |
| Genocidable | Yes |
| Weight | 20 |
| Nutritional value | 200 |
| Size | Small |
| Resistances | None |
| Resistances conveyed |
None |
|
A dungeon fern:
| |
| Reference | [1] |
| F dungeon fern sprout File:Dungeon fern sprout.png | |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | |
| Attacks |
Gaze 0d0 produce spores |
| Base level | 6 |
| Base experience | |
| Speed | 2 |
| Base AC | 10 |
| Base MR | 0 |
| Alignment | 0 (neutral) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 0 (Not randomly generated) |
| Genocidable | Yes |
| Weight | 20 |
| Nutritional value | 200 |
| Size | Small |
| Resistances | None |
| Resistances conveyed |
None |
|
A dungeon fern sprout:
| |
| Reference | [2] |
| e dungeon fern spore File:Dungeon fern spore.png | |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | |
| Attacks |
Explode 2d4 physical, Boom 2d4 physical |
| Base level | 1 |
| Base experience | |
| Speed | 3 |
| Base AC | 5 |
| Base MR | 0 |
| Alignment | 0 (neutral) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 0 (Not randomly generated) |
| Genocidable | Yes |
| Weight | 10 |
| Nutritional value | 10 |
| Size | Small |
| Resistances | None |
| Resistances conveyed |
None |
|
A dungeon fern spore:
| |
| Reference | [3] |
The dungeon fern is an unassuming monster appearing originally in UnNetHack, though versions of it have also been incorporated into dNetHack, Slash'EM Extended, and SLASHTHEM. It is sessile and has no physical attacks. However, when approached, it creates dungeon fern spores, the more dangerous cousins of gas spores.
Dungeon fern spores attack their targets directly by bursting into stinking clouds. The explosion itself does no harm to the target, and the dangerous effects of the cloud are entirely mitigated by poison resistance or unbreathing. If you do not have either of these, standing at a diagonal to the spore when it bursts will give you a significant chance of being outside of the cloud when it forms. Attacking directly will cause the spore to explode properly, just like a gas spore.
Exploding dungeon fern spores have a 1 in 3 chance of creating a new fern. There is a 1 in 6 chance that it will be a full-grown dungeon fern[4]; otherwise, it will be a dungeon fern sprout, a lower level dungeon fern which produces spores at a lower rate. It is important to destroy both kinds of ferns quickly unless you possess the means to contain out-of-control growth.
Dungeon fern spores will target other monsters as well as the player, and in turn other monsters will attack fern spores on sight[5]. A careful player can take advantage of this and lure spores toward otherwise difficult monsters without poison resistance.
UnNetHack also includes arctic ferns, whose spores deal cold damage, blazing ferns, whose spores deal fire damage, and swamp ferns.
In UnNetHack, ferns are part of the F monster class, which is defined (according to the what is and farlook commands) as "fungus, mold, or fern". In dNetHack they are part of the plant class, which uses the { glyph. In Slash'EM Extended and SLASHTHEM they use the % glyph, like the evil food monsters from SLASH'EM.
In UnNetHack a confused reading of a scroll of stinking cloud will produce a large number of gas spores. If the scroll was blessed, it instead produces fern spores.
A user has suggested improving this page or section as follows:
"Any other differences in Slash'EM Extended and SLASHTHEM?"
Biology
Ferns are a group of real plants with characteristic leaves. They are primitive, having neither seeds nor flowers, reproducing with spores. Hence the spore attack in the game.
Encyclopedia entry
These dreadful weeds have been driven to extinction on the
surface, yet deep within the dark and damp of the dungeon
they still flourish. When it detects the motion of nearby
creatures, the dungeon fern releases a deadly, poisonous
spore, which quickly detonates to propagate the species.
Residents of the dungeon have learned how not to disturb
the dungeon fern, and will attack its spores on sight to
keep them from overtaking their home.
