Bugle

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Revision as of 22:32, 1 September 2021 by Umbire the Phantom (talk | contribs) (Strategy)
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( Bugle.png
Name bugle
Appearance bugle
Base price 15 zm
Weight 10
Material copper
Monster use May be used defensively by monsters.

The bugle is a tonal musical instrument that appears in NetHack. It is the only non-magical instrument that lacks a magical equivalent.

Generation

Sergeants, lieutenants, and captains in the Yendorian Army have a 13 chance of being generated with a bugle.

Effects

Applying a bugle will allow you to play it. Improvising can awaken or scare nearby monsters, as with a tooled horn - however, it will also awaken, anger, and unparalyze all soldiers and watchmen on the level.[1][2] Improvising abuses your wisdom.

Soldiers themselves are capable of using bugles to the same effect - a soldier will only play it if there is another sleeping soldier in a 7×7 square around them.[3]

The following information pertains to an upcoming version (3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that it is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate this information.

Per this commit, bugles work against fewer monsters, and some are completely immune.

Strategy

A bugle can be a good substitute for a tooled horn - they are lighter and have a good chance of scaring most monsters outside of the Yendorian Army. However, they cannot be safely used in Minetown unless you neutralize the watch, and it is best to look for barracks before using your bugle on later levels, including the Castle.

Bugles are also a reason to tread carefully when clearing out any barracks, as one of the higher-ranked fighters may carry one and will wake up their sleeping comrades the first chance they get, spoiling any sleep or stealth-based approach you were employing at that point.

Bugles are very useful tools for the late game and Endgame - as a tonal instrument, they can play the passtune for the Castle, and they can keep hostile priests from surrounding you in the Sanctum and drive away air elementals on the Plane of Air.

The following information pertains to an upcoming version (3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that it is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate this information.

As a consequence of the above commit, priests and Angels are no longer scared by bugles.

Encyclopaedia entry

'I read you by your bugle horn
And by your palfrey good,
I read you for a Ranger sworn
To keep the King's green-wood.'
'A Ranger, Lady, winds his horn,
And 'tis at peep of light;
His blast is heard at merry morn,
And mine at dead of night.'

[ Brignall Banks, by Sir Walter Scott ]

References

This page may need to be updated for the current version of NetHack.

It may contain text specific to NetHack 3.6.4. Information on this page may be out of date.

Editors: After reviewing this page and making necessary edits, please change the {{nethack-364}} tag to the current version's tag or {{noversion}} as appropriate.