Pyrolisk

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A pyrolisk, c, is a monster that appears in NetHack. It is the only member of the cockatrice monster class to lack the cockatrice's stoning-related properties or dangerous touch attack.

The pyrolisk uses a special fiery gaze attack: if you meet the pyrolisk's gaze, you take 2d6 damage unless you have fire resistance, and any potions, scrolls, and spellbooks in your inventory may be burned and destroyed; armor is not affected. If either you or the pyrolisk are blind, the gaze has no effect - interestingly, the gaze attacks can damage you even if you are invisible, though the pyrolisk cannot naturally see invisible and it is still possible for the gaze to miss.

Eating a pyrolisk corpse has a chance of conveying fire resistance or poison resistance, with a 15 chance for each intrinsic.

Strategy

Pyrolisks are generally slow and weak, but their gaze covers a far wider range than most other attacks in the game - it can also be rendered completely harmless by blinding yourself, allowing you to dispatch it with ease. You can also blind the pyrolisk in question, though blinding yourself is typically easier and more convenient; telepathy lets you track the pyrolisk while blind, and aids in spotting and warding off other potential threats that may be nearby. Infravision can help spot a pyrolisk quickly in low-lit areas such as the Gnomish Mines.

If you notice a pyrolisk in the vicinity and have no means to blind yourself, stash your potions, scrolls and spellbooks in a sack or other container - if all else fails, drop them on the ground and be sure not to step too far away in case other monsters are nearby. If you are confident in your speed and have an item such as a wand of lightning or expensive camera, you may consider trying to close in on the pyrolisk and blind them using it, then finish them off quickly.

As a pet

A pyrolisk is not a particularly amazing pet, but its gaze attack does not provoke counterattacks unless they are ranged in nature (e.g. the monster can fire arrows from a bow); it will also not wake up sleeping monsters, and does not target peacefuls unless the pyrolisk is strong enough to attack them. This can be exploited to kill shopkeepers or the Watch without the pyrolisk being attacked, although this will also burn flammable items in their inventory - you will also need to keep pyrolisks far away from shops and temples that you wish to make purchases from.

History

The pyrolisk first appeared in the bestiary for SLASH 6 - it made its vanilla NetHack debut in NetHack 3.3.0.

Origin

Pyrolisks are derived from Dungeons & Dragons, where they are depicted as very similar in physical appearance to the cockatrice, with a rooster-like body, a reptilian tail and bat wings; pyrolisks have red tail feathers distinct from those of cockatrices. The pyrolisk's name is a contraction of pyr (Greek word πῦρ "fire") and basilisk, a mythical snake-like monster closely related to the cockatrice.

Messages

The pyrolisk attacks you with a fiery gaze!
The pyrolisk is directing its gaze attack at you.
The pyrolisk gazes at <foo>...
A pyrolisk directed its gaze at another monster.

Encyclopedia entry

At first glance around the corner, I thought it was another cockatrice. I had encountered the wretched creatures two or three times since leaving the open area. I quickly ducked my head back and considered what to do next. My heart had begun to thump audibly as I patted my pack to make sure I still had the dead lizards at close reach. A check of my attire showed no obvious holes or damage. I had to keep moving. One deep breath, and a count of three, two, one, and around the corner I bolted. But it was no cockatrice! I felt a sudden intense searing of the skin around my face, and flames began to leap from my pack. I tossed it to the ground, and quickly retreated back, around that corner, desperately striving to get out of its sight.