Bell
( 
| |
|---|---|
| Name | bell |
| Appearance | bell |
| Base price | 50 zm |
| Weight | 30 |
| Material | copper |
| Monster use | Will not be used by monsters. |
A bell is a type of tool that appears in NetHack. It is an atonal musical instrument that is made of copper.
The Bell of Opening appears as a "silver bell" when unidentified, but both the item and its base type are distinct from a regular bell.
Contents
Generation
Elven Priests and Wizards have a 1⁄6 change of starting with a bell as their non-magical instrument.[1]
All bells are generated uncursed with the exception of bones levels and trap "bones".
In addition to random generation, general stores and hardware stores can sell bells.
1⁄10 of randomly generated headstones will read "Saved by the bell!" and have a bell placed on its square.[2][3][4]
Description
Applying a non-cursed bell makes noise that wakes nearby sleeping monsters and calls pets. A cursed bell has the same effect, but also has a 1⁄4 chance (25%) of summoning a random nymph without their starting inventory provided none of them are extinct or genocided.[5] There is a 7⁄100 chance (7%) of the bell breaking after generating the monster, and otherwise there is a 1⁄3 chance of the summoned nymph being fast and a 1⁄3 chance of the character being paralyzed for 2 turns.[6][7]
Covetous monsters attempting to steal the Bell of Opening specifically from a character's inventory may instead steal a bell in open inventory.[8]
Strategy
Bells tend to have very little use in most games. A tin whistle is often sufficient for calling pets while being much lighter in weight; a cursed bell may be viable in some cases where a character wants to get rid of a cursed piece of armor or other item stuck to their person, with the other valuable items stashed nearby. There are also corner cases where a character may carry a bell to deter covetous thieves while bringing the Bell of Opening to the vibrating square. Otherwise, bells are usually either ignored or carried to sell at a shop.
History
The bell first appears in NetHack 3.1.0.
From NetHack 3.1.0 to NetHack 3.1.3, a cursed bell can be exploited to summon nymphs indefinitely without respecting extinction, risking paralysis or generating a fast nymph, and the nymph would generate with their usual starting inventory.[9] This is commonly used to accumulate large numbers of mirrors for polypiling, as well as many potions of object detection for dilution, alchemy, polypiling, or even wishes if potions of object detection were smoky potions.[10] NetHack 3.2.0 fixes this by ensuring that the summoned nymph has no starting inventory.
Messages
- You ring the bell.
- You applied a bell.
- But the sound is muffled.
- As above, but you are underwater or engulfed.[11]
- You summon a nymph!
- You summoned a nymph by applying a cursed bell.
- The bell has shattered!
- A cursed bell broke after summoning a nymph.
Variants
dNetHack
In dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, the female half-dragon Noble always starts with a blessed bell.
Kukeri are always generated with a bell made of the default material.
Andromalius is a spirit whose binding ritual can use a bell as one of the two items placed in his seal, and using two non-bell items in the binding ritual may generate a bell as the third item the character receives if they successfully bind him.
Characters can wield bells as a form of spellcasting focus that improves the success rate of clerical spells and healing spells, and Priests wielding a bell improve the success rate of all spells they cast.
SpliceHack
In SpliceHack, attempting to use a scroll of cloning on the Bell of Opening will always produce a normal bell. This also applies to Hack'EM.
Encyclopedia entry
Hear the sledges with the bells --
Silver bells!
What a world of merriment their melody foretells!
How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,
In the icy air of night!
While the stars that oversprinkle
All the heavens, seem to twinkle
With a crystalline delight;
Keeping time, time, time,
In a sort of Runic rhyme,
To the tintinabulation that so musically wells
From the bells, bells, bells, bells,
Bells, bells, bells --
From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.
References
- ↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 816
- ↑ src/mklev.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1646
- ↑ src/mklev.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1659
- ↑ src/mklev.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1685
- ↑ src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1039
- ↑ src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1047
- ↑ src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1052
- ↑ src/steal.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 556
- ↑ apply.c in NetHack 3.1.0, line 1315
- ↑ The NetHack Code 1.1, a resource used by players to communicate their precise playstyle for NetHack 3.1.3 and variants of the time
- ↑ src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1028
