Fire ant
a fire ant 
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 6 |
| Attacks |
Bite 2d4, bite 2d4 fire |
| Base level | 3 |
| Base experience | 34 |
| Speed | 18 |
| Base AC | 3 |
| Base MR | 10 |
| Alignment | 0 (neutral) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 1 (Very rare) |
| Genocidable | yes |
| Weight | 30 |
| Nutritional value | 10 |
| Size | tiny |
| Resistances | fire |
| Resistances conveyed |
fire (20%) |
|
A fire ant:
| |
| Reference | monst.c#line122 |
A fire ant, a, is a type of monster that appears in NetHack. It is an insect that is a stronger fire-elemental cousin of the giant ant, and is quite deadly like its fellow ants.
A fire ant has two bite attacks, with the second dealing fire damage, and possesses fire resistance.
Eating a fire ant corpse or tin has a 1⁄5 chance of conveying fire resistance.
One possible message for a T-shirt reads "Anhur State University - Home of the Fighting Fire Ants!"
Generation
Randomly generated fire ants are always created hostile, and may appear in small groups of 2-4.
An anthole may be populated entirely by fire ants.[1]
Hostile fire ants can be generated by the summon insects monster spell.[2]
Fire ants are the first quest monster for Valkyries, and make up 96⁄175 of the monsters that are randomly generated on the Valkyrie quest. Several fire ants are generated on each level of the quest branch at level creation: ten are generated on the home level, five are generated on the upper filler level, seventeen are generated on the locate level, three are generated on the lower filler levels, and four are generated on the goal level. Fire ants may also appear among the a that are part of the first quest monster class for Valkyries and make up 24⁄175 of the monsters randomly generated there.
Strategy
While not as immediately deadly as the soldier ant, fire ants are just as fast and can still inflict significant damage to early characters and ruin their armor and inventory. They also have the same 3 AC as other ants, making them hard to hit. If possible, drop or stash whatever loose flammable items are in your inventory before actively engaging any fire ants.
The same techniques for escaping or fighting giant ant swarms work for fire ants: avoid being surrounded at all costs, and try to lead them through a nearby corridor or close doors to block them off. Keep an eye on where any stairs are located and be prepared to retreat there if possible - avoid being burdened if at all reasonable to maximize your movement speed. Elbereth reliably works on fire ants, and any form of magic can work as well: fire ants have a low MR score of 10, which still leaves them quite vulnerable but gives them a slight chance to resist unlike other ants.
Characters capable of fighting ant swarms should use their best ranged weapons, offensive spells and/or wands as usual: fire ants are vulnerable to cold damage, making a wand of cold more effective than usual for killing swarms, and fire resistance will completely nullify damage from the second bite attack. Wands of sleep, slow monster, and magic missile can also work against properly lined-up fire ants. Be prepared to kill them as quickly as possible to minimize damage to your inventory, and keep escape items ready to go if you risk being overwhelmed - fire-vulnerable items should be bagged if possible. Fire ant corpses can also be used as a source of fire resistance to make future fights easier, and Valkyries can find an abundance of them on their quest if they lack the intrinsic.
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.
A worn dwarvish cloak can protect your inventory from fire damage 9⁄10 of the time.History
The fire ant first appears in NetHack 3.0.0.
Origin
Giant ants - specifically, ants or ant-like creatures that are human sized or larger - are a popular form of insectoid in science-fiction media, codified by the giant ants seen in Them! (1954) and Empire of the Ants (1977). Other notable examples include the Bugs of Starship Troopers, the Formics of Ender's Game, and the ants that accompany Marvel Comics super hero Ant-Man. Like other ants in various forms of fiction, they are commonly portrayed as a hive species, which is a common misconception regarding ant colonies.
"Fire ants" constitute over 200 species of ants in the genus Solenopsis, a group of ants whose common names reflect their painful sting and are also known for their "fiery" coloration, which is usually red. The name may also be colloquially applied to other unrelated species of ants with painful stings, such as the weaver ants of Southeast Asia (genus Oecophylla) and the electric ant or little fire ant (Wasmannia auropunctata).
Encyclopedia entry
This giant variety of the ordinary ant will fight just as
fiercely as its small, distant cousin. Various varieties
exist, and they are known and feared for their relentless
persecution of their victims.
