Gnome ruler
G gnome ruler / gnome king / gnome queen  
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 6 |
| Attacks | |
| Base level | 5 |
| Base experience | 61 |
| Speed | 10 |
| Base AC | 10 |
| Base MR | 20 |
| Alignment | 0 (neutral) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 1 (Very rare) |
| Genocidable | Yes |
| Weight | 750 |
| Nutritional value | 150 |
| Size | Small |
| Resistances | None |
| Resistances conveyed | None |
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A gnome ruler:
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| Reference | NetHack 5.0.0 - include/monsters.h, line 1702 |
A gnome ruler, G, is a type of monster that appears in NetHack. The gnome ruler is the strongest type of gnome, and is an overlord to gnomekind. Like standard gnomes, a gnome ruler has infravision and can be seen with infravision, and hostile gnome rulers will collect items that they can use.
A gnome king has a single weapon attack.
Generation
Randomly-generated gnome rulers are always peaceful towards gnomish and dwarvish heroes, and will be hostile towards heroes of other races. A gnome leader can grow up into a gnome ruler of the matching gender.[1]
A statue of a gnome king is placed on a specific square in the lit area of the Grotto Town map for Minetown that is en route to the shops.[2] Live gnome rulers may also be encountered in the Gnomish Mines:
- There is a 3⁄4 chance of a gnome king being placed in the northeast room opposite the possible tool shop in the Bazaar Town map of Minetown, with the door being locked.[3]
- One gnome king each is generated in The Gnome King's Wine Cellar and The Mimic of the Mines maps of Mines' End during level creation.[4][5]
- For a dwarvish or gnomish character, two-thirds of the gnomes and other peaceful monsters in the Gnomish Mines will instead be replaced with random monsters.
Gnome rulers may appear among the hostile G that generate in throne rooms, as well the monsters randomly generated by looting a throne while confused and carrying gold (provided there is no chest on the level).[6] A gnome king may additionally serve as the monster occupying the throne within the room.[7]
Starting inventory
Gnome rulers are eligible for offensive items, defensive items, and miscellaneous items.
Gnome kings that are not generated on the Rogue level have a 5⁄12 chance of being generated with one of the five default weapon sets:[8] 3-14 darts, a crossbow and 3-14 crossbow bolts, a bow and 3-14 arrows, a stack of 3-5 daggers, or an aklys. As an overlord to their kind, a gnome ruler's weapons will always have a minimum enchantment of +1.[9]
Additionally, a gnome ruler placed during level creation has a chance of being generated with a single candle:[10] the chance is 1⁄20 if they are in the Gnomish Mines, and 1⁄60 otherwise.[11] The candle has a 3⁄4 chance of being tallow and a 1⁄4 chance of being wax, and will be lit if the gnome ruler is generated in a dark area.[12][13]
Strategy
Gnome rulers are still somewhat slower than an unhasted and unburdened hero, but their weapon attack is fairly strong, and the enchanted weapons they can generate with may prove deadly against a character that lacks solid AC and/or HP; like other gnomes, they will also use magical items such as wands or scrolls against you. Having a mix of escape items and ranged attacks of your own can counteract this—wands such as sleep and striking can prove effective against them in return. While magic resistance and reflection are not at all required to face down a gnome ruler, heroes that happen upon a source early are protected from worst-case scenarios involving certain surprise wands or tools.
Gnome rulers have a somewhat low MR score of 20: this gives them some resistance against certain wands and effects, but otherwise they lack any spectacular defenses and possess a poor 10 AC, though they will put on any armor they come across. In the crowded and cramped levels of the Gnomish Mines, isolating them from other monsters that may attack you from range or surround you can prove helpful, and luring them around corners and down corridors to get them within melee range can help a low-level character manage them more easily. If all else fails, Elbereth and some scaring tools can drive gnome rulers off, but they may shoot or throw weapons at you as they flee.
History
The gnome ruler first appears in NetHack 3.0.0 as the gnome king: from this version to NetHack 3.6.7, including variants based on those versions, gnome kings are exclusively-male monsters. NetHack 5.0.0 makes changes to monster growth via commit 0c3b9642 so that gnome kings and several other monsters have female counterparts.
Variants
NetHack variants created prior to NetHack 5.0.0 may make adjustments so that gnome rulers have proper female counterparts for gnome women (and gnome ladies by extension) to grow up into.
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, gnome kings are exclusively-male as they are in NetHack 3.4.3 and previous contemporary versions. Gnome lords will grow up into largely-identical gnome warriors instead of becoming gnome kings.[14]
If the hero is a gnome or a dwarf, then most peaceful gnome kings in the Gnomish Mines are replaced with hostile ogres during level creation with the exception of bones levels[15]—this ensures that such heroes will have to deal with hostile monsters like heroes of other races.[16]
GruntHack
In GruntHack, gnome kings are effectively replaced by king and queen racial monsters, which can be gnomish.
dNetHack
In dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, gnome kings are exclusively-male as they are in NetHack 3.4.3, and the gnome queen exists as a distinct monster rather than a simple female counterpart.
A gnome king may appear as the ruler of a randomly-generated throne room - his court can contain gnome lords, gnome ladies, gnomes, gnomish wizards, tinker gnomes, dwarves, dwarf lords, dwarf clerics, hobbits, leprechauns, and homunculi.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, the monster is referred to as a gnome royal, with gnome kings and gnome queens as gendered titles, and gnome nobles of both genders grow up into the respective rulers.
Hack'EM
In Hack'EM, the monster is also known as a gnome royal and behaves as in EvilHack.
Encyclopedia entry
References
- ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 5.0.0, line 2136-L2151
- ↑ dat/minetn-5.lua in NetHack 5.0.0, line 133
- ↑ dat/minetn-7.lua in NetHack 5.0.0, line 67-L74
- ↑ dat/minend-1.lua in NetHack 5.0.0, line 99
- ↑ dat/minend-2.lua in NetHack 5.0.0, line 139
- ↑ src/mkroom.c in NetHack 5.0.0, line 801-L802
- ↑ src/mkroom.c in NetHack 5.0.0, line 263
- ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 5.0.0, line 526-L568: Default set of cases for monster weapon generation
- ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 5.0.0, line 2216-L2219
- ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 5.0.0, line 809-L817
- ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 5.0.0, line 810
- ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 5.0.0, line 811
- ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 5.0.0, line 814-L815
- ↑ mondata.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 564
- ↑ sp_lev.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 866
- ↑ sp_lev.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 854
