Prisoner
@ prisoner 
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 14 |
| Attacks |
Weapon 1d6 physical |
| Base level | 12 |
| Base experience | 272 |
| Speed | 12 |
| Base AC | 10 |
| Base MR | 0 |
| Alignment | 0 (neutral) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 0 (Not randomly generated) |
| Genocidable | No |
| Weight | 1450 |
| Nutritional value | 400 |
| Size | Medium |
| Resistances | None |
| Resistances conveyed | None |
|
A prisoner:
| |
| Reference | monst.c#line2385 |
- This article is about the monster. For various monster types kept in throne room cells in certain variants, see Prisoner (dNetHack).
A prisoner, @, is a type of monster that appears in NetHack. A prisoner is an omnivorous human that is strong, can be seen via infravision, and will seek out weapons and other items to pick up.
Prisoners are not normally seen in the dungeon, and can only be found within jail cells at certain locations—freeing a prisoner from their cell pacifies them (if applicable) and grants a +3 bonus to the hero's alignment record, while also making any monsters guarding those prisoners hostile.[1]
A prisoner has a single weapon attack.
Contents
Generation
Prisoners are not randomly generated, and normally-created prisoners are always peaceful. They are not a valid form for polymorph.
Prisoners are generated meditating at level creation of specific quest floors:
- The Tourist quest goal level has three prisoners, each in a jail cell, within the building occupied by Keystone Kops.[2][3]
- The Wizard quest goal level has two prisoners, including one that is asleep, among the many monsters dwelling in the jail cells within the dungeon of the Dark One.[4][5]
Strategy
There is generally no risk to freeing any prisoners encountered by a hero under normal circumstances, even if their alignment record is not in need of the bonuses: for Tourists, the Keystone Kops in the Tourist quest are already generated hostile, and for Wizards the prisoners on their quest are not guarded at all.
History
The prisoner first appears in NetHack 3.3.0. Prisoners becoming peaceful when freed is a feature added in NetHack 3.3.1.
The prisoners within the Dark One's dungeon are added in NetHack 3.4.0.
Messages
- <The prisoner> speaks: "I'm finally free!"
- You freed a prisoner from their cell.
- "I'm free!"
- You are chatting to a freed prisoner.[6]
Variants
UnNetHack
In UnNetHack, four prisoners are generated within jail cells in the second alternate layout of the Castle at level creation.
dNetHack
In dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, eight peaceful prisoners are kept in jail cells on the goal level of the Binder quest, and each one has a doll of binding on their square.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, three prisoners are generated among the monsters in the jail cells of the Hidden Dungeon at level creation.
Prisoners can be generated in mind flayer nurseries, where each square that does not have a mind flayer has a 1⁄12 chance of containing a sleeping prisoner.
Encyclopedia entry
Where am I?
In the Village.
What do you want?
Information.
Whose side are you on?
That would be telling. We want
information ...
information ...
You won't get it.
By hook or by crook, we will.
Who are you?
The new Number 2.
Who is Number 1?
You are Number 6.
I am not a number! I am a free man!
