Tiger

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The tiger, f, is a type of monster that appears in NetHack. It is the most powerful of the felines, possessing two claw attacks and a moderately powerful bite, but is slower than most of its monster class.

Eating certain types of food while hallucinating and polymorphed into a tiger results in YAFM.[1]

Generation

Tigers are significantly rare to encounter as randomly generated monsters, and generally start appearing once you progress past the beginning stages of the dungeon - this includes the Gnomish Mines, within or past Minetown.

Strategy

Tigers move at the same speed as an unhasted, unburdened player - this makes them somewhat easier to avoid compared to faster felines, and its lack of MR score renders it very vulnerable to magic. Its attacks can still be dangerous to an unprepared or unlucky adventurer, but a modertately armored and/or well equipped one can dispatch it without much trouble

History

The tiger first appears in NetHack 3.0.6.

Origin

The tiger (Panthera tigris) is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus Panthera - it is most recognisable by its dark vertical stripes on orange-brown fur with a white underside. Tigers are apex predators that primarily prey on ungulates such as deer and wild boar; they are territorial and generally solitary, but social predators. The tiger was first scientifically described in 1758, and is among the most recognizable and popular of the world's megafauna; it is the national animal of India, Bangladesh, Malaysia and South Korea.

Tigers were once widespread over much of Asia's landmass some centuries ago; today, the tiger is an endangered species due to habitat destruction, habitat fragmentation, poaching, and human–wildlife conflict. Its habitat range stretches from Siberian temperate forests to subtropical and tropical forests on the Indian subcontinent, Indochina and Sumatra. Tigers featured prominently in the ancient mythology and folklore of cultures throughout its historic range, with many symbolic depictions continuing to the modern day.

The YAFM displayed when eating meaty food while hallucinating and polymorphed into a tiger is based on the motto for the Frosted Flakes cereal brand, whose mascot is Tony the Tiger.

Messages

This <foo> is gr-r-reat!
You were hallucinating while polymorphed into a tiger and ate meat (such as a corpse).[1]

Variants

Some variants change the tiger's glyph to keep it distinct from other feline monsters.

SLASH'EM

In SLASH'EM, tigers can generate in 'real' zoos, and can also be summoned by weretigers.

UnNetHack

In UnNetHack, tigers replace bugbears as the first quest monster for the Caveman quest.

dNetHack

In dNethack, the tiger's glyph is changed to f.

SlashTHEM

In SlashTHEM, in addition to SLASH'EM changes, several tigers are generated on the creation of levels beyond the home floor of the Caveman quest.

Encyclopedia entry

1. A well-known tropical predator (_Felis tigris_): a feline. It has a yellowish skin with darker spots or stripes. 2. Figurative: _a paper tiger_, something that is meant to scare, but has no really scaring effect whatsoever, (after a statement by Mao Ze Dong, August 1946).
[ Van Dale's Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal ]

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

[ The Tyger, by William Blake ]

References