Water moccasin
S water moccasin 
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 7 |
| Attacks |
Bite 1d6 poison |
| Base level | 4 |
| Base experience | 48 |
| Speed | 15 |
| Base AC | 3 |
| Base MR | 0 |
| Alignment | 0 (neutral) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 0 (Not randomly generated) |
| Genocidable | Yes |
| Weight | 150 |
| Nutritional value | 80 |
| Size | Small |
| Resistances | Poison resistance |
| Resistances conveyed | Poison resistance (26%) |
|
A water moccasin:
| |
| Reference | monst.c#line1760 |
A water moccasin, S, is a type of monster that appear in NetHack. The water moccasin is a type of snake that is nearly identical to the standard snake, but is somewhat heavier. Water moccasins can swim and will hide under items like most snakes.
A water moccasin has a single poisonous bite attack, and possesses poison resistance.
A water moccasin corpse is poisonous to eat, and eating a water moccasin corpse or tin has a 4⁄15 chance (~26%) of granting poison resistance.
Contents
Generation
Water moccasins are not randomly generated, though they are designated as generating in large groups, and normally-created ones are always hostile.
Water moccasins can only be generated by dipping into or quaffing from a fountain: each action has a 1⁄30 chance of generating a group of 2-6 water moccasins.[1]
Strategy
Individually, water moccasins are similar enough to snakes that they can be dispatched through the same methods—however, the normal method of encountering moccasins will usually result in a hero being surrounded by quite a few of them. This makes it a potent source of deaths for unsuspecting low-level characters that gamble on fountains; moccasins are also a primary reason that those seeking to dip for Excalibur will want poison resistance beforehand. Water moccasins have ranked as high the fourth most frequent cause of death on nethack.alt.org (after soldier ants, jackals, and wands), and as of March 2025 it is still within the top 10: it is still common for some users in the present day to exclaim "Go team fountain!" when a water moccasin death is announced in the #nethack channel on Libera.
Engraving Elbereth is a good escape tactic for moccasin attacks, but the fountain square cannot be engraved on, and in some cases a hero moving to a free square may also give the moccasins enough time to poison and/or kill them. Pools of water generated previously by the same fountain can also impede escape, and water moccasins generated from the fountains in Delphi can also easily trap a hero due to the lack of open squares.
One of the easiest ways for a hero to deal with water moccasins is to simply avoid interacting with fountains until they are ready to fight off a swarm of snakes or even a water demon.
History
The water moccasin first appears in NetHack 3.0.0.
Origin
"Water moccasin" (Agkistrodon piscivorus) is one of many common names for a species of pit viper in the subfamily Crotalinae of the family Viperidae - the scientific name translates from Greek and Latin to "hook-toothed fish-eater". The species' other common names include "cottonmouth", "northern cottonmouth", "swamp moccasin", and "black moccasin": many of these refer to its threat display, in which it often stands its ground and gapes at an intruder, exposing the white lining of its mouth. The use of the term can lead to confusion between the venomous cottonmouth and nonvenomous water snakes, particularly in scientific disciplines.
The cottonmouth is one of the world's few semiaquatic vipers, and is native to the Southeastern United States. When threatened, a cottonmouth may respond by coiling its body and displaying its fangs; individuals may bite when feeling threatened or being handled in any way. Adult cottonmouths are large and capable of delivering painful and potentially fatal bites. Cottonmouths tend to be found in or near water, particularly in slow-moving and shallow lakes, streams, and marshes - it is a capable swimmer, and like several species of snakes, it is known to occasionally enter bays and estuaries and swim between barrier islands and the mainland.
Variants
dNetHack
In dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, water moccasins can be randomly generated on the Water Temple level of the Chaos Temple Quest, where they make up 3⁄10 of the monsters randomly generated there.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, levels generated within the Gnomish Mines may place water moccasins in the watery areas at level creation.
Encyclopedia entry
- See the encyclopedia entry for snake.
