Alignment - Revision history

Umbire the Phantom: word choice

2026-06-26T13:43:09Z

word choice

Umbire the Phantom: bold, word choice

2026-06-26T13:42:41Z

bold, word choice

Umbire the Phantom: word choice

2026-06-25T13:18:28Z

word choice

Umbire the Phantom: lede

2026-06-25T13:16:47Z

lede

Darth l33t: /* Your alignment */ no longer unwinnable

2026-06-21T20:40:52Z

‎Your alignment: no longer unwinnable

Darth l33t: initial update for 5.0.0

2026-06-15T18:24:28Z

initial update for 5.0.0

Umbire the Phantom: lede, pothole prep

2024-12-12T00:30:14Z

lede, pothole prep

Umbire the Phantom: move to proper section, pothole

2024-05-22T12:53:37Z

move to proper section, pothole

Umbire the Phantom: languages

2024-02-18T15:52:53Z

languages

Umbire the Phantom: earmark

2024-02-12T04:15:07Z

earmark

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 * [[Dungeon branch]]es
-In addition, the hero also has an [[alignment record]], a value that denotes their adherence to moral standards and conduct: some spoilers refer to this number as the hero's "alignment", creating ambiguity. The wiki may do so as well, but will generally clarify and distinguish between alignment and alignment record  where possible when doing so. A useful fact to remember (and one elaborated on by the sections below) is that the hero's ''alignment'' can influence which actions raise or lower their alignment ''record''.
+In addition, the hero also has an [[alignment record]], a value that denotes their adherence to moral standards and conduct: some spoilers refer to this number as the hero's "alignment", creating ambiguity. [[NetHackWiki]] may do so as well, but will generally clarify and distinguish between alignment and alignment record where possible when discussing either subject. A useful fact to remember (and one elaborated on by the sections below) is that the hero's ''alignment'' can influence which actions raise or lower their alignment ''record''.
 Altars to the evil god [[Moloch]] are considered '''unaligned''', in that they are not lawful, neutral or chaotic&mdash;similarly, the evil [[Wizard of Yendor]] himself is unaligned as well. This is distinct from being '''"non-aligned"''', which is used in reference to certain artifacts (usually artifact weapons): an artifact that is non-aligned has no preference towards wielders of a certain alignment, and any hero can wield it safely or receive it as a [[sacrifice gift]].

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 In addition, the hero also has an [[alignment record]], a value that denotes their adherence to moral standards and conduct: some spoilers refer to this number as the hero's "alignment", creating ambiguity. The wiki may do so as well, but will generally clarify and distinguish between alignment and alignment record  where possible when doing so. A useful fact to remember (and one elaborated on by the sections below) is that the hero's ''alignment'' can influence which actions raise or lower their alignment ''record''.
-Altars to the evil god [[Moloch]] are considered '''unaligned''', in that they are not lawful, neutral or chaotic&mdash;similarly, the evil [[Wizard of Yendor]] himself is unaligned as well. This is distinct from being "non-aligned", which is used in reference to certain artifacts (usually artifact weapons): an artifact that is non-aligned has no preference towards wielders of a certain alignment, and any hero can wield it safely or receive it as a gift from [[sacrifice]].
+Altars to the evil god [[Moloch]] are considered '''unaligned''', in that they are not lawful, neutral or chaotic&mdash;similarly, the evil [[Wizard of Yendor]] himself is unaligned as well. This is distinct from being '''"non-aligned"''', which is used in reference to certain artifacts (usually artifact weapons): an artifact that is non-aligned has no preference towards wielders of a certain alignment, and any hero can wield it safely or receive it as a [[sacrifice gift]].
 The interactions between objects of different alignments are many and varied. Two things are '''"co-aligned"''' when their alignments are the same, or '''"cross-aligned"''' when they are different.

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 * [[Dungeon branch]]es
-In addition, the hero also has an [[alignment record]], a value that denotes their adherence to moral standards and conduct: some spoilers refer to this number as the hero's "alignment", creating ambiguity. The wiki may do so as well, but will generally clarify and distinguish between alignment and alignment record  where possible when doing so. A useful fact to remember is that alignment can influence which actions raise or lower the hero's alignment ''record''.
+In addition, the hero also has an [[alignment record]], a value that denotes their adherence to moral standards and conduct: some spoilers refer to this number as the hero's "alignment", creating ambiguity. The wiki may do so as well, but will generally clarify and distinguish between alignment and alignment record  where possible when doing so. A useful fact to remember (and one elaborated on by the sections below) is that the hero's ''alignment'' can influence which actions raise or lower their alignment ''record''.
 Altars to the evil god [[Moloch]] are considered '''unaligned''', in that they are not lawful, neutral or chaotic&mdash;similarly, the evil [[Wizard of Yendor]] himself is unaligned as well. This is distinct from being "non-aligned", which is used in reference to certain artifacts (usually artifact weapons): an artifact that is non-aligned has no preference towards wielders of a certain alignment, and any hero can wield it safely or receive it as a gift from [[sacrifice]].

@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 * [[Altar]]s
 * [[Quest artifact]]s
-* [[Artifact weapon]]s
+* Many [[artifact]]s
 * [[Dungeon branch]]es
-In addition, the hero also has an ''[[alignment record]]'', a number referred to as <tt>u.ualign.record</tt> in the [[source code]]. Some spoilers refer to this number as your "alignment", creating ambiguity.
+In addition, the hero also has an [[alignment record]], a value that denotes their adherence to moral standards and conduct: some spoilers refer to this number as the hero's "alignment", creating ambiguity. The wiki may do so as well, but will generally clarify and distinguish between alignment and alignment record  where possible when doing so. A useful fact to remember is that alignment can influence which actions raise or lower the hero's alignment ''record''.
-Altars to the evil god [[Moloch]] are considered '''unaligned'''&mdash;that is, not lawful, neutral or chaotic. Additionally, some artifact weapons are non-aligned; this only means that they express no preference for the alignment of their wielders, not that they are in some way allied to Moloch.
+Altars to the evil god [[Moloch]] are considered '''unaligned''', in that they are not lawful, neutral or chaotic&mdash;similarly, the evil [[Wizard of Yendor]] himself is unaligned as well. This is distinct from being "non-aligned", which is used in reference to certain artifacts (usually artifact weapons): an artifact that is non-aligned has no preference towards wielders of a certain alignment, and any hero can wield it safely or receive it as a gift from [[sacrifice]].
 The interactions between objects of different alignments are many and varied. Two things are '''"co-aligned"''' when their alignments are the same, or '''"cross-aligned"''' when they are different.
 ==Your alignment==
 [[You]] choose your alignment during character creation. If you choose any race except [[human (starting race)|human]], your alignment is assigned implicitly: [[dwarf (starting race)|dwarves]] are lawful, [[Gnome (starting race)|gnomes]] are neutral, and [[elf (starting race)|elves]] and [[orc (starting race)|orcs]] are chaotic. Humans may explicitly choose their alignment, although most roles have restrictions on permissible alignments. For example, [[Barbarian]]s cannot be lawful, [[Cave Dweller]]s cannot be chaotic, and [[Knight]]s must be lawful.

@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 ==Your alignment==
-[[You]] choose your alignment during character creation. If you choose any race except [[human (starting race)|human]], your alignment is assigned implicitly: [[dwarf (starting race)|dwarves]] are lawful, [[Gnome (starting race)|gnomes]] are neutral, and [[elf (starting race)|elves]] and [[orc (starting race)|orcs]] are chaotic. Humans may explicitly choose their alignment, although most roles have restrictions on permissible alignments. For example, [[Barbarian]]s cannot be lawful, [[Cavemen]] cannot be chaotic, and [[Knight]]s must be lawful.
+[[You]] choose your alignment during character creation. If you choose any race except [[human (starting race)|human]], your alignment is assigned implicitly: [[dwarf (starting race)|dwarves]] are lawful, [[Gnome (starting race)|gnomes]] are neutral, and [[elf (starting race)|elves]] and [[orc (starting race)|orcs]] are chaotic. Humans may explicitly choose their alignment, although most roles have restrictions on permissible alignments. For example, [[Barbarian]]s cannot be lawful, [[Cave Dweller]]s cannot be chaotic, and [[Knight]]s must be lawful.
-There are two ways to change your character's alignment. Wearing a [[helm of opposite alignment]] changes your alignment temporarily, and sacrificing at a cross-aligned [[altar]] under certain circumstances can convert your alignment permanently. If you permanently change your alignment before doing your [[quest]], however, the game will be [[unwinnable]].
+There are two ways to change your character's alignment. Wearing a [[helm of opposite alignment]] changes your alignment temporarily, and sacrificing at a cross-aligned [[altar]] under certain circumstances can convert your alignment permanently. If you permanently change your alignment before doing your [[Quest]], however, you will need to kill your [[quest leader]] to proceed, which carries severe penalties.
 ===Lawful===

@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 |width="50%" valign="top"|
 ====Lawful advantages====
 * You may receive [[Grayswandir]], the coveted [[artifact]] silver saber, as a [[sacrifice gift]].
-** If you don't receive Grayswandir and your role doesn't have a guaranteed first sacrifice gift, you will receive some sort of long sword. This unrestricts your long sword skill, allowing any lawful [[role]] to competently wield Excalibur.
+* Several sacrifice gifts are [[long sword]]s, and deal solid damage at their base enchantment.
 * The [[Gnomish Mines]] will have more peaceful monsters, so that branch is easier.
 * White [[unicorn]]s are slightly more common than other colors to compensate for [[Gehennom]] preventing lawful monsters generating within, making it easier to gain [[Luck]] early on.
@@ Line 38: / Line 37: @@
 * The [[mysterious force]] is harsher.
 * Because more unicorns will be coaligned, you may have more difficulty obtaining a [[unicorn horn]].
-* Other than Grayswandir, lawful sacrifice gifts are lacking in general-purpose damage.
+* Other than Grayswandir, lawful sacrifice gifts deal unexceptional general-purpose damage in the late game.
 * You lose [[intrinsic]] [[telepathy]] and two points of [[Luck]] if you commit [[murder]].
 * You get a &minus;1 alignment penalty for directly [[stealing from shops]].
 * You get a &minus;1 alignment penalty from using [[poison]]ed weapons. ("You feel like an evil coward for using a poisoned weapon.")
 * You cannot ascend on the neutral high altar.
-* Your [[crowning]] gift can neither [[drain life]] nor [[instakill]] enemies, and is thus weak against [[covetous]] monsters.
+* You can miss out on [[Excalibur]] if not wielding an appropriate weapon when [[crowning|crowned]].
 |}
@@ Line 81: / Line 81: @@
 ====Chaotic disadvantages====
 * [[anger|Angry]] chaotic gods are more difficult to mollify, demanding better sacrifices to reduce anger points.
-* Chaotic sacrifice gifts are of very little general use, with the exception of [[Stormbringer]], which has a major (if surmountable) drawback. The other chaotic quest artifact, [[the Longbow of Diana]], is rarely worth wishing for.
+* Chaotic sacrifice gifts other than [[Stormbringer]] are weaker than lawful and neutral ones, even accounting for the higher base enchantment, and offer little utility. The other chaotic quest artifact, [[the Longbow of Diana]], is rarely worth wishing for.
 * {{of|potion|Holy water}} will not cure your [[sickness]]. It does cure [[lycanthropy]], but you take damage when quaffing holy water.
 * Most of the more dangerous chaotic monsters are always hostile, regardless of your alignment.

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 '''Alignment''' in ''[[NetHack]]'' is a trichotomy: '''lawful''', '''neutral''' or '''chaotic'''. The following things have an alignment:
-* [[Monster]]s
+* [[Monster]]s, including the [[hero]]
 * [[Altar]]s
 * [[Quest artifact]]s
 * [[Artifact weapon]]s
 * [[Dungeon branch]]es
-In addition to your character's alignment (whether you are lawful, neutral, or chaotic), your character also has an ''[[alignment record]]'', a number referred to as <tt>u.ualign.record</tt> in the [[source code]]. Some spoilers refer to this number as your "alignment", creating ambiguity.
+In addition, the hero also has an ''[[alignment record]]'', a number referred to as <tt>u.ualign.record</tt> in the [[source code]]. Some spoilers refer to this number as your "alignment", creating ambiguity.
 Altars to the evil god [[Moloch]] are considered '''unaligned'''&mdash;that is, not lawful, neutral or chaotic. Additionally, some artifact weapons are non-aligned; this only means that they express no preference for the alignment of their wielders, not that they are in some way allied to Moloch.
@@ Line 139: / Line 138: @@
 ==SLASH'EM==
-In [[SLASH'EM]], lawful characters get much more powerful minions than others, and they can get minions by praying with low HP as well as sacrifice. However, lawful characters will anger their god if they drink a [[potion of vampire blood]].
+In [[SLASH'EM]], lawful characters get much more powerful minions than others, and they can get minions by praying with low HP as well as sacrifice. However, lawful characters will anger their god if they drink a [[Potion of vampire blood (SLASH'EM)|potion of vampire blood]].
 Elves are always lawful or neutral. There are also five new races in SLASH'EM; their alignments are as follows:

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{languages}}
 {{religion}}
@@ Line 112: / Line 111: @@
 *[[Gnomish Mines]]: lawful
-*[[Oracle]]: neutral
+*[[Oracle (level)|Oracle]]: neutral
 *[[Sokoban]]: neutral
 *[[Medusa's Island]]: chaotic
@@ Line 119: / Line 118: @@
 ==Origin==
 The three alignments of ''[[NetHack]]'' probably originate from the first edition of ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]''. ''D&D'' gods have a specific alignment, and their worshipers are also of that alignment. Later ''D&D'' editions include a second axis of alignment: good, neutral, or evil. This results in nine combinations, such as "chaotic good" or "true neutral".

@@ Line 133: / Line 133: @@
 Every [[elf (starting race)|elf]] is chaotic. ''NetHack''&#39;s elves may be the size of humans, but they are not of Tolkien. Of elves, the [https://alt.org/nethack/mirror/www.spod-central.org/%257Epsmith/nh/rgrn-FAQ.txt rec.games.roguelike.nethack FAQ] says that "there's hundreds of years of tradition of the land of Faerie being one where human concepts of law simply do not apply".
-[[Demon]]s would seem to be a special case. They are evil almost by definition, and yet both lawful and chaotic (but not neutral) variants exist. If you polymorph into a demon, no matter what its alignment, you will be damaged by holy water and healed by unholy water, and be unable to pray to any but a chaotic god. It appears that for demons, "lawful" is equivalent to the ''D&D'' alignment "lawful evil", and "chaotic" to "chaotic evil", instead of the good&ndash;evil axis that describes players and other monsters. ''D&D'' divides its fiends into lawful evil "devils" and chaotic evil "demons", but ''NetHack'' makes no such distinction.
+[[Major demon]]s are both lawful and chaotic, based on how ''D&D'' divides its fiends into lawful evil "devils" and chaotic evil "demons".
 "Unaligned" implies that Moloch and his followers subscribe to some alien morality completely removed from the lawful-neutral-chaotic trichotomy. However, a reference in the source (unused in vanilla NetHack) lists the guiding principle of unaligned as "evil"{{refsrc|src/role.c|765|version=NetHack 3.6.6}}. If taken as canon, this means that chaotic and evil are indeed distinct from each other. This would explain why actions such as abusing [[Elbereth]] and killing your [[pet]] are frowned upon by even chaotic gods.