Blindness - Revision history

Umbire the Phantom: /* Blindness and items */ pothole

2026-04-19T21:54:26Z

‎Blindness and items: pothole

Umbire the Phantom: /* Strategy */ further touch-ups

2025-12-07T15:29:43Z

‎Strategy: further touch-ups

Umbire the Phantom: /* Astral vision */ tweaks

2025-12-07T15:22:49Z

‎Astral vision: tweaks

Umbire the Phantom: /* Blind from birth */ oops

2025-12-07T15:22:23Z

‎Blind from birth: oops

Umbire the Phantom: /* Blind from birth */ rephrase

2025-12-07T15:21:52Z

‎Blind from birth: rephrase

Umbire the Phantom: /* Description */ re-organize and copyedit

2025-12-07T15:20:46Z

‎Description: re-organize and copyedit

A1: fixed typo

2025-07-04T17:35:00Z

fixed typo

Umbire the Phantom: some copyedit

2025-06-24T12:11:09Z

some copyedit

Umbire the Phantom: cat

2025-01-30T11:16:29Z

cat

Umbire the Phantom: touch-ups

2024-11-28T12:48:24Z

touch-ups

@@ Line 72: / Line 72: @@
 While blind, most unidentified objects are described only by [[object class]] (e.g. "a [[potion]]", "a [[ring]]", "a [[long sword]]" etc.), including [[artifact]]s&mdash;only [[amulet]]s and [[comestibles]] are treated as "seen" while blind. A hero that starts the game blind (i.e. from birth) will know the appearance of their starting inventory, as well as that of their [[pet]] (which in practice only applies to zen [[Knight]]s).{{refsrc|src/u_init.c|1082|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/dog.c|192|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} A blind hero will also always know the appearance of [[egg]]s that they laid themselves.{{refsrc|src/sit.c|319|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
-The [[poisoned]] and [[erosion]] status of weapons are still shown if the hero becomes blind, and erosion-proofing and charges are only shown for an item once it is formally identified, even if it was erosion-proofed while blind. Any [[dilution]] in potions is only displayed if the hero knows that potion's appearance. A blind hero that [[Polypile|polymorphs]] any known object, fully dilutes known potions, or performs [[alchemy]] with them will render those items unseen.
+The [[Poisoned weapon|poisoned]] and [[erosion]] status of weapons are still shown if the hero becomes blind, and erosion-proofing and charges are only shown for an item once it is formally identified, even if it was erosion-proofed while blind. Any [[dilution]] in potions is only displayed if the hero knows that potion's appearance. A blind hero that [[Polypile|polymorphs]] any known object, fully dilutes known potions, or performs [[alchemy]] with them will render those items unseen.
 A blind hero cannot [[name]] the object class of unidentified objects, and any individual names will not be displayed, though they will affect [[stack]]ing and [[naming artifacts]]. Blind heroes can still hear monsters reading the label of a [[scroll]] or quaffing a [[potion]], but will not [[auto-identify]] them since they cannot see the result.

@@ Line 99: / Line 99: @@
 ==Strategy==
-Blindness can be fairly debilitating in the early stages of the game, especially if a magic trap blinds the hero and hems them in with several hostiles - while many forms of blindness that obstruct a hero are usually temporary, waiting them out can be dangerous without an alternate means to view the hero's surroundings. This typically makes [[floating eye]]s a priority target for the telepathy their corpses grant - fortunately, a hero that can temporarily blind themselves "at will" can also handle floating eyes very easily, and gaining the intrinsic early on and keeping backup sources on-hand make being blinded very manageable
+Blindness can be fairly debilitating in the early stages of the game, especially if a magic trap blinds the hero and hems them in with several hostiles. While many forms of blindness that obstruct a hero are usually temporary, waiting them out can be dangerous without an alternate means to view the hero's surroundings&mdash;this typically makes [[floating eye]]s a priority target for the telepathy their corpses grant, and a hero that can temporarily blind themselves "at will" can also handle floating eyes very easily. Gaining the intrinsic early on and keeping backup sources on-hand will make being blinded very manageable.
-Unicorn horns are among the most accessible cures for blindness for any character: being blinded unexpectedly becomes a short and manageable nuisance at most, as long as the horn is kept non-cursed.
+Unicorn horns are among the most accessible cures for blindness that any character can use, and as long as the horn is kept non-cursed, being blinded unexpectedly becomes a short and manageable nuisance at most.
 ===Navigating while blind===
-Keeping still to wait out temporary blindness is not always feasible, but moving while blind requires significant care, due to the massive amount of complications introduced:
+While keeping still to wait out temporary blindness is not always feasible, moving while blind requires significant care, due to the massive amount of complications introduced:
-* Nearby peacefuls and pets may end up hit if you attack blindly, since you cannot see if they stepped into any square previously occupied by a hostile (or worse, killed the hostile themselves in the pet's case) - being blinded in [[Minetown]] or a [[shop]] can result in a swift and unceremonious death at the hands of a [[shopkeeper]] or the [[Watch]].
+* Nearby peacefuls and pets may end up hit if you attack blindly, since you cannot see if they stepped into any square previously occupied by a hostile monster (or killed the hostile themselves, in the case of a pet)&mdash;being blinded in [[Minetown]] or a [[shop]] can result in a swift and unceremonious death at the hands of a [[shopkeeper]] or the [[watch]].
-* Allowing hostile monsters to attack the blinded character first is incredibly risky - even if you attack the specific square you were hit from, the monster may have be fast enough to move away after attacking; at best, this results in a wasted turn attacking the {{white|I}} where they previously were.
+* Allowing hostile monsters to attack the blinded character first is incredibly risky&mdash;even if you attack the specific square you were hit from, the monster may be fast enough that it can briefly [[wander]] away after attacking; at best, this results in a wasted turn attacking the {{white|I}} where they previously were.
 * Levels with cockatrices have a long-term threat of [[instadeath]]: if one is killed and leaves a corpse, touching it without gloves while feeling around for objects will immediately render the hero a [[statue]].
 * The [[bloodthirsty]] [[Stormbringer]] is made even more dangerous to wield than usual.
-Searching to reveal inhabited squares and then safe-moving into them with {{kbd|m}} is generally recommended: the game also prints different messages for safe-moving depending on if you moved into a peaceful/tame monster ("Pardon me, <foo>.") or a hostile one ("You move right into <foo>."), regardless of if the hero is blind. A [[stethoscope]] can be applied for free once per turn to determine if something is in your path and it is unsafe to move there - in rare cases, [[chatting]] is also useful to test for non-silent monsters, since it does not use a turn if you get no answer.
+Searching to reveal inhabited squares and then safe-moving into them with {{kbd|m}} is generally recommended: the game also prints different messages for safe-moving depending on if you moved into a peaceful/tame monster ("Pardon me, <foo>.") or a hostile one ("You move right into <foo>."), and those messages are unchanged for a blind hero. A [[stethoscope]] can be applied for free once per turn to determine if something is in your path and it is unsafe to move there&mdash;in rare cases, [[chatting]] is also useful to test for non-silent monsters, since it does not use up an action if you get no response.
-Telepathy and warning are the best properties to have in case you are blinded, since warning complements telepathy by revealing the positions of most mindless monsters - while even these properties combined will not reveal all possible monsters, the few mindless monsters that are not revealed by warning are generally not a threat at most points where you have access to both. (Further corner cases stem from [[hide]]rs, [[mimic]]s, Stormbringer, {{kbd|F}}, and deactivating [[safe_pet]].)
+Telepathy and warning are the best properties to have in case you are blinded, since warning complements telepathy by revealing the positions of most mindless monsters: while even these properties combined will not reveal all possible monsters, the few mindless monsters that are ''not'' revealed by warning are generally not a threat at most points where you have access to both. (Further corner cases stem from [[hiding]] monsters, cloaked [[mimic]]s, Stormbringer, {{kbd|F}}, and deactivating <tt>[[safe_pet]]</tt>.)
-Reading a [[scroll of magic mapping]] whose label or identity is known, or else casting the {{spell of|magic mapping}} spell, will reveal the layout of the entire level, which can be a time saver and even a life-saver in some circumstances.
+Reading a [[scroll of magic mapping]] whose label or identity is known, or else casting the {{+ of|magic mapping}} spell, will reveal the layout of the entire level, which can be a time saver and even a life-saver in some circumstances.
 ===Avoiding blindness===
@@ Line 121: / Line 121: @@
 On top of the listed means of {{sa|Blindness and items|curing blindness}}, there are also ways to prevent some or all sources of blindness:
-* Wielding [[Sunsword]] protects the wielder from light-based sources of blindness, including yellow lights, magic traps, and wands of lightning.{{refsrc|src/mondata.c|146|nethack=3.6.7}}
+* Wielding [[Sunsword]] protects the wielder from light-based sources of blindness, including yellow lights, magic traps and wands of lightning.{{refsrc|src/mondata.c|146|nethack=3.6.7}}
-* Wearing a blindfold or towel can protect from blinding gazes and some other sources, such as blinding attacks - it will not prevent blindness from quaffed or thrown potions, however.
+* Wearing a blindfold or towel can protect from blinding gazes and some other sources such as blinding attacks, but it will ''not'' prevent blindness from quaffed or thrown potions.
 * As explained above, astral vision granted from The Eyes of the Overworld circumvents blindness.
@@ Line 135: / Line 135: @@
 ===Zen strategy===
-{{main|Zen}}
+{{main|Zen#Strategy|l1=Zen conduct strategy}}
-Playing a permanently blind hero requires much of the above considerations and details, as well as special knowledge and considerations that are more specific to the conduct.
+Playing a permanently blind hero requires awareness of much of the above considerations and details alongside knowledge specialized to the conduct. See the provided link for further details on how to manage zen play.
 ==History==

@@ Line 96: / Line 96: @@
 ===Astral vision===
 {{main|Astral vision}}
-While astral vision does '''not''' cure blindness on its own, The Eyes of the Overworld both grants the properties and suppresses blinding effects, allowing the hero to see in spite of it - they can view and interact with monsters in the sight radius as normal, and items seen within that radius are treated as though the hero had seen and handled them personally. As temporary blindness is still applied even while suppressed, it will time out as normal with different messages.
+While astral vision does '''not''' cure blindness on its own, The Eyes of the Overworld both grants the properties and suppresses blinding effects, allowing the hero to see in spite of it&mdash;they can view and interact with monsters in the sight radius as normal, and items seen within that radius are treated as though the hero had seen and handled them personally. As temporary blindness is still applied even while suppressed, it will time out as normal while printing different messages.
 ==Strategy==

@@ Line 48: / Line 48: @@
 ===Blind from birth===
 {{main|Zen}}
-Playing a zen hero via the <tt>blind</tt> [[Options#blind|option]] makes them "blind from birth". This blindness persists across any forms that the hero polymorphs into and cannot be cured, though wearing [[The Eyes of the Overworld]] cures its effects and breaks the conduct&mdash;see the section on {{sa|astral vision}} for more details of the property's effects on blindness.
+Playing a zen hero via the <tt>blind</tt> [[Options#blind|option]] makes them "blind from birth". This blindness persists across any forms that the hero polymorphs into and cannot be cured, though wearing [[The Eyes of the Overworld]] cures its effects and breaks the conduct&mdash;see the section on {{sa|Astral vision|astral vision}} below for more details of the property's effects on blindness.
 {{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Wearing The Eyes of the Overworld does not remove zen-blindness&mdash;it will still suppress its effects while worn, but taking them off will leave a zen hero blind again.}}

@@ Line 48: / Line 48: @@
 ===Blind from birth===
 {{main|Zen}}
-Playing a zen hero via the <tt>blind</tt> [[Options#blind|option]] makes them "blind from birth". This blindness persists across any forms that the hero polymorphs into and cannot be cured, though wearing [[The Eyes of the Overworld]] cures its effects and breaks the conduct&mdash;for more details on the effects of [[astral vision]] on blindness, see the section on {{sa|Astral vision}}.
+Playing a zen hero via the <tt>blind</tt> [[Options#blind|option]] makes them "blind from birth". This blindness persists across any forms that the hero polymorphs into and cannot be cured, though wearing [[The Eyes of the Overworld]] cures its effects and breaks the conduct&mdash;see the section on {{sa|astral vision}} for more details of the property's effects on blindness.
 {{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Wearing The Eyes of the Overworld does not remove zen-blindness&mdash;it will still suppress its effects while worn, but taking them off will leave a zen hero blind again.}}

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 ==Description==
-A hero or monster that is blind cannot see for the duration of the property - messages describing actions such as monster-versus-monster-combat that you cannot see are omitted or else significantly altered.
+A hero or monster that is blind cannot see for the duration of the property&mdash;messages describing actions such as monster-versus-monster-combat that the hero cannot see are omitted or else significantly altered.
-Intrinsic blindness, i.e. blindness that is not the result of a worn or wielded item or a lack of sight or [[eyes]], is defined as "blinded" in [[youprop.h]].{{refsrc|include/youprop.h|85|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} The game records the number of turns that a hero is blinded. There are also a few attacks that have the '''<tt>AD_BLND</tt>''' [[damage type]]:
+Intrinsic blindness is defined as "blinded" in <tt>[[youprop.h]]</tt>.{{refsrc|include/youprop.h|85|nethack=3.6.7}} The game records the number of turns that a hero is blinded. There are also a few attacks that have the "blinding" [[damage type]], which is represented by the '''<tt>AD_BLND</tt>''' flag in <tt>[[monattk.h]]</tt>:{{refsrc|include/monattk.h|48|nethack=3.6.7}}
 * The claw attack of a [[raven]]
@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 * The [[gaze attack]] of an [[Archon]]
-In addition to being hit by any of these attacks, the following circumstances and items can result in a hero being blinded:
+A hero that cannot currently see due to their form or a worn item is defined as "blind" in <tt>youprop.h</tt>.{{refsrc|include/youprop.h|85|nethack=3.6.7}} This form of blindness is considered "permanent" in that it will persist until the source of the blindness is removed. Blindness of this type occurs from the following sources:
 * [[Quaff]]ing a [[potion of blindness]], being hit by a [[thrown]] potion of blindness or being subjected to [[vapors]] from a broken potion of blindness
@@ Line 26: / Line 31: @@
 * A possible effect of [[eating]] [[rotten food]], which occurs with a {{frac|3|16}} chance
 * One of the failure effects of reading a difficult [[spellbook]]
-* Being inside a [[poison cloud]] unless they are [[breathless]], [[invulnerable]] or [[polymorph]]ed into a [[nonliving]] monster{{refsrc|src/region.c|975|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
+* Being inside a [[poison cloud]] unless the hero is [[breathless]], [[invulnerable]] or [[polymorph]]ed into a [[nonliving]] monster{{refsrc|src/region.c|975|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
-A hero that cannot currently see due to their form or a worn item is defined as "blind" in youprop.h.{{refsrc|include/youprop.h|88|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} This form of blindness is considered separate from the above, and is "permanent" in that it will persist until the source of the blindness is removed. Blindness of this type occurs from the following sources:
+[[Blindness resistance]] blocks light-based sources of blindness, and being blinded will prevent further blinding from most other sources (with exceptions including the potion of blindness). A blind hero cannot use gaze attacks, and is unaffected by gaze attacks that require the target to see its user.
 ===Creamed===
@@ Line 48: / Line 48: @@
 ===Blind from birth===
 {{main|Zen}}
-Playing a zen hero via the <tt>blind</tt> [[Options#blind|option]] makes them "blind from birth". This blindness persists across any forms that the hero polymorphs into and cannot be cured, though wearing [[The Eyes of the Overworld]] cures its effects and breaks the conduct - for more details on the effects of [[astral vision]] on blindness, see the section on {{sa|Astral vision}}.
+Playing a zen hero via the <tt>blind</tt> [[Options#blind|option]] makes them "blind from birth". This blindness persists across any forms that the hero polymorphs into and cannot be cured, though wearing [[The Eyes of the Overworld]] cures its effects and breaks the conduct&mdash;for more details on the effects of [[astral vision]] on blindness, see the section on {{sa|Astral vision}}.
-{{upcoming|3.7.0|Wearing The Eyes of the Overworld does not remove zen-blindness - it will still suppress its effects while worn, but taking them off will leave a zen hero blind again.}}
+{{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Wearing The Eyes of the Overworld does not remove zen-blindness&mdash;it will still suppress its effects while worn, but taking them off will leave a zen hero blind again.}}
 ===Blind monsters===
-Monster blindness is handled differently from a hero's blindness.
+Monster blindness is handled differently from a hero's blindness: monsters that have eyes can be blinded by most of the same means as the hero, while a monster without eyes is intrinsically blind and cannot be blinded by other means.
-A blind monster will move and attack erratically, and suffers a [[to-hit]] penalty. Blinded monsters do not respect [[Elbereth]] if they would have normally, and cannot use any [[gaze attack]]s they possess.
+A blind monster will move and attack erratically, and suffers a [[to-hit]] penalty. Blinded monsters do not respect [[Elbereth]] if they would have normally, and cannot use any gaze attacks they possess.
 ===Blind movement===
 When a blind hero is moving normally, or else using [[near look]] via {{kbd|:}} or picking up items via {{kbd|,}}, they will automatically use their [[hands]] to feel for items on the ground. Touching the [[corpse]] of a [[cockatrice]] or [[chickatrice]] this way will [[petrify]] the hero unless they are wearing [[gloves]]. Safe-moving via {{kbd|m}} will ignore objects on the ground.
-A blind hero moving onto a seemingly empty square with a monster on it will show the monster as {{white|I}}, anger them if they were [[peaceful]], and use up a move without attacking even while safe-moving via {{kbd|m}}.{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|143|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} Moving into a square with an {{white|I}} or warning symbol will cause the hero to automatically attack in that square's direction - safe-moving via {{kbd|m}} will function as normal if a monster is occupying the square, or move into the square normally if it is empty. A blind hero safe-moving with {{kbd|m}} into an unseen footrice without wielding anything or wearing gloves will turn to stone as well, unless the footrice's position is marked by the [[warning]] property.
+A blind hero moving onto a seemingly empty square with a monster on it will show the monster as {{white|I}}, anger them if they were [[peaceful]], and use up a move without attacking even while safe-moving via {{kbd|m}}.{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|143|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} Moving into a square with an {{white|I}} or warning symbol will cause the hero to automatically attack in that square's direction&mdash;safe-moving via {{kbd|m}} will function as normal if a monster is occupying the square, or move into the square normally if it is empty. A blind hero safe-moving with {{kbd|m}} into an unseen footrice without wielding anything or wearing gloves will turn to stone as well, unless the footrice's position is marked by the [[warning]] property.
 It is still possible for a hero to sense their surroundings through other means while blind:
-* [[Searching]] manually via {{kbd|s}} will use a move and attempt to reveal the location of adjacent, unseen monsters if there are any nearby - monsters detected this way have the square they occupied ''at the time of searching'' marked with a {{white|I}}. If searching this way does not detect a new unseen monster, it will reveal all squares adjacent to the hero, clearing any existing invisible monster markers on squares where none are present.
+* [[Searching]] manually via {{kbd|s}} will use a move and attempt to reveal the location of adjacent, unseen monsters if there are any nearby&mdash;monsters detected this way have the square they occupied ''at the time of searching'' marked with a {{white|I}}. If searching this way does not detect a new unseen monster, it will reveal all squares adjacent to the hero, clearing any existing invisible monster markers on squares where none are present.
 * A hero that has intrinsic or extrinsic [[telepathy]] can detect all non-[[mindless]] monsters on the level while blind, and interactions with these monsters are handled normally, both for normal movement and safe-moving via {{kbd|m}}.
-* [[Monster detection]], granted from either quaffing a blessed [[potion of monster detection]] or casting the {{spell of|detect monsters}} spell at Skilled or higher, lets the hero track all monsters on the level for the duration of the effect, and those monsters are handled normally for purposes of movement.
+* [[Monster detection]] obtained from quaffing a blessed [[potion of monster detection]] or casting the {{+ of|detect monsters}} spell at Skilled or higher allows the hero to track all monsters on the level for the duration of the effect, and those monsters are handled normally for purposes of movement.
-* Movement involving monsters highlighted via warning functions as normal, since it does not rely on the hero's sight.
+* Movement involving monsters highlighted via warning functions as normal, since warning does not rely on the hero's sight.
 ===Blindness and items===
 While blind, most unidentified objects are described only by [[object class]] (e.g. "a [[potion]]", "a [[ring]]", "a [[long sword]]" etc.), including [[artifact]]s&mdash;only [[amulet]]s and [[comestibles]] are treated as "seen" while blind. A hero that starts the game blind (i.e. from birth) will know the appearance of their starting inventory, as well as that of their [[pet]] (which in practice only applies to zen [[Knight]]s).{{refsrc|src/u_init.c|1082|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/dog.c|192|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} A blind hero will also always know the appearance of [[egg]]s that they laid themselves.{{refsrc|src/sit.c|319|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
-[[Poison]]ing and [[erosion]] status of weapons are still shown if the hero becomes blind, and erosion-proofing and charges are only shown if formally identified, even if it was erosion-proofed while blind. Any [[dilution]] in potions is only displayed if the hero knows that potion's appearance. A blind hero that [[Polypile|polymorphs]] any known object, or else fully dilutes known potions or performs [[alchemy]] with them, will render them unseen.
+The [[poisoned]] and [[erosion]] status of weapons are still shown if the hero becomes blind, and erosion-proofing and charges are only shown for an item once it is formally identified, even if it was erosion-proofed while blind. Any [[dilution]] in potions is only displayed if the hero knows that potion's appearance. A blind hero that [[Polypile|polymorphs]] any known object, fully dilutes known potions, or performs [[alchemy]] with them will render those items unseen.
 A blind hero cannot [[name]] the object class of unidentified objects, and any individual names will not be displayed, though they will affect [[stack]]ing and [[naming artifacts]]. Blind heroes can still hear monsters reading the label of a [[scroll]] or quaffing a [[potion]], but will not [[auto-identify]] them since they cannot see the result.
-Buying or selling something directly at a [[shop]] while blind will have the shopkeeper identify its appearance unless the item is in a container, and this is naturally not applied to merchandise that was [[stealing from shops|stolen]] or covered by a hero's [[credit]] if they leave without paying.{{refsrc|src/shk.c|2562|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
+Buying or selling something directly at a [[shop]] while blind will have the shopkeeper identify its appearance unless the item is in a container, and this is naturally not applied to merchandise that was [[Stealing from shops|stolen]] or covered by a hero's [[credit]] should the hero leave without paying.{{refsrc|src/shk.c|2562|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
-If a blind hero attacking with [[Vorpal Blade]] or [[The Tsurugi of Muramasa]] causes the [[beheading]] or [[bisection]] special attack to trigger, the artifact's appearance will be revealed.{{refsrc|src/artifact.c|1275|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/artifact.c|1292|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/artifact.c|1322|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/artifact.c|1338|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} Eating one of a [[stack]] of [[tin]]s while blind will identify the contents of remaining tins in that stack.
+If a blind hero attacking with [[Vorpal Blade]] or [[The Tsurugi of Muramasa]] causes the [[beheading]] or [[bisection]] special attack to trigger, the artifact's appearance will be revealed.{{refsrc|src/artifact.c|1275|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/artifact.c|1292|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/artifact.c|1322|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/artifact.c|1338|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} Eating a [[tin]] from a [[stack]] of tins while blind will identify the contents of remaining tins in that stack.
 ==Curing blindness==

@@ Line 31: / Line 31: @@
 * [[Putting on]] a [[blindfold]] or [[towel]]
-* Polymorphing into an [[eyelsss]] monster
+* Polymorphing into an [[eyeless]] monster
 [[Blindness resistance]] blocks light-based sources of blindness, and being blinded will prevent blinding from most other sources, with exceptions including the potion of blindness. A blind hero cannot use gaze attacks, and is unaffected by gaze attacks that require the target to see its user.

@@ Line 150: / Line 150: @@
 {{nethack-367}}
 [[Category:Properties]]
-[[Category:Monster damage types]]
+[[Category:Damage types]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{tocright}}
-'''Blindness''' is a property that appears in ''[[NetHack]]'', and blocks the sight of a [[hero]] or [[monster]]. It is also a damage type, '''<tt>AD_BLND</tt>''', used for the attacks of a few monsters.
+'''Blindness''' is a property that appears in ''[[NetHack]]'', and blocks the ability of a [[hero]] or [[monster]] to see their surroundings.
 The [[zen]] [[conduct]] consists of playing the entire game with a permanently blind hero.
@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 A hero or monster that is blind cannot see for the duration of the property - messages describing actions such as monster-versus-monster-combat that you cannot see are omitted or else significantly altered.
-Intrinsic blindness, i.e. blindness that is not the result of a worn or wielded item or a lack of sight or [[eyes]], is defined as "blinded" in [[youprop.h]].{{refsrc|include/youprop.h|85|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} The game records the number of turns that a hero is blinded. The following attacks have the <tt>AD_BLND</tt> damage type:
+Intrinsic blindness, i.e. blindness that is not the result of a worn or wielded item or a lack of sight or [[eyes]], is defined as "blinded" in [[youprop.h]].{{refsrc|include/youprop.h|85|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} The game records the number of turns that a hero is blinded. There are also a few attacks that have the '''<tt>AD_BLND</tt>''' [[damage type]]:
 * The claw attack of a [[raven]]
@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 In addition to being hit by any of these attacks, the following circumstances and items can result in a hero being blinded:
-* [[Quaff]]ing a [[potion of blindness]], being hit by a [[thrown]] potion of blindness or inhaling [[vapors]] from a broken potion of blindness
+* [[Quaff]]ing a [[potion of blindness]], being hit by a [[thrown]] potion of blindness or being subjected to [[vapors]] from a broken potion of blindness
 * Having a [[ray]] of [[lightning]] pass through their square
 * [[Engraving]] with a [[wand of lightning]]
 * [[Apply]]ing a [[wand of light]]
-* Applying an [[expensive camera]] and selecting the hero via {{kbd|.}}
+* Applying an [[expensive camera]] and selecting the hero themselves via {{kbd|.}}
 * Being hit by the [[Blind (monster spell)|blind]] or [[Lightning (monster spell)|lightning]] [[monster spell]]s{{refsrc|src/mcastu.c|576|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/mcastu.c|663|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
 * The monster-summoning effect of a [[magic trap]]
 * The blinding effect of [[sitting]] on a [[throne]]
 * Applying a cursed [[unicorn horn]]{{refsrc|src/apply.c|1929|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
-* The effect of [[eating]] [[rotten food]], with a {{frac|3|16}}
+* A possible effect of [[eating]] [[rotten food]], which occurs with a {{frac|3|16}} chance
 * One of the failure effects of reading a difficult [[spellbook]]
-* Being inside a [[poison cloud]] while not [[breathless]], [[nonliving]] or [[invulnerable]]{{refsrc|src/region.c|975|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
+* Being inside a [[poison cloud]] unless they are [[breathless]], [[invulnerable]] or [[polymorph]]ed into a [[nonliving]] monster{{refsrc|src/region.c|975|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
 A hero that cannot currently see due to their form or a worn item is defined as "blind" in youprop.h.{{refsrc|include/youprop.h|88|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} This form of blindness is considered separate from the above, and is "permanent" in that it will persist until the source of the blindness is removed. Blindness of this type occurs from the following sources:
 * [[Putting on]] a [[blindfold]] or [[towel]]
-* [[Polymorph]]ing into a monster with no eyes
+* Polymorphing into an [[eyelsss]] monster
 [[Blindness resistance]] blocks light-based sources of blindness, and being blinded will prevent blinding from most other sources, with exceptions including the potion of blindness. A blind hero cannot use gaze attacks, and is unaffected by gaze attacks that require the target to see its user.
@@ Line 98: / Line 98: @@
 ===Astral vision===
 {{main|Astral vision}}
-While astral vision does '''not''' cure blindness on its own, but The Eyes of the Overworld both grants the properties and suppresses blinding effects, allowing the hero to see in spite of it - they can view and interact with monsters in the sight radius as normal, and items seen within that radius are treated as though the hero had seen and handled them personally. As temporary blindness is still applied even while suppressed, it will time out as normal with different messages.
+While astral vision does '''not''' cure blindness on its own, The Eyes of the Overworld both grants the properties and suppresses blinding effects, allowing the hero to see in spite of it - they can view and interact with monsters in the sight radius as normal, and items seen within that radius are treated as though the hero had seen and handled them personally. As temporary blindness is still applied even while suppressed, it will time out as normal with different messages.
 ==Strategy==
@@ Line 144: / Line 144: @@
 ==Messages==
-{{message|Wait! There's something there you can't see!|You moved onto a seemingly empty square. This does not attack whatever was on that square, but does anger them if they were peaceful.}}
+{{message|Wait! There's something there you can't see!|You moved onto a seemingly empty square. This does not attack whatever monster was on that square, but does anger them if they were peaceful.}}
 ==References==