Defilement - Revision history

Klepto: fixed some links.

2026-07-17T19:35:35Z

fixed some links.

Klepto: added linkage to the chrysalis/rot research page.

2026-03-17T21:45:43Z

added linkage to the chrysalis/rot research page.

Umbire the Phantom: touch-ups

2026-02-27T12:09:57Z

touch-ups

Klepto: added link to defilement (god).

2026-01-29T15:46:14Z

added link to defilement (god).

Klepto: created page.

2026-01-28T20:49:46Z

created page.

New page

In [[dNetHack]], [[notdNetHack]] and [[notnotdNetHack]], '''defilement''' is a research path available to characters that have the defilement [[thought]] slotted and with at least 27 [[insight]], necessary to activate the thought. [[Chaotic]] [[Undead Hunter]]s start each game with the thought already slotted. It is also referred to as '''the philosophy of defilement'''. There are three distinct types of defilement research: '''preservation''' defilement, '''vampiric''' defilement and '''rot''' defilement.

==Description==
To progress along the research path, a character must [[research]] [[corpse]]s of [[monster]]s at [[workbench]]es—or with a [[dissection kit]]—that are less than 50 turns old and that aren't [[Potion of blood (dNetHack)#Monsters with blood|bloodless]]. For non-Undead Hunters, following the parasitology research path requires [[wish]]ing for the thought and dissection kit.

Preservation research has 6 upgrades, vampire defilement has 7 and rot defilement has 9, and upgrades from any path counts towards making a "great breakthrough" and meeting the conditions for a [[score|full-scoring]] [[ascension]]. Undead Hunters that wish to ascend under Defilement, must have claimed at least 6 upgrades total from any of the three defilement research paths to achieve a full-scoring ascension. Other roles can obtain defilement upgrades, but cannot ascend under an Undead Hunter ascension. While characters of other roles may still perform undead hunter research, they cannot ascend under an undead hunter ascension. Once enough research has been performed, a character may obtain a preservation or vampiric upgrade by [[apply]]ing a [[phlebotomy kit]] at a workbench to [[defilement (god)|defilement]] or with a dissection kit in open inventory:

===Preservation===
The preservation research path is linear, with upgrades being claimed in the following order:
* Reduce hunger: Halve the rate at which [[nutrition]] is lost. Also halves the amount of nutrition lost from casting and maintaining spells.
* Prevent abuse: [[Attributes]] cannot be reduced permanently by effects, such as by the [[weaken]] [[monster spell]] or [[abuse]].
* Gain DR: Grants 3 base [[DR]] to all slots, and allows [[chrysalis]]es to start generating.
* Cold resistance: Grants permanent [[intrinsic]] [[cold resistance]].
* Sleep resistance: Grants permanent [[intrinsic]] [[sleep resistance]].
* Gain DR: Grants another 3 base DR to all slots, and increases the chances of chrysalises generating.
* Dead truce: All [[undead]] monsters will start to be generated [[peaceful]].

===Vampiric===
The vampiric research path is non-linear, and upgrades can be claimed in any order:
* Better control your spawn: Dominated [[pet]]s cannot be un[[tame]]d and only count as {{frac|2}} towards the pet amount limit. Pets classified as [[traitor]]s do not turn traitor below half maximum [[hp]].
* Improve your spawns' attacks: Increases the AC by 1–5, follow distance, rate at which they [[grow up]], and grants a +5 bonus to both [[to-hit]] and damage for pet [[vampire]]s.
* Manipulate the blood of your victims: [[Hemargyos]] weapons and vampiric bite attacks have a {{frac|10}} of dealing the greater of +400 damage and 30% of the target's maximum hp.
* Improve your blood-bullets: Applying a [[nightmare's bullet mold]] now produces [[blood-spear]]s instead of [[blood-bullet]]s.
* Hypnotic gaze: Grants a [[paralysis]] [[gaze]] attack of a duration of 1–4 turns. Can only be used through the "[[ability]]" [[extended command]].
* Partake of the blood of Shub-Nugganoth: Requires the hero to have made contact with [[The Black Mother]]. Allows Undead Hunters to ask for the "her drooling Hunger" Black Mother boon without meeting lifetime devotion thresholds, and any number of times. Interchangeable with the rot defilement "rot of Shub-Nugganoth" upgrade, but if one or the other has already been obtained, the other will be unavailable.
Obtaining a vampiric defilement upgrade produces no message.

Obtaining preservation upgrades also reduces current and peak [[intelligence]] and [[wisdom]] scores by 1. Every third upgrade taken on the research path will also permanently reduce the maximum intelligence and wisdom possible for that character by 1; this also stacks with reductions from [[parasitology]] research. Fully advancing along the parasitology research path will reduce their intelligence and wisdom maximums by 4, producing a cap of 21 for each compared to the normal 25. Vampiric upgrades, while still permanently reducing racial attribute maximums, does not reduce absolute maximums.

===Rot===
The rot research path is non-linear, and upgrades can be claimed in any order:
* Vomit rot: On 1⁄10 of melee attacks, or at will, make vomit attack with a range of 2 squares. On hit, afflict the target with caterpillars.
* Rot wings: grants intrinsic flying
** Send forth a phantom duplicate: Only available after the rot wings upgrade has been claimed. Creates a butterfly swarm copy of yourself, equipped with your wielded weapons. Costs 45 power and 45 nutrition
* Become followed by the kindred of rot: Rot monsters will start to generate. All mindless monsters and animals generate as swollen, silvergrubs generate from rotting intelligent corpses and all eggs hatch as man-flies. All rot monsters are hostile to all other monsters, except for other rot kin.
** Become uninteresting to beings of rot: Only available after the rot kin upgrade has been claimed. Monsters that are rot kin will be generated peaceful
* Feast on injury and destruction : Heal by 1.6% of max HP after every melee hit.
* Seek sapivorous immortality: Grants intrinsic life saving and adds a passive centipede-head disease bite attack to the hero's attack routine. When the life saving is triggered, the hero will temporarily polymorphs into a centipede.
* Rot stinger: Adds a passive scorpion stinger attack, and a scorpion stinger disease attack to the hero's melee attack routine. Both attacks will be made poisoned and disease-inflicting.
* Rot spores: Adds a retaliatory 1d1 disease-inflicting attack.
* Rot of Shub-Nugganoth: Requires the hero to have made contact with [[The Black Mother]]. Allows Undead Hunters to ask for the "her drooling Hunger" Black Mother boon without meeting lifetime devotion thresholds, and any number of times. Interchangeable with the vampire "blood of Shub-Nugganoth" upgrade, but if one or the other has already been obtained, the other will be unavailable.

Obtaining rot defilement upgrade reduces current and peak [[constitution]], [[intelligence]] and [[wisdom]] scores by 1. Every third upgrade taken on the research path will also permanently reduce the maximum constitution, intelligence and wisdom possible for that character's race by 1. Fully advancing into the reanimation research path will thus reduce their intelligence and wisdom maximums by 3, superseded by [[helms of brilliance]] and the spirit [[Huginn and Munnin]] while it is bound.

==Message==

===Preservation===
{{message|Your metabolism slows.| You gained the reduce hunger upgrade.}}
{{message|Your body becomes resistant to decay.| You gained the prevent abuse upgrade.}}
{{message|Your skin becomes tough.| You gained the first DR increase upgrade, making chrysalises start generating.}}
{{message|You no longer feel cold.| You gained the cold resistance upgrade, obtaining permanent intrinsic cold resistance.}}
{{message|You no longer feel sleepy.| You gained the sleep resistance upgrade, obtaining permanent intrinsic sleep resistance.}}
{{message|Your skin becomes tougher.| You gained the second DR increase upgrade, increasing the odds of chrysalises generating.}}
{{message|You become uninteresting to the undead.| You gained the undead truce upgrade, making undead start generating as peaceful towards you.}}

===Rot===
{{message|You feel a little nauseated.}}
{{message|Wings of rot grow from your back!| You gained the rot wings upgrade.}}
{{message|Your wings rot!| You gained the rot wings upgrade as a [[half-dragon (starting race)|half-dragon]].}}
{{message|Strange butterflies hatch from your wings and dance overhead.| You gained the phantom duplicate upgrade.}}
{{message|You become uninteresting to the beings of rot.| You gained the rot truce upgrade, making rot monsters start generating as peaceful towards you.}}
{{message|You are followed by the kin of rot.| You gained the kindred of rot upgrade, making and rot monsters will start being generated.}}
{{message|You("feast on injury and destruction.| You gained the injury and destruction upgrade.}}
{{message|A monstrous centipede bores out of your body.| You gained the life saving upgrade, achieving saprovorous immortality.}}
{{message|A monstrous scorpion stinger tears loose from your flesh.| You gained the rot stinger upgrade.}}
{{message|Puffball mushrooms errupt from your skin.| You gained the rot spores upgrade.}}
{{message|Strange spores take root in your flesh.| You gained the rot of Shub-Nugganoth upgrade.}}

{{variant-343}}
[[Category: dNetHack research]]
[[Category: notdNetHack research]]
[[Category: notnotdNetHack research]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:46, 29 January 2026
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		+	{{for\|the god named defilement\|defilement (god)}}
		+
	In [[dNetHack]], [[notdNetHack]] and [[notnotdNetHack]], '''defilement''' is a research path available to characters that have the defilement [[thought]] slotted and with at least 27 [[insight]], necessary to activate the thought. [[Chaotic]] [[Undead Hunter]]s start each game with the thought already slotted. It is also referred to as '''the philosophy of defilement'''. There are three distinct types of defilement research: '''preservation''' defilement, '''vampiric''' defilement and '''rot''' defilement.		In [[dNetHack]], [[notdNetHack]] and [[notnotdNetHack]], '''defilement''' is a research path available to characters that have the defilement [[thought]] slotted and with at least 27 [[insight]], necessary to activate the thought. [[Chaotic]] [[Undead Hunter]]s start each game with the thought already slotted. It is also referred to as '''the philosophy of defilement'''. There are three distinct types of defilement research: '''preservation''' defilement, '''vampiric''' defilement and '''rot''' defilement.

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 ==Description==
-To progress along the research path, a character must [[research]] [[corpse]]s of [[monster]]s at [[workbench]]es&mdash;or with a [[dissection kit]]&mdash;that are less than 50 turns old and that aren't [[Potion of blood (dNetHack)#Monsters with blood|bloodless]]. For non-Undead Hunters, following the parasitology research path requires [[wishing for]] the thought and dissection kit.
+To progress along the research path, a character must [[research]] [[corpse]]s of [[monster]]s at [[workbench]]es&mdash;or with a [[dissection kit]]&mdash;that are less than 50 turns old and that aren't [[Potion of blood (dNetHack)#Monsters with blood|bloodless]]. For non-Undead Hunters, following the parasitology research path requires [[wishing]] for the thought and dissection kit.
-Preservation research has 6 upgrades, vampire defilement has 7 and rot defilement has 9, and upgrades from any path counts towards making a "great breakthrough" and meeting the conditions for a [[score|full-scoring]] [[ascension]]. Undead Hunters that wish to ascend under Defilement, must have claimed at least 6 upgrades total from any of the three defilement research paths to achieve a full-scoring ascension. Other roles can obtain defilement upgrades, but cannot ascend under an Undead Hunter ascension. While characters of other roles may still perform undead hunter research, they cannot ascend under an undead hunter ascension. Once enough research has been performed, a character may obtain a preservation or vampiric upgrade by [[applying ]]a [[phlebotomy kit]] at a workbench to [[Defilement (god)|defilement]] or with a dissection kit in open inventory:
+Preservation research has 6 upgrades, vampire defilement has 7 and rot defilement has 9, and upgrades from any path counts towards making a "great breakthrough" and meeting the conditions for a [[score|full-scoring]] [[ascension]]. Undead Hunters that wish to ascend under Defilement, must have claimed at least 6 upgrades total from any of the three defilement research paths to achieve a full-scoring ascension. Other roles can obtain defilement upgrades, but cannot ascend under an Undead Hunter ascension. While characters of other roles may still perform undead hunter research, they cannot ascend under an undead hunter ascension. Once enough research has been performed, a character may obtain a preservation or vampiric upgrade by [[applying]] a [[phlebotomy kit]] at a workbench to [[Defilement (god)|defilement]] or with a dissection kit in open inventory:
 ===Preservation===
 The preservation research path is linear, with upgrades being claimed in the following order:
 * Reduce hunger: Halve the rate at which [[nutrition]] is lost. Also halves the amount of nutrition lost from casting and maintaining spells.
-* Prevent abuse: [[Attributes]] cannot be reduced permanently by effects, such as by the [[weaken]] [[monster spell]] or [[abuse]].
+* Prevent abuse: [[Attributes]] cannot be reduced permanently by effects, such as by the [[weaken]] [[dNetHack monster spells|monster spell]] or [[abuse]].
 * Gain DR: Grants 3 base [[DR]] to all slots, and allows [[chrysalis]]es to start generating.
 * Cold resistance: Grants permanent [[intrinsic]] [[cold resistance]].

@@ Line 30: / Line 30: @@
 ===Rot===
 The rot research path is non-linear, and upgrades can be claimed in any order:
 * Vomit rot: On 1⁄10 of melee attacks, or at will, make vomit attack with a range of 2 squares. On hit, afflict the target with caterpillars.
@@ Line 42: / Line 44: @@
 * Rot of Shub-Nugganoth: Requires the hero to have made contact with [[The Black Mother]]. Allows Undead Hunters to ask for the "her drooling Hunger" Black Mother boon without meeting lifetime devotion thresholds, and any number of times. Interchangeable with the vampire "blood of Shub-Nugganoth" upgrade, but if one or the other has already been obtained, the other will be unavailable.
-Obtaining rot defilement upgrade reduces current and peak [[constitution]], [[intelligence]] and [[wisdom]] scores by 1. Every third upgrade taken on the research path will also permanently reduce the maximum constitution, intelligence and wisdom possible for that character's race by 1. Fully advancing into the reanimation research path will thus reduce their intelligence and wisdom maximums by 3, superseded by [[helms of brilliance]] and the spirit [[Huginn and Munnin]] while it is bound.
+Obtaining rot defilement upgrades through [[chrysalis]]es reduces current and peak [[constitution]], [[intelligence]] and [[wisdom]] scores by 1. Every third upgrade taken on the research path will also permanently reduce the maximum constitution, intelligence and wisdom possible for that character's race by 1. Fully advancing into the reanimation research path will thus reduce their intelligence and wisdom maximums by 3, superseded by [[helms of brilliance]] and the spirit [[Huginn and Munnin]] while it is bound.
 ==Message==

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{for|the god named defilement|defilement (god)}}
+{{for|the "god" named defilement|defilement (god)}}
+In [[dNetHack]], [[notdNetHack]] and [[notnotdNetHack]], '''defilement''' is a research path available to characters that have the defilement [[Thought (item)|thought]] slotted and with at least 27 [[insight]], necessary to activate the thought. [[Chaotic]] [[Undead Hunter]]s start each game with the thought already slotted. It is also referred to as '''the philosophy of defilement'''. There are three distinct types of defilement research: '''preservation''' defilement, '''vampiric''' defilement and '''rot''' defilement.
 ==Description==
-To progress along the research path, a character must [[research]] [[corpse]]s of [[monster]]s at [[workbench]]es&mdash;or with a [[dissection kit]]&mdash;that are less than 50 turns old and that aren't [[Potion of blood (dNetHack)#Monsters with blood|bloodless]]. For non-Undead Hunters, following the parasitology research path requires [[wish]]ing for the thought and dissection kit.
+To progress along the research path, a character must [[research]] [[corpse]]s of [[monster]]s at [[workbench]]es&mdash;or with a [[dissection kit]]&mdash;that are less than 50 turns old and that aren't [[Potion of blood (dNetHack)#Monsters with blood|bloodless]]. For non-Undead Hunters, following the parasitology research path requires [[wishing for]] the thought and dissection kit.
-Preservation research has 6 upgrades, vampire defilement has 7 and rot defilement has 9, and upgrades from any path counts towards making a "great breakthrough" and meeting the conditions for a [[score|full-scoring]] [[ascension]]. Undead Hunters that wish to ascend under Defilement, must have claimed at least 6 upgrades total from any of the three defilement research paths to achieve a full-scoring ascension. Other roles can obtain defilement upgrades, but cannot ascend under an Undead Hunter ascension. While characters of other roles may still perform undead hunter research, they cannot ascend under an undead hunter ascension. Once enough research has been performed, a character may obtain a preservation or vampiric upgrade by [[apply]]ing a [[phlebotomy kit]] at a workbench to [[defilement (god)|defilement]] or with a dissection kit in open inventory:
+Preservation research has 6 upgrades, vampire defilement has 7 and rot defilement has 9, and upgrades from any path counts towards making a "great breakthrough" and meeting the conditions for a [[score|full-scoring]] [[ascension]]. Undead Hunters that wish to ascend under Defilement, must have claimed at least 6 upgrades total from any of the three defilement research paths to achieve a full-scoring ascension. Other roles can obtain defilement upgrades, but cannot ascend under an Undead Hunter ascension. While characters of other roles may still perform undead hunter research, they cannot ascend under an undead hunter ascension. Once enough research has been performed, a character may obtain a preservation or vampiric upgrade by [[applying ]]a [[phlebotomy kit]] at a workbench to [[Defilement (god)|defilement]] or with a dissection kit in open inventory:
 ===Preservation===
@@ Line 14: / Line 13: @@
 * Gain DR: Grants 3 base [[DR]] to all slots, and allows [[chrysalis]]es to start generating.
 * Cold resistance: Grants permanent [[intrinsic]] [[cold resistance]].
-* Sleep resistance: Grants permanent [[intrinsic]] [[sleep resistance]].
+* Sleep resistance: Grants permanent intrinsic [[sleep resistance]].
 * Gain DR: Grants another 3 base DR to all slots, and increases the chances of chrysalises generating.
 * Dead truce: All [[undead]] monsters will start to be generated [[peaceful]].
@@ Line 20: / Line 19: @@
 ===Vampiric===
 The vampiric research path is non-linear, and upgrades can be claimed in any order:
-* Better control your spawn: Dominated [[pet]]s cannot be un[[tame]]d and only count as {{frac|2}} towards the pet amount limit. Pets classified as [[traitor]]s do not turn traitor below half maximum [[hp]].
+* Better control your spawn: Dominated [[pet]]s cannot be made un-[[tame]] and only count as {{frac|2}} towards the pet amount limit. Pets classified as [[traitor]]s do not turn traitor below half maximum [[hp]].
 * Improve your spawns' attacks: Increases the AC by 1&ndash;5, follow distance, rate at which they [[grow up]], and grants a +5 bonus to both [[to-hit]] and damage for pet [[vampire]]s.
 * Manipulate the blood of your victims: [[Hemargyos]] weapons and vampiric bite attacks have a {{frac|10}} of dealing the greater of +400 damage and 30% of the target's maximum hp.