Floating eye - Revision history

Umbire the Phantom: start on variant stuff

2026-06-18T15:56:20Z

start on variant stuff

Umbire the Phantom: nh5 updates

2026-06-18T15:53:06Z

nh5 updates

Show changes

Umbire the Phantom: /* Strategy */ more slight details

2026-03-09T22:35:11Z

‎Strategy: more slight details

Umbire the Phantom: /* Strategy */ word choice

2026-03-09T22:12:59Z

‎Strategy: word choice

Umbire the Phantom: /* dNetHack */ detail

2025-12-26T17:09:50Z

‎dNetHack: detail

Umbire the Phantom: more upcoming

2025-12-26T17:06:49Z

more upcoming

Umbire the Phantom: 2 for 2 on big e passes

2025-12-26T17:03:37Z

2 for 2 on big e passes

Show changes

Umbire the Phantom: /* dNetHack */ assessor

2025-11-13T21:04:41Z

‎dNetHack: assessor

Umbire the Phantom: lede et. al.

2025-11-13T03:49:52Z

lede et. al.

Umbire the Phantom: /* Origin */ tweaks

2025-07-10T13:09:35Z

‎Origin: tweaks

@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 * The attacker is a [[hallucinating]] hero, who has a {{frac|3|4}} chance of avoiding the effects of the floating eye's gaze.{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|6030-L6036|nethack=5.0.0|name="blinked"}}
-All of the above also applies to a monster attacking either a floating eye or a hero [[polymorph]]ed into a floating eye, with the same {{frac|4}} chance of a 127-turn duration and a maximum cap of 127 turns.{{refsrc|src/mhitm.c|1209-L1219|nethack=5.0.0|comment=<tt>paralyze_monster()</tt> function}}{{refsrc|src/mhitm.c|1369-L1370|nethack=5.0.0|comment=chance of 127-turn paralysis for monster attacking floating eye}}{{refsrc|src/mhitm.c|1384|nethack=5.0.0|comment=call to <tt>paralyze_monster()</tt> for monster v. monster combat}}{{refsrc|src/mhitu.c|2551|nethack=5.0.0|comment=call to <tt>paralyze_monster()</tt> for monster attacking floating eye hero}} [[Pet]]s will avoid attacking a floating eye that they can see {{frac|9|10}} of the time under similar conditions, i.e. they will attack normally if they have [[reflection]], they cannot see the floating eye or the floating eye cannot see them (although free action is not accounted for).{{refsrc|src/dogmove.c|1130-L1144|nethack=5.0.0}}
+All of the above also applies to a monster attacking either a floating eye or a hero [[polymorph]]ed into a floating eye, with the same {{frac|4}} chance of a 127-turn duration and a maximum cap of 127 turns.{{refsrc|src/mhitm.c|1209-L1219|nethack=5.0.0|comment=<tt>paralyze_monster()</tt> function}}{{refsrc|src/mhitm.c|1369-L1370|nethack=5.0.0|comment=chance of 127-turn paralysis for monster attacking floating eye}}{{refsrc|src/mhitm.c|1384|nethack=5.0.0|comment=call to <tt>paralyze_monster()</tt> for monster v. monster combat}}{{refsrc|src/mhitu.c|2551|nethack=5.0.0|comment=call to <tt>paralyze_monster()</tt> for monster attacking floating eye hero}} [[Pet]]s will avoid attacking a floating eye that they can see {{frac|9|10}} of the time under similar conditions, i.e. they will attack normally if they have reflection, they cannot see the floating eye or the floating eye cannot see them (although free action is not accounted for).{{refsrc|src/dogmove.c|1130-L1144|nethack=5.0.0}}
 A hero [[applying]] a [[mirror]] at a floating eye will paralyze the monster with its own gaze, which has a {{frac|4}} chance of lasting for 120 turns.{{refsrc|src/apply.c|1139-L1147|nethack=5.0.0|name="mirrored"}}
@@ Line 102: / Line 102: @@
 ===NetHack brass===
-In [[NetHack brass]], the floating eye's passive gaze can trigger when an attacker uses a [[polearm]] to [[pound]] them.
+In [[NetHack brass]], the floating eye's passive gaze can trigger if an attacker uses a [[polearm]] to [[pound]] them.
 ===UnNetHack===
@@ Line 110: / Line 110: @@
 ===AceHack===
-In [[AceHack]], a hero attacking a floating eye will cause the attack to miss from averting their gaze at the last moment, instead of being paralyzed outright&mdash;the passive gaze has the same effects against monsters as in ''NetHack''.
+In [[AceHack]], a hero attacking a floating eye will cause irthe attack to miss from averting their gaze at the last moment, instead of being paralyzed outright&mdash;the passive gaze has the same effects against monsters as it does in NetHack 3.4.3.
 ===NetHack 4===
-In [[NetHack 4]], it is impossible for the hero to attack a floating eye in melee without being protected from its gaze in some way, and they will instead displace the eye if this is not the case.
+In [[NetHack 4]], the hero will always [[Displacing monsters|displace a floating eye]] if they attempt to attack it in melee by moving towards its adjacent square, unless they are protected from its gaze in some way.
 ===dNetHack===

@@ Line 57: / Line 57: @@
 A [[ranged attack]] of any kind from any distance, including from an attacker still adjacent to them, will not trigger the floating eye's passive attack at all&mdash;thrown [[dagger]]s, pounding with [[polearm]]s, casting [[spell]]s, and zapping [[wand]]s are all methods that can safely dispose of floating eyes, and even throwing non-[[projectile]] weapons, [[rock]]s or other [[junk]] items will suffice; if you run out of items to throw while fighting one inside a room, you can wait for it to move so you can retrieve thrown items. If a floating eye pins you in a hallway with no other path around it and no ranged attacks that are guaranteed to defeat it, you can use [[Elbereth]] or another means of [[scaring]] to drive it off, though this can take quite a while due to its low speed.
-If you are facing a floating eye in a corridor without any means of ranged attack, and wasting turns is not an issue, you intentionally can place yourself between the floating eye and an obstacle of some sort (such as a locked door, boulder, or passive creature)&mdash;as mentioned prior, this is highly risky and the hero will likely have to contend with hunger instead of any damage. Though most pets intelligent and otherwise will try to avoid attacking floating eyes in melee, they still have a {{frac|10}} chance of doing so when adjacent, with the same chance of becoming paralyzed unless they lack eyes or are blind: applying a [[leather drum]] can unfreeze a paralyzed pet, and a pet with a source of reflection will be protected from the gaze.
+If you are facing a floating eye in a corridor without any means of ranged attack, and wasting turns is not an issue, you can intentionally place yourself between the floating eye and an obstacle of some sort (such as a locked door, boulder, or passive creature)&mdash;as mentioned prior, this is highly risky and the hero will likely have to contend with hunger and monster generation instead of any damage. Though most pets (intelligent and otherwise) will try to avoid attacking floating eyes in melee, they still have a {{frac|10}} chance of doing so when adjacent, with the same chance of becoming paralyzed unless they lack eyes or are blind: applying a [[leather drum]] can unfreeze a paralyzed pet, and a pet with a source of reflection will be protected from the gaze.
-The floating eye's corpse is highly desired as one of the most frequent sources of telepathy for most heroes, but on average only half of floating eyes will drop a corpse, and the hero will have to prevent their pet from immediately eating one that drops. Some heroes seek out tins of floating eye meat or make them with a [[tinning kit]] as a means of re-gaining the property if is lost later on, e.g. due to [[murder]]. Many a [[Monk]] will be tempted to risk an [[alignment record]] penalty and break [[vegan]] and/or [[vegetarian]] conducts by eating one, though they can gain the comparable [[warning]] intrinsic by reaching experience level 7; it is also possible (though tricky) for a Monk or any hero to receive telepathy as a boon from their [[god]] via [[prayer]] while their luck is at least +6. [[Zen]] heroes, many of whom are played as Monks, have the explicit goal of finding a floating eye and then killing it in order to eat its corpse so that most of the dungeon's inhabitants will become visible to the blind hero&mdash;said blindness also means that floating eyes pose little direct danger to them.
+The floating eye's corpse is highly desired as one of the most frequent sources of telepathy for most heroes, but on average only half of floating eyes will drop a corpse, and the hero will have to prevent their pet from immediately eating one that drops. Some heroes seek out tins of floating eye meat or make them with a [[tinning kit]] as a means of re-gaining the property if is lost later on, e.g. due to [[murder]]. Many a [[Monk]] will be tempted to risk an [[alignment record]] penalty and break [[vegan]] and/or [[vegetarian]] [[conduct]]s by eating one, though they can gain the comparable [[warning]] intrinsic by reaching experience level 7; it is also possible (though tricky) for a Monk or any hero to receive telepathy as a boon from their [[god]] via [[prayer]] while their luck is at least +6. [[Zen]] heroes, many of whom are played as Monks, have the explicit goal of finding a floating eye and then killing it in order to eat its corpse so that most of the dungeon's inhabitants will become visible to the blind hero&mdash;said blindness also means that floating eyes pose little direct danger to them.
 {{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Per {{commit|8d2407f1f21cc60ac99e08f00233975b32321eef}}, pets that eat corpses can gain intrinsics from them, allowing them to gain telepathy from eating a floating eye corpse.}}

@@ Line 55: / Line 55: @@
 Very fortunately, there are many methods for a hero to circumvent or defeat a floating eye: you can blind yourself by applying or using an appropriate item, such as a [[blindfold]], [[towel]] or a [[cream pie]], or blind the floating eye itself e.g. with a [[potion of blindness]] or a cream pie that you throw or wield (though beware of the luck penalty for attacking a floating eye). If you cannot see invisible, you can make the floating eye invisible, usually by [[zapping]] it with a [[wand of make invisible]]. As mentioned previously, reflection and free action prevent paralysis, and though an applied mirror will freeze the floating eye, its gaze will still trigger.<ref name="reflecting"/><ref name="stiffed"/><ref name="mirrored"/> Cancelling the floating eye will nullify its gaze completely.
-A [[ranged attack]] of any kind from any distance, including from an attacker still adjacent to them, will not trigger the floating eye's passive attack at all&mdash;[[dagger]]s, [[polearm]]s, [[spell]]s, and [[wand]]s can safely dispose of floating eyes, and even throwing non-[[projectile]] weapons, [[rock]]s or other [[junk]] items will suffice; if you run out of items to throw while fighting one inside a room, you can wait for it to move so you can retrieve thrown items. If a floating eye pins you in a hallway with no other path around it and no ranged attacks that are guaranteed to defeat it, you can use [[Elbereth]] or another means of [[scaring]] to drive it off, though this can take quite a while due to its low speed.
+A [[ranged attack]] of any kind from any distance, including from an attacker still adjacent to them, will not trigger the floating eye's passive attack at all&mdash;thrown [[dagger]]s, pounding with [[polearm]]s, casting [[spell]]s, and zapping [[wand]]s are all methods that can safely dispose of floating eyes, and even throwing non-[[projectile]] weapons, [[rock]]s or other [[junk]] items will suffice; if you run out of items to throw while fighting one inside a room, you can wait for it to move so you can retrieve thrown items. If a floating eye pins you in a hallway with no other path around it and no ranged attacks that are guaranteed to defeat it, you can use [[Elbereth]] or another means of [[scaring]] to drive it off, though this can take quite a while due to its low speed.
 If you are facing a floating eye in a corridor without any means of ranged attack, and wasting turns is not an issue, you intentionally can place yourself between the floating eye and an obstacle of some sort (such as a locked door, boulder, or passive creature)&mdash;as mentioned prior, this is highly risky and the hero will likely have to contend with hunger instead of any damage. Though most pets intelligent and otherwise will try to avoid attacking floating eyes in melee, they still have a {{frac|10}} chance of doing so when adjacent, with the same chance of becoming paralyzed unless they lack eyes or are blind: applying a [[leather drum]] can unfreeze a paralyzed pet, and a pet with a source of reflection will be protected from the gaze.

@@ Line 116: / Line 116: @@
 ===dNetHack===
-In [[dNetHack]], [[notdNetHack]] and [[notnotdNetHack]], the duration of the floating eye's paralysis from its passive gaze is shortened to 2d6 turns&mdash;while attacking them in melee is not as immediately fatal, it is still safest to attack them at range. Floating eyes can be [[Ward (dNetHack)|warded]] by a [[User:Chris/dNetHack/Hamsa|hamsa]].
+In [[dNetHack]], [[notdNetHack]] and [[notnotdNetHack]], the duration of the floating eye's paralysis from its passive gaze is shortened to 2d6 turns&mdash;while attacking them in melee is not as immediately fatal, it is still safest to attack them at range. Floating eyes can be [[Ward (dNetHack)|warded]] by a [[User:Chris/dNetHack/Hamsa|hamsa]], which also blocks their passive gaze.
 Floating eyes can appear among the court of a [[Throne room#dNetHack|throne room]] ruled by a [[vampire lord]] or [[Vampire lady (dNetHack)|vampire lady]].

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:06, 26 December 2025
Line 60:		Line 60:

	The floating eye's corpse is highly desired as one of the most frequent sources of telepathy for most heroes, but on average only half of floating eyes will drop a corpse, and the hero will have to prevent their pet from immediately eating one that drops. Some heroes seek out tins of floating eye meat or make them with a [[tinning kit]] as a means of re-gaining the property if is lost later on, e.g. due to [[murder]]. Many a [[Monk]] will be tempted to risk an [[alignment record]] penalty and break [[vegan]] and/or [[vegetarian]] conducts by eating one, though they can gain the comparable [[warning]] intrinsic by reaching experience level 7; it is also possible (though tricky) for a Monk or any hero to receive telepathy as a boon from their [[god]] via [[prayer]] while their luck is at least +6. [[Zen]] heroes, many of whom are played as Monks, have the explicit goal of finding a floating eye and then killing it in order to eat its corpse so that most of the dungeon's inhabitants will become visible to the blind hero—said blindness also means that floating eyes pose little direct danger to them.		The floating eye's corpse is highly desired as one of the most frequent sources of telepathy for most heroes, but on average only half of floating eyes will drop a corpse, and the hero will have to prevent their pet from immediately eating one that drops. Some heroes seek out tins of floating eye meat or make them with a [[tinning kit]] as a means of re-gaining the property if is lost later on, e.g. due to [[murder]]. Many a [[Monk]] will be tempted to risk an [[alignment record]] penalty and break [[vegan]] and/or [[vegetarian]] conducts by eating one, though they can gain the comparable [[warning]] intrinsic by reaching experience level 7; it is also possible (though tricky) for a Monk or any hero to receive telepathy as a boon from their [[god]] via [[prayer]] while their luck is at least +6. [[Zen]] heroes, many of whom are played as Monks, have the explicit goal of finding a floating eye and then killing it in order to eat its corpse so that most of the dungeon's inhabitants will become visible to the blind hero—said blindness also means that floating eyes pose little direct danger to them.
		+
		+	{{upcoming\|NetHack 3.7.0\|Per {{commit\|8d2407f1f21cc60ac99e08f00233975b32321eef}}, pets that eat corpses can gain intrinsics from them, allowing them to gain telepathy from eating a floating eye corpse.}}

	==History==		==History==

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:04, 13 November 2025
Line 111:		Line 111:

	Floating eyes can appear among the court of a [[Throne room#dNetHack\|throne room]] ruled by a [[vampire lord]] or [[Vampire lady (dNetHack)\|vampire lady]].		Floating eyes can appear among the court of a [[Throne room#dNetHack\|throne room]] ruled by a [[vampire lord]] or [[Vampire lady (dNetHack)\|vampire lady]].
		+
		+	[[Aphanactonan assessor]]s leave behind a special [[death drop]] upon death that includes a floating eye corpse.

	[[User:Chris/dNetHack/Hamsa\|Hamsa]] is a [[Ward (dNetHack)\|ward]] that can repel floating eyes.		[[User:Chris/dNetHack/Hamsa\|Hamsa]] is a [[Ward (dNetHack)\|ward]] that can repel floating eyes.

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
   |resistances conveyed=[[Telepathy]] (100%)
   |attributes={{attributes|A floating eye|fly=1|amphibious=1|nolimbs=1|nohead=1|notake=1|hostile=1|neuter=1|infravisible=1}}
-  |reference=[[monst.c#line308]]
+  |reference=[https://github.com/NetHack/NetHack/blob/NetHack-3.6.7_Released/src/monst.c#L308 NetHack 3.6.7 - src/monst.c, line 308]
 }}
 A '''floating eye''', {{monsym|floating eye}}, is a type of [[monster]] that appears in ''[[NetHack]]''. The floating eye is the only [[Intelligent monster|intelligent]] and non-[[Explosion attack|explosive]] member of the [[eye or sphere]] [[monster class]]: it is [[amphibious]] and can be seen via [[infravision]], and it is capable of [[flight]].
 A floating eye has a [[passive]] [[gaze attack]] that has a {{frac|2|3}} chance of triggering if the floating eye is not [[canceled]] and is attacked in melee (but not killed){{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|2874|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/mhitm.c|1639|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/mhitu.c|2879|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}&mdash;the gaze will [[paralyze]] the attacker for several turns dependent on their level, with a {{frac|4}} chance of a 127-turn duration for a [[hero]] that has 12 or less [[wisdom]], unless one of the following applies:{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|2877|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|2897|version=NetHack 3.6.7|comment=paralysis duration}}
@@ Line 26: / Line 25: @@
 * The attacker is [[blind]] or otherwise cannot see the floating eye (e.g. the eye is [[invisible]]).{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|2878|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
 * The attacker is a [[hallucinating]] hero, who has a {{frac|3|4}} chance of avoiding the gaze's effects.{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|2885|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
-* The floating eye itself is blinded, which for a hero has a very low {{frac|500}} chance of a -1 penalty to [[luck]] with each attack.{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|2901|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
+* The floating eye itself is blinded&mdash;there is a very low {{frac|500}} chance of a -1 [[luck]] penalty if the hero attacks a blinded floating eye.{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|2901|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
 All of the above also applies to a monster attacking either a floating eye or a hero in the form of a floating eye, with the duration capped to 127 turns.
-[[Pet]]s will avoid attacking a floating eye that they can see in melee {{frac|9|10}} of the time, even if any of the traits mentioned above apply to that pet.{{refsrc|src/dogmove.c|1008|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} A hero [[applying]] a [[mirror]] at a floating eye will paralyze it with its own gaze, which has a {{frac|4}} chance of lasting for 120 turns, and will also be paralyzed if they apply a mirror at themselves while polymorphed into a floating eye.{{refsrc|src/apply.c|862|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/apply.c|952|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
+[[Pet]]s will avoid attacking a floating eye that they can see in melee {{frac|9|10}} of the time, even if any of the traits listed above apply to that pet.{{refsrc|src/dogmove.c|1008|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} A hero [[applying]] a [[mirror]] at a floating eye will paralyze the eye with its own gaze, which has a {{frac|4}} chance of lasting for 120 turns.{{refsrc|src/apply.c|952|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
 [[Eating]] a floating eye [[corpse]] or [[tin]] always grants intrinsic [[telepathy]], and a hero doing so while in the form of a [[raven]] also prints a unique message.{{refsrc|src/eat.c|1692|nethack=3.6.7|name="inyoureye"}}
 ==Generation==
@@ Line 39: / Line 40: @@
 The [[Wizard of Yendor]] may create a clone of himself in the guise of a floating eye by casting the [[Double Trouble]] [[monster spell]].{{refsrc|src/wizard.c|52|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
-Three floating eyes are randomly placed on the [[Plane of Air]] at level creation.{{refsrc|dat/endgame.des|184|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
+Three floating eyes are placed randomly on the [[Plane of Air]] at level creation.{{refsrc|dat/endgame.des|184|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
 Floating eyes can be generated with [[defensive item]]s (minus the [[wand of digging]]).{{refsrc|src/muse.c|1052|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
@@ Line 46: / Line 47: @@
 ==Strategy==
-A floating eye is very dangerous for a hero or their pet to attack in melee: even if the hero is not subsequently chipped to death by any other monster that finds them, there is a chance that they potentially succumb to fainting or even [[starvation]] from lack of [[nutrition]] instead, due to the amount of time wasted&mdash;furthermore, it is possible to become trapped between the eye and another obstacle in a corridor, preventing escape. The floating eye is an infamous source of [[YASD|early game deaths]], to the point that it was once the subject of a [[NetHack 3.4.3]] [[Bugs in NetHack 3.4.3#C343-120|bug report]] citing the lack of warnings present when attacking one, which the [[DevTeam]] closed while clarifying it to be intentional.
+A floating eye is very dangerous for a hero or their pet to attack in melee: even if the hero is not subsequently chipped to death by any other monster that finds them, there is a chance that they potentially succumb to fainting or even [[starvation]] from lack of [[nutrition]] instead, due to the amount of time wasted&mdash;furthermore, it is possible to become trapped between the eye and another obstacle in a corridor, preventing escape. The floating eye is an infamous source of [[YASD|early game deaths]], to the point that it is the subject of a [[NetHack 3.4.3]] [[Bugs in NetHack 3.4.3#C343-120|bug report]] citing the lack of warnings present when attacking one, which the [[DevTeam]] closed while clarifying it to be intentional.
 Very fortunately, there are many methods for a hero to circumvent the dangers a floating eye poses: cancelling the floating eye will nullify its gaze completely, and the gaze will not work if the eye is blinded (though beware of the luck penalty for attacking a floating eye). Additionally, reflection and free action will prevent paralysis; applying a mirror will paralyze a floating eye, but does not prevent its passive gaze from paralyzing you. Alternately, you can blind yourself by applying an appropriate item, such as a [[blindfold]], [[towel]] or a [[cream pie]]; if you cannot [[see invisible]], you can make the floating eye invisible, e.g. with a [[wand of make invisible]]. As long as you cannot see the floating eye, its gaze has no effect. If a floating eye pins you in a hallway with no other path around it, you can use [[Elbereth]] or another means of [[scaring]] to drive it off, though this can take quite a while due to its low speed.

@@ Line 62: / Line 62: @@
 ==Origin==
-The floating eye is most likely named for the monster that appears in the 1st and 2nd editions of ''Dungeons & Dragons'': rather than being floating disembodied eyeballs, these floating eyes are portrayed as a very unusual type of carnivorous saltwater fish, possessing a single large eye with a three-inch diameter and a body that was transparent to the point of being practically invisible while underwater. Unlike the slow-moving floating eyes of ''NetHack'', these fish swim at very rapid speed and use their solitary pupil to hypnotize and paralyze any creature within 30 feet of it that gazed into it&mdash;despite this power, floating eyes are very poor fighters with a mild and relatively non-aggressive demeanor, and they reserve this for the brine and plankton they feed upon.
+The floating eye is most likely named for the monster that appears in the 1st and 2nd editions of ''Dungeons & Dragons'': rather than being floating disembodied eyeballs, these floating eyes are portrayed as a very unusual type of carnivorous saltwater fish, possessing a single large eye with a three-inch diameter and a body that was transparent to the point of being practically invisible while underwater. Unlike the slow-moving floating eyes of ''NetHack'', these fish swim at very rapid speed and use their solitary pupil to hypnotize and paralyze any creature within 30 feet of the eye that gazes into it&mdash;despite this power, floating eyes are very poor fighters with a mild and relatively non-aggressive demeanor, and they normally reserve this ability for the brine and plankton that they feed upon.
 Floating eyes travel in schools of over a dozen or fewer members, typically abandoning their young at birth (though they would eat said young if particularly lacking in food). They rely upon their defensive paralyzing ability to hypnotize and escape other creatures that would feed upon them, generally leaving the victim at the mercy of nearby predators. Many of these predators, such as manta rays, piranhas and sharks, live in a symbiotic relationship with floating eyes, traveling with their schools and feasting upon the creatures they paralyzed; floating eyes feast upon the scraps of prey left over from these predators in turn.