Jabberwock - Revision history

Umbire the Phantom: /* dNetHack */ pothole

2026-02-26T16:10:57Z

‎dNetHack: pothole

Umbire the Phantom: detailing pass

2025-09-09T12:06:35Z

detailing pass

Umbire the Phantom: /* Origin */ tweak

2025-04-26T04:14:38Z

‎Origin: tweak

Umbire the Phantom: /* As a polyform */ word choice

2025-04-26T03:56:54Z

‎As a polyform: word choice

Umbire the Phantom: grunt + *dnh

2025-04-25T21:13:05Z

grunt + *dnh

Umbire the Phantom: pothole, etc.

2025-04-25T10:50:09Z

pothole, etc.

Umbire the Phantom: lede, pothole

2025-04-25T10:49:10Z

lede, pothole

Umbire the Phantom: /* Encyclopedia entry */ lede

2025-04-25T10:45:16Z

‎Encyclopedia entry: lede

Umbire the Phantom: copyedit

2025-02-22T11:28:42Z

copyedit

Umbire the Phantom: move to monclass

2024-03-10T12:57:45Z

move to monclass

@@ Line 77: / Line 77: @@
 In [[dNetHack]], [[notdNetHack]] and [[notnotdNetHack]], jabberwocks have an increased base level and damage dice that matches those of the deferred vorpal jabberwock in vanilla ''NetHack''. A jabberwock can also follow the hero to other levels if it is adjacent, and will not randomly generate in [[Gehennom (dNetHack)|Gehennom]].
-A jabberwock may be one of the monsters generated within a [[Special room (dNetHack)#Magic item vault|magic item vault]].
+A jabberwock may be one of the monsters generated within a [[magic item vault]].
 ==Encyclopedia entry==

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
   |frequency=1
   |genocidable=Yes
-  |attacks=[[Bite]] 2d10 [[Physical damage|physical]], bite 2d10 physical, claw 2d10 physical, claw 2d10 physical
+  |attacks=[[Bite]] 2d10 [[Physical damage|physical]], bite 2d10 physical, [[Claw attack|claw]] 2d10 physical, claw 2d10 physical
   |weight=1300
   |nutr=600
@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
   |reference=[[monst.c#line1463]]
 }}
-{{otheruses||the monster class|jabberwock (monster class)}}
+{{otheruses|the monster|the monster class|jabberwock (monster class)}}
-A '''jabberwock''', {{monsym|jabberwock}}, is a type of [[monster]] that appears in ''[[NetHack]]''. It is the only utilized monster in the [[Jabberwock (monster class)|jabberwock]] [[monster class]]&mdash;the [[vorpal jabberwock]] is also a part of the monster class, but is [[deferred]].
+A jabberwock is a [[strong]] and [[carnivorous]] [[animal]] that is capable of [[flight]], can be seen via [[infravision]], will pick up and collect items that they come across while hostile, and can be [[saddled]] for [[riding]] while [[tame]].
-Jabberwocks are [[strong]] and [[carnivorous]] [[animal]]s that are capable of [[flight]], can be seen via [[infravision]], will pick up and collect items that they come across while hostile, and can be [[saddled]] for [[riding]].
+A jabberwock has two bite attacks and two claw attacks. Hitting a jabberwock with [[Vorpal Blade]] will always [[behead]] them.
-A jabberwock has two bite attacks and two claw attacks. Hitting a jabberwock with [[Vorpal Blade]] will always [[behead]] them.
+[[Chatting]] to a jabberwock will cause it to "burble".
 ==Generation==
-Randomly generated jabberwocks are always created hostile, and are generated asleep {{frac|4|5}} of the time unless the [[hero]] has the [[Amulet of Yendor]].{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|1262|version=NetHack 3.6.7|comment=chance of jabberwocks being generated asleep}}
+Randomly generated jabberwocks are always created hostile. Jabberwocks that are placed at level creation or generated via normal [[monster creation]] will be [[asleep]] {{frac|4|5}} of the time unless the [[hero]] has the [[Amulet of Yendor]].{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|1262|version=NetHack 3.6.7|comment=chance of jabberwocks being generated asleep}}
-Hostile and awake jabberwocks can be generated by the [[summon nasties]] [[monster spell]].
+Hostile jabberwocks can be generated by the [[summon nasties]] [[monster spell]].
 Two jabberwocks are generated on the [[Plane of Air]] at level creation.
 ==Strategy==
-Jabberwocks hit hard enough and often enough to offset their -2 [[AC]] and 12 [[speed]], which are decent but not remotely insurmountable&mdash;it may occasionally be wiser to leave sleeping jabberwocks undisturbed. Unfortunately, by the time that a jabberwock can be encountered normally, most heroes will already be encountering hostile spellcasters that can either use the [[aggravate]] monster spell to wake sleeping monsters, or else summon nasties and generate one directly adjacent to them. The jabberwock's [[Magic resistance (monster)|MR score]] of 50 makes many [[spell]]s and [[wand]]s unreliable against it, though it thankfully has no elemental resistances.
+Jabberwocks possess a solid -2 [[AC]] and base movement [[speed]] of 12, which are decent but not remotely insurmountable&mdash;however, their attacks are strong enough that even some melee-focused heroes may have second thoughts about engaging them directly, and it may occasionally be wiser to leave sleeping jabberwocks undisturbed. The jabberwock's [[Magic resistance (monster)|MR score]] of 50 makes many [[spell]]s and [[wand]]s unreliable against it, though it thankfully has no elemental resistances.
-In any event, even a [[stealthy]] hero should be prepared to fight a jabberwock directly at some point, and should not count on any jabberwocks that generate asleep to remain so for long. [[Polymorph trap]]s and [[shapeshifter]]s such as [[chameleon]]s can present an unwelcome and [[YAAD|possibly game-ending]] obstacle if they take the form of a jabberwock while closing in on you, and both events can occur well before jabberwocks would generate normally. A hero that has access to Vorpal Blade can easily dispatch any jabberwock they come across, and other characters that are prepared for the lower dungeons can usually fight one off with some difficulty, especially if they can prevent it from breaching melee range.
+[[Polymorph trap]]s and [[shapeshifter]]s such as [[chameleon]]s can present an unwelcome and [[YAAD|possibly game-ending]] obstacle if they take the form of a jabberwock while closing in on you, and both events can occur well before jabberwocks would generate normally. A hero that has access to Vorpal Blade can easily dispatch any jabberwock they come across, and other characters that are prepared for the lower dungeons or [[Gehennom]] can usually fight one off with some difficulty, especially if they can prevent it from breaching melee range.
 ===As a polyform===
-The jabberwock is a very strong polyform due to its flight, strength, four attacks with high damage output, and the ability to wear non-torso armor.
+The jabberwock is a very strong polyform due to its flight, strength, four attacks that have high damage output and enable weapon use, and the ability to wear non-torso armor. While not sought out in many circumstances due to the transformation destroying worn [[cloak]]s, [[suit]]s and [[shirt]]s, a jabberwock polyform is among the better ones that a hero can end up with if they are randomly polymorphed. As it has two bite attacks, '''beware of [[cockatrice]]s and [[chickatrice]]s''': attacking them in melee will result in instant [[stoning]], though you can still [[wield]] their [[corpse]]s safely with worn [[gloves]].
 ===As a pet===
-Jabberwocks are very strong pets, and are among the most powerful flying monsters that can serve as [[steed]]s. Relative to [[dragon]]s, they are significantly faster and deal much more melee damage, but their lack of resistances and reflection leaves them vulnerable to a variety of [[instadeath]]s.
+Jabberwocks are very strong pets, and are among the most powerful flying monsters that can serve as steeds. Relative to [[dragon]]s, they are significantly faster and deal much more melee damage, but their lack of resistances and reflection leaves them vulnerable to a variety of [[instadeath]]s.
 {{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Pets can gain resistances by eating corpses. A properly-fed and hasted jabberwock may have survivability comparable to the [[inediate]] [[ki-rin]].}}
@@ Line 51: / Line 54: @@
 ==Origin==
 {{wikipedia|Jabberwocky}}
-The jabberwock is a creature featured in ''Jabberwocky'', a famous nonsense poem by [[Wikipedia:Lewis Carroll|Lewis Carroll]], and its [[encyclopedia]] entry is an excerpt from the poem. ''Jabberwocky'' is first printed in Carroll's 1871 novel ''[[wikipedia:Through the Looking-Glass|Through the Looking-Glass]]'', the sequel to the 1865 ''[[wikipedia:Alice's Adventures in Wonderland|Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]]''.
+The jabberwock is based on the titular creature featured in ''Jabberwocky'', a famous nonsense poem by [[Wikipedia:Lewis Carroll|Lewis Carroll]], and its [[encyclopedia]] entry is an excerpt from the poem. This poem is also the inspiration for the [[artifact]] Vorpal Blade in ''NetHack'', which is based on the unnamed adventurer's weapon within the poem that is used to behead the jabberwock&mdash;this is also the basis for the jabberwock's weakness to Vorpal Blade.
-Alice finds herself in a looking-glass world and encounters the poem as part of a book written in a seemingly unintelligible language; she shortly discovers the text and the world at large is in fact inverted (or mirrored), and holds a mirror to the poem to read it, finding it as puzzling as the odd land she is now in. The poem is also the inspiration for the [[artifact]] Vorpal Blade, based on the unnamed adventurer's weapon that is used to behead the jabberwock&mdash;this is also the basis for the jabberwock's weakness to Vorpal Blade.
+''Jabberwocky'' is first printed in Carroll's 1871 novel ''[[wikipedia:Through the Looking-Glass|Through the Looking-Glass]]'', the sequel to the 1865 ''[[wikipedia:Alice's Adventures in Wonderland|Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]]''. In ''Through the Looking-Glass'', Alice finds herself in a looking-glass world and encounters the poem as part of a book written in a seemingly unintelligible language; she shortly discovers the text and the world at large is in fact inverted (or mirrored), and holds a mirror to the poem to read it, finding it as puzzling as the odd land she is now in.
-The original illustrations by [[wikipedia:John Tenniel|John Tenniel]] accompanying the poem (and the rest of the two novels) depict the titular jabberwock as a bipedal creature that vaguely resembles a dragon: It has bat-like wings, a long serpentine neck, a long tail, a weird head with rabbit-like teeth, hands with three long spidery talons, and a waistcoat. Some of the jabberwock's more particular traits may reflect the contemporary Victorian obsession with natural history and the then-fast-evolving sciences of paleontology and geology.
+The original illustrations by [[wikipedia:John Tenniel|John Tenniel]] accompanying the poem (and the rest of the two novels) depict the titular jabberwock as a bipedal creature that vaguely resembles a dragon: it has bat-like wings, a long serpentine neck, a long tail, a weird head with rabbit-like teeth, hands with three long spidery talons, and a waistcoat. Some of the jabberwock's more particular traits may reflect the contemporary Victorian obsession with natural history and the then-fast-evolving sciences of paleontology and geology.
 ==Messages==
-{{message|The jabberwock burbles.|You [[chat]]ted to a jabberwock.}}
+{{message|The jabberwock burbles.|You chatted to a jabberwock.}}
 ==Variants==
-Many variants implement the vorpal jabberwock in some manner, while comparatively few make significant changes to the jabberwock itself.
+Many [[variant]]s of ''NetHack'' implement the vorpal jabberwock in some manner, while comparatively few make significant changes to the jabberwock itself.
 ===SLASH'EM===
@@ Line 72: / Line 75: @@
 ===dNetHack===
-In [[dNetHack]], [[notdNetHack]] and [[notnotdNetHack]] jabberwocks have an increased base level and damage dice that matches those of the deferred vorpal jabberwock in vanilla ''NetHack''. A jabberwock can also follow the hero to other levels if it is adjacent, and will not randomly generate in [[Gehennom (dNetHack)|Gehennom]].
+In [[dNetHack]], [[notdNetHack]] and [[notnotdNetHack]], jabberwocks have an increased base level and damage dice that matches those of the deferred vorpal jabberwock in vanilla ''NetHack''. A jabberwock can also follow the hero to other levels if it is adjacent, and will not randomly generate in [[Gehennom (dNetHack)|Gehennom]].
 A jabberwock may be one of the monsters generated within a [[Special room (dNetHack)#Magic item vault|magic item vault]].

@@ Line 53: / Line 53: @@
 The jabberwock is a creature featured in ''Jabberwocky'', a famous nonsense poem by [[Wikipedia:Lewis Carroll|Lewis Carroll]], and its [[encyclopedia]] entry is an excerpt from the poem. ''Jabberwocky'' is first printed in Carroll's 1871 novel ''[[wikipedia:Through the Looking-Glass|Through the Looking-Glass]]'', the sequel to the 1865 ''[[wikipedia:Alice's Adventures in Wonderland|Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]]''.
-Alice finds herself in a looking-glass world and encounters the poem as part of a book written in a seemingly unintelligible language; she shortly discovers the text and the world at large is in fact inverted (or mirrored), and holds a mirror to the poem to read it, finding it as puzzling as the odd land she is now in. The poem is also the inspiration for the [[artifact weapon]] Vorpal Blade, based on the unnamed adventurer's weapon that is used to behead the jabberwock - this is also the basis for the jabberwock's weakness to Vorpal Blade.
+Alice finds herself in a looking-glass world and encounters the poem as part of a book written in a seemingly unintelligible language; she shortly discovers the text and the world at large is in fact inverted (or mirrored), and holds a mirror to the poem to read it, finding it as puzzling as the odd land she is now in. The poem is also the inspiration for the [[artifact]] Vorpal Blade, based on the unnamed adventurer's weapon that is used to behead the jabberwock&mdash;this is also the basis for the jabberwock's weakness to Vorpal Blade.
 The original illustrations by [[wikipedia:John Tenniel|John Tenniel]] accompanying the poem (and the rest of the two novels) depict the titular jabberwock as a bipedal creature that vaguely resembles a dragon: It has bat-like wings, a long serpentine neck, a long tail, a weird head with rabbit-like teeth, hands with three long spidery talons, and a waistcoat. Some of the jabberwock's more particular traits may reflect the contemporary Victorian obsession with natural history and the then-fast-evolving sciences of paleontology and geology.

@@ Line 39: / Line 39: @@
 ===As a polyform===
-The jabberwock is a very strong polyform due to its flight, strength, four attacks with high damage output, and the ability to wear all non-body armor.
+The jabberwock is a very strong polyform due to its flight, strength, four attacks with high damage output, and the ability to wear non-torso armor.
 ===As a pet===

@@ Line 67: / Line 67: @@
 ===GruntHack===
-In [[GruntHack]], weapons with the [[vorpal]] [[object property]] can also instantly behead jabberwocks.
+In [[GruntHack]], a jabberwock can [[grow up]] into a [[Vorpal jabberwock (GruntHack)|vorpal jabberwock]].
 ===dNetHack===
-In [[dNetHack]], [[notdNetHack]] and [[notnotdNetHack]] jabberwocks have an increased base level and damage dice that matches those of the deferred vorpal jabberwock in vanilla ''NetHack''. A jabberwock can also follow the hero to other levels if it is adjacent, and will not generate in [[Gehennom]].
+In [[dNetHack]], [[notdNetHack]] and [[notnotdNetHack]] jabberwocks have an increased base level and damage dice that matches those of the deferred vorpal jabberwock in vanilla ''NetHack''. A jabberwock can also follow the hero to other levels if it is adjacent, and will not randomly generate in [[Gehennom (dNetHack)|Gehennom]].
 A jabberwock may be one of the monsters generated within a [[Special room (dNetHack)#Magic item vault|magic item vault]].

@@ Line 75: / Line 75: @@
 ==Encyclopedia entry==
 {{encyclopedia|
 "Beware the Jabberwock, my son!

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{monster
   |difficulty=18
@@ Line 10: / Line 9: @@
   |frequency=1
   |genocidable=Yes
-  |attacks=Bite 2d10, bite 2d10, claw 2d10, claw 2d10
+  |attacks=Bite 2d10 physical, bite 2d10 physical, claw 2d10 physical, claw 2d10 physical
   |weight=1300
   |nutr=600
@@ Line 17: / Line 16: @@
   |resistances conveyed=None
   |attributes={{attributes|A jabberwock|animal=1|fly=1|carnivore=1|hostile=1|strong=1|nasty=1|collect=1|infravisible=1}}
-  |reference=[[monst.c#line1576]]
+  |reference=[[monst.c#line1463]]
 }}
-A '''jabberwock''', {{monsym|jabberwock}}, is a type of [[monster]] that appears in ''[[NetHack]]''. It is the only utilized monster in the [[Jabberwock (monster class)|jabberwock]] [[monster class]] - the [[vorpal jabberwock]] is also a part of the monster class, but is [[deferred]].
+A '''jabberwock''', {{monsym|jabberwock}}, is a type of [[monster]] that appears in ''[[NetHack]]''. It is the only utilized monster in the [[Jabberwock (monster class)|jabberwock]] [[monster class]]&mdash;the [[vorpal jabberwock]] is also a part of the monster class, but is [[deferred]]. A [[tame]] jabberwock can be used for [[riding]] by a [[hero]] that apples a [[saddle]] to it.
 Jabberwocks are [[strong]] [[carnivorous]] [[animal]]s that are capable of [[flight]], can be seen via [[infravision]], and will pick up and collect items. A jabberwock will be instantly [[behead]]ed if hit by [[Vorpal Blade]].
@@ Line 27: / Line 27: @@
 ==Generation==
-Randomly generated jabberwocks are always created hostile, and are generated asleep {{frac|4|5}} of the time unless you have the [[Amulet of Yendor]].{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|1262|version=NetHack 3.6.7|comment=chance of jabberwocks being generated asleep}}
+Randomly generated jabberwocks are always created hostile, and are generated asleep {{frac|4|5}} of the time unless the [[hero]] has the [[Amulet of Yendor]].{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|1262|version=NetHack 3.6.7|comment=chance of jabberwocks being generated asleep}}
-Jabberwocks can be generated by the [[summon nasties]] [[monster spell]].
+Hostile and awake jabberwocks can be generated by the [[summon nasties]] [[monster spell]].
 Two jabberwocks are generated on the [[Plane of Air]] at level creation.
 ==Strategy==
-Jabberwocks hit hard and often enough to offset their -2 [[AC]] and 12 [[speed]], which are decent but not remotely insurmountable, and it may occasionally be wiser to leave sleeping jabberwocks undisturbed. Unfortunately, by the time that a jabberwock can be encountered normally, most characters will already be encountering hostile spellcasters: they can either use the [[aggravate]] [[monster spell]] to wake sleeping monsters, or summon nasties and generate one directly adjacent to you.  The jabberwock's [[Magic resistance (monster)|MR score]] of 50 makes many [[spell]]s and [[wand]]s unreliable against it, though it thankfully has no elemental resistances.
+Jabberwocks hit hard enough and often enough to offset their -2 [[AC]] and 12 [[speed]], which are decent but not remotely insurmountable&mdash;it may occasionally be wiser to leave sleeping jabberwocks undisturbed. Unfortunately, by the time that a jabberwock can be encountered normally, most heroes will already be encountering hostile spellcasters that can either use the [[aggravate]] monster spell to wake sleeping monsters, or else summon nasties and generate one directly adjacent to them. The jabberwock's [[Magic resistance (monster)|MR score]] of 50 makes many [[spell]]s and [[wand]]s unreliable against it, though it thankfully has no elemental resistances.
-In any event, even a [[stealth]]y character should be prepared to fight a jabberwock directly at some point, and should not count on jabberwocks that generate asleep to remain so for long. [[Polymorph trap]]s and [[shapeshifter]]s such as [[chameleon]]s can present an unwelcome and [[YAAD|possibly game-ending]] obstacle if a monster takes the form of a jabberwock while closing in on you, and both can occur well before they would generate normally. A character that has access to Vorpal Blade can easily dispatch any jabberwock they come across - other characters that are prepared for the lower dungeons can usually fight one off with some difficulty, and should take as much care as possible not to let it breach melee range.
+In any event, even a [[stealthy]] hero should be prepared to fight a jabberwock directly at some point, and should not count on any jabberwocks that generate asleep to remain so for long. [[Polymorph trap]]s and [[shapeshifter]]s such as [[chameleon]]s can present an unwelcome and [[YAAD|possibly game-ending]] obstacle if they take the form of a jabberwock while closing in on you, and both events can occur well before jabberwocks would generate normally. A hero that has access to Vorpal Blade can easily dispatch any jabberwock they come across, and other characters that are prepared for the lower dungeons can usually fight one off with some difficulty, especially if they can prevent it from breaching melee range.
 ===As a polyform===
@@ Line 70: / Line 70: @@
 ===dNetHack===
-In [[dNetHack]], jabberwocks have an increased base level and damage dice that matches those of the vorpal jabberwock in vanilla ''NetHack''. A jabberwock can also follow you to other levels if it is adjacent, and will not generate in [[Gehennom]].
+In [[dNetHack]], [[notdNetHack]] and [[notnotdNetHack]] jabberwocks have an increased base level and damage dice that matches those of the deferred vorpal jabberwock in vanilla ''NetHack''. A jabberwock can also follow the hero to other levels if it is adjacent, and will not generate in [[Gehennom]].
 A jabberwock may be one of the monsters generated within a [[Special room (dNetHack)#Magic item vault|magic item vault]].