Monster template - Revision history

Umbire the Phantom: /* Plague-victim */ tweak

2026-02-21T15:40:40Z

‎Plague-victim: tweak

Umbire the Phantom: copyedit for husks

2025-12-06T18:19:44Z

copyedit for husks

Umbire the Phantom: /* Husk */ copyedit

2025-11-16T00:28:09Z

‎Husk: copyedit

Umbire the Phantom: /* Husk */ details

2025-11-15T22:36:22Z

‎Husk: details

Umbire the Phantom: /* Cranium Rat */ detail

2025-11-15T01:36:52Z

‎Cranium Rat: detail

Umbire the Phantom: /* notdNetHack */ tweaks

2025-05-23T11:59:38Z

‎notdNetHack: tweaks

Umbire the Phantom: /* dNetHack */ nndnh

2025-05-23T11:59:21Z

‎dNetHack: nndnh

Umbire the Phantom: /* Plague-victim */ more detail

2025-05-16T08:50:02Z

‎Plague-victim: more detail

Umbire the Phantom: /* Plague-victim */ detail

2025-05-16T08:47:30Z

‎Plague-victim: detail

Umbire the Phantom: /* Plague-victim */ specify

2025-05-16T08:38:47Z

‎Plague-victim: specify

@@ Line 110: / Line 110: @@
 This template is used for victims of the life-drain plague in the [[Healer quest/dNetHack|Healer quest]] and the [[Drow Healer quest]]. Plague victims are always generated as peaceful, and will be unable to move or attack due to their illness&mdash;the hero can cure plague victims either by casting the {{+ of|full healing}} spell, or by [[applying]] [[The Staff of Aesculapius]] or [[Esscooahlipboourrr]] at them. Cured plague victims will become tame, so a player should be mindful of the pet limit when healing plague victims in order to avoid un-taming any desired pets.
-If the [[Cyclops]] or [[Blibdoolpoolp, graven-into-flesh]] would be killed while a plague victim is present on the level, they will [[Life saving|save their own life]] by draining that of the victim, killing them in the process. The Cyclops must be carrying the quest artifact in order to do so, while Blibdoolpoolp can do so if she is either carrying the quest artifact, or else if it is outside of her grasp but the hero has not yet touched it.
+If the [[Cyclops]] or [[Blibdoolpoolp, graven-into-flesh]] would be killed while a plague victim is present on the level, they will [[Life saving|save their own life]] by draining that of the victim, killing them in the process. The Cyclops must be carrying the quest artifact in order to do so&mdash;Blibdoolpoolp can do so if she is either carrying the quest artifact, or else if it is outside of her grasp but the hero has not yet touched it.
 === Spore Infectee (Infectee) ===

@@ Line 93: / Line 93: @@
 === Husk ===
-The '''husk''' template, or '''mindless''' template, is used for monsters whose brains have been eaten by [[mind flayer]]: they are still alive, but have been completely robbed of their mental faculties and will instinctively attack the hero on sight.
+The '''husk''' template, or '''mindless''' template, is used for monsters whose brains have been eaten by [[Illithid (monster attribute)|mind flayers]]: they are still alive, but have been completely robbed of their mental faculties, and they are instinctively hostile towards the hero.
-A monster that is generated as or turned into a husk is naturally [[mindless]] as well as silent. Any [[AC]] points in the 'dodge' category are set to 0, since they no longer the awareness to avoid attacks. Similarly, their lack of brain means they can no longer use items and lose all other behavioral traits, including being peaceful under certain circumstances and benefits from martial prowess. They also gain a 2-point bonus to [[damage reduction]] for their head slot, since there is no brain to be affected by any damage to it.
+A monster that is generated as a husk or turned into one is naturally [[mindless]] as well as silent. Any [[AC]] points in the 'dodge' category are set to 0, since they no longer have the awareness to avoid attacks. Similarly, their lack of brain means they can no longer use items and lose all other behavioral traits, including any benefits from martial prowess and any chance of being peaceful under certain circumstances. They also gain a 2-point bonus to [[damage reduction]] for their head slot, since they have no brain that would be affected by any damage to it.
 === Poisoned ===

@@ Line 95: / Line 95: @@
 The '''husk''' template, or '''mindless''' template, is used for monsters whose brains have been eaten by [[mind flayer]]: they are still alive, but have been completely robbed of their mental faculties and will instinctively attack the hero on sight.
-A monster that is generated as or turned into a husk is naturally silent and [[mindless]]. Any [[AC]] points in the 'dodge' category are set to 0, since they no longer the awareness to avoid attacks. Similarly, their lack of brain means they can no longer use items and lose all other behavioral traits, including being peaceful under certain circumstances and benefits from martial prowess. They also gain a 2-point bonus to [[damage reduction]] for their head slot, since there is no brain to be affected by any damage to it.
+A monster that is generated as or turned into a husk is naturally [[mindless]] as well as silent. Any [[AC]] points in the 'dodge' category are set to 0, since they no longer the awareness to avoid attacks. Similarly, their lack of brain means they can no longer use items and lose all other behavioral traits, including being peaceful under certain circumstances and benefits from martial prowess. They also gain a 2-point bonus to [[damage reduction]] for their head slot, since there is no brain to be affected by any damage to it.
 === Poisoned ===

@@ Line 93: / Line 93: @@
 === Husk ===
-Template for monsters whose brains have been eaten by mind flayers.
+The '''husk''' template, or '''mindless''' template, is used for monsters whose brains have been eaten by [[mind flayer]]: they are still alive, but have been completely robbed of their mental faculties and will instinctively attack the hero on sight.
 === Poisoned ===

@@ Line 52: / Line 52: @@
 The Yith template is for monsters possessed by members of the Great Race of Yith, via their mental time travel.
-=== Cranium Rat ===
+=== Cranium ===
-The Cranium Rat template is not displayed in the names of monsters.
+The "cranium" template is not displayed in the names of monsters.
 === Mistweaver ===

@@ Line 120: / Line 120: @@
 == notdNetHack ==
-In addition to the monster templates added in dNetHack, notdNetHack adds one more monster template:
+In addition to the monster templates used in dNetHack, notdNetHack adds one more monster template:
 === Whispers ===
-This template makes a monster [[nonliving|unliving]].
+This template makes a monster [[nonliving]].
 <simpletabs>

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 For example, in some variants, "[[undead]]" is a property that may be acquired by other creature types, instead of or in addition to being a hard-coded property of certain monsters. Monsters made undead in this way are known as '''derived undead'''.
-== dNetHack ==
+==dNetHack==
+[[dNetHack]], [[notdNetHack]] and [[notnotdNetHack]] feature monster templates. Each monster can only have 1 template. Most templates are displayed as prefixes or suffixes added to the names of the templated monsters.
 === Zombies ===

@@ Line 105: / Line 105: @@
 === Plague-victim ===
-This template is used for victims of a life-drain plague in the [[Healer quest/dNetHack|Healer quest]] and the [[Drow Healer quest]].
+This template is used for victims of the life-drain plague in the [[Healer quest/dNetHack|Healer quest]] and the [[Drow Healer quest]]. Plague victims are always generated as peaceful, and will be unable to move or attack due to their illness&mdash;the hero can cure plague victims either by casting the {{+ of|full healing}} spell, or by [[applying]] [[The Staff of Aesculapius]] or [[Esscooahlipboourrr]] at them. Cured plague victims will become tame, so a player should be mindful of the pet limit when healing plague victims in order to avoid un-taming any desired pets.
 === Spore Infectee (Infectee) ===