Pacifist - Revision history

Umbire the Phantom: followup

2025-11-30T06:59:47Z

followup

Tomsod: /* Mid-game */ I've seen this number elsewhere too, but it's way too high

2025-11-25T06:49:11Z

‎Mid-game: I've seen this number elsewhere too, but it's way too high

Tomsod: /* Team gecko */ it was a good game

2025-11-21T00:10:20Z

‎Team gecko: it was a good game

Tomsod: /* Cockatrices */ breath weapon note (really this whole section needs rewrite with that in mind, but I don't wanna)

2025-10-22T12:44:59Z

‎Cockatrices: breath weapon note (really this whole section needs rewrite with that in mind, but I don't wanna)

Umbire the Phantom: pothole

2025-01-16T13:14:08Z

pothole

Umbire the Phantom: forgot the rest

2024-05-22T14:06:41Z

forgot the rest

Umbire the Phantom: /* Leveling up */ pothole

2024-05-22T13:48:58Z

‎Leveling up: pothole

Umbire the Phantom: potholes et. al.

2024-05-22T13:00:46Z

potholes et. al.

Umbire the Phantom: potholes, word choice, etc.

2023-11-12T08:29:49Z

potholes, word choice, etc.

Actual-nh: /* Water and lava */ Typo

2021-07-06T04:41:04Z

‎Water and lava: Typo

@@ Line 63: / Line 63: @@
 If you get a [[wish]] early in the game, you should wish for a blessed [[figurine]] of an [[Archon]] (after making sure you can [[charging|recharge]] your wand, if the wish is from a [[wand of wishing]]). This will make the rest of the game much easier. One possible [[metastrategy]] is to play a large number of characters until one of them gets an early wish&mdash;most likely from quaffing at all available [[fountain]]s.
-Barring an early wish, a [[polymorph trap]] is a good way to improve your pets. If you hunt for one, the lower mines levels are probably the best (and safest). Each eligible level has a 28% <!-- 20 possible traps, with holes 1/7th as likely, so 1-(1-1/(19+1/7))**6 = 0.2752 --> chance of at least one. You need either [[magic resistance]], an [[amulet of unchanging]], a [[leash]], or a [[magic whistle]] in order to polymorph your pets effectively. If you can't find a polymorph trap, try to find a [[spellbook of charm monster]] or [[scroll of taming]], which will let you produce new pets. If you encounter [[chameleon]]s, you can have your pets eat the corpses in order to (potentially) turn into something better. [[reverse genocide|Reverse genociding]] chameleons, though possible, is risky and not generally recommended unless nothing else is available. As a last resort, you can smash a [[potion of polymorph]] or zap a [[wand of polymorph]] on your pet(s), but this has a chance of killing the pet and breaking pacifist conduct. A wand of polymorph is often best saved for [[polypiling]] rather than used on your pets.
+Barring an early wish, a [[polymorph trap]] is a good way to improve your pets. If you hunt for one, the lower mines levels are probably the best (and safest). Each eligible level has a 54% chance of at least one. You need either [[magic resistance]], an [[amulet of unchanging]], a [[leash]], or a [[magic whistle]] in order to polymorph your pets effectively. If you can't find a polymorph trap, try to find a [[spellbook of charm monster]] or [[scroll of taming]], which will let you produce new pets. If you encounter [[chameleon]]s, you can have your pets eat the corpses in order to (potentially) turn into something better. [[reverse genocide|Reverse genociding]] chameleons, though possible, is risky and not generally recommended unless nothing else is available. As a last resort, you can smash a [[potion of polymorph]] or zap a [[wand of polymorph]] on your pet(s), but this has a chance of killing the pet and breaking pacifist conduct. A wand of polymorph is often best saved for [[polypiling]] rather than used on your pets.
 A carefully played pacifist character with a pet Archon or the ability to cast charm monster should find that, aside from the few [[#Specific problems and solutions|specific problems]] which are listed below, the [[Castle]] and [[Gehennom]] levels are no harder than they would otherwise be with a regular, non-pacifist character. Whistling your pet into the castle (at the towers) will net you a lot more scrolls and potions than a more direct approach, without any risk to your character. A [[leash]] or [[magic whistle]] are very helpful, and if you make it through the [[Castle]] without one, consider wishing or polypiling for a magic whistle.
@@ Line 79: / Line 79: @@
 ===Team gecko===
-Weak monsters such as [[gecko]]s can die if you accidentally hit them. This causes you to lose pacifist conduct and represents a major threat to any would-be pacifist. Players should prepare themselves for a lot of frustration. At the start of the game, there is nothing you can do except play very carefully, using movement commands which do not attack, such as {{kbd|m}}, {{kbd|g}}, capital vi movement keys, and {{kbd|_}}. Once you get a [[cream pie]], you can [[wield]] it.  A character wielding a cream pie does no damage upon hitting a monster, regardless of any damage bonuses you may have.  However, if you hit anything, the cream pie will splat. Feel free to wield a whole stack - only one will splat at a time.  Alternatively you can [[MSGTYPE|force the game to pause]] whenever a pie splats.
+Weak monsters such as [[gecko]]s can die if you accidentally hit them with a weapon, so players should prepare themselves for a lot of frustration. At the start of the game, there is relatively little you can do except play very carefully and use movement commands which do not attack, such as {{kbd|m}}, {{kbd|g}}, capital vi movement keys, and {{kbd|_}}.
 If you have a pet that can kill [[Keystone Kop (monster class)|Keystone Kops]], you can find a suitable [[shop]] and steal a [[gold piece]] several times to build up a stockpile of [[cream pie]]s. Dig a pit in front of the shop door to keep the [[shopkeeper]] inside - if they approach you after you rob the shop, you can [[pay]] the shopkeeper to appease them.
-If you don't have a cream pie, wielding a very weak weapon (a [[Puddingbane]]) will make sure the damage is limited to 1 even if you have a damage bonus from a [[ring of increase damage]] or from [[strength]] - however, even a single point of accidental damage can still kill weakened monsters. To avoid strength bonuses, do not use a non-weapon object unless your strength is 15 or lower.
+If you don't have a cream pie, wielding a very weak weapon (a [[Puddingbane]]) will make sure the damage is limited to 1 even if you have a damage bonus (e.g., from a [[ring of increase damage]] or from [[strength]])&mdash;however, even a single point of accidental damage can still kill weakened monsters. To avoid strength bonuses, do not use a non-weapon object unless your strength is 15 or lower.
 More drastic solutions include [[genociding]] bump-kill candidates (if you have excess scrolls), or [[Pacifist/screen|remapping the movement keys]] to safe alternatives.

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 If you get a [[wish]] early in the game, you should wish for a blessed [[figurine]] of an [[Archon]] (after making sure you can [[charging|recharge]] your wand, if the wish is from a [[wand of wishing]]). This will make the rest of the game much easier. One possible [[metastrategy]] is to play a large number of characters until one of them gets an early wish&mdash;most likely from quaffing at all available [[fountain]]s.
-Barring an early wish, a [[polymorph trap]] is a good way to improve your pets. If you hunt for one, the lower mines levels are probably the best (and safest). Each eligible level has a 54% chance of at least one. You need either [[magic resistance]], an [[amulet of unchanging]], a [[leash]], or a [[magic whistle]] in order to polymorph your pets effectively. If you can't find a polymorph trap, try to find a [[spellbook of charm monster]] or [[scroll of taming]], which will let you produce new pets. If you encounter [[chameleon]]s, you can have your pets eat the corpses in order to (potentially) turn into something better. [[reverse genocide|Reverse genociding]] chameleons, though possible, is risky and not generally recommended unless nothing else is available. As a last resort, you can smash a [[potion of polymorph]] or zap a [[wand of polymorph]] on your pet(s), but this has a chance of killing the pet and breaking pacifist conduct. A wand of polymorph is often best saved for [[polypiling]] rather than used on your pets.
+Barring an early wish, a [[polymorph trap]] is a good way to improve your pets. If you hunt for one, the lower mines levels are probably the best (and safest). Each eligible level has a 28% <!-- 20 possible traps, with holes 1/7th as likely, so 1-(1-1/(19+1/7))**6 = 0.2752 --> chance of at least one. You need either [[magic resistance]], an [[amulet of unchanging]], a [[leash]], or a [[magic whistle]] in order to polymorph your pets effectively. If you can't find a polymorph trap, try to find a [[spellbook of charm monster]] or [[scroll of taming]], which will let you produce new pets. If you encounter [[chameleon]]s, you can have your pets eat the corpses in order to (potentially) turn into something better. [[reverse genocide|Reverse genociding]] chameleons, though possible, is risky and not generally recommended unless nothing else is available. As a last resort, you can smash a [[potion of polymorph]] or zap a [[wand of polymorph]] on your pet(s), but this has a chance of killing the pet and breaking pacifist conduct. A wand of polymorph is often best saved for [[polypiling]] rather than used on your pets.
 A carefully played pacifist character with a pet Archon or the ability to cast charm monster should find that, aside from the few [[#Specific problems and solutions|specific problems]] which are listed below, the [[Castle]] and [[Gehennom]] levels are no harder than they would otherwise be with a regular, non-pacifist character. Whistling your pet into the castle (at the towers) will net you a lot more scrolls and potions than a more direct approach, without any risk to your character. A [[leash]] or [[magic whistle]] are very helpful, and if you make it through the [[Castle]] without one, consider wishing or polypiling for a magic whistle.

@@ Line 79: / Line 79: @@
 ===Team gecko===
-Weak monsters such as [[gecko]]s can die if you accidentally hit them. This causes you to lose pacifist conduct and represents a major threat to any would-be pacifist. Players should prepare themselves for a lot of frustration. At the start of the game, there is nothing you can do except play very carefully, using movement commands which do not attack, such as {{kbd|m}}, {{kbd|g}}, capital vi movement keys, and {{kbd|_}}. Once you get a [[cream pie]], you can [[wield]] it.  A character wielding a cream pie does no damage upon hitting a monster, regardless of any damage bonuses you may have.  However, if you hit anything, the cream pie will splat. Feel free to wield a whole stack - only one will splat at a time.
+Weak monsters such as [[gecko]]s can die if you accidentally hit them. This causes you to lose pacifist conduct and represents a major threat to any would-be pacifist. Players should prepare themselves for a lot of frustration. At the start of the game, there is nothing you can do except play very carefully, using movement commands which do not attack, such as {{kbd|m}}, {{kbd|g}}, capital vi movement keys, and {{kbd|_}}. Once you get a [[cream pie]], you can [[wield]] it.  A character wielding a cream pie does no damage upon hitting a monster, regardless of any damage bonuses you may have.  However, if you hit anything, the cream pie will splat. Feel free to wield a whole stack - only one will splat at a time.  Alternatively you can [[MSGTYPE|force the game to pause]] whenever a pie splats.
 If you have a pet that can kill [[Keystone Kop (monster class)|Keystone Kops]], you can find a suitable [[shop]] and steal a [[gold piece]] several times to build up a stockpile of [[cream pie]]s. Dig a pit in front of the shop door to keep the [[shopkeeper]] inside - if they approach you after you rob the shop, you can [[pay]] the shopkeeper to appease them.

@@ Line 138: / Line 138: @@
 ===Cockatrices===
 Most pets will not attack cockatrices. If you are unable to obtain a stoning-resistant pet such as a [[yellow dragon]] or a [[gargoyle]], cockatrices will be very annoying obstacles. Taming, teleportation, genocide, conflict, and luring a wounded cockatrice into a pit are about the only ways to get rid of them without a pet that is willing to attack them. The easiest solution is to simply genocide them. In a normal game, genociding cockatrices is usually not a good idea, as their corpses are immensely useful against certain difficult enemies. This is not true in a pacifist game, as your pets will not wield cockatrice corpses if they have an artifact or no gloves, and the conduct keeps you from using it yourself. Additionally, any cockatrice corpses left on the ground could potentially be wielded against you by a [[soldier]] wearing gloves. The only potential uses for cockatrices in a pacifist game are with conflict, and deliberately stoning a weak pet [[golem]] to get a stronger stone golem.
 ===High level monsters===

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 For gnomish Healers, especially aspiring pacifists, the [[protection racket]] is the best starting strategy. To avoid an early death, you should raise your maximum [[hit points]] as soon as possible. The easiest way, if you are a Healer, is to quaff the potions of {{! of|healing|and=1|extra healing}} in your starting inventory. Before doing this, however, you may want to [[pray]] to your god first, since praying can increase your maximum hit points. Praying at [[experience level]] 1 will not increase your maximum hit points if you already have more than 15 max HP, which is why it is important to pray before quaffing healing potions.
-If you do decide to pray first, wait until 100 turns have elapsed, and then throw items upwards {{kbd|<}} repeatedly until you are at 5 HP or below. (Don't kick walls if there are sleeping [[nymph]]s or [[zoo]] monsters on the level.) Praying under these conditions will maximize the chances of gaining hit points.
+If you do decide to pray first, wait until 100 turns have elapsed, and then throw items upwards {{kbd|<}} repeatedly until you are at 5 HP or below. (Don't kick walls if there are sleeping [[Nymph (monster class)|nymphs]] or [[zoo]] monsters on the level.) Praying under these conditions will maximize the chances of gaining hit points.
 It is tempting as a Healer to save the healing potions for emergency use, but this is a mistake. Increasing your hit points is much more useful, and your {{+ of|healing}} spell is usually adequate in emergencies.

@@ Line 95: / Line 95: @@
 * Eating [[wraith]] corpses
 * Lying with [[foocubi]]
-* Talking with the [[Oracle]]
+* Talking with the Oracle
 * Eating [[tripe ration]]s
 * Quaffing from [[sink]]s
@@ Line 102: / Line 102: @@
 * [[Polymorph]]ing into your own [[race]] (but equally likely to lose a level)
-[[Potion of gain level|Potions of gain level]] are usually best saved for a pet Archon. [[Chat]]ting with the [[Oracle]] is useful in the early game, but only works once per game. This leaves eating [[wraith]] corpses and consorting with [[foocubi]] as the primary level-up methods for a pacifist. Wraiths can be [[reverse genocide]]d or lured from a [[graveyard]] level such as the [[Valley of the Dead]] (use [[level teleport]] for maximum speed, or [[charm monster]]).  Tripe rations are a handy way to regain levels lost to [[level drain]].
+[[Potion of gain level|Potions of gain level]] are usually best saved for a pet Archon. [[Chat]]ting with the Oracle is useful in the early game, but only works once per game. This leaves eating [[wraith]] corpses and consorting with [[foocubi]] as the primary level-up methods for a pacifist. Wraiths can be [[reverse genocide]]d or lured from a [[graveyard]] level such as the [[Valley of the Dead]] (use [[level teleport]] for maximum speed, or [[charm monster]]).  Tripe rations are a handy way to regain levels lost to [[level drain]].
 If you run across any wraith corpses in the dungeon, you should eat them, as it will make it easier to enter the [[Quest]] later on. However, unless there is some need to gain levels (for example, to cast {{spell of|charm monster}}), you should not bother actively gaining experience until necessary for the [[Quest]], in order to keep the difficulty of random monsters low.

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 After the protection racket, the next goal for a pacifist gnomish Healer is to get to the [[Oracle (monster)|Oracle]] with sufficient gold.  By buying a major consultation and a minor consultation (in that order), a level 1 character can reach [[experience level]] 3. This will allow you to cast {{+ of|stone to flesh}} to turn [[boulder]]s into [[huge chunks of meat]], which represent a plentiful source of food. A level 1 character can even reach experience level 4 by reading a [[novel]] before getting the major consultation.
-If your starting [[power]] level is less than 5, you may wish to gain a level or two at the [[Oracle]] even before performing the [[protection racket]], in order to enable healing spells. Each additional level means a longer period of time before you can purchase the last few points of protection; balance this against the benefits of level gain in your situation.
+If your starting [[power]] level is less than 5, you may wish to gain a level or two at the Oracle even before performing the [[protection racket]], in order to enable healing spells. Each additional level means a longer period of time before you can purchase the last few points of protection; balance this against the benefits of level gain in your situation.
 ===Mid-game===

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 {{featured}}
-The '''pacifist''' [[conduct]] involves not actively killing any monster directly. Players must instead attack without killing, use a [[pet]] to do the dirty work, or simply run away.
+In ''[[NetHack]]'', the '''pacifist''' [[conduct]] involves not actively killing any monster directly. Players must instead attack without killing, use a [[pet]] to do the dirty work, or simply run away.
 A pacifist player nearly always uses a passive way of killing monsters, such as a pet, or a [[ring of conflict]] for larger groups. [[wand of teleportation|Wands of teleportation]] are used much more often to move a difficult monster somewhere else instead of killing it.
@@ Line 51: / Line 51: @@
 As indicated above, most gnomish Healers should make the [[protection racket]] their first priority. Most of the monsters in the [[Gnomish Mines]] will be peaceful, and with [[infravision]] even the darkened mines levels are survivable. A gnomish Healer with 25&ndash;30 HP and a medium-sized [[dog]] or [[cat]] should have no trouble getting to [[Minetown]].
-Healers start with a large amount of [[gold]], often enough that the protection racket can be accomplished without additional gold. However, additional gold is helpful, because even an XL1 character might need up to 3200 gold pieces to buy 9 points of [[protection]]. Also, 600 gold pieces will be needed to [[#Leveling up|level up]] at the [[Oracle]]. The best way to get more gold is by [[credit cloning]] or having your pet steal back expensive items after you sell them.
+Healers start with a large amount of [[gold]], often enough that the protection racket can be accomplished without additional gold. However, additional gold is helpful, because even an XL1 character might need up to 3200 gold pieces to buy 9 points of [[protection]]. Also, 600 gold pieces will be needed to [[#Leveling up|gain experience levels]] at the [[Oracle (level)|Oracle]]. The best way to get more gold is by [[credit cloning]] or having your pet steal back expensive items after you sell them.
 ===Leveling up===
-After the protection racket, the next goal for a pacifist gnomish Healer is to get to the [[Oracle]] with sufficient gold.  By buying a major consultation and a minor consultation (in that order), a level 1 character can reach [[experience level]] 3. This will allow you to cast {{+ of|stone to flesh}} to turn [[boulder]]s into [[huge chunks of meat]], which represent a plentiful source of food. A level 1 character can even reach experience level 4 by reading a [[novel]] before getting the major consultation.
+After the protection racket, the next goal for a pacifist gnomish Healer is to get to the [[Oracle (monster)|Oracle]] with sufficient gold.  By buying a major consultation and a minor consultation (in that order), a level 1 character can reach [[experience level]] 3. This will allow you to cast {{+ of|stone to flesh}} to turn [[boulder]]s into [[huge chunks of meat]], which represent a plentiful source of food. A level 1 character can even reach experience level 4 by reading a [[novel]] before getting the major consultation.
-If your starting [[power]] level is less than 5, you may wish to gain a level or two at the [[Oracle]] even before performing the [[protection racket]], to enable you to cast healing spells. Each additional level means a longer period of time before you can purchase the last few points of protection; balance this against the benefits of level gain in your situation.
+If your starting [[power]] level is less than 5, you may wish to gain a level or two at the [[Oracle]] even before performing the [[protection racket]], in order to enable healing spells. Each additional level means a longer period of time before you can purchase the last few points of protection; balance this against the benefits of level gain in your situation.
 ===Mid-game===

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 ===Water and lava===
-Most pets, except for flying pets and a few that can survive under water, will die if you displace them into [[moat|water]] or [[lava]]. If they die in this way, you will lose pacifist conduct.Be especially careful with pets on levels with water or lava. If you are not able to play with the necessary amount of caution, one alternative is to make sure all your pets can fly (and abandon the ones that can't).
+Most pets, except for flying pets and a few that can survive under water, will die if you displace them into [[moat|water]] or [[lava]]. If they die in this way, you will lose pacifist conduct. Be especially careful with pets on levels with water or lava. If you are not able to play with the necessary amount of caution, one alternative is to make sure all your pets can fly (and abandon the ones that can't).
 In 3.6, if you drown a monster by creating a [[pool]] under it, either by digging a [[fountain]] or by doing the [[invocation]], it breaks the conduct, so it is desirable to check for nearby monsters.