Pet - Revision history

Kraai: Fix spelling of "until"

2026-05-25T02:35:03Z

Fix spelling of "until"

Tomsod: /* Pet diets */ can force the pet to finish early

2026-05-16T19:09:13Z

‎Pet diets: can force the pet to finish early

Umbire the Phantom: cite commit

2026-01-23T22:15:56Z

cite commit

Phol ende wodan: the Sokoban 3.7 rule probably deserves its own subsection

2026-01-23T14:54:16Z

the Sokoban 3.7 rule probably deserves its own subsection

Phol ende wodan: /* Pet movement */ 3.7: pets avoid Sokoban spaces opposite a boulder from you

2026-01-23T14:53:16Z

‎Pet movement: 3.7: pets avoid Sokoban spaces opposite a boulder from you

Umbire the Phantom: /* EvilHack */ prep

2026-01-14T17:02:38Z

‎EvilHack: prep

Tomsod: /* Nice to have if you get one */ vampires don't have a weapon attack

2025-12-17T00:35:49Z

‎Nice to have if you get one: vampires don't have a weapon attack

Umbire the Phantom: s'more copyedit

2025-12-03T12:44:52Z

s'more copyedit

Umbire the Phantom: potholes

2025-12-03T12:41:02Z

potholes

Umbire the Phantom: thank you, likely misread the difficulty as speed

2025-10-24T07:35:18Z

thank you, likely misread the difficulty as speed

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 Carnivorous pets are easy to feed, to the point that you have to prevent them from stealing most corpses that you want to eat; conversely, herbivorous pets are somewhat trickier to feed due to the relative lack of safe pet-friendly foodstuffs, and are more likely to become confused from hunger as a result. [[Tree]]s such as the ones found in most maps of [[Minetown]] can drop several fruits and vegetarian food items if kicked, though there is the risk of attracting [[killer bee]]s or (in Minetown's case) angering the [[Watch]]; it is also possible to create them by [[polypiling]] comestibles.
-For horse owners in particular, a common trick usually employed by Knights is to allow the horse to reach starving levels of hunger, then leave the level for a while, and re-enter to toss the now-wild horse a treat, resetting its nutrition and tameness. Non-knights with a horse (or other steed that can be re-tamed this way) can instead opt to mount and dismount their steed repeatedly untill it un-tames.
+For horse owners in particular, a common trick usually employed by Knights is to allow the horse to reach starving levels of hunger, then leave the level for a while, and re-enter to toss the now-wild horse a treat, resetting its nutrition and tameness. Non-knights with a horse (or other steed that can be re-tamed this way) can instead opt to mount and dismount their steed repeatedly until it un-tames.
 An inediate pet does not have to eat, but also cannot have its tameness increased with food; this makes inediate pets harder for a hero to keep tame, especially if they or any of the pets step on a level-changing trap. Losing a [[vampire lord]] or [[Archon]] to a [[level teleport]]er is a terrible happenstance, not least because they will potentially turn hostile if not found quickly enough, enabling them to use whatever kit they were given against you.

@@ Line 77: / Line 77: @@
 ==Pet diets==
 {{main|Diet#Pets|l1=Monster diets}}
-Pets are generally the only monsters besides the hero that are concerned about nutrition. A freshly tamed pet's hunger starts out at 1000.{{refsrc|src/dog.c|47|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} The general diet of a pet depends on its monster type, and eating for pets (and monsters in general) also functions much differently than it does for the hero: When a pet eats a food item, the item is split from its stack if applicable and eaten completely "at once", rather than being gradually eaten over a span of turns;{{refsrc|src/dogmove.c|152|nethack=3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/dogmove.c|322|nethack=3.6.7}} the monster is instead made immobile for the same amount of time, and generally finishes a meal around the same time as a hero of the same speed would. Most pets that are [[inediate]] usually do not become hungry and will not eat food, but also cannot have their nutrition or tameness increased by feeding them.
+Pets are generally the only monsters besides the hero that are concerned about nutrition. A freshly tamed pet's hunger starts out at 1000.{{refsrc|src/dog.c|47|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} The general diet of a pet depends on its monster type, and eating for pets (and monsters in general) also functions much differently than it does for the hero: When a pet eats a food item, the item is split from its stack if applicable and eaten completely "at once", rather than being gradually eaten over a span of turns;{{refsrc|src/dogmove.c|152|nethack=3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/dogmove.c|322|nethack=3.6.7}} the monster is instead made immobile for the same amount of time, and generally finishes a meal around the same time as a hero of the same speed would. Attacking the pet generally causes it to finish eating early, without compromising on the nutrition.{{refsrc|src/mon.c|3039|nethack=3.6.7|comment=wakeup() is called on most attacks and harmful spells}} Most pets that are [[inediate]] usually do not become hungry and will not eat food, but also cannot have their nutrition or tameness increased by feeding them.
 A pet gains more nutrition from eating food than the hero, with the nutrition gain dependent on their [[physical size]] and ranging from two times the nutrition for gigantic monsters to eight times the nutrition for tiny monsters.{{refsrc|src/dogmove.c|160|nethack=3.6.7}} A pet tamed with food will "devour" the food item, taking half as much time as normal to eat it but only gaining {{frac|3|4}} of the normal nutrition from that meal.{{refsrc|src/dogmove.c|232|nethack=3.6.7}} Pets do not experience rotten food effects as the hero does, and will avoid eating food that is harmful for them, e.g. they will not eat old corpses, and will not eat corpses or other comestibles that are [[acidic]], [[poisonous]] or causes [[stoning]] (including the eggs of a [[cockatrice]]) without the appropriate [[resistance]] [[property]].{{refsrc|src/dog.c|754|nethack=3.6.7|name="petrify"}}{{refsrc|src/dog.c|793|nethack=3.6.7|name="poisoncorpse"}} See the section on {{sa|Diet exceptions|diet exceptions}} below for a concise list of what pets will and will not eat in a given circumstance.

@@ Line 73: / Line 73: @@
 ===Sokoban===
-{{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Pets avoid spaces in [[Sokoban]] where they would be directly opposite a [[boulder]] from you - in other words, a space where you might want to push a boulder on your next move. This change aimed to cut down on the frustration of doing Sokoban with a pet on the level.}}
+{{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Per {{commit|d4ac146c5f8bf28d5553300e08e5addf13a96405}}, pets will attempt to avoid spaces in [[Sokoban]] where they would be directly opposite a [[boulder]] from the hero, i.e. a space where a player might want to push a boulder on their next move. This change is aimed to cut down on the frustration of doing Sokoban with a pet on the level.}}
 ==Pet diets==

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:54, 23 January 2026
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	Applying a leash to a pet will keep them closer to the hero, though it alters and limits their movement as well:{{refsrc\|src/dogmove.c\|497\|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc\|src/dogmove.c\|996\|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} leashed pets can end up stuck around corners depending on where the hero moves. Leashed pets will also move reluctantly over cursed items more often, and will whine if they sense a that a [[trap]] is nearby (though they still risk walking into the trap themselves).<ref name="whimper"/>{{refsrc\|src/dogmove.c\|1097\|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}		Applying a leash to a pet will keep them closer to the hero, though it alters and limits their movement as well:{{refsrc\|src/dogmove.c\|497\|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc\|src/dogmove.c\|996\|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} leashed pets can end up stuck around corners depending on where the hero moves. Leashed pets will also move reluctantly over cursed items more often, and will whine if they sense a that a [[trap]] is nearby (though they still risk walking into the trap themselves).<ref name="whimper"/>{{refsrc\|src/dogmove.c\|1097\|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}

		+	===Sokoban===
	{{upcoming\|NetHack 3.7.0\|Pets avoid spaces in [[Sokoban]] where they would be directly opposite a [[boulder]] from you - in other words, a space where you might want to push a boulder on your next move. This change aimed to cut down on the frustration of doing Sokoban with a pet on the level.}}		{{upcoming\|NetHack 3.7.0\|Pets avoid spaces in [[Sokoban]] where they would be directly opposite a [[boulder]] from you - in other words, a space where you might want to push a boulder on your next move. This change aimed to cut down on the frustration of doing Sokoban with a pet on the level.}}

@@ Line 71: / Line 71: @@
 ===Leashes===
 Applying a leash to a pet will keep them closer to the hero, though it alters and limits their movement as well:{{refsrc|src/dogmove.c|497|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/dogmove.c|996|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} leashed pets can end up stuck around corners depending on where the hero moves. Leashed pets will also move reluctantly over cursed items more often, and will whine if they sense a that a [[trap]] is nearby (though they still risk walking into the trap themselves).<ref name="whimper"/>{{refsrc|src/dogmove.c|1097|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
 ==Pet diets==

@@ Line 418: / Line 418: @@
 ===EvilHack===
-In [[EvilHack]], there is a charisma-based limit on the amount of pets that a hero can keep. Pets are also capable of casting monster spells in combat.
+{{main|Pet (EvilHack)}}
 ==References==

@@ Line 360: / Line 360: @@
 * [[Skeleton]]s don't breathe, don't eat, slow monsters, wield weapons, and will resist cold, sleep, poison, petrification, and wands and fingers of death. They are not randomly generated, but can be found in [[Orcus-town]] and can be generated from polypiling unihorns or polymorphing monsters.
 * [[Troll (monster class)|Trolls]] have good physical attacks, and if killed may revive tame. They may also revive hostile, however, so be careful. Make sure your other pets don't eat your former pet's corpse.
-* [[Vampire]]s and [[vampire lord]]s don't breathe or eat, can fly, can wield all weapons and armor, and will regenerate. They are also immune to [[death ray]]s. However, vampires will spontaneously turn into fog clouds, wolves, and especially vampire bats and remain in that form unless defeated in battle. Wolves and vampire bats do eat (and move fast enough to steal corpses from you), but they are nearly useless in battle compared to vampires. You can keep a vampire pet in its true form with a [[ring of protection from shape changers]]&mdash;you will also need the property if you plan to polymorph them into a different monster, since they will shift to one of their other forms otherwise.
+* [[Vampire]]s and [[vampire lord]]s don't breathe or eat, can fly, can wear all (non-[[silver]]) armor, and will regenerate. They are also immune to [[death ray]]s. However, vampires will spontaneously turn into fog clouds, wolves, and especially vampire bats and remain in that form unless defeated in battle. Wolves and vampire bats do eat (and move fast enough to steal corpses from you), but they are nearly useless in battle compared to vampires. You can keep a vampire pet in its true form with a [[ring of protection from shape changers]]&mdash;you will also need the property if you plan to polymorph them into a different monster, since they will shift to one of their other forms otherwise.
 * [[Guardian naga]]s can both [[paralyze]] monsters with their bite and spit at monsters with their [[blinding venom]], as well as hold monsters in place, all their attacks can render most monsters helpless, they are also quite fast at 16 speed.

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 * A [[mastodon]] has a high maximum level of 30 with a decent 12 speed, and boasts two strong headbutt attacks, making them an enticing steed candidate. Hoewever, their 5 AC is lackluster, and as herbivores, they can be tricky to keep fed.
 * [[Mind flayer]]s do a lot of melee damage with their [[intelligence-draining]] [[tentacle attack]]s, and can clear out monsters from a distance with their psychic blasts, which won't damage you as long as the flayer isn't hostile. A confused pet flayer could be disastrous, however, so make sure it has a [[unicorn horn]]. A psychic blast could also wake the [[Wizard of Yendor]] before you're ready to deal with him. Their very large number of attacks per turn also make them very weak to [[passive attack]]s&mdash;keep them away from [[jellies]]!
-* [[Minotaur]]s are fast, hit very hard, and are guaranteed to appear on a maze-type level. They have 0 [[MR]], so a [[scroll of taming]] is guaranteed to snare one on the first try (the [[spellbook of charm monster|spell of charm monster]] is of course dependent on your casting success rate).
+* [[Minotaur]]s are fast, hit very hard, and are guaranteed to appear on a maze-type level. They have 0 [[MR]], so a [[scroll of taming]] is guaranteed to snare one on the first try, as is a successful casting of the {{+ of|charm monster}} spell.
-* [[Skeleton]]s don't breathe, don't eat, slow monsters, wield weapons, and will resist cold, sleep, poison, petrification, and wands and fingers of death.  They are not randomly generated, but can be found in [[Orcus-town]] or produced by a polytrap or by polypiling unihorns.
+* [[Skeleton]]s don't breathe, don't eat, slow monsters, wield weapons, and will resist cold, sleep, poison, petrification, and wands and fingers of death. They are not randomly generated, but can be found in [[Orcus-town]] and can be generated from polypiling unihorns or polymorphing monsters.
 * [[Troll (monster class)|Trolls]] have good physical attacks, and if killed may revive tame. They may also revive hostile, however, so be careful. Make sure your other pets don't eat your former pet's corpse.
-* [[Vampire]]s and [[vampire lord]]s don't breathe or eat, can fly, can wield all weapons and armor, and will regenerate. They are also immune to [[death ray]]s. In 3.6 vampires now spontaneously turn into fog clouds, wolves, and—especially—vampire bats and remain in that form unless defeated in battle. Wolves and vampire bats do eat (and move fast enough to steal corpses from you) but they are nearly useless in battle compared to vampires. You can keep a vampire pet in its true form with a [[ring of protection from shape changers]]. In addition, protection from shape changers is necessary to permanently change the form of a vampire or vampire lord - without it, polymorphing them will just result in them taking their vampire bat form, which can change again as normal.
+* [[Vampire]]s and [[vampire lord]]s don't breathe or eat, can fly, can wield all weapons and armor, and will regenerate. They are also immune to [[death ray]]s. However, vampires will spontaneously turn into fog clouds, wolves, and especially vampire bats and remain in that form unless defeated in battle. Wolves and vampire bats do eat (and move fast enough to steal corpses from you), but they are nearly useless in battle compared to vampires. You can keep a vampire pet in its true form with a [[ring of protection from shape changers]]&mdash;you will also need the property if you plan to polymorph them into a different monster, since they will shift to one of their other forms otherwise.
 * [[Guardian naga]]s can both [[paralyze]] monsters with their bite and spit at monsters with their [[blinding venom]], as well as hold monsters in place, all their attacks can render most monsters helpless, they are also quite fast at 16 speed.
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 {{message|You hear the studio audience applaud!|As above, while hallucinating.}}
 {{message|You feel guilty about losing your pet like this.|You displaced your pet in a manner that caused it to drown or die. This has a {{frac|3|4}} chance of a &minus;15 alignment alignment penalty and an angry god.}}
 {{message|You feel sad for a moment.|Your pet starved to death.}}
 {{message|<Pet> starves.|As above, while in your sight.}}
-{{message|You have a sad feeling for a moment, then it passes.|Your pet died from combat or a trap.}}
 {{message|You have a melancholy feeling for a moment, then it passes.|Your pet light or sphere exploded.}}

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 In ''[[NetHack]]'', a '''pet''' is any '''tame''' [[monster]] that accompanies and assists the [[hero]] throughout the dungeon. A pet's loyalty to the hero is measured by its [[tameness]], while its desire to retrieve items is measured by its [[apport]]&mdash;a pet that survives and wins enough fights can sometimes even [[grow up]] into a stronger form.
-Monsters that can be made into pets range from mundane animals such as [[housecat]]s, [[dog]]s and [[horse]]s, to exotic and mythical creatures such as [[Centaur (monster class)|centaurs]] and [[jabberwock]]s, and even to [[undead]] and other [[humanoid]]s such as [[Vampire (monster class)|vampires]] and [[Troll (monster class)|trolls]].
+Monsters that can be made into pets range from the mundane domestic animals such as [[housecat]]s, [[dog]]s and [[horse]]s, to exotic and mythical creatures such as [[Centaur (monster class)|centaurs]] and [[jabberwock]]s, and even to [[undead]] and other [[humanoid]]s such as [[Vampire (monster class)|vampires]] and [[Troll (monster class)|trolls]].
 ==Starting pets==