Piercer - Revision history

Ion frigate: warning specifically does not work, though it might help you know to search or use telepathy; blindfolded intrinsic telepathy does stop the falling attack; specify non-sessile

2024-05-17T08:27:59Z

warning specifically does not work, though it might help you know to search or use telepathy; blindfolded intrinsic telepathy does stop the falling attack; specify non-sessile

Ion frigate: glass piercers' acid resistance suggests their hides may be made of the respective materials

2024-05-17T08:19:41Z

glass piercers' acid resistance suggests their hides may be made of the respective materials

Umbire the Phantom: chance to:opportunity::chance of:probability

2023-10-29T08:46:45Z

chance to:opportunity::chance of:probability

Umbire the Phantom: tweaks

2023-05-28T15:56:53Z

tweaks

Actual-nh: /* dNetHack */ Grammar/style

2021-09-03T22:32:09Z

‎dNetHack: Grammar/style

Actual-nh: /* Common traits */ IIRC (grammar/style)

2021-09-03T22:30:52Z

‎Common traits: IIRC (grammar/style)

Umbire the Phantom: /* Encyclopedia entry */

2021-09-03T22:01:14Z

‎Encyclopedia entry

Umbire the Phantom: /* Common traits */

2021-09-03T22:00:34Z

‎Common traits

Umbire the Phantom: /* Messages */

2021-09-03T21:59:41Z

‎Messages

Umbire the Phantom: /* Common traits */

2021-09-02T06:49:52Z

‎Common traits

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 ==Common traits==
-Piercers are carnivorous animals that are always generated as hostile. They are capable of [[hiding]] on the ceiling, and attempt to fall onto you just as you pass beneath. The fall itself deals 4d6 damage regardless of piercer type, but is rather inaccurate and dependent on your AC - it has only a {{frac|3|5}} chance of hitting you at 10 [[AC]], and will always miss a player with at least &minus;2 AC. Wearing any metallic [[helm]] will reduce the attack's damage to 2 HP, with the blow glancing off it.{{refsrc|src/hack.c|2248|version=NetHack 3.6.6}} Finding a piercer via methods such as [[searching]], [[warning]] or extrinsic [[telepathy]] will reveal them and prevent the falling attack from occurring.
+Piercers are carnivorous animals that are always generated as hostile. They are capable of [[hiding]] on the ceiling, and attempt to fall onto you just as you pass beneath. The fall itself deals 4d6 damage regardless of piercer type, but is rather inaccurate and dependent on your AC - it has only a {{frac|3|5}} chance of hitting you at 10 [[AC]], and will always miss a player with at least &minus;2 AC. Wearing any metallic [[helm]] will reduce the attack's damage to 2 HP, with the blow glancing off it.{{refsrc|src/hack.c|2248|version=NetHack 3.6.6}} Explicitly revealing a piercer via methods such as [[searching]] or [[telepathy]] will prevent the falling attack from occurring.
-Outside of this, piercers are the slowest monsters in the dungeon with a measly 1 [[speed]] - their sole bite attack is somewhat damaging for the point at which you first encounter them, but this can easily be mitigated by keeping your distance. Piercers have relatively low AC that can pose a problem to players lacking a decent weapon, but are otherwise trivial to dispatch.
+Outside of this, piercers are the slowest non-[[sessile]] monsters in the dungeon with a measly 1 [[speed]] - their sole bite attack is somewhat damaging for the point at which you first encounter them, but this can easily be mitigated by keeping your distance. Piercers have relatively low AC that can pose a problem to players lacking a decent weapon, but are otherwise trivial to dispatch.
 All piercers leave ordinary [[flesh]]y corpses.  They are safe to eat, and provide a decent amount of nutrition.

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 Outside of this, piercers are the slowest monsters in the dungeon with a measly 1 [[speed]] - their sole bite attack is somewhat damaging for the point at which you first encounter them, but this can easily be mitigated by keeping your distance. Piercers have relatively low AC that can pose a problem to players lacking a decent weapon, but are otherwise trivial to dispatch.
-All piercers leave ordinary [[flesh]]y corpses - the adjectives prefixing their names describe what each piercer resembles, rather than what they or their shells are composed of.
+All piercers leave ordinary [[flesh]]y corpses.  They are safe to eat, and provide a decent amount of nutrition.
 ==Description==

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 ==Common traits==
-Piercers are carnivorous animals that are always generated as hostile. They are capable of [[hiding]] on the ceiling, and attempt to fall onto you just as you pass beneath. The fall itself deals 4d6 damage regardless of piercer type, but is rather inaccurate and dependent on your AC - it has only a {{frac|3|5}} chance to hit you at 10 [[AC]], and will always miss a player with at least &minus;2 AC. Wearing any metallic [[helm]] will reduce the attack's damage to 2 HP, with the blow glancing off it.{{refsrc|src/hack.c|2248|version=NetHack 3.6.6}} Finding a piercer via methods such as [[searching]], [[warning]] or extrinsic [[telepathy]] will reveal them and prevent the falling attack from occurring.
+Piercers are carnivorous animals that are always generated as hostile. They are capable of [[hiding]] on the ceiling, and attempt to fall onto you just as you pass beneath. The fall itself deals 4d6 damage regardless of piercer type, but is rather inaccurate and dependent on your AC - it has only a {{frac|3|5}} chance of hitting you at 10 [[AC]], and will always miss a player with at least &minus;2 AC. Wearing any metallic [[helm]] will reduce the attack's damage to 2 HP, with the blow glancing off it.{{refsrc|src/hack.c|2248|version=NetHack 3.6.6}} Finding a piercer via methods such as [[searching]], [[warning]] or extrinsic [[telepathy]] will reveal them and prevent the falling attack from occurring.
 Outside of this, piercers are the slowest monsters in the dungeon with a measly 1 [[speed]] - their sole bite attack is somewhat damaging for the point at which you first encounter them, but this can easily be mitigated by keeping your distance. Piercers have relatively low AC that can pose a problem to players lacking a decent weapon, but are otherwise trivial to dispatch.
@@ Line 108: / Line 108: @@
 ===xNetHack===
-In [[xNetHack]], piercers have a [[dexterity]]-based percentage chance to miss the player, and a speed-dependent chance to miss a targeted monster. A metallic helm will only halve the damage dealt from being hit by a falling piercer.
+In [[xNetHack]], piercers have a [[dexterity]]-based percentage chance of missing the player, and a speed-dependent chance of missing a targeted monster. A metallic helm will only halve the damage dealt from being hit by a falling piercer.
 ===dNetHack===

@@ Line 92: / Line 92: @@
 ==Origin==
-A piercer is a snail-like gastropod that first appeared in ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]''. It has a shell that resembles a stalactite, and clings to the ceiling of caverns and dungeons, mimicking a stalactite and falling down to impale anything that passes underneath.
+A piercer is a snail-like gastropod that first appeared in ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]''. It has a shell that resembles a stalactite, and clings to the ceiling of caverns and dungeons, mimicking a stalactite and falling down to impale anything that passes underneath. The "bestiary of Xygag" mentioned in the encyclopedia entry is an in-universe equivalent to the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' Monster Manual - the excerpt originates in "The Ecology of the Piercer" by Chris Elliott and Richard Edward, published in issue #72 of ''Dragon'' magazine.
 ==Messages==
 {{message|A <foo> piercer suddenly drops off the ceiling!|A hostile piercer attempted to land on you.}}
-{{message|You are almost hit by a falling rock piercer!|The piercer's falling attack missed.}}
+{{message|You are almost hit by a falling <foo> piercer!|The piercer's falling attack missed.}}
-{{message|You are hit by a falling rock piercer!|The piercer hit you and inflicted damage.}}
+{{message|You are hit by a falling <foo> piercer!|The piercer hit you and inflicted damage.}}
 {{message|Its blow glances off your helm.|As above, but you are wearing a metallic helm, reducing the damage to 2.}}
@@ Line 110: / Line 108: @@
 ===xNetHack===
-In [[xNetHack]], piercers have a [[dexterity]]-based percentage chance to miss the player, and a speed-dependent chance to miss a targeted monster. A metallic helm will only halve the damage dealt by a falling piercer hitting you.
+In [[xNetHack]], piercers have a [[dexterity]]-based percentage chance to miss the player, and a speed-dependent chance to miss a targeted monster. A metallic helm will only halve the damage dealt from being hit by a falling piercer.
 ===dNetHack===
 [[dNetHack]] adds the [[heaven piercer]], which is much faster and stronger than most piercers - although still relatively slow - and can [[stun]] the player with its bite.
-The [[User:Chris/dNetHack/Elder Sign|Elder Sign]] is a [[ward]] that can repel piercers, as can the hallucinatory [[User:Chris/dNetHack/Cerulean Sign|Cerulean Sign]].
+The [[User:Chris/dNetHack/Elder Sign|Elder Sign]] is a [[ward]] that can repel piercers, as is the hallucinatory [[User:Chris/dNetHack/Cerulean Sign|Cerulean Sign]].
 == Encyclopedia entry ==

@@ Line 113: / Line 113: @@
 ===dNetHack===
-[[dNetHack]] adds the [[heaven piercer]], a much faster and stronger than most piercers and can [[stun]] the player with its bite, though it is still relatively slow.
+[[dNetHack]] adds the [[heaven piercer]], which is much faster and stronger than most piercers - although still relatively slow - and can [[stun]] the player with its bite.
-The [[User:Chris/dNetHack/Elder Sign|Elder Sign]] is a [[ward]] that can repel piercers, as is the hallucinatory [[User:Chris/dNetHack/Cerulean Sign|Cerulean Sign]].
+The [[User:Chris/dNetHack/Elder Sign|Elder Sign]] is a [[ward]] that can repel piercers, as can the hallucinatory [[User:Chris/dNetHack/Cerulean Sign|Cerulean Sign]].
 == Encyclopedia entry ==

@@ Line 125: / Line 125: @@
   it to kill and devour it, though in any other way they move
   but exceeding slow.|the Bestiary of Xygag}}
 {{nethack-366}}
 [[Category:Monsters]]
 [[Category:Monster classes]]

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 All piercers leave ordinary [[flesh]]y corpses - the adjectives prefixing their names describe what each piercer resembles, rather than what they or their shells are composed of.
 <simpletabs>
 Rock piercer|{{monster
@@ Line 86: / Line 87: @@
 {{clear}}
 ==History==
 The piercer has been present in the game since [[Jay Fenlason's Hack]] - [[NetHack 3.0.0]] introduces the three distinct types of piercer.