Soldier - Revision history

Umbire the Phantom: pothole

2026-05-28T16:01:25Z

pothole

Umbire the Phantom: tweaks

2026-04-20T00:20:43Z

tweaks

Umbire the Phantom: /* History */ spacing

2025-10-08T06:01:59Z

‎History: spacing

Umbire the Phantom: ditto

2025-09-29T15:11:48Z

ditto

Umbire the Phantom: /* dNetHack */ thanks klepto

2025-09-29T03:28:01Z

‎dNetHack: thanks klepto

Umbire the Phantom: /* Strategy */ other missing details

2025-09-29T00:57:37Z

‎Strategy: other missing details

Umbire the Phantom: back and forth as usual

2025-09-29T00:43:19Z

back and forth as usual

Umbire the Phantom: and more tweaks, yet again...

2025-09-29T00:34:07Z

and more tweaks, yet again...

Umbire the Phantom: bleah.

2025-09-28T23:58:43Z

bleah.

Umbire the Phantom: /* dNetHack */ still further detailing...

2025-09-28T23:47:32Z

‎dNetHack: still further detailing...

@@ Line 122: / Line 122: @@
 ===dNetHack===
-In [[dNetHack]], soldiers are lawful rather than chaotic, and only 250 of them can be generated in a game. Soldiers have skilled prowess in martial combat and a full [[base attack bonus]] of +1 [[to-hit]] per level, and can be [[Commander (monster attribute)|commanded]] by accompanying sergeants, [[lieutenant]]s and [[captain]]s fighting alongside them to increase their damage and accuracy. They have a mutual [[grudge]] with [[skeletal pirate]]s and [[damned pirate]]s.
+In [[dNetHack]], soldiers are lawful rather than chaotic, and only 250 of them can be generated in a game. Soldiers have skilled prowess in martial combat and a full [[base attack bonus]] of +1 [[to-hit]] per level, and can be [[Commander (monster attribute)|commanded]] by accompanying sergeants, [[lieutenant]]s and [[captain]]s fighting alongside them to increase their damage and accuracy. They have a mutual [[grudge]] with [[Skeletal pirate (dNetHack)|skeletal pirates]] and [[damned pirate]]s.
 {{frac|5}} of the monsters randomly generated on the Sunken City map of [[The Sea (dNetHack)|the Sea]] will be soldiers.

@@ Line 63: / Line 63: @@
 The usual tactics for handling groups of monsters applies to dealing with soldiers: drawing soldiers into a corridor is effective for both reducing vulnerability and thinning their ranks, especially since they will likely be caught in the path of their allies' [[attack wand]]s. However, said wands also make them potentially dangerous to face without [[reflection]] or [[magic resistance]], though neither property is strictly required unless you want to avoid the rare [[wand of death]]. [[Chickatrice]] and [[cockatrice]] [[corpse]]s are dangerous in the hands of a soldier wearing [[gloves]], allowing them to wield it and use it against you: be wary of this if you kill one in their presence, especially in the Castle or within [[Gehennom]], and have [[lizard]] corpses or other cures for [[stoning]] ready to go.
-Fortunately, soldiers are on the slower side at 10 movement [[speed]], and can usually be dealt with quickly in melee by a cautious-enough hero, especially if employing group tactics as above&mdash;their wands can also prove valuable against their comrades and other monsters if the hero can procure them without the wands being used up or else destroyed (e.g., by a [[zap]] from a [[wand of lightning]]). They also completely lack any [[Magic resistance (monster)|MR score]], meaning that [[poisoned]] weapons and various forms of magic are very often effective. Be wary if you see a soldier pick up a bugle: they are capable of applying one if any of their fellow fighters nearby are scared or immobilized, which can wake an entire barracks and will often ruin [[stealth]]-based approaches and scare [[pet]]s in the process&mdash;this may also awaken other nearby monsters as well if the combat itself does not do so.
+Fortunately, soldiers are on the slower side at 10 movement [[speed]], and can usually be dealt with quickly in melee by a cautious-enough hero, especially if employing group tactics as above&mdash;their wands can also prove valuable against their comrades and other monsters if the hero can procure them without the wands being used up or else destroyed (e.g., by a [[zap]] from a [[wand of lightning]]). They also completely lack any [[Magic resistance (monster)|MR score]], meaning that [[poisoned weapon]]s, [[poison]] attacks and various forms of magic are very often effective. Be wary if you see a soldier pick up a bugle: they are capable of applying one if any of their fellow fighters nearby are scared or immobilized, which can wake an entire barracks and will often ruin [[stealth]]-based approaches and scare [[pet]]s in the process&mdash;this may also awaken other nearby monsters as well if the combat itself does not do so.
 A soldier's leftover equipment is a good source of [[polyfodder]], as well as possible replacements for any eroded or lower-[[enchantment]] armor that you or a pet may have. They also drop plenty of high-[[nutrition]] food, both in the form of their rations and the soldier's own corpse: [[Human (starting race)|human heroes]] should beware that they do not [[Cannibalism|eat them by accident]] while trying to pluck their rations off the ground in a hurry! Similarly, a human hero that is [[polymorph]]ed into a [[mind flayer]] or [[master mind flayer]] must not attack soldiers in melee if they want to avoid cannibalism penalties. Human [[Cavepeople]] and heroes of other races can eat soldier corpses safely for half the nutrition of a standard [[food ration]], while chaotic human heroes can use them as [[same-race sacrifice]]s to summon [[major demon]]s and raise their [[luck]]&mdash;a human hero that is not chaotic or a Caveperson can still use the corpse to feed any carnivorous pets.

@@ Line 74: / Line 74: @@
 The soldier first appears in [[NetHack 2.2a]]&mdash;in this version and [[NetHack 2.3e]], they use the {{white|3}} glyph, and only appear if the <tt>SAC</tt> [[compile-time option]] is defined.
-From [[NetHack 3.0.0]] to [[NetHack 3.1.3]], including some variants based on those versions, soldiers and other mercenaries have their intended target AC recorded  in their monster data, with [[Source:NetHack 3.0.0/makemon.c|code in <tt>makemon.c</tt>]] set to outfit them with armor that matches the target AC{{refsrc|makemon.c|328|version=NetHack 3.0.0}}&mdash;any difference is compensated for by equipping that monster with a [[ring of protection]] whose enchantment is equivalent to that difference, with the ring being cursed if that difference was negative (i.e. a soldier's equipment took them ''above'' their target AC).{{refsrc|makemon.c|353|version=NetHack 3.0.0}} Additionally, from [[NetHack 3.1.0]] to NetHack 3.1.3, soldiers only appear if the <tt>ARMY</tt> and <tt>MUSE</tt> compile-time options are ''both'' defined: if only the former is defined, then they are replaced by [[unarmored soldier]]s.{{refsrc|monst.c|1732|version=NetHack 3.1.0}}
+From [[NetHack 3.0.0]] to [[NetHack 3.1.3]], including some variants based on those versions, soldiers and other mercenaries have their intended target AC recorded in their monster data, with [[Source:NetHack 3.0.0/makemon.c|code in <tt>makemon.c</tt>]] set to outfit them with armor that matches the target AC{{refsrc|makemon.c|328|version=NetHack 3.0.0}}&mdash;any difference is compensated for by equipping that monster with a [[ring of protection]] whose enchantment is equivalent to that difference, with the ring being cursed if that difference was negative (i.e. a soldier's equipment took them ''above'' their target AC).{{refsrc|makemon.c|353|version=NetHack 3.0.0}} Additionally, from [[NetHack 3.1.0]] to NetHack 3.1.3, soldiers only appear if the <tt>ARMY</tt> and <tt>MUSE</tt> compile-time options are ''both'' defined: if only the former is defined, then they are replaced by [[unarmored soldier]]s.{{refsrc|monst.c|1732|version=NetHack 3.1.0}}
 [[NetHack 3.2.0]] phases out the unarmored soldier and makes <tt>MUSE</tt> a default feature while also establishing the modern mechanism of equipment generation for mercenaries, removing the ring of protection from the process.

@@ Line 36: / Line 36: @@
 Random barracks cannot generate if soldiers are subjected to [[genocide]] or made [[extinct]].{{refsrc|src/mklev.c|786|nethack=3.6.7|comment=barracks generation}}
-Five soldiers are generated on the upper filler level of the [[Tourist quest]] at level creation, while one soldier is generated on each lower filler level of the Tourist quest at level creation.{{refsrc|dat/Tourist.des|481-L485|nethack=3.6.7}}{{refsrc|dat/Tourist.des|513|nethack=3.6.7}}
+Five soldiers are generated on the upper filler level of the [[Tourist quest]] at level creation, while one soldier is generated on each lower filler level at level creation.{{refsrc|dat/Tourist.des|481-L485|nethack=3.6.7}}{{refsrc|dat/Tourist.des|513|nethack=3.6.7}}
 Sixteen soldiers are placed throughout the main area of Fort Ludios at level creation.{{refsrc|dat/knox.des|112-L127|nethack=3.6.7|comment=Ludios soldiers}}
@@ Line 148: / Line 148: @@
 * For their secondary weapon, they will be given a dagger or knife with roughly equal probability.
 * As in ''NetHack'', default generation for mercenaries means that a soldier also has a {{frac|4}} chance of being given a dagger as a primary weapon and a {{frac|7}} chance of being given a spear as a secondary weapon, and any soldier that has a primary weapon other than a dagger ''and'' no secondary weapon then has a {{frac|4}} chance of being given a knife as their secondary weapon.
-* For armor, soldiers that are generated in the Law quest are always created with [[harmonium scale mail]], a [[harmonium helm]], a pair of [[harmonium gauntlets]], and a pair of [[harmonium boots]]. Otherwise, they are given armor for each slow as detailed below, with the base AC for each given piece of armor counted towards their target AC of 3:
+* For armor, soldiers that are generated in the Law quest are always created with [[harmonium scale mail]], a [[harmonium helm]], a pair of [[harmonium gauntlets]], and a pair of [[harmonium boots]]. Otherwise, they are given armor for each slot as detailed below, with the base AC for each given piece of armor counted towards their target AC of 3:
 ** For their [[suit]], they have the same chance of receiving ring mail, studded leather armor or leather armor as in ''NetHack''.
 ** For their [[helm]], they have a {{frac|2|3}} chance of being given a helmet, a {{frac|2}} chance of being given a [[Leather helm (dNetHack)|leather helm]] if they are not given a helmet, and a {{frac|10}} chance of being given a [[war hat]] if they are not given a leather helm.

@@ Line 122: / Line 122: @@
 ===dNetHack===
-In [[dNetHack]], soldiers are lawful rather than chaotic, and only 250 of them can be generated in a game. Soldiers have skilled prowess in martial combat and a full [[base attack bonus]] of +1 [[to-hit]] per level, and can be [[Commander (monster attribute)|commanded]] by accompanying sergeants fighting alongside them to increase their damage and accuracy. They have a mutual [[grudge]] with [[skeletal pirate]]s and [[damned pirate]]s.
+In [[dNetHack]], soldiers are lawful rather than chaotic, and only 250 of them can be generated in a game. Soldiers have skilled prowess in martial combat and a full [[base attack bonus]] of +1 [[to-hit]] per level, and can be [[Commander (monster attribute)|commanded]] by accompanying sergeants, [[lieutenant]]s and [[captain]]s fighting alongside them to increase their damage and accuracy. They have a mutual [[grudge]] with [[skeletal pirate]]s and [[damned pirate]]s.
 {{frac|5}} of the monsters randomly generated on the Sunken City map of [[The Sea (dNetHack)|the Sea]] will be soldiers.

@@ Line 56: / Line 56: @@
 * They have a {{frac|2|3}} chance of being given a pair of [[leather gloves]] that counts for 1 point of their target AC.{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|646|nethack=3.6.7}} Otherwise, they have a {{frac|2}} chance of being given a [[leather cloak]] that counts for 1 point of their target AC.{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|648|nethack=3.6.7}}
-Finally, they have a {{frac|3}} chance of generating with a [[K-ration]] and a separate {{frac|2}} chance of generating with a [[C-ration]].{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|665|nethack=3.6.7}} All soldiers are eligible for [[offensive item]]s, but only have {{frac|13}} of the chance of receiving a [[defensive item]] or [[miscellaneous item]] as other monsters.{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|556|nethack=3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|791|nethack=3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|794|nethack=3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|796|nethack=3.6.7}}
+Finally, a soldier has a {{frac|3}} chance of generating with a [[K-ration]] and a separate {{frac|2}} chance of generating with a [[C-ration]].{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|665|nethack=3.6.7}} All soldiers are eligible for [[offensive item]]s, but only have {{frac|13}} of the chance of receiving a [[defensive item]] or [[miscellaneous item]] as other monsters.{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|556|nethack=3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|791|nethack=3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|794|nethack=3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|796|nethack=3.6.7}}
 {{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Per {{commit|da859c5eb88e17d04ec2bb37e2c12842e9f4c4a9}}, soldiers cannot generate with lances and dwarvish mattocks as starting weapons&mdash;this is done to resolve [https://github.com/NetHack/NetHack/issues/623 issue #623] regarding incongruous behavior in mercenary item generation.}}
@@ Line 80: / Line 80: @@
 From NetHack 2.2a to [[NetHack 3.3.0]], soldiers and other Yendorian army monsters move at a much slower speed of 4&mdash;in [[NetHack 3.3.1]], their speed is boosted to 10.
-From [[NetHack 3.0.4]] to [[NetHack 3.0.6]], soldiers and other Yendorian army members use the {{green|@}} glyph, and soldiers are given their current glyph color in [[NetHack 3.0.7]].
+From [[NetHack 3.0.4]] to [[NetHack 3.0.6]], soldiers and other Yendorian army members use the {{green|@}} glyph&mdash;soldiers are given their current glyph color in [[NetHack 3.0.7]].
 From NetHack 3.2.0 to NetHack 3.3.1, soldiers and other Yendorian army monsters can generate with [[elven cloak]]s&mdash;the leather cloak is introduced in [[NetHack 3.4.0]] to resolve this incongruity, as stated in that version's bugfix list.

@@ Line 40: / Line 40: @@
 Sixteen soldiers are placed throughout the main area of Fort Ludios at level creation.{{refsrc|dat/knox.des|112-L127|nethack=3.6.7|comment=Ludios soldiers}}
-Eight soldiers are placed in the entry hall of the Castle at level creation, along with two soldiers in each of the Castle's four towers.{{refsrc|dat/castle.des|153-L161|nethack=3.6.7|comment=Castle soldiers}}{{refsrc|dat/castle.des|163-L171|nethack=3.6.7|comment=Tower soldiers}}
+Eight soldiers are placed in the entry hall of the Castle at level creation, and two soldiers are also placed in each of the Castle's four towers.{{refsrc|dat/castle.des|153-L161|nethack=3.6.7|comment=Castle soldiers}}{{refsrc|dat/castle.des|163-L171|nethack=3.6.7|comment=Castle tower soldiers}}
 ===Monster starting inventory===

@@ Line 155: / Line 155: @@
 ** For their [[gloves]], they have a {{frac|2|3}} chance of being given a [[Leather gloves|pair of gloves]], and a {{frac|2}} chance of being given a pair of [[Gauntlets (dNetHack)|gauntlets]] if they are not given standard gloves.
 ** For their [[cloak]], they have a {{frac|2}} chance of being given a [[Leather cloak|standard cloak]].
-* Soldiers have the same chance of being given C-rations and K-rations as ''NetHack'', but this chance does not apply if they are generated on level creation (including generation in barracks), generated in the Law quest, or are generated as zombified monsters.
+* Soldiers have the same chance of being given C-rations and K-rations as in ''NetHack'', but this chance does not apply if they are generated on level creation (including generation in barracks), generated in the Law quest, or are generated as zombified monsters.
 ===EvilHack===

@@ Line 139: / Line 139: @@
 Soldiers may appear among the random {{white|@}} that are part of the first quest monster class for [[Binder]]s and make up {{frac|24|175}} of the monsters randomly generated on the [[Binder quest]]. Six soldiers are also randomly placed on the locate level of the Binder quest at level creation.
-The soldier is the first standard [[quest]] monster for [[Noble]]s, and makes up {{frac|96|175}} of monsters randomly generated on the default [[Noble quest]]. Some soldiers are also generated on the default Noble quest at level creation: three are placed on the northwest corner of the hero's stronghold on the home level alongside a sergeant, and six are placed randomly on the goal level. Soldiers may also appear among the random {{white|@}} that are part of the second standard quest monster class for Nobles and make up {{frac|6|175}} of the monsters randomly generated there.
+The soldier is the first standard [[quest]] monster for [[Noble/dNetHack|Nobles]], and makes up {{frac|96|175}} of monsters randomly generated on the default [[Noble quest]]. Some soldiers are also generated on the default Noble quest at level creation: three are placed on the northwest corner of the hero's stronghold on the home level alongside a sergeant, and six are placed randomly on the goal level. Soldiers may also appear among the random {{white|@}} that are part of the second standard quest monster class for Nobles and make up {{frac|6|175}} of the monsters randomly generated there.
 The soldier is the second quest monster for [[Pirate/dNetHack|Pirates]], and makes up {{frac|24|175}} of monsters randomly generated on the [[Pirate quest]]. Some soldiers are also generated on a few floors of the Pirate quest at level creation: nine are placed randomly on the home level, three are randomly placed on each upper filler level, and nine more are placed randomly on the locate level.
-Soldiers in dNetHack have their starting inventory changed, with the base AC for each given piece of armor counted towards their target AC of 3:
+Soldiers in dNetHack have their starting inventory changed significantly:
-−
 * For their primary weapon, they have a {{frac|3}} chance of generating with a primary weapon that will be a [[partisan]], [[halberd]], [[bill-guisarme]], or [[bec de corbin]] with a roughly equal probability of each, and otherwise have a {{frac|2}} chance of being given a [[crossbow]] with {{rn1|24|3}} [[crossbow bolt]]s as ammo. If neither set of weapons is given, they will be given either a spear or a short sword with roughly equal probability.
 * For their secondary weapon, they will be given a dagger or knife with roughly equal probability.
 * As in ''NetHack'', default generation for mercenaries means that a soldier also has a {{frac|4}} chance of being given a dagger as a primary weapon and a {{frac|7}} chance of being given a spear as a secondary weapon, and any soldier that has a primary weapon other than a dagger ''and'' no secondary weapon then has a {{frac|4}} chance of being given a knife as their secondary weapon.
 * Soldiers have the same chance of being given C-rations and K-rations as ''NetHack'', but this chance does not apply if they are generated on level creation (including generation in barracks), generated in the Law quest, or are generated as zombified monsters.