Vampire (starting race in UnNetHack) - Revision history

Umbire the Phantom: /* Nutrition */ word choice

2025-10-07T18:47:07Z

‎Nutrition: word choice

Umbire the Phantom: potholes

2025-05-23T15:05:24Z

potholes

Umbire the Phantom: pothole prep, earmark for later edits

2024-12-10T00:59:08Z

pothole prep, earmark for later edits

TalentlessF2P: Potential for prayer to fail for neutral vampires

2024-05-06T22:59:52Z

Potential for prayer to fail for neutral vampires

TalentlessF2P: Undead Turning doesn't work on drained corpses.

2024-05-04T22:11:05Z

Undead Turning doesn't work on drained corpses.

TalentlessF2P: Vampires can now be neutral as of 6.0

2024-05-04T21:44:42Z

Vampires can now be neutral as of 6.0

Actual-nh: /* Nutrition */ Clarify

2021-06-10T13:45:41Z

‎Nutrition: Clarify

Actual-nh: /* Starting properties */ Grammar/style

2021-06-10T13:44:04Z

‎Starting properties: Grammar/style

Phaperplane1: Fixed spelling error ("weild" to "wield") in section on silver items.

2019-01-04T21:50:15Z

Fixed spelling error ("weild" to "wield") in section on silver items.

Netzhack: Chance to = opportunity; chance of = probability

2017-08-27T12:07:15Z

Chance to = opportunity; chance of = probability

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 The early game as a vampire is primarily about [[nutrition]] management. The vampire can only drink fresh blood for nourishment. There are five ways to gain nutrition as a vampire: draining the blood of freshly killed corpses (you have 3 turns before the blood coagulates and becomes useless), draining blood with the biting attack ("You feed on the lifeblood"), drinking potions of blood or vampire blood, #praying to fend off starvation, and polymorphing into a form that can eat. This means that for most of the early and midgame, the comestibles you find in the dungeon ([[food ration]]s, [[tin]]s, etc.) will be useless to you. Since nutrition drawn from sucking blood is much less than that gained by eating a corpse, avoiding starvation is the primary challenge for a vampire until you can get your hands on a [[ring of slow digestion]].
-Vampires only have a 20% chance of gaining [[intrinsic]]s from draining corpses;{{refsrc|src/eat.c|464|unnethack=1406}} all corpses drained are subject to the 20% chance before considering any additional restrictions on gaining the intrinsic. For example a vampire draining a newt corpse has a 20% chance of possibly gaining power, but then must also pass the 33% chance a newt corpse has of conveying extra power. It is possible to gain [[strength]] by draining [[giant]] corpses, but one must pass both the 20% test for being a Vampire as well as meeting the 25% chance UnNetHack imposes on increasing strength. Combined with the vampire's inability to eat tins, the vampire's maximum strength of 19 will prove difficult to achieve without enhancement.
+Vampires only have a 20% chance of gaining [[intrinsic]]s from draining corpses;{{refsrc|src/eat.c|464|unnethack=1406}} all corpses drained are subject to the 20% chance before considering any additional restrictions on gaining the intrinsic. For example a vampire draining a newt corpse has a 20% chance of possibly gaining power, but then must also pass the 33% chance a newt corpse has of conveying extra power. It is possible to gain [[strength]] by draining [[giant]] corpses, but one must pass both the 20% test for being a Vampire as well as meeting the 25% chance UnNetHack imposes on increasing strength. Combined with the vampire's inability to eat tins, the vampire's maximum strength of 19 will prove difficult to achieve without enhancement. Vampires also cannot revive drained corpses with a [[wand of undead turning]] or the {{+ of|turn undead}} spell, as they won't have enough blood to come back to life.
 On the upside, you are exempt from the penalties of [[cannibalism]], like [[Cavemen]].{{refsrc|src/eat.c|61|unnethack=1406}} You will face no penalties for eating cats, dogs, and humans, whether in your normal form or polymorphed (vampires are way beyond that level of evil). Additionally there is an alignment bonus for draining the corpse of another vampire if you are still chaotic. In practice this is only possible with the corpse of a vampire bat.
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 If you choose to play as a vampire, you will want to [[pray]] to alleviate hunger often. Beware the vampire's starting alignment and luck penalty. This means waiting until you are [[weak]] before calling on your [[god]]. You will find yourself doing this often. (An [[atheist]] vampire would be an extremely challenging conduct.) A [[ring of slow digestion]] will help you out enormously, eliminating the need for regular prayer altogether. In fact, the combination of one of these rings with the "life blood' draining passive attack (to gain nutrition), one could go the entire game without eating, and thus fill the requirements for [[foodless]], [[vegetarian]], and [[vegan]] conducts.
-If the player's starting alignment is neutral, their god has a 10% chance to [[Prayer#Unsuccessful_prayers|damage them instead]], as vampires are undead. It is currently known if this is a bug.
+If the player's starting alignment is neutral, their god has a 10% chance of [[Prayer#Unsuccessful_prayers|damaging them instead]], as vampires are undead. It is currently known if this is a bug.
 Vampires can draw sustenance from their bite attack against certain monsters. Note that since your [[to-hit]] ratios will improve as your level increases, and since you will be fighting monsters that take longer to kill, you will find yourself adding nutrition the more you fight. In order to mitigate this, vampires should plan to fight weak monsters hand-to-hand or with a weak weapon they are unskilled in (such as a [[knife]]) in order to get in as many bites as possible and thus maximize the nutrition they gain from every monster encounter. A vampire player should think of every monster she encounters as an essential source of food, and avoid killing large numbers of weak monsters at once via conflict, spells, wands, etc. Vampires should also avoid wearing rings unnecessarily.

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 {{otheruses|||Vampire}}
-[[UnNetHack]] offers a new playable [[race]], Vampire. Vampires can be [[neutral]] or [[chaotic]], and can play as a [[barbarian]], [[convict]], [[rogue]], or [[wizard]]. Vampires offer a very different play experience from the other races.
+[[UnNetHack]] offers a new playable [[race]], Vampire. Vampires can be [[neutral]] or [[chaotic]], and can play as a [[Barbarian]], [[Convict/UnNetHack|Convict]], [[Rogue]], or [[Wizard]]. Vampires offer a very different play experience from the other races.
 ==Starting properties==

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 |}
-Vampires who wear an [[Opera cloak]] get a +1 Charisma bonus: {{message|You look very impressive in your opera cloak}}
+Vampires who wear an [[opera cloak]] get a +1 Charisma bonus:
 For all of these advantages, vampires are set back by their difficulty in obtaining [[nutrition]]. They cannot eat food in the way that non-vampire adventurers can:{{refsrc|src/eat.c|126|unnethack=1406}} the vampire's only source of sustenance is blood from fresh corpses, potions of blood, and of vampire blood. On the upside, they can eat a corpse and still sacrifice it (e. g. for [[altar]] farming). Also, vampires are restricted in the two-weapon skill.{{fact}}
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 Vampires also cannot revive drained corpses with [[Turn_undead_(disambiguation)|undead turning]] to drain more blood from them; they won't have enough blood to come back to life.
-On the upside, you are exempt from the penalties of [[cannibalism]], like [[caveman|cavemen]].{{refsrc|src/eat.c|61|unnethack=1406}} You will face no penalties for eating cats, dogs, and humans, whether in your normal form or polymorphed (vampires are way beyond that level of evil). Additionally there is an alignment bonus for draining the corpse of another vampire if you are still chaotic. In practice this is only possible with the corpse of a vampire bat.
+On the upside, you are exempt from the penalties of [[cannibalism]], like [[Cavemen]].{{refsrc|src/eat.c|61|unnethack=1406}} You will face no penalties for eating cats, dogs, and humans, whether in your normal form or polymorphed (vampires are way beyond that level of evil). Additionally there is an alignment bonus for draining the corpse of another vampire if you are still chaotic. In practice this is only possible with the corpse of a vampire bat.
 Non-vampire players polymorphed into a [[vampire]] have the same restrictions on eating as a player vampire,{{refsrc|src/eat.c|126|unnethack=1406}} but cannot commit cannibalism without penalties (unless they are normally a caveman or orc) - draining the corpse of a cat will still result in the normal penalties.{{refsrc|src/eat.c|61|unnethack=1406}}
-If your character would start with food rations, you will start with [[potion of vampire blood|potions of vampire blood]] instead.{{refsrc|src/u_init.c|259|unnethack=1406}} These are obviously much more difficult to replenish and also have the disadvantages of being heavy and susceptible to boiling. Later in the game you will find these potions as well as [[potion of blood|potions of blood]] on enemy vampires.  Players coming to UnNetHack from [[SLASH'EM]] should remember that UnNetHack does not have #[[technique]]s or [[medical kit]]s, so UnNetHack vampires, unlike [[Vampire (starting race in SLASH'EM)|their SLASH'EM counterparts]], cannot use the [[draw blood]] technique to acquire vampire blood.
+If your character would start with food rations, you will start with [[Potion of vampire blood (UnNetHack)|potions of vampire blood]] instead.{{refsrc|src/u_init.c|259|unnethack=1406}} These are obviously much more difficult to replenish and also have the disadvantages of being heavy and susceptible to boiling. Later in the game you will find these potions as well as [[Potion of blood (UnNetHack)|potions of blood]] on enemy vampires.  Players coming to UnNetHack from [[SLASH'EM]] should remember that UnNetHack does not have #[[technique]]s or [[medical kit]]s, so UnNetHack vampires, unlike [[Vampire (starting race in SLASH'EM)|their SLASH'EM counterparts]], cannot use the [[draw blood]] technique to acquire vampire blood.
 If you choose to play as a vampire, you will want to [[pray]] to alleviate hunger often. Beware the vampire's starting alignment and luck penalty. This means waiting until you are [[weak]] before calling on your [[god]]. You will find yourself doing this often. (An [[atheist]] vampire would be an extremely challenging conduct.) A [[ring of slow digestion]] will help you out enormously, eliminating the need for regular prayer altogether. In fact, the combination of one of these rings with the "life blood' draining passive attack (to gain nutrition), one could go the entire game without eating, and thus fill the requirements for [[foodless]], [[vegetarian]], and [[vegan]] conducts.

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:59, 6 May 2024
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	If you choose to play as a vampire, you will want to [[pray]] to alleviate hunger often. Beware the vampire's starting alignment and luck penalty. This means waiting until you are [[weak]] before calling on your [[god]]. You will find yourself doing this often. (An [[atheist]] vampire would be an extremely challenging conduct.) A [[ring of slow digestion]] will help you out enormously, eliminating the need for regular prayer altogether. In fact, the combination of one of these rings with the "life blood' draining passive attack (to gain nutrition), one could go the entire game without eating, and thus fill the requirements for [[foodless]], [[vegetarian]], and [[vegan]] conducts.		If you choose to play as a vampire, you will want to [[pray]] to alleviate hunger often. Beware the vampire's starting alignment and luck penalty. This means waiting until you are [[weak]] before calling on your [[god]]. You will find yourself doing this often. (An [[atheist]] vampire would be an extremely challenging conduct.) A [[ring of slow digestion]] will help you out enormously, eliminating the need for regular prayer altogether. In fact, the combination of one of these rings with the "life blood' draining passive attack (to gain nutrition), one could go the entire game without eating, and thus fill the requirements for [[foodless]], [[vegetarian]], and [[vegan]] conducts.
		+
		+	If the player's starting alignment is neutral, their god has a 10% chance to [[Prayer#Unsuccessful_prayers\|damage them instead]], as vampires are undead. It is currently known if this is a bug.

	Vampires can draw sustenance from their bite attack against certain monsters. Note that since your [[to-hit]] ratios will improve as your level increases, and since you will be fighting monsters that take longer to kill, you will find yourself adding nutrition the more you fight. In order to mitigate this, vampires should plan to fight weak monsters hand-to-hand or with a weak weapon they are unskilled in (such as a [[knife]]) in order to get in as many bites as possible and thus maximize the nutrition they gain from every monster encounter. A vampire player should think of every monster she encounters as an essential source of food, and avoid killing large numbers of weak monsters at once via conflict, spells, wands, etc. Vampires should also avoid wearing rings unnecessarily.		Vampires can draw sustenance from their bite attack against certain monsters. Note that since your [[to-hit]] ratios will improve as your level increases, and since you will be fighting monsters that take longer to kill, you will find yourself adding nutrition the more you fight. In order to mitigate this, vampires should plan to fight weak monsters hand-to-hand or with a weak weapon they are unskilled in (such as a [[knife]]) in order to get in as many bites as possible and thus maximize the nutrition they gain from every monster encounter. A vampire player should think of every monster she encounters as an essential source of food, and avoid killing large numbers of weak monsters at once via conflict, spells, wands, etc. Vampires should also avoid wearing rings unnecessarily.

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:11, 4 May 2024
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	Vampires only have a 20% chance of gaining [[intrinsic]]s from draining corpses;{{refsrc\|src/eat.c\|464\|unnethack=1406}} all corpses drained are subject to the 20% chance before considering any additional restrictions on gaining the intrinsic. For example a vampire draining a newt corpse has a 20% chance of possibly gaining power, but then must also pass the 33% chance a newt corpse has of conveying extra power. It is possible to gain [[strength]] by draining [[giant]] corpses, but one must pass both the 20% test for being a Vampire as well as meeting the 25% chance UnNetHack imposes on increasing strength. Combined with the vampire's inability to eat tins, the vampire's maximum strength of 19 will prove difficult to achieve without enhancement.		Vampires only have a 20% chance of gaining [[intrinsic]]s from draining corpses;{{refsrc\|src/eat.c\|464\|unnethack=1406}} all corpses drained are subject to the 20% chance before considering any additional restrictions on gaining the intrinsic. For example a vampire draining a newt corpse has a 20% chance of possibly gaining power, but then must also pass the 33% chance a newt corpse has of conveying extra power. It is possible to gain [[strength]] by draining [[giant]] corpses, but one must pass both the 20% test for being a Vampire as well as meeting the 25% chance UnNetHack imposes on increasing strength. Combined with the vampire's inability to eat tins, the vampire's maximum strength of 19 will prove difficult to achieve without enhancement.
		+
		+	Vampires also cannot revive drained corpses with [[Turn_undead_(disambiguation)\|undead turning]] to drain more blood from them; they won't have enough blood to come back to life.

	On the upside, you are exempt from the penalties of [[cannibalism]], like [[caveman\|cavemen]].{{refsrc\|src/eat.c\|61\|unnethack=1406}} You will face no penalties for eating cats, dogs, and humans, whether in your normal form or polymorphed (vampires are way beyond that level of evil). Additionally there is an alignment bonus for draining the corpse of another vampire if you are still chaotic. In practice this is only possible with the corpse of a vampire bat.		On the upside, you are exempt from the penalties of [[cannibalism]], like [[caveman\|cavemen]].{{refsrc\|src/eat.c\|61\|unnethack=1406}} You will face no penalties for eating cats, dogs, and humans, whether in your normal form or polymorphed (vampires are way beyond that level of evil). Additionally there is an alignment bonus for draining the corpse of another vampire if you are still chaotic. In practice this is only possible with the corpse of a vampire bat.

@@ Line 33: / Line 33: @@
 |20
 |}
 For all of these advantages, vampires are set back by their difficulty in obtaining [[nutrition]]. They cannot eat food in the way that non-vampire adventurers can:{{refsrc|src/eat.c|126|unnethack=1406}} the vampire's only source of sustenance is blood from fresh corpses, potions of blood, and of vampire blood. On the upside, they can eat a corpse and still sacrifice it (e. g. for [[altar]] farming). Also, vampires are restricted in the two-weapon skill.{{fact}}
 Vampires also start with a small penalty to [[luck]] and [[alignment record|alignment]], -1 and -5 respectively.{{refsrc|src/u_init.c|864|unnethack=1406}} This means that vampires should not wish or pray before turn 600, and will need to kill a few monsters to gain positive alignment.
 ==Strategy==

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 ===Silver===
-Vampires can wield and wear silver items, but it blocks their natural regeneration ("You feel itchy"). Wearing gloves will negate this ("You feel relief"), and you can wear and weild these items without penalty. Thus a shield of reflection is of much less use to a vampire character without gloves. Also beware enemies with silver sabers, as you will be subject to the additional silver damage.
+Vampires can wield and wear silver items, but it blocks their natural regeneration ("You feel itchy"). Wearing gloves will negate this ("You feel relief"), and you can wear and wield these items without penalty. Thus a shield of reflection is of much less use to a vampire character without gloves. Also beware enemies with silver sabers, as you will be subject to the additional silver damage.
 ===Other avoided targets===