Watcher in the Water (UnNetHack) - Revision history

Umbire the Phantom: /* Encyclopedia entry */ tweaks

2026-05-05T02:14:34Z

‎Encyclopedia entry: tweaks

Netzhack: /* Encyclopedia entry */ line breaks

2026-05-04T22:54:19Z

‎Encyclopedia entry: line breaks

Umbire the Phantom: not a typo as such, clarify regardless

2025-08-15T17:04:53Z

not a typo as such, clarify regardless

Silverwing235: typos

2025-08-15T05:58:17Z

typos

Umbire the Phantom: pothole

2025-06-29T10:28:24Z

pothole

Umbire the Phantom: /* Origin */ typo

2025-03-21T02:23:36Z

‎Origin: typo

Umbire the Phantom: /* Origin */ ditto

2025-03-21T01:38:45Z

‎Origin: ditto

Umbire the Phantom: /* Origin */ more of same

2025-03-20T22:04:57Z

‎Origin: more of same

Umbire the Phantom: /* Origin */ word choice

2025-03-20T22:04:44Z

‎Origin: word choice

Umbire the Phantom: create

2025-03-20T22:03:56Z

create

New page

{{monster
|name=Watcher in the Water
|symbol={{magenta|;}}
|tile=
|difficulty=28
|level=24
|experience=?
|speed=9
|AC=−2
|MR=30
|align=−3
|frequency=0
|genocidable=No
|attacks=Claw 2d6 [[Physical damage|physical]], Claw 2d6 physical, [[Bearhug]] 2d6 [[drowning]], Bite 5d6 physical
|weight=2000
|nutr=1000
|size=huge
|resistances=[[poison resistance]], [[sleep resistance]]
|resistances conveyed=[[sleep resistance]]
|attributes={{attributes|The Watcher in the Water|swim=1|amphibious=1|animal=1|nohands=1|carnivore=1|nopoly=1|lord=1|hostile=1|strong=1|infravisible=1|infravision=1|notame=1}}
|reference=
}}
{{for|the monster in dNetHack and its variants|Watcher in the Water (dNetHack)}}
The '''Watcher in the Water''', {{magenta|;}}, is a [[unique]] [[monster]] that appears in [[UnNetHack]]. The Watcher in the Water is a [[chaotic]] [[sea monster]] similar to a [[kraken]], with the exact same traits in addition to being visible via [[infravision]], and is a [[M2_LORD|lord]] to its kind. The Watcher in the Water cannot be made [[tame]].

The Watcher in the Water has two claw attacks, a [[bearhug]] attack that can [[drown]] the [[hero]] and a strong [[bite]] attack, and possesses [[poison resistance]] and [[sleep resistance]].

[[Eating]] the Watcher in the Water's [[corpse]] or [[tin]] has a chance of granting sleep resistance.

==Generation==
The Watcher in the Water is always generated hostile, and is not a valid target for polymorph or genocide.

The Watcher in the Water is always generated on a specific square within the waters of the topmost floor for the [[Ruins of Moria]] at level creation.

The Watcher in the Water is [[Monster starting inventory|always generated with]] an uncursed [[magic lamp]].

==Strategy==
The Watcher in the Water is likely worth fighting to obtain its magic lamp, which will prove difficult between its own formidable nature and the likelihood of needing to retrieve the lamp from the water afterward. The Watcher itself is much stronger and faster than a standard kraken: though it is still slow and potentially kite-worthy at 9 [[speed]], it carries a more significant risk of drowning the hero as a result, and can also inflict high damage with its attacks.

One of many methods to make the Watcher in the Water easier to kill is to use a [[wand of teleportation]] on it and hope that it is placed somewhere on land: though the amount of water on both maps makes it unreliable and this may require multiple charges, your chances are favorable and the Watcher is significantly less dangerous once stranded on land; killing it over land also ensures that its magic lamp can be retrieved. [[Ranged attack]]s and weapon are also useful, though wands and spells are likely more preferable despite the Watcher's [[Magic resistance (monster)|MR score]] of 30 granting it some significant resistance—non-junk ammunition will prove very difficult to retrieve in comparison unless you have several [[scrolls of earth]] or [[wands of cold]], which may be better spent trying to trap the Watcher.

[[Paralysis]] can give a hero several rounds of free attacks, though its -2 [[AC]] and high HP make it incredibly difficult to kill outright before the potion wears off: use a [[stethoscope]] each hit to make sure it still can't act, and keep an [[escape item]] on hand in case it grabs you! An [[oilskin cloak]] or any [[greased]] outer wear protects you from being drowned, and you can step away from the water as needed to heal and reapply grease.

[[Polymorph]]ing the Watcher is possible, but risky: in addition to resisting with its 30 MR score, there is a chance that it may polymorph into a monster still capable of swimming or else [[flying]] over the water—a [[titan]] is one of the worse possible outcomes in this regard. However, a successful polymorph is also reasonably likely to turn the Watcher into something much weaker or else incapable of swimming.

If you have killed the Watcher over water and want to retrieve its lamp, you can use the following tactics:

* Push [[boulder]]s into the water on and around where the lamp is, then [[dig]] it out. A scroll of earth is likely to be necessary, though one of the two possible level maps has boulders scattered around that you can use.
* Use a source of [[magical breathing]] such as [[Amulet of magical breathing|the amulet]] and walk into the water to retrieve it—drop anything that may be damaged, diluted or blanked by water exposure or stash it in an [[oilskin sack]] before diving in.
* Freeze the water with a [[wand of cold]] or the [[cone of cold]] spell, then dig it out.
* [[Apply]] a [[bullwhip]] down while [[levitating]] or [[flying]] over the lamp's square to retrieve it.
* Polymorph yourself into a monster that is breathless or can swim and is not harmed by water, and retrieve the amulet this way.

==Origin==
{{wikipedia|Watcher in the Water}}
The Watcher in the Water is a fictional creature that appears in [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s Middle-earth setting, and debuts in ''The Fellowship of the Ring'', the first volume of ''The Lord of the Rings''.

The origins of the creature are not described in the setting itself, but critics have likened it to the legendary kraken and to Odysseus's passage between the devouring Scylla and the whirlpool Charybdis. Its presence in combination with the barrier lake and the formidable Doors of Durin have also been compared to the multiple obstacles often found in Norse mythology. In vanilla NetHack, the passage describing the Watcher is used as the encyclopedia entry for the kraken, implying that the Watcher is assumed to be representative of [[Wikipedia:kraken|that legendary creature]], which is usually portrayed as a giant cephalopod—UnNetHack changes the kraken's encyclopedia entry to an unrelated poem by [[Wikipedia:Alfred, Lord Tennyson|The Lord Tennyson]].

Lurking in a lake beneath the western walls of the dwarf-realm Moria, the Watcher in the Water it is said to have appeared after the damming of the river Sirannon, and its presence was first recorded by Balin's dwarf company 30 or so years before the beginning of ''The Fellowship of the Ring''. It makes its first appearance when the titular Fellowship is about to enter Moria, attacking them at the wester entrance. The encyclopedia entry for UnNetHack describes the creature as it grabs Frodo, the protagonist, and tries to drag him underwater. The Fellowship later discovers the creature's moniker, "The Watcher in the Water", within a historical account which reveals that the monster also prevented Moria's defenders from escaping through that exit.

==Encyclopedia entry==
{{Encyclopedia|
Out from the water a long sinuous tentacle had crawled; it
was pale-green and luminous and wet. Its fingered end had
hold of Frodo's foot, and was dragging him into the water.
Sam on his knees was now slashing at it with a knife. The
arm let go of Frodo, and Sam pulled him away, crying out
for help. Twenty other arms came rippling out. The dark
water boiled, and there was a hideous stench.
|[ The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien ]
}}
{{variant-343}}
[[Category:UnNetHack monsters]]

@@ Line 44: / Line 44: @@
 [[Polymorph]]ing the Watcher is possible, but risky: in addition to resisting with its 30 MR score, there is a chance that it may polymorph into a monster still capable of swimming or else [[flying]] over the water&mdash;a [[titan]] is one of the worse possible outcomes in this regard. However, a successful polymorph is also reasonably likely to turn the Watcher into something much weaker or else incapable of swimming.
-If you have killed the Watcher in the Water and want to retrieve its lamp, you can use the following tactics:
+If you have killed the Watcher and want to retrieve its lamp from the water, you can use the following tactics:
 * Push [[boulder]]s into the water on and around where the lamp is, then [[dig]] it out. A scroll of earth is likely to be necessary, though one of the two possible level maps has boulders scattered around that you can use.

@@ Line 44: / Line 44: @@
 [[Polymorph]]ing the Watcher is possible, but risky: in addition to resisting with its 30 MR score, there is a chance that it may polymorph into a monster still capable of swimming or else [[flying]] over the water&mdash;a [[titan]] is one of the worse possible outcomes in this regard. However, a successful polymorph is also reasonably likely to turn the Watcher into something much weaker or else incapable of swimming.
-If you have killed the Watcher over water and want to retrieve its lamp, you can use the following tactics:
+If you have killed the Watcher in the Water and want to retrieve its lamp, you can use the following tactics:
 * Push [[boulder]]s into the water on and around where the lamp is, then [[dig]] it out. A scroll of earth is likely to be necessary, though one of the two possible level maps has boulders scattered around that you can use.

@@ Line 58: / Line 58: @@
 The origins of the creature are not described in the setting itself, but critics have likened it to the legendary kraken and to Odysseus's passage between the devouring Scylla and the whirlpool Charybdis. Its presence in combination with the barrier lake and the formidable Doors of Durin have also been compared to the multiple obstacles often found in Norse mythology. In vanilla NetHack, the passage describing the Watcher is used as the encyclopedia entry for the kraken, implying that the Watcher is assumed to be representative of [[Wikipedia:kraken|that legendary creature]], which is usually portrayed as a giant cephalopod&mdash;UnNetHack changes the kraken's encyclopedia entry to an unrelated poem by [[Wikipedia:Alfred, Lord Tennyson|The Lord Tennyson]].
-Lurking in a lake beneath the western walls of the dwarf-realm Moria, the Watcher in the Water is said to have appeared after the damming of the river Sirannon, and its presence was first recorded by Balin's dwarf company 30 or so years before the beginning of ''The Fellowship of the Ring''. It makes its first appearance when the titular Fellowship is about to enter Moria, attacking them at the wester entrance. The encyclopedia entry for UnNetHack is a passage from the book that describes the creature as it grabs Frodo, the protagonist, and tries to drag him underwater. The Fellowship later learns the creature's moniker, "The Watcher in the Water", form a historical account which reveals that the monster also prevented Moria's defenders from escaping through that exit.
+Lurking in a lake beneath the western walls of the dwarf-realm Moria, the Watcher in the Water is said to have appeared after the damming of the river Sirannon, and its presence was first recorded by Balin's dwarf company 30 or so years before the beginning of ''The Fellowship of the Ring''. It makes its first appearance when the titular Fellowship is about to enter Moria, attacking them at the western entrance. The encyclopedia entry for UnNetHack is a passage from the book that describes the creature as it grabs Frodo, the protagonist, and tries to drag him underwater. The Fellowship later learns the creature's moniker, "The Watcher in the Water", form a historical account which reveals that the monster also prevented Moria's defenders from escaping through that exit.
 ==Encyclopedia entry==

@@ Line 58: / Line 58: @@
 The origins of the creature are not described in the setting itself, but critics have likened it to the legendary kraken and to Odysseus's passage between the devouring Scylla and the whirlpool Charybdis. Its presence in combination with the barrier lake and the formidable Doors of Durin have also been compared to the multiple obstacles often found in Norse mythology. In vanilla NetHack, the passage describing the Watcher is used as the encyclopedia entry for the kraken, implying that the Watcher is assumed to be representative of [[Wikipedia:kraken|that legendary creature]], which is usually portrayed as a giant cephalopod&mdash;UnNetHack changes the kraken's encyclopedia entry to an unrelated poem by [[Wikipedia:Alfred, Lord Tennyson|The Lord Tennyson]].
-Lurking in a lake beneath the western walls of the dwarf-realm Moria, the Watcher in the Water it is said to have appeared after the damming of the river Sirannon, and its presence was first recorded by Balin's dwarf company 30 or so years before the beginning of ''The Fellowship of the Ring''. It makes its first appearance when the titular Fellowship is about to enter Moria, attacking them at the wester entrance. The encyclopedia entry for UnNetHack is a passage from the book that describes the creature as it grabs Frodo, the protagonist, and tries to drag him underwater. The Fellowship later learns the creature's moniker, "The Watcher in the Water", form a historical account which reveals that the monster also prevented Moria's defenders from escaping through that exit.
+Lurking in a lake beneath the western walls of the dwarf-realm Moria, the Watcher in the Water is said to have appeared after the damming of the river Sirannon, and its presence was first recorded by Balin's dwarf company 30 or so years before the beginning of ''The Fellowship of the Ring''. It makes its first appearance when the titular Fellowship is about to enter Moria, attacking them at the wester entrance. The encyclopedia entry for UnNetHack is a passage from the book that describes the creature as it grabs Frodo, the protagonist, and tries to drag him underwater. The Fellowship later learns the creature's moniker, "The Watcher in the Water", form a historical account which reveals that the monster also prevented Moria's defenders from escaping through that exit.
 ==Encyclopedia entry==

@@ Line 58: / Line 58: @@
 The origins of the creature are not described in the setting itself, but critics have likened it to the legendary kraken and to Odysseus's passage between the devouring Scylla and the whirlpool Charybdis. Its presence in combination with the barrier lake and the formidable Doors of Durin have also been compared to the multiple obstacles often found in Norse mythology. In vanilla NetHack, the passage describing the Watcher is used as the encyclopedia entry for the kraken, implying that the Watcher is assumed to be representative of [[Wikipedia:kraken|that legendary creature]], which is usually portrayed as a giant cephalopod&mdash;UnNetHack changes the kraken's encyclopedia entry to an unrelated poem by [[Wikipedia:Alfred, Lord Tennyson|The Lord Tennyson]].
-Lurking in a lake beneath the western walls of the dwarf-realm Moria, the Watcher in the Water it is said to have appeared after the damming of the river Sirannon, and its presence was first recorded by Balin's dwarf company 30 or so years before the beginning of ''The Fellowship of the Ring''. It makes its first appearance when the titular Fellowship is about to enter Moria, attacking them at the wester entrance. The encyclopedia entry for UnNetHack is a passage from the book that describes the creature as it grabs Frodo, the protagonist, and tries to drag him underwater. The Fellowship later discovers the creature's moniker, "The Watcher in the Water", within a historical account which reveals that the monster also prevented Moria's defenders from escaping through that exit.
+Lurking in a lake beneath the western walls of the dwarf-realm Moria, the Watcher in the Water it is said to have appeared after the damming of the river Sirannon, and its presence was first recorded by Balin's dwarf company 30 or so years before the beginning of ''The Fellowship of the Ring''. It makes its first appearance when the titular Fellowship is about to enter Moria, attacking them at the wester entrance. The encyclopedia entry for UnNetHack is a passage from the book that describes the creature as it grabs Frodo, the protagonist, and tries to drag him underwater. The Fellowship later learns the creature's moniker, "The Watcher in the Water", form a historical account which reveals that the monster also prevented Moria's defenders from escaping through that exit.
 ==Encyclopedia entry==

@@ Line 61: / Line 61: @@
 ==Encyclopedia entry==
-{{Encyclopedia|Out from the water a long sinuous tentacle had crawled; it was pale-green and luminous and wet.  Its fingered end had hold of Frodo's foot, and was dragging him into the water. Sam on his knees was now slashing at it with a knife.  The arm let go of Frodo, and Sam pulled him away, crying out for help.  Twenty other arms came rippling out.  The dark water boiled, and there was a hideous stench.|[ The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien ]
+{{encyclopedia|
 }}
 {{variant-343}}
 [[Category:UnNetHack monsters]]

@@ Line 48: / Line 48: @@
 * Push [[boulder]]s into the water on and around where the lamp is, then [[dig]] it out. A scroll of earth is likely to be necessary, though one of the two possible level maps has boulders scattered around that you can use.
 * Use a source of [[magical breathing]] such as [[Amulet of magical breathing|the amulet]] and walk into the water to retrieve it&mdash;drop anything that may be damaged, diluted or blanked by water exposure or stash it in an [[oilskin sack]] before diving in.
-* Freeze the water with a [[wand of cold]] or the [[cone of cold]] spell, then dig it out.
+* Freeze the water with a [[wand of cold]] or the {{+ of|cone of cold}} spell, then dig it out.
 * [[Apply]] a [[bullwhip]] down while [[levitating]] or [[flying]] over the lamp's square to retrieve it.
 * Polymorph yourself into a monster that is breathless or can swim and is not harmed by water, and retrieve the amulet this way.