Wizard of Yendor - Revision history

Umbire the Phantom: word choice

2026-03-25T23:36:57Z

word choice

Umbire the Phantom: /* History */ another one

2025-11-30T14:20:03Z

‎History: another one

Umbire the Phantom: /* History */ copyedit pass

2025-11-30T14:03:46Z

‎History: copyedit pass

Umbire the Phantom: establish Hack'EM header, copyedit the EvilHack section

2025-10-08T05:39:52Z

establish Hack'EM header, copyedit the EvilHack section

Umbire the Phantom: lede

2025-09-02T21:38:40Z

lede

Umbire the Phantom: /* Weakening the Wizard */ commit for upcoming

2025-09-02T21:35:08Z

‎Weakening the Wizard: commit for upcoming

Umbire the Phantom: detail this up (including adding a link I thought was changed by the edit I undid, apologies)

2025-09-02T21:33:15Z

detail this up (including adding a link I thought was changed by the edit I undid, apologies)

Umbire the Phantom: Undo revision 192937 by Gogok (talk) redirect is fine

2025-09-02T20:28:04Z

Undo revision 192937 by Gogok (talk) redirect is fine

Gogok: /* Driving off the Wizard */ link

2025-09-02T15:38:29Z

‎Driving off the Wizard: link

Gogok: /* Driving off the Wizard */ not if he's carrying special items.

2025-09-02T15:37:48Z

‎Driving off the Wizard: not if he's carrying special items.

@@ Line 78: / Line 78: @@
 ===Awakening the Wizard===
-A hero with a [[drum of earthquake]] can reliably wake him up from ''outside'' the Wizard's Tower, gaining access to the Book without having to enter the Tower at all. A tame [[mind flayer]] or [[master mind flayer]] can also lock onto him with its mind blast to wake him up, while a hero [[polymorph]]ed into either type of monster has a {{frac|10}} chance of locking into his mind each time they use the #[[monster]] [[extended command]] (which costs 15 [[power]]), provided he is within an eight-tile radius.{{refsrc|src/polyself.c|1541|nethack=3.6.7}} Quaffing a cursed [[potion of invisibility]] will also wake him up, along with all other sleeping and meditating monsters on the level, but only if this is done inside the Tower.
+A hero with a [[drum of earthquake]] can reliably wake the Wizard up from ''outside'' the Wizard's Tower, gaining access to the Book without having to enter the Tower at all. A tame [[mind flayer]] or [[master mind flayer]] can also lock onto him with its mind blast to wake him up, while a hero [[polymorph]]ed into either type of monster has a {{frac|10}} chance of locking into his mind each time they use the #[[monster]] [[extended command]] (which costs 15 [[power]]), provided he is within an eight-tile radius.{{refsrc|src/polyself.c|1541|nethack=3.6.7}} Quaffing a cursed [[potion of invisibility]] will also wake him up, along with all other sleeping and meditating monsters on the level, but only if this is done inside the Tower.
 ===Defeating the Wizard===
@@ Line 221: / Line 221: @@
 In [[UnNetHack]], the Wizard of Yendor can steal any artifact except the quest artifact of the hero's current role.
-The Wizard also has an additional harassment effect outside the Astral Plane - a large earthquake will occur, similar to the effect of playing a [[drum of earthquake]].
+The Wizard also has an additional harassment effect outside the Astral Plane that causes a large [[earthquake]] to occur.
 ===dNetHack===

@@ Line 191: / Line 191: @@
 </div>
-In [[NetHack 3.1.0]], the Amulet is given to the [[high priest]] of [[Moloch]], and the Wizard instead carries the [[Book of the Dead]]. The Wizard is still generated in a room similar to his dwelling above, and similar rooms exist on the first level of the Wizard's Tower and as part of the the two "[[Fake Wizard's Tower]]" levels; one of these levels contains a magic portal to the real Tower.
+In [[NetHack 3.1.0]], the Wizard's Tower is made into a dungeon branch: the Amulet of Yendor is given to the [[high priest]] of [[Moloch]], and the Wizard instead carries the [[Book of the Dead]]. Within the Tower, the Wizard is generated in a room similar to his dwelling above at the top floor, and similar rooms exist on the first level of the Wizard's Tower and as part of the the two "[[Fake Wizard's Tower]]" levels; one of these levels contains a magic portal to the real Tower.
 From NetHack 3.1.0 to [[NetHack 3.4.3]], including [[#Variants|some variants]] based on those versions, if the Wizard appears within twelve turns after the Invocation and the hero is on the Sanctum's floor, he will immediately warp into the Sanctum to steal the Amulet from the high priest of Moloch (without damaging them, due to the coding of his attacks).<ref name="mhitu"/>{{refsrc|mhitm.c|1129|nethack=3.4.3}} The Wizard will then target the hero next, circumventing the need for them to fight the high priest. [[NetHack 3.6.0]] fixes this by preventing covetous monsters from attacking the high priest of Moloch.
-From NetHack 3.1.0 to NetHack 3.6.0, including variants based on those versions, the quest artifact of the hero's role is the only one that can be stolen by the Wizard of Yendor, and it is common to use another role's quest artifact for magic resistance and/or reflection while leaving the vulnerable one in an on-hand container. It is also possible to awaken the Wizard from outside his Tower if a monster casts the [[aggravate monster]] spell, and using a [[stethoscope]] on the Wizard reports his alignment as chaotic rather than unaligned.
+From NetHack 3.1.0 to NetHack 3.6.0, including variants based on those versions, it is possible to awaken the Wizard from outside his Tower if a monster casts the [[aggravate monster]] spell. The aggravate monster spell's range is adjusted in [[NetHack 3.6.1]] via {{commit|04bc048073e87c55e3bcfa3fceab44fe86361e8a}} to prevent it from affecting monsters within the Tower when cast outside the Tower (and vice versa).
-In [[NetHack 3.6.1]], the Wizard is given the ability to target any role's quest artifact, rendering the above tactic useless, and the proper alignment is reported when using a stethoscope on the Wizard. The aggravate monster spell's range is also adjusted via {{commit|04bc048073e87c55e3bcfa3fceab44fe86361e8a}} to prevent it from affecting monsters within the Tower when cast outside the Tower (and vice versa).
+Additionally, the quest artifact of the hero's role is the only one that can be stolen by the Wizard of Yendor in those versions, and it is common to use another role's quest artifact for magic resistance and/or reflection while leaving the vulnerable one in an on-hand container&mdash;this is changed to its modern function in NetHack 3.6.1, which allows the Wizard to steal any role's quest artifact (rendering that tactic useless). Furthermore, using a [[stethoscope]] on the Wizard in these versions reports his alignment as chaotic rather than unaligned&mdash;this is also fixed in NetHack 3.6.1.
 ==Messages==

@@ Line 144: / Line 144: @@
 ==History==
-The Wizard of Yendor is first introduced to ''NetHack'' in [[Hack 1.0.2]]. From this version to [[NetHack 2.3e]], he appears in a two-square room in the center of a maze with a [[hell hound]] (which does not yet have a breath weapon), and the Amulet of Yendor is placed underneath the hell hound; the room has no doors and is surrounded by a [[moat]]. In these versions, the Wizard of Yendor uses {{white|1}} as his glyph. Fake Wizard rooms have a [[Demon (monster)|demon]] present with a fake Amulet instead of the Wizard.
+The Wizard of Yendor is first introduced to ''NetHack'' in [[Hack 1.0.2]]. From this version to [[NetHack 2.3e]], he appears in a two-square room in the center of a maze, with the room lacking doors and being surrounded by a [[moat]]&mdash;he is accompanied by a [[hell hound]] (which does not yet have a breath weapon in these versions)that has the Amulet of Yendor placed underneath it.
 <div class="ttyscreen">
@@ Line 163: / Line 165: @@
 </div>
-The arrangement of the real Tower as presented above makes it possible for players to use [[stealth]] and kill the hell hound, then pick up the Amulet and leave without awakening him, though he will eventually realize the Amulet is missing and begin harassing the hero.
+Fake Wizard rooms have a [[Demon (monster)|demon]] present with a fake Amulet instead of the Wizard.
-From [[NetHack 3.0.0]] through [[3.0.10]], the Wizard is given a larger tower to occupy (detailed in the map below), and a [[vampire lord]] is generated within as an additional "roommate"; fake Wizard rooms have a randomly chosen [[demon prince]], and place a [[demon lord]] instead if no prince is available, or a random demon if all of the named demons are gone. All eight modern demon rulers exist in these versions, but are only generated in these fake Wizard rooms or via summoning.
+From [[NetHack 3.0.0]] through [[3.0.10]], the Wizard is given a larger tower to occupy, and a [[vampire lord]] is generated within as an additional "roommate"; fake Wizard rooms appear similar but will have a randomly chosen [[demon prince]], which is replaced by a [[demon lord]] if no prince is available, or by a random demon if all of the named demons are gone. All eight modern demon rulers exist in these versions, but are only generated in these fake Wizard rooms or via summoning. The real Wizard's Tower for these versions is detailed in the map below:
 <div class="ttyscreen">
@@ Line 187: / Line 191: @@
 </div>
-In [[NetHack 3.1.0]], the Amulet is given to the [[high priest]] of [[Moloch]], and the Wizard instead carries the [[Book of the Dead]]. The Wizard is still generated in a room similar to his dwelling from previous versions, and similar rooms exist on the first level of the Wizard's Tower and as part of the the two "[[Fake Wizard's Tower]]" levels; one of these levels contains a magic portal to the real Tower.
+In [[NetHack 3.1.0]], the Amulet is given to the [[high priest]] of [[Moloch]], and the Wizard instead carries the [[Book of the Dead]]. The Wizard is still generated in a room similar to his dwelling above, and similar rooms exist on the first level of the Wizard's Tower and as part of the the two "[[Fake Wizard's Tower]]" levels; one of these levels contains a magic portal to the real Tower.
-In [[NetHack 3.4.3]] and previous versions, including [[#Variants|some variants]] based on those versions, if the Wizard appears within twelve turns after the Invocation and the hero is on the Sanctum's floor, he will immediately warp into the Sanctum to steal the Amulet from the high priest of Moloch (without damaging them, due to the coding of his attacks).<ref name="mhitu"/>{{refsrc|mhitm.c|1129|nethack=3.4.3}} The Wizard will then target the hero next, circumventing the need for them to fight the high priest. [[NetHack 3.6.0]] fixes this by preventing covetous monsters from attacking the high priest of Moloch.
+From NetHack 3.1.0 to [[NetHack 3.4.3]], including [[#Variants|some variants]] based on those versions, if the Wizard appears within twelve turns after the Invocation and the hero is on the Sanctum's floor, he will immediately warp into the Sanctum to steal the Amulet from the high priest of Moloch (without damaging them, due to the coding of his attacks).<ref name="mhitu"/>{{refsrc|mhitm.c|1129|nethack=3.4.3}} The Wizard will then target the hero next, circumventing the need for them to fight the high priest. [[NetHack 3.6.0]] fixes this by preventing covetous monsters from attacking the high priest of Moloch.
-In NetHack 3.6.0 and previous versions, including variants based on those versions, the quest artifact of the hero's role is the only one that can be stolen by the Wizard of Yendor, and it is common to use another role's quest artifact for magic resistance and/or reflection while leaving the vulnerable one in an on-hand container. It is also possible to awaken the Wizard from outside his Tower if a monster casts the [[aggravate monster]] spell, and using a [[stethoscope]] on the Wizard reports his alignment as chaotic rather than unaligned.
+From NetHack 3.1.0 to NetHack 3.6.0, including variants based on those versions, the quest artifact of the hero's role is the only one that can be stolen by the Wizard of Yendor, and it is common to use another role's quest artifact for magic resistance and/or reflection while leaving the vulnerable one in an on-hand container. It is also possible to awaken the Wizard from outside his Tower if a monster casts the [[aggravate monster]] spell, and using a [[stethoscope]] on the Wizard reports his alignment as chaotic rather than unaligned.
 In [[NetHack 3.6.1]], the Wizard is given the ability to target any role's quest artifact, rendering the above tactic useless, and the proper alignment is reported when using a stethoscope on the Wizard. The aggravate monster spell's range is also adjusted via {{commit|04bc048073e87c55e3bcfa3fceab44fe86361e8a}} to prevent it from affecting monsters within the Tower when cast outside the Tower (and vice versa).

@@ Line 233: / Line 233: @@
 The Wizard is a far more powerful opponent that generates with his own standard inventory: he will always generate with a [[robe]] and [[cornuthaum]], and he has a {{frac|2}} chance of generating with an amulet, which will either be an [[amulet of magic resistance]] ({{frac|4}} chance, or 25%) or an [[amulet of guarding]] ({{frac|3|4}} chance, or 75%). The Wizard also has his own weapon, with a {{frac|2|3}} chance (66%) of an [[athame]] and a {{frac|3}} chance of a [[quarterstaff]]; said weapon has a {{frac|2|3}} chance (66%) of generating with the [[Fire (element)|fire]] [[object property]], a {{frac|6}} chance (16%) of generating with the [[frost]] property, and a {{frac|6}} chance (16%) of generating with the [[Poison|venom]] property.
-The Wizard's attack routine is upgraded as well: he has a 2d8 weapon attack in addition to the 2d12 Amulet-stealing attack, and can cast two monster spells from both mage and clerical schools during each of his turns; this includes the various new monster spells added to the game such as [[acid blast]], [[lightning]] and [[Reflection (monster spell)|reflection]]. His artifact theft attack is capable of stealing any quest artifact except that of the hero's current role.
+The Wizard's attack routine is upgraded as well: he has a 2d8 weapon attack in addition to the 2d12 Amulet-stealing attack, and can cast two monster spells from both mage and clerical schools during each of his turns; this includes the various new monster spells added to the game such as [[Acid blast (monster spell)|acid blast]], [[Lightning (monster spell)|lightning]] and [[Reflection (monster spell)|reflection]]. His artifact theft attack is capable of stealing any quest artifact except that of the hero's current role.
 The potential amulet of magic resistance and the reflection monster spell means that death rays are no longer a surefire method to dispose of Rodney at a given moment, and the added weapon attack along with general adjustments to monster AI makes it possible for him to use quest artifact weapons and armor against the hero should he steal them. Furthermore, the new monsters added to EvilHack also mean that Double Trouble can result in the Wizard taking on very dangerous forms; a player facing the Wizard should be ready to dispatch him as quickly as possible without the use of a death wand or spell (although it can still weaken him and drain his HP). However, he is markedly less cautious about warping away to heal compared to other covetous monsters, which a hero can use to their advantage.
 Similar to UnNetHack, the Wizard can also cause an earthquake as part of his harassment towards heroes with the Amulet of Yendor in their possession.
 ==Monster stats by variant==

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 The '''Wizard of Yendor''' , {{monsym|Wizard of Yendor}}, also informally known as "[[Rodney]]", is a [[unique]] [[monster]] that serves as one of the main antagonists of ''[[NetHack]]''. He is a powerful [[Human (monster attribute)|human]] sorcerer that is an [[overlord]] to his kind.
-The Wizard of Yendor is the guardian of the [[Book of the Dead]], and the [[hero]] must retrieve it in order to perform the [[Invocation]], gain access to [[Moloch's Sanctum]] and take the [[Amulet of Yendor]] from the [[high priest]] of [[Moloch]]. However, killing him alone will not be enough to deter him: the Wizard can not only {{sa|Harassment|harass heroes remotely}} with mysterious curses and spells, but will eventually reappear stronger than ever. He will even follow the hero to the [[Elemental Planes]], with a guaranteed reappearance on the [[Plane of Earth]], unless he is immobile when the hero enters the Planes or has been {{sa|Driving off the Wizard|made to flee the dungeon}}.
+The Wizard of Yendor is the guardian of the [[Book of the Dead]], and the [[hero]] must retrieve it in order to perform the [[Invocation]], gain access to [[Moloch's Sanctum]] and take the [[Amulet of Yendor]] from the [[high priest]] of [[Moloch]]. However, killing him alone will not be enough to deter him: the Wizard can not only {{sa|Harassment|harass heroes remotely}} with mysterious curses and spells, but will eventually reappear stronger than ever. He will even follow the hero to the [[Elemental Planes]], with a reappearance on the [[Plane of Earth]] that is guaranteed unless he is immobile when the hero enters the Planes or has been {{sa|Driving off the Wizard|made to flee the dungeon}}.
 [[Eating]] the Wizard of Yendor's [[corpse]] or [[tin]] can grant [[fire resistance]], [[poison resistance]], [[teleportitis]], or [[teleport control]], with an equal probability of each.
-{{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|The Wizard of Yendor's glyph is changed to bright magenta: {{brightmagenta|@}}.}}
+{{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Per {{commit|ecb3a1a68dcd9073c04f6dbb4f659eb9522a1129}}, the Wizard of Yendor's glyph is changed to bright magenta: {{brightmagenta|@}}.}}
 ==Generation==

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 The Wizard will always be hostile when he next revives, so these methods cannot be used to permanently pacify him. Remember that teleporting the Wizard will always move him to the upstairs, or the down ladder if you are within his tower&mdash;if you managed to polymorph or slime the Wizard while he occupies a staircase, you will not be able to teleport him away.
-{{upcoming|3.7.0|Peaceful monsters can be displaced like pets can.}}
+{{upcoming|3.7.0|Per {{commit|2ee09b92102cbff5e4ea7b8557920a57af8dffe1}}, peaceful monsters can be displaced like pets can.}}
 ===Driving off the Wizard===

@@ Line 137: / Line 137: @@
 ===Driving off the Wizard===
-It is possible to remove the Wizard of Yendor from the game altogether by making him escape the dungeon: this is done by luring him to the first dungeon level, then dealing enough damage to render him scared while he is on or near the up stair.{{refsrc|src/muse.c|916|nethack=3.6.7}} The Wizard will not flee up the stairs if he is carrying any [[unique item]]s or [[quest artifact]]s. Causing the Wizard to escape via this up stair will prevent him from reappearing for the rest of the game, including his usual reappearance on the Plane of Earth. The other effects of his harassment will still occur.
+It is possible to remove the Wizard of Yendor from the game altogether by making him [[escape the dungeon]], since he can flee via staircases just as the hero can.{{refsrc|src/muse.c|913|nethack=3.6.7}} This is generally done by luring him to the first dungeon level, then dealing enough damage to render him scared while he is on or near the up staircase: if he is not carrying the Amulet of Yendor, any of the [[invocation item]]s or a [[quest artifact]], the Wizard will escape the dungeon and be effectively removed from the game.{{refsrc|src/muse.c|924|nethack=3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/wizard.c|115|nethack=3.6.7}} {{refsrc|src/muse.c|916|nethack=3.6.7}} Causing the Wizard to escape via this up stair will prevent him from reappearing for the rest of the game, including his usual reappearance on the Plane of Earth&mdash;the Wizard's harassment will still occur, minus the effect that causes him to appear next to the hero. If the Wizard has cloned himself via [[Double Trouble]] and one of the clones is made to escape the dungeon, he can no longer make use of the spell.
 There are a few reasons to go to the trouble of ensuring Rodney does not appear: one general reason is to save on the time that would be spent fighting him later. Another is to lower the difficulty of certain [[conduct]]s and playstyles; for example, a [[Monk]] who observes both [[weaponless]] conduct and the restriction on [[body armor]] can temporarily switch their [[cloak]] (ideally a [[robe]]) to a [[cloak of magic resistance]] and put [[the Eyes of the Overworld]] in a [[bag]] to prevent the Wizard from stealing them, then lead the Wizard to the top floor and force him to flee as above. After driving off the Wizard, the Monk can switch back to their robe and safely rely on The Eyes of the Overworld as a magic resistance source for the rest of the game. For similar reasons, driving off the Wizard is a key part of the exotic conduct of ascending without ever having magic resistance.
-{{upcoming|3.7.0|Per {{commit|12498ffa446461f782681cd7833e6b2c5e796099}}, the Wizard of Yendor will no longer escape the dungeon.}}
+{{upcoming|3.7.0|Per {{commit|12498ffa446461f782681cd7833e6b2c5e796099}}, tracking is fixed to handle both cases above, and the Wizard of Yendor will no longer escape the dungeon at all unless he is one of two Wizards currently present in the game. This fix is reapplied via {{commit|24e06171db493deea41cb01f94b9dab2fc373677}} in order to counteract an inadvertent regression from another commit.}}
 ==History==