Dragon
DDDDDDDDDD dragon 
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 20 |
| Attacks |
Breath (see article), bite 3d8, claw 1d4, claw 1d4 |
| Base level | 15 |
| Base experience | 460 |
| Speed | 9 |
| Base AC | -1 |
| Base MR | 20 |
| Alignment | -7 (blue) -6 (black) -5 (white) -4 (red) 4 (gray, silver) 5 (orange) 6 (green) 7 (yellow) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 1 (Very rare) |
| Genocidable | Yes |
| Weight | 4500 |
| Nutritional value | 1500 |
| Size | Gigantic |
| Resistances | (see article) |
| Resistances conveyed | (see article) |
|
A dragon:
A red dragon also:
A green dragon also:
A yellow dragon also:
| |
| Reference | monst.c#line1161 |
The dragon is a monster class that appears in NetHack, and is represented by the uppercase D glyph (D). Dragons are designated internally by the macro S_DRAGON.[1]
The class contains the following monsters:[2]
- Adult dragons
- Baby dragons
- Unique monsters
- Deferred monsters
The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that the information below is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate it.
Gold dragons and baby gold dragons are introduced - they emit light and breathe fire.Contents
Common characteristics
All dragons are carnivorous monsters that are thick-skinned, capable of flight, and eligible for riding. They are generally slower than an unburdened, unhasted hero. Dragons generated randomly and at level creation will always be hostile. Dragons are kebabable, granting a +2 to-hit bonus when attacking them with weapons that use the spear skill - Dragonbane deals double damage to all dragons.
Dragons are intelligent gold lovers that will seek out gold and gems to pick up along with magical items, but lack defined hands (the default tiles depict them as quadrupedal), and thus cannot use any items they come across or happen to be carrying, e.g. after transformation via polymorph trap.
Chatting to any dragon that is not a quest nemesis causes them to snarl.
Adult dragons
All adult dragons are either lawful or chaotic, with an AC of -1 and an MR score of 20. They are strong, gigantic, oviparous, can see invisible, and are nasty; an associated bit of code in trap.c allows them to instantly tear through webs where their baby forms cannot.[3] All adult dragons possess a breath weapon of an element corresponding to their color.
Baby dragons
DDDDDDDDDD baby dragon 
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 13 |
| Attacks |
Bite 2d6 |
| Base level | 12 |
| Base experience | 200 |
| Speed | 9 |
| Base AC | 2 |
| Base MR | 10 |
| Alignment | 0 (neutral) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 0 (Not randomly generated) |
| Genocidable | Yes |
| Weight | 1500 |
| Nutritional value | 500 |
| Size | Huge |
| Resistances | (see article) |
| Resistances conveyed | None |
|
A baby dragon:
A baby red dragon also:
A baby green dragon also:
A baby yellow dragon also:
| |
| Reference | monst.c#line1085 |
All baby dragons are of neutral alignment, with an AC of 2 and an MR of 10. They are strong and huge, but lack the adult dragon's ability to use breath weapons, tear through webs, and see invisible. Baby dragons can grow up into their adult forms, which causes their scales to grow in (hence the 3 AC difference between their forms). Baby dragons generally possess the resistances of their adult forms, minus those conferred by scales (e.g. baby silver dragons do not have reflection)[4] Baby dragons do not have breath attacks.
Generation
Baby dragons, like all baby monsters, are only generated randomly and/or at level creation on aligned dungeon branches such as the neutral-biased Oracle and Sokoban levels, and can also be hatched from dragon eggs. Baby dragons will grow up into their respective adult forms.
Adult dragons are often randomly generated around the midway depths of the dungeon. They may appear among the hostile monsters generated in throne rooms at dungeon levels 15 and below, and can also appear among the monsters randomly generated by looting a throne while confused and carrying gold (provided there is no chest on the level).[5] Several colors of adult dragon can be created by the summon nasties monster spell.
Where most monsters roll (ML)d8 for their HP (with ML being the monster's level), an adult dragon instead rolls (ML)d4 and adds 4 times its monster level to that result, e.g., a level 15 dragon will always have at least 75 HP. Dragons generated in the End Game use a flat 8*(ML), and so will always have the maximum amount of HP possible for their level, e.g. the level 15 dragon from before would always have 120 HP if generated on the Elemental Planes or Astral Plane.[6]
In addition to random generation, adult dragons are generated on level creation for the following areas:
- Four dragons are generated around the moat of Fort Ludios, with one random dragon placed at each cardinal direction.
- Many dragons appear on the Healer quest - five random dragons are generated for the home, locate and goal levels, and four random dragons are generated in the filler levels between them.
- Four dragons are generated in the Castle, with two random dragons occupying each of the alcoves between the storerooms.
- Three random are generated on the Astral Plane.
Dragons will always leave a corpse if killed in a way that leaves it intact, and adult dragons have a 1⁄3 chance of also dropping a set of their uncursed +0 scales, which is reduced to 1⁄20 if the dragon was revived; if a dragon is turned to stone, the scales can also be retrieved from their statue with the same probability. Adult dragon corpses that grant intrinsics are guaranteed to do so. Baby dragons do not drop scales, nor do their corpses grant intrinsics.
Quest nemeses
Two dragons serve as quest nemeses in the game:
- The D Chromatic Dragon, the Caveman quest nemesis, possesses the resistances of every single dragon in the game, and can randomly use any of their breath weapons along with the ability to sting and cast monster spells. Her corpse is poisonous to eat, but consuming her corpse or tin grants one of several resistances available from eating the meat of adult dragons, with an equal probability of each.
- D Ixoth, the Knight quest nemesis, is a powerful red dragon with a stronger breath weapon, stronger physical attacks and the ability to thus possesses the standard fire breath alongside the ability to cast spell - eating his corpse or tin always grants fire resistance.
Elemental affinities
Each adult dragon has a specific element-and-resistance set of characteristics associated with it, including a breath attack. Eating a given dragon's corpse often grants intrinsic resistance to the appropriate element, while the scales (and any dragon scale mail made from them) will grant extrinsic resistance to that element.
| Dragon | Breath (4d6 unless otherwise noted) | Intrinsics | Scale properties | Corpse properties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | disintegration | disintegration resistance | disintegration resistance | disintegration resistance |
| Blue | lightning | shock resistance | shock resistance | shock resistance |
| Gray | magic missile | magic resistance | magic resistance | none |
| Green | poison | poison resistance | poison resistance | poison resistance (poisonous to eat) |
| Orange | sleep (4d25 turns) | sleep resistance | sleep resistance | sleep resistance |
| Red | fire 6d6 | fire resistance | fire resistance | fire resistance |
| Silver | cold | reflection and cold resistance | reflection | none |
| White | cold | cold resistance | cold resistance | cold resistance |
| Yellow | acid | acid resistance and petrification resistance | acid resistance | none |
Deferred dragons
The shimmering dragon, whose scales grant displacement, appears in the code along with its baby form, but is commented out by default - monster displacement has not yet been implemented in vanilla NetHack.
The following information pertains to an upcoming version (3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that the information below is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate it.
Displacer beasts have been successfully added to the latest in-development version, indicating that monster displacement is at least possible, though the Devteam has stated that shimmering dragons and their scales would require a different implementation from them.Strategy
While baby dragons may not be especially difficult due to their lesser defenses and singular melee attack, adult dragons are somewhat fearsome foes that all heroes must prepare for during the mid-game - they are also coveted for the dragon scales they sometimes drop, which can be made into dragon scale mail. Players that are skilled enough or else fortunate early on may come to see dragons as pushovers compared to other mid-game and late-game hostiles.
Combat
Baby dragons are generally pushovers for the point they are encountered at, unless a hero is weak or unlucky. Adult dragons will use their breath weapons only at range, i.e. more than one square from the hero, and heroes that get within melee distance can avoid the breath attacks, but will have to contend with their strong bite and subsequent claw attacks. Hero without magic resistance or reflection to avoid or nullify breath weapons may prefer this option, and good AC is always worthwhile in any case. For heroes that opt to use Dragonbane, the reflection it grants when wielded is perfect for dealing with the adults' breath attacks, and also makes it an ideal aid when farming for scales.
Those looking to make dragon scale mail may opt to use a cursed scroll of genocide to generate dragons of their desired color, which is best done in conjunction with an engraved Elbereth or scroll of scare monster - this is best done in a small room to reduce the odds of breath attacks occurring.
As pets
Dragons are solid pets in the early game for those who obtain them. The easiest means of obtaining one is to hatch a dragon egg: eggs laid by sitting while in the form of a female dragon will always hatch into tame babies, making it trivial for a female hero; for male heroes, an amulet of change can be used to swap genders, and repeated polymorphing also has a 1⁄10 chance of causing a gender swap with each polymorph.[7][8] Repeatedly displacing a pet onto a polymorph trap can also be used to produce a dragon - a baby or adult gray dragon will not polymorph further due to their magic resistance, making it a somewhat common form for pets to be "stuck" in.
The most recommendable colors for adult dragons are silver and gray, as both are immune to death rays; silver dragons are also immune to disintegration breath and rays in general, while gray ones are immune to polymorph traps as mentioned. Yellow dragons are a good option as well for their resistance to stoning.
As steeds, pet dragons have the advantages of flight, fighting strength, and preference for meaty corpses, which makes them easy to feed. However, their lack of speed ensures they will spend most of their time either catching up with the hero or eating said corpses; even after making them fast (e.g., by zapping a wand of speed monster at them), their movement speed still pales in comparison to many other available steeds, though the flight and breath weapon may still compensate. Players making use of dragon pets or steeds may want to carry a magic whistle or a stack of blessed eucalyptus leaves.
While baby dragons lack scales and intrinsic resistances, heroes can still use tame baby dragons to obtain scales and/or resistances by raising them to adulthood, then killing them (e.g. indirectly via conflict, or else by rendering them non-tame through pet abuse) for their scales and intrinsics.
Intrinsics and food sources
Dragon corpses are very high-nutrition and filling, and adult dragon corpses often leave even a very hungry hero well above satiated levels after finishing: eating after being satiated abuses wisdom for a lawful hero. Using a tinning kit is ideal for heroes that want to avoid satiation and/or plan to chew through several servings of dragon in a short time; many dragons provide guaranteed sources of certain intrinsic properties, making them worth tinning as backup sources in case the hero loses them (e.g., to a gremlin attack at night).
History
The standard dragon monster first appears in Hack 1.21 and Hack for PDP-11, which are based on Jay Fenlason's Hack, and is included in the initial bestiary for Hack 1.0. This early dragon does not have a specific color, but it breathes fire, and a dead dragon is poisonous to eat and always confers fire resistance, making it an "ancestor" to the modern red dragon. A dead dragon is the only way to get intrinsic fire resistance in Hack, so it is quite likely that the player will not have the resistance before encountering one, and reflection is not yet available; dragons can also use their breath attack in melee on top of their normal melee attacks, making them significantly more dangerous than in later versions.
NetHack 2.3e introduces all of the modern dragon types and their associated breath weapons, except for silver. The corpse is still referred to as a "dead dragon" regardless of type, and eating it always grants fire resistance. Black dragon breath causes instadeath, and there is no reflection, disintegration resistance or amulet of life saving, making genocide tempting; this is counterbalanced with fire resistance being necessary to traverse Hell, and there is no means of genociding only black dragons.
NetHack 3.0.0 introduces baby dragons, distinguishes the dragons and their corpses by type and color, and also introduces dragon scale mail; from this version to NetHack 3.0.10, dragon scale mail is obtained by polymorphing a dragon corpse. Reflection is introduced in this version, and black dragon breath is toned down a bit; the distinctions between dragons also makes it possible for a hero to genocide only black dragons.
NetHack 3.1.0 introduces dragon scales as a death drop and the current method of obtaining dragon scale mail. This version also adds the Quests, and with them the Chromatic Dragon and Ixoth. Hell is replaced by Gehennom in this version, and fire resistance is no longer necessary to enter, though it is still heavily recommended.
NetHack 3.3.0 adds the silver dragon along with its corresponding baby form and scales from SLASH 6, which is a NetHack 3.1.3 variant.
Origin
The dragon is a large, serpentine, legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons and dragon-like beings vary considerably through regions, but dragons in European cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as winged, horned, four-legged, and capable of breathing fire. Dragons and similar creatures in various Asiatic cultures are usually depicted as wingless, four-legged and serpentine creatures with above-average intelligence, such as the Chinese lung (traditional 龍, simplified 龙, Japanese simplified 竜, Pinyin lóng) associated with good fortune and thought to have power over rain—they are also typically more benevolent compared to the European dragon, and many East Asian deities and demigods have such creatures as their personal mounts or companions. Other common traits of dragons often include: snakelike features, reptilian scaly skin, four legs with three or four toes on each, spinal nodes running down the back, a tail, and a serrated jaw with rows of teeth.
The earliest attested reports of draconic creatures occur in the mythologies of the ancient Near East, particularly in ancient Mesopotamian art and literature; stories about storm-gods slaying giant serpents occur throughout nearly all Indo-European and Near Eastern mythologies, such as that of Marduk and Tiamat. Other famous prototypical draconic creatures include the Leviathan in the Hebrew Bible; the Grand'Goule in the Poitou region of France; and Python, Wyvern, and the Lernaean Hydra in Greek mythology. Variants such as SLASH'EM and UnNetHack along with some patches make use of these and other names for draconian creatures, as explored in some detail below.
The Western dragon's image is based on a conflation of earlier dragons and giant serpents from different traditions, mixed with inaccurate scribal drawings of snakes; according to several modern scholars, huge extinct or migrating crocodiles bear that lived in forested or swampy areas were likely a template for modern dragon imagery. These dragons are generally depicted as cave-dwellers and treasure-hoarders with ravenous appetites, and are a frequent fixture of Western fantasy literature where they are portrayed as monsters to be tamed or overcome by saints or culture heroes, such as J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and the popular legend of Saint George and the Dragon.
Variants
Many variants alter dragons to make them more varied and/or threatening, and often add new monsters to the class—the deferred shimmering dragon is a frequent addition. Some of the new dragons added are also not of a type that drops scales.
Biodiversity patch
The biodiversity patch renames the dragons from NetHack minus the gray dragon.
SLASH'EM
SLASH'EM adds a few new dragons to the monster class:
SLASH'EM also applies several buffs to the dragons retained from vanilla NetHack: their melee attacks are stronger, their frequency is usually raised to 3, and their level, monster difficulty and AC are raised. Baby dragons have their level and difficulty lowered, but in exchange they can generate randomly and at level creation, making them a significant obstacle in the early game. Many dragons are generated in dragon lairs and the Wyrm Caves.
UnNetHack
UnNetHack adds the following dragons to the monster class:
UnNetHack also modifies baby and adult dragons so that they are randomized: with the exception of the chromatic dragon, a breath weapon, elemental resistance(s) and color is randomly assigned to each dragon at the start of a game, making it impossible to predict breath type based on name or color. All dragons of the same name or color within a game are of the same type, and appear as D until identified - dragons are auto-identified upon witnessing their breath attack, and identifying one dragon also identifies all dragons of that type, as well as their scales and scale mail; the reverse also applies. The stats of the dragons themselves are identical to the dragons of NetHack, again with the exception of the chromatic dragon.
FIQHack
FIQHack dragons are significantly faster (speed 20 instead of 9), and their claw attacks are 1d8 instead of 1d4. In addition, they have special AI that allows them to use their breath weapon in melee range, and they will try to move more intelligently in general: they will keep you in their line of fire when possible, or move out of that line when they can't use their breath, and will flee to preserve survival.
FIQHack also includes the deferred shimmering dragons from vanilla, which have innate displacement and stunning breath, and whose scales confer displacement when worn.
Dragon breaths operate as skilled ray-type wands: there is a chance per breath attack that it will bypass reflection. Disintegration breath never does this.
SpliceHack
SpliceHack adds several new dragon flavours and new dragon special abilities. Older dragons gain increasingly powerful breath weapons.
EvilHack
EvilHack dragons have been significantly enhanced – they spawn with much more hit points (especially in the End Game), can engulf and digest creatures smaller than them, and their scales each have some form of a secondary passive attack (which is passed on to the scales and any mail made out of them).
SlashTHEM
In addition to retaining the dragons from SLASH'EM, SlashTHEM adds the following monsters to the monster class:
- Adult dragons
- Baby dragons
- Other dragons
The golden dragon's scales give sickness resistance, while the stone dragon's scales give stoning resistance, and the Dragon Lord drops the artifact Scales of the Dragon Lord on death.
Encyclopedia entry
In the West the dragon was the natural enemy of man. Although preferring to live in bleak and desolate regions, whenever it was seen among men it left in its wake a trail of destruction and disease. Yet any attempt to slay this beast was a perilous undertaking. For the dragon's assailant had to contend not only with clouds of sulphurous fumes pouring from its fire breathing nostrils, but also with the thrashings of its tail, the most deadly part of its serpent-like body.
"One whom the dragons will speak with," he said, "that is a dragonlord, or at least that is the center of the matter. It's not a trick of mastering the dragons, as most people think. Dragons have no masters. The question is always the same, with a dragon: will he talk to you or will he eat you? If you can count upon his doing the former, and not doing the latter, why then you're a dragonlord."
References
- ↑ include/monsym.h in NetHack 3.6.7, line 44
- ↑ src/monst.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1086
- ↑ src/trap.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 2543: extra_nasty() discerns adult dragons from baby dragons to let them tear through webs
- ↑ src/muse.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 2156
- ↑ src/mkroom.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 741
- ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 969
- ↑ src/polyself.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 292
- ↑ src/polyself.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 467
