Kelp frond
A kelp frond is a type of of comestible that appears in NetHack. It is veggy and considered vegan.
Contents
Generation
Kelp fronds are not randomly generated, and are only created in pools and moats of water outside of the Plane of Water at level creation:[1] each pool square has a 1⁄10 chance of containing a kelp frond, which each moat square has a 1⁄10 chance of containing a kelp frond.[2][3] These kelp fronds may be created in stacks of 2.[4]
Description
When eaten, a kelp frond grants 30 base nutrition and takes 1 turn to consume. Kelp fronds can be thrown to tame herbivorous domestic animals, and herbivorous pets consider kelp fronds to be acceptable food.
Strategy
Kelp fronds are generally not sought out in most games since they are low-nutrition, and most heroes that reach an area with kelp will generally have more than enough food on hand, even while observing particular diets. It can serve as a as a lightweight snack for vegan or vegetarian heroes that decide to collect them, and can be used to tame ponies and their other growth stages.
For a hero interested in harvesting kelp, Juiblex's swamp and Medusa's Island are the best levels for kelp collecting, though the latter level and many other areas where kelp can generate are populated with giant eels—be careful not to end up drowned! Heroes collecting kelp should locate them with a means of object detection or food detection, then either fly or levitate over the water and apply a bullwhip down on the marked squares, or else submerge themselves in the water (usually via magical breathing) and collect them manually.
The following information pertains to an upcoming version (3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that it is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate this information.
Per commit ff483694, bullwhips cannot retrieve underwater items.History
The kelp frond first appears in NetHack 3.3.0.
Variants
SLASH'EM
SLASH'EM incorporates the Dungeon Growths patch, which allows kelp fronds to multiply while underwater. This also applies to Hack'EM.
UnNetHack
UnNetHack also incorporates the Dungeon Growths patch, which allows kelp fronds to multiply while underwater.
SlashTHEM
In SlashTHEM, in addition to the Dungeon Growths patch, kelp fronds can also be randomly generated, and can be sold in general stores, health food stores and delicatessens.
Encyclopedia entry
I noticed that all the plants were attached to the soil by
an almost imperceptible bond. Devoid of roots, they seemed
not to require any nourishment from sand, soil, or pebble.
All they required was a point of support -- nothing else.
These plants are self-propagated, and their existence depends
entirely on the water that supports and nourishes them.
Most of them do not sprout leaves, but sprout blades of
various whimsical shapes, and their colors are limited to
pink, carmine, green, olive, fawn, and brown. I had the
opportunity to observe once more -- not the dried specimens
I had studied on the _Nautilus_ -- but the fresh, living
specimens in their native setting.
[ 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules Verne ]
