Immunity to sickness

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Immunity to sickness (also known as sickness resistance) is a property that appears in NetHack, and is only applied to the hero.

Description

A hero that has immunity to sickness is completely immune to both food poisoning from tainted corpses and disease attacks from monsters like Juiblex. There are no items or corpses that confer immunity to sickness, but a hero can obtain the immunity by polymorphing into a ghoul or any type of fungus or mold. Monsters cannot obtain this property, but disease attacks cannot sicken or deal damage to other monsters regardless due to an oversight in their code.

The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 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 017a8687, disease attacks can now damage other monsters unless they are a fungus or mold, ghoul, or else have extrinsic sickness resistance, addressing issue #594.

Green dragon scale mail and green dragon scales provide immunity to sickness.

Strategy

While the property itself is highly useful for specific cases (e.g. dealing with Pestilence and Demogorgon), the only methods for heroes to obtain it are polyself forms that are all but useless for combat and most other purposes.

The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that it is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate this information.

Green dragon scales and mail make the property much more accessible, and some builds may consider it for their body armor if all other necessary properties are addressed, or else they are specifically on the hunt for Demogorgon.

History

In NetHack 3.4.3 and earlier versions, including some variants based on those versions, throne farming heroes that set themselves up by a throne on an undiggable no-teleport level (such as a quest home level) and have enough Elbereth engravings and/or a boulder fort prepared may consider turning into a fungus or ghoul to cover the last remaining weakness using their immunity to sickness.

Messages

You feel a slight illness.

A monster used its disease attack against you, but you have immunity to sickness.

It doesn't seem at all sickening though...

You ate a corpse that would give you food poisoning, but you have immunity to sickness.

You are immune to sickness.

You have immunity to sickness as viewed via enlightenment.

Variants

Many variants incorporate the Convict role, which starts with intrinsic immunity to sickness (likely built up as a result of horrendous prison food).

SLASH'EM

In SLASH'EM, the Necromancer and the Undead Slayer role each start the game with innate immunity to sickness.

UnNetHack

In UnNetHack, Convicts start with intrinsic immunity to sickness.

dNetHack

In dNetHack, Convicts start with intrinsic immunity to sickness.

Immunity to sickness can be obtained extrinsically by wearing green dragon scales or green dragon-scaled armor, a body glove, a healer uniform, or an amulet versus sickness.

FIQHack

In FIQHack, immunity to sickness is one of the intrinsic properties a non-cursed potion of wonder can confer when quaffed; dipping an appropriate item in a non-cursed potion also has a chance to randomly bestow immunity to sickness as an object property.

EvilHack

In EvilHack, immunity to sickness is made a much more commonplace property, though it is still relatively rare. Monsters can be affected by disease attacks and can obtain proper sickness resistance, either from their monster type or else via items.

In addition to fungi and ghouls having immunity to sickness, the following monsters also have sickness resistance:

• all unliving monsters
• giant cockroaches and locusts
• all angelic beings
• baby and adult green dragons
• all elementals except the stalker
• Kathryn the Ice Queen and her Enchantress form
• convict player monsters
• all major demons
• all Riders

The property can be obtained intrinsically through the following methods:

• Convicts start the game with sickness resistance.
• Healers gain sickness resistance at level 15.
• Monks gain sickness resistance at level 30.
• Crowning has a ¹⁄₁₀ chance of granting sickness resistance, and Infidels that are crowned will gain sickness resistance from their demonic form.
• Polymorphing into a monster with sickness resistance confers the property for the duration of the polyself.

The property can be obtained extrinsically through the following methods:

• Green dragon scales and green dragon-scaled armor confer sickness resistance while worn.
• The Hand of Vecna confers sickness resistance while bound to the hero.
• The Ring of P'hul confers sickness resistance while carried.
• The Hammer of the Gods confers sickness resistance while wielded.