Saddle
( 
| |
|---|---|
| Name | saddle |
| Appearance | saddle |
| Base price | 150 zm |
| Weight | 200 |
| Material | leather |
| Monster use | Will not be used by monsters. |
A saddle is a item that appears in NetHack. It is a tool that is used to ride a monster, and is made of leather.
Contents
Generation
Like all tools, saddles are generated uncursed with the exception of bones or traps. Knights will always start the game with a saddled pony.
Horses, ponies and warhorses each have a 1% chance to generate wearing a saddle.
Effects
Applying the saddle to a pet that is eligible as a steed allows you to ride it. Doing so requires at least one free hand, and the saddle will become part of the pet's inventory. It is possible to saddle a non-tame monster, but this is more difficult than saddling a pet, and you will not be permitted to ride the monster until it is tamed. Riding boots give a bonus to successfully saddling a monster while worn.
To remove a saddle from a monster while not riding it, use the #loot command, a knock spell, or a wand of opening; the saddle will also be removed if the saddled monster is polymorphed into a form ineligible to be a steed. Cursed saddles cannot be removed via looting, and you cannot mount a monster equipped with a cursed saddle; if the saddle is cursed while you are riding, it will prevent you from dismounting as well.
Attempting to saddle a foocubus will produce a unique message and abuse wisdom.
Strategy
It is recommended to bless your saddle before applying it to your steed—especially if pursuing athiest or polymorphless conduct.
If dealing with a cursed saddle and you do not want to risk polymorphing your steed, you can pray to have your god uncurse the saddle; if the steed is non-flying, you can also force yourself to fall off (e.g., riding downstairs while burdened or moving over ice). Being engulfed by a monster will also remove you from your steed. Additionally, you can polymorph yourself into something that can't ride; this includes eating a mimic.[1]
A spell or scroll of remove curse will not work, and you cannot dip a steed's saddle in holy water, because the saddle is part of the saddled monster's inventory instead of your own. However, if you throw a potion of holy water down at your steed, there is a Luck-dependent chance that it will hit the saddle and uncurse it.[2] Cancellation will not uncurse the saddle.
Nymphs and foocubi may steal a monster's saddle when attacking them, which is especially dangerous if you are riding a flying steed over water or lava; this can lead to instadeath by drowning or dissolving. However, this can also be used to potentially remove a cursed saddle, which can then be uncursed through normal means once retrieved.
If you or your steed have reflection, the saddle will be protected against disintegration rays.
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 this commit and the general list of fixes for 3.7:
While riding, the saddle is considered part of your inventory as well; therefore, the spell and scroll of remove curse can now uncurse a cursed saddle that the character is stuck on. Also, removing a saddle via the spell of knock or wand of opening while using it to ride a monster will force the player off.History
The saddle was first introduced in NetHack 3.3.0. The ability to remove a saddle from a steed was introduced in 3.3.1.
In NetHack 3.4.0, a bug was fixed that caused a shopkeeper to not take possession of the saddle if a saddled steed died while in their shop.[3]
In NetHack 3.4.3 and variants based on it, the saddle is subject to a few now-fixed bugs:
- Disintegration breath hitting equipment carried by monsters, including saddles, is not handled properly, and is exacerbated if the monster has its life saved. Saddles in particular were especially troublesome - in one instance, a saddled ki-rin that was life-saved after being hit by a black dragon's disintegration breath would (correctly) no longer possess the saddle; despite this, the game still describing the monster as "saddled" in text. This is bug C343-176, and was fixed in May 2006.
- If magical removal of a steed's saddle results in a character's death and leaves a bones file, the saddle may still be on the steed when the bones are loaded. This is bug C343-289, and was fixed in May 2007.
- Attempting to saddle a cockatrice would immediately petrify the player, even if they were wearing gloves.
Messages
- Shame on you!
- You attempted to apply a saddle to a foocubus.
Variants
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, minions given as sacrifice gifts cannot be saddled.
Slash'EM Extended
In Slash'EM Extended, several roles start with a saddle in some manner:
- The Chevalier role always starts with a blessed saddle.
- Human, vampire, and incantifier Nobles start with a pre-saddled pony.
- The Topmodel and Transvestite roles start with a saddle.
- The Warrior role starts with a pre-saddled green nightmare.
dNetHack
In dNetHack, human, vampire, and incantifier Nobles have the same starting pets as they do in Slash'EM Extended. In addition, Drow Nobles also start with pre-saddled pets - women get saddled giant spiders, while men get saddled small cave lizards.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, monsters that generate with mounts have a higher chance of the mount being saddled, making them more frequent; e.g., Knight player monsters can generate riding saddled steeds.
SpliceHack
In SpliceHack, Dragonmasters start with a pre-saddled baby dragon. Like EvilHack, SpliceHack also has a higher frequency of riding monsters, and thus the chances of obtaining a saddle from one.
FIQHack
In FIQHack random saddles are generated twice as often[4].
Dragonbane is an artifact lance and when your god grants it to you they also give you a free saddle (and unrestrict the riding skill).
Encyclopedia entry
The horseman serves the horse,
The neat-herd serves the neat,
The merchant serves the purse,
The eater serves his meat;
'Tis the day of the chattel,
Web to weave, and corn to grind,
Things are in the saddle,
And ride mankind.
References
