Hack'EM

Hack'EM is a project started by User:Hackemslashem with the goal of becoming the next successor to SLASH'EM. Simply put, Hack'EM is "Hack, Extended Mechanics."

The first objective of this project was to bring SLASH'EM content to a modern NetHack platform:

• Port over most of the content from SLASH'EM and attempt to take the "next steps" for it.
• If something doesn't work, is buggy, or is easily abusable, attempt to fix it or remove it.
• If something is bland or feels unfinished - attempt to flesh it out.
• Add all the quality-of-life features that are available in the variant market.
• As of current date - most of these objectives have been completed or are in the finishing stages.

Hack'EM was based on EvilHack for a few reasons:

• Evil is based on 3.6, and already contained many important updates and bugfixes.
• Its inheritly more difficult, but in ways that seem to work with SLASH'EM.
• Many quality-of-life features already baked in.
• EvilHack also had lots of small tweaks and gameplay changes that seemed to work with SLASH'EM content.
• EvilHack has a great and dedicated community, and without their help, Hack'EM wouldn't have been able to grow and mature!

SLASH'EM Changes

Here is where Hack'EM diverges:

• The Doppelganger (starting race) has not been ported (yet) - it needs more R&D so it's not easily abusable.
• The Drow (starting race) has not been ported, but it will probably be inherited from EvilHack's future implementation.
• The Lycanthrope (starting race) has not, and will not, be imported.
• Gypsies were left out.
• The alignment quests are not mandatory anymore. Currently the artifact doors in Vlad's and the artifact keys that the quest nemeses possess are not implemented. This is mostly due to porting issues. The quest guardians are also new and each protect a power artifact in place of the alignment keys.
• Techniques have not been implemented. After discussion with some devs, techniques were deemed a nightmare to maintain. Where possible, techniques have been integrated in clever places:
• Necromancers gain Raise zombies as a permanent spell now.
• Necromancers gain the Animate Dead spell (which was the Healer's Revivification technique)
• Necromancers gain the Spirit Bomb spell (which was the Monk's Spirit bomb technique)
• Gnomish shopkeepers sometimes offer the expensive tinker service
• Instead of the Weapon practice technique, some shopkeepers offer a Firearms Training service.
• #youpoly is also not implemented (it may be in the future to accomodate dopplegangers or Ice and Flame Mages)

• Grund's Stronghold is now mandatory and appears around level 20 not as a branch but in the main dungeon. To proceed further you have to defeat Grund. This level acts as a halfway divider for the main dungeon.

These dungeon levels/features have been removed or replaced:

• The Guild of Disgruntled Adventurers is removed (replaced by mini-guild special rooms)
• Frankenstein's Lab is removed
• The Mall has been moved to the Town Branch
• The variations on the vibrating square levels have NOT been imported - the EvilHack version remains.
• None of the SLASH'EM Demon prince lairs have been imported.

Changes from EvilHack

Another objective was to trim some of the EvilHack content. Some things did not fit, were too difficult, or were just left better as an Evil only feature.

• [x] Removed two-weaponing restrictions imposed in EvilHack. Twoweaponing behavior should be the same as vanilla.
• [x] Monsters can no longer use wands of wishing to get wishes - if they get a wish from a smoky potion they will still attempt to get something powerful.
• [x] The first level of Sokobon is guaranteed 2 scrolls of earth.
• [x] Removed the monster riding monster mechanic.
• [x] Monster spawn rates are simplified a bit from EvilHack:

   Monster spawn rates increase to 4x normal once you've performed the invocation. After that, all denizens of the dungeon are aware of what has happened and nasties will spawn on each level's upstairs.

• [x] Baalzebub, Geryon, Dispater are back to being a princes (demoted from lords). They should be bribable again.
• [x] Graz'zt no longer has an item stealing attack, replaced with physical attack instead.
• [x] Reduced the chance Rodney gets an amulet of magic resistance to 1 in 13 times (changed from Evil where it was 50%).
• [x] The Riders only get 40 + d(10, 8) HP instead of 100 + d(10, 8).
• [x] Some of the dragon scales have had buffs or different secondary effects added. All scales grant passive effects now. See the section on Dragon Scales for details.
• [x] Removed The Magic 8-Ball (The Oracle gets a regular eight ball).
• [x] Removed Keolewa (Cavemen get Skullcrusher as a gift instead).
• [x] Removed the "indestructible" drawbridge from the VotD; it can be destroyed like a regular drawbridge now.
• [x] Removed the Wand of Orcus. Orcus gets his standard wand of death now.
• [x] In Evil, zapping around peaceful monsters could anger them. I have removed this mechanic except for when you break one.
• [x] Removed the Goblin Town branch and requirement to defeat Goblin King, Minetown can be accessed normally.
• [x] Mines river/sewage generation only occurs on levels deeper than minetown.
• [x] Unicorn Horns have been reverted back to a 2-handed d12 weapon.
• [x] Giants can wear mummy wrappings.
• [x] Improved the chances of item randomly spawning with two properties to 1 in 3141. (In Evil the chances are 1 in 100000)
• [x] Spellcasting monster have to see you in order to cast summon nasties.
• [x] Spellcasting monsters have had their spell range limited by their level (gnomish mages are level 3 and can only cast fire bolt in a radius of 2-3 tiles instead of 13).
• [x] Fixed the unstoning monster spell timeout. Changed timeout for monster spell of stone to flesh to timeout 2d7 instead of rn2(7).
• [x] Removed engulfing attack from gelatinous cube, water elemental, earth elemental, and fire elemental. The splice elementals (magma, mud, ice, acid) still can engulf.

More Content!

Originally, hackemslashem intended this variant to be a modern port of SLASH'EM. However, once he reached close to the completion of that goal he found that there was quite a lot in other variants that he loved and just could not pass on including. When deciding on what to import, he mostly went by two criteria: 1) Does it improve the player's experience (Quality of Life, Fun)? and 2) Does it complement the existing SLASH'EM content and/or EvilHack content?

So far, content many other forks has also been integrated:

• SpliceHack: A lot of content from Splice has been imported since it seems to fit well with the Slash'EM themes and also because SpliceHack's development has mostly stalled.
• SlashTHEM: Similar to Splice, a lot of content was ported from this variant because development on it is mostly stalled.
• slashem-up: Same.
• UnNetHack: Many QoL features and mechanics have been imported.
• xNetHack: Many mechanics and updates have been imported.
• dNetHack: Fun gameplay tweaks (ex: armor with special appearances has special bonuses)
• Slash'EM Extended: A few interesting things have been ported, like toilet amulet identification and allowing mummies to be summoned by Call Undead.

There are plans to import more content after the first version of HackEM stabilizes.

Hack'EM Content:

Hack'EM monsters Hack'EM items