Elf-lord

@ elf-lord
Difficulty	11
Attacks	Weapon 2d4, weapon 2d4

@ elf-lord
Difficulty	11
Attacks	Weapon 2d4, weapon 2d4
Base level	8
Base experience	123
Speed	12
Base AC	10
Base MR	20
Alignment	-9 (chaotic)
Frequency (by normal means)	2 (Quite rare)
Genocidable	Yes
Weight	800
Nutritional value	350
Size	Medium
Resistances	Sleep
Resistances conveyed	Sleep (53%)
An elf-lord: has a head, a couple of arms, and a torso. can see invisible creatures. is omnivorous. is an elf. is a lord to its kind. is male. is strong. can pick up weapons and food. has infravision. can be seen through infravision. normally appears in small groups.
Reference	monst.c#line2338

An elf-lord, @, is a type of monster that appears in NetHack. They are a strong type of elves with two weapon attacks and possess sleep resistance, infravision and the ability to see invisible.

Eating an elf-lord corpse or tin has a 53% chance of conferring sleep resistance.

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.

The elf-lord has been renamed to the elf-noble; male elf-nobles are elf-lords, while female elf-nobles are called elf-ladies.

As part of resolving issue #679 regarding congruence between non-player monsters and their player counterparts, commit b6a3d4b makes it so that elf-nobles and other strong elven polyforms are capped at 18 strength as player elves are.

Generation

Elf-lords can generate in small groups, and randomly-generated elf-lords are peaceful towards chaotic elven players and occasionally peaceful towards chaotic humans. Woodland-elves, Green-elves, and Grey-elves can grow up into elf-lords, and elf-lords can grow up into Elvenkings.

In addition to normal random generation, elf-lords can also be generated by the summon nasties monster spell.

Elf-lords are eligible for offensive, defensive and miscellaneous items, and are generated with elven equipment like other elves:

• They have a ¹⁄₂ chance of generating with either an elven mithril-coat or an elven cloak, and a ¹⁄₂ chance of generating with an elven leather helm; if they do not generate with the helm, they have a ¹⁄₄ chance of generating with elven boots.
• They have a ¹⁄₂ chance of generating with an elven dagger.
• They will also generate with one of the following sets of items, with an equal chance of each set:
  • An elven bow and set of elven arrows, a ¹⁄₄ chance of an elven shield and a ²⁄₃ chance of an elven short sword.
  • An elven broadsword and a ¹⁄₂ chance of an elven shield.
  • A ¹⁄₂ chance of an elven spear and accompanying elven shield.

Strategy

Groups of elf-lords can be quite dangerous to a mid-game character: Elf-lords that have a bow and arrows can pepper you with them repeatedly from a distance with their two weapon attacks, and their status as a lord to their kind allows them to multishot the arrows, which can easily rack up significant damage. Furthermore, they may generate with potions of gain level that they can use to become stronger Elvenkings.

As a monster that can be generated via summon nasties, they are not as dangerous as an Elvenking, but their ability to ignore Elbereth like most elves makes them more difficult to drive off than other monsters.

History

The elf-lord first appears in NetHack 3.0.0.

Variants

Some variants adjust monster names so that female counterparts to the elf-lord are properly named and generated.

GruntHack

In GruntHack, elf-lords are replaced by the lord and lady racial monsters, which can be elven.

UnNetHack

In UnNetHack, a hostile elf-lord will generate within the fort's main hall in the third variant of Fort Ludios.

dNetHack

In dNetHack, an elf-lord will generate on the level containing the magic portal to the Mordor Ruins Quest. Within the branch:

• The River Ford level has a ³⁄₄ chance of generating an elf-lord and a separate ³⁄₄ chance of generating an elf-lady in the forest on the west side.
• At the west edge of the Elven Forest level, an elf-lord and an elf-lady are among the group of elves generated opposite a horde of Mordor orcs and other monsters led by a Nazgul.

Elf-nobles may appear among the court of an elven monarch-ruled throne room.

SpliceHack

In SpliceHack, the monster is renamed to the elven noble, with male monarchs called "elven lords" and female monarchs called "elven ladies".

EvilHack

In EvilHack, the monster is renamed to the elven noble as in SpliceHack.

As in UnNetHack, a hostile elven noble will generate within the fort's main hall in the third variant of Fort Ludios.