Yeenoghu
& Yeenoghu 
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 31 |
| Attacks |
Weapon 3d6, weapon 2d8 confusion, claw 1d6 paralyze, spellcasting 2d6 magic missile |
| Base level | 25 |
| Base experience | 1073 |
| Speed | 18 |
| Base AC | −5 |
| Base MR | 80 |
| Alignment | −15 (chaotic) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | Unique |
| Genocidable | No |
| Weight | 900 |
| Nutritional value | 500 |
| Size | Large |
| Resistances | Poison resistance, fire resistance, magic resistance |
| Resistances conveyed | None |
|
Yeenoghu:
| |
| Reference | monst.c#line2674 |
Yeenoghu, &, is a unique monster that appears in NetHack. He is a demon lord that is covetous and capable of warping, and desires the Amulet of Yendor. Yeenoghu has infravision and can be seen via infravision, and can also fly, see invisible, and pick up items that he comes across.
Yeenoghu has a weapon attack, a second weapon attack that inflicts confusion, a claw attack that can paralyze the target, and the ability to fire magic missiles. Yeenoghu possesses poison resistance and fire resistance, magic resistance from his magic missile attack, and drain resistance and death resistance like all demons.
Yeenoghu is poisonous to eat, which primarily comes up if he is digested by another monster.
Contents
Generation
Yeenoghu is not a valid target for polymorph.
Yeenoghu is one of two demon lords alongside Juiblex that can be summoned by performing same-race sacrifice, and will be peaceful for a chaotic hero and hostile otherwise. Yeenoghu also has a very small chance of being summoned by demon gating, or via the summon nasties monster spell being cast either in Gehennom or by the Wizard of Yendor.
Yeenoghu is always generated with a flail.
Strategy
Yeenoghu can deal out tremendous physical damage if you lack free action and MC3; his melee attacks can also gate in other major demons, and he can zap you with magic missiles as well, meaning he is himself immune to them on top of his high monster magic resistance. However, Yeenoghu is not generally a problem if you are prepared for him.
Like other demon princes, Yeenoghu is covetous and will teleport next to you to deliver melee attacks and fire magic missiles. When at low health, he will teleport to the upstair tile to regenerate, and will escape up them if approached too closely; the usual strategies for covetous monsters apply, including obstructing the upstair or else luring him to a floor with a blocked upstair. As he is able to summon Demogorgon directly, dispatching him quickly is advised.
Yeenoghu respects Elbereth; however, Elbereth does not work in Gehennom, where Yeenoghu is most likely to be encountered. Even if you encounter him outside Gehennom (e.g. via water demon or a non-Gehennom bones), you may be better off escaping and avoiding the floor entirely if somehow possible unless your character is sufficiently prepared. If you can take the fight to him, then remember that you cannot attack him while on an Elbereth, either; on top of this, Yeenoghu's confusing gaze will complicate your attempts to engrave, and his tendency to teleport after you at the first opportunity usually means you will have to lure him to a pre-engraved Elbereth elsewhere.
History
Yeenoghu first appears in NetHack 3.0.0.
"A ludicrous bug"
Yeenoghu is the subject of one of the longeer-running bugs in the history of NetHack: the Riders were introduced in NetHack 3.1.0, with the code that handles their special attacks placed right after the code for Yeenoghu's confusion-inducing weapon attack[1] - this code was inserted carelessly, resulting in Yeenoghu using his weapon attack and then bringing out Death's deadly touch:[2]
Yeenoghu reaches out with its deadly touch.--More-- Do you want your possessions identified? [yn]
A comment at the end of Yeenoghu's section read:
/* fall through to next case */
Contemporary source-divers thought from this that the behavior was deliberate; thus, for many years the bug was never reported.
Pat Rankin of the DevTeam was made aware of this property in a rec.games.roguelike.nethack discussion, and called it "a ludicrous bug";[3] the then-current version was NetHack 3.3.1, and the illicit death touch bug was finally fixed in time for NetHack 3.4.0.
Umber hulks were not affected, because their confusion attack is handled in a different part of the code.[4]
These source excerpts might make clear the origin of the bug. Here is src/mhitu.c lines 999-1012 from NetHack 3.0.0, which was before the Riders existed:
#ifdef HARD /* a non-gaze AD_CONF exists only for one of the demons */
case AD_CONF:
hitmsg(mtmp,mattk->aatyp);
if(!mtmp->mcan && !rn2(4) && !mtmp->mspec_used) {
mtmp->mspec_used += (dmg + rn2(6));
if(Confusion)
You("are getting even more confused.");
else You("are getting confused.");
make_confused(HConfusion + dmg, FALSE);
}
#endif
/* fall through to next case */
default: dmg = 0;
break;
Here is a partial quote of src/mhitu.c lines 1214-1258 from NetHack 3.1.0, the first version to implement the Riders:
case AD_CONF:
hitmsg(mtmp, mattk);
if(!mtmp->mcan && !rn2(4) && !mtmp->mspec_used) {
mtmp->mspec_used = mtmp->mspec_used + (dmg + rn2(6));
if(Confusion)
You("are getting even more confused.");
else You("are getting confused.");
make_confused(HConfusion + dmg, FALSE);
}
/* fall through to next case */
case AD_DETH:
pline("%s reaches out with its deadly touch.", Monnam(mtmp));
[... the rest of the Rider code ...]
default: dmg = 0;
break;
The Rider code was carelessly placed between the AD_CONF section, which handles Yeenoghu's confusion attack, and the default section, where it was supposed to finish. Thus execution improperly proceeded into Death's touch attack.
The bug was written up as bug C331-96[5] and was fixed in NetHack 3.4.0. Here is src/mhitu.c lines 1474-1486 from NetHack 3.4.3:
case AD_CONF:
hitmsg(mtmp, mattk);
if(!mtmp->mcan && !rn2(4) && !mtmp->mspec_used) {
mtmp->mspec_used = mtmp->mspec_used + (dmg + rn2(6));
if(Confusion)
You("are getting even more confused.");
else You("are getting confused.");
make_confused(HConfusion + dmg, FALSE);
}
dmg = 0;
break;
case AD_DETH:
pline("%s reaches out with its deadly touch.", Monnam(mtmp));
[... the rest of the Rider code ...]
The "dmg = 0;" and "break;" lines duplicate the ones in the default section, and Yeenoghu is restored to his pre-3.1.0 behavior.
Origin
Yeenoghu is a character from the setting of Dungeons & Dragons, where he is the demon lord of gnolls, which resemble anthropomorphic hyenas. He wields a triple-headed flail.
Variants
UnNetHack
In UnNetHack, Yeenoghu no longer respects Elbereth.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, Yeenoghu now generates with an artifact triple-headed flail called Butcher, and his magic missile attack is buffed from 2d6 to 6d6.
Encyclopedia entry
Yeenoghu, the demon lord of gnolls, still exists although all his followers have been wiped off the face of the earth. He casts magic projectiles at those close to him, and a mere gaze into his piercing eyes may hopelessly confuse the battle-weary adventurer.
