Alhoon (dNetHack)
L alhoon 
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 26 |
| Attacks |
Touch 3d6 cold, Tentacle 1d4 int drain, Tentacle 1d2 life drain, Tentacle 1d2 life drain, Spellcast 0d0 mage |
| Base level | 17 |
| Base experience | 657 |
| Speed | 9 |
| Base AC | -14 |
| Base MR | 90 |
| Alignment | 0 (neutral) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 0 (Not randomly generated) |
| Genocidable | No |
| Weight | 1200 |
| Nutritional value | 100 |
| Size | medium |
| Resistances | fire resistance, cold resistance, sleep resistance, poison resistance, stoning resistance |
| Resistances conveyed | none |
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An alhoon:
| |
| Reference | dNAO 3.24.0 - src/monst.c, line 9808 |
- For the monster in EvilHack, see Alhoon (EvilHack).
An alhoon, L, is a type of monster that appears in dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack. The alhoon is a primordial demihuman that is the result of a mind flayer attaining lichdom and becoming undead, and shares traits of both monsters: they have the cold touch attack, spellcasting, enhanced regeneration, and life-draining of the lich, and the flight, tentacle attacks and intelligence-draining of their illithid kin. Alhoons are also amphibious, breathless and death-resistant as a result of being undead.
Alhoons possess telepathy, R'lyehian vision and darkvision, can see invisible, will pick up magical items that they come across, and will wait for a hero to approach them. Alhoons have 14 points of AC and 8 points of DR in the 'natural' category, along with 10 points of AC in the special category. Seeing an alhoon can affect the hero's sanity and raise their insight.
An alhoon has a cold touch attack, a brain-eating tentacle attack, two life-draining tentacle attacks, and can cast one mage monster spell during each of its rounds with no cooldown. Alhoons resist piercing damage and possess fire resistance, cold resistance, sleep resistance, poison resistance, and stoning resistance.
Alhoons are poisonous to consume, which primarily comes up if they are digested by another monster or subjected to Ahazu (which ignores harmful effects from consuming monsters via its "Abduction" ability).
Alhoons can be warded by a fully-reinforced Elder Sign as well as a fourfold-or-better Elder Elemental Eye.
Generation
Alhoons are not randomly generated, and normally-created ones are always hostile. They are not a valid genocide target, and cannot be wished for in figurine or statue form.
Only two alhoons are generated in a normal game, and both appear in the depths of the Neutral Quest: one is created on the middle throne within the third level of the Lethe Waterway, and a second is placed in the tower on the second level of the Gulf of N'Kai. Each alhoon is always generated with a crystal skull, either the Second or Third Key of Neutrality (which is always uncursed), and a set of cursed +4 armor that is at least partially eroded: copper scale mail, a leather helm, a leather pair of gloves, a pair of leather high boots, and a cloak of magic resistance.
Alhoons never leave a corpse upon death.
Origin
Alhoons, also called illithiliches, are a form of illithid that originate from Dungeons & Dragons, where they first appear in Advanced 2nd Edition booklet "Book One: The City", released as part of the Menzoberranzan boxed set for the Forgotten Realms setting in 1992. They are further detailed in 1998 supplement "The Illithiad". Alhoons are outcasts from illithid society for delving too deep into the study of wizardry.
Illithids consider psionic potential integral to their identity, and typically communicate through psychic means by projecting thoughts and feelings to each other, and upon death have their brain extracted and taken to the pool of an "Elder Brain", which also hosts illithid larvae. This brain acts as a vast library of knowledge that other illithids can call upon, and becoming a part of its collective of brains represents a form of immortality to them. The study of arcane magic and other forms of magic is frowned upon, since magical energy cannot be absorbed by the Elder Brain, but is otherwise tolerated insofar as it allows illithid society to better understand their enemies. Illithids that are outcast for going too far with these studies will often seek immortality through undeath instead, turning to lichdom and becoming alhoons—when alhoons are discovered near illithid communities, they are mercilessly hunted down.
Encyclopedia entry
Alhoons superficially resemble their living kin; however, their skin is dry and wrinkled, free of the ubiquitous mucous that covers living mind flayers.
