Bite
A bite attack, also known simply as a bite, is a melee attack type that appears in NetHack, and is primarily used by monsters. The attack type is defined by the AT_BITE flag within monattk.h in the source code.[1]
Description
A monster that has a bite attack, including a hero polymorphed into such a monster, performs the attack by attempting to strike the target with their teeth or tusks, which causes them to make contact with the defender.
Magic cancellation can block bite attacks if they use damage types that are also blocked by magic cancellation. Biting a cockatrice or chickatrice will turn the attacker to stone, and monsters will avoid doing so against such targets when possible, with the exception of a hero in the form of either monster.[2][3][4]
List of monsters
The following monsters have bite attacks:
- a ant or other insect
- a giant ant
- a soldier ant
- a fire ant (one physical, one fire)
- a giant beetle
- all c cockatrices except the c pyrolisk
- all d canines
- all f felines
- all g gremlins
- i imp or minor demon
- i manes
- i homunculus (sleep)
- i quasit
- i tengu
- all p piercers
- q quadruped
- all r rodents
- all s arachnid or centipedes except the s scorpion and s Scorpius
- all growth stages of domestic horse
- all w worms
- x grid bug
- z zruty
- A couatl (poisonous, drains strength; physical)
- all B bats and birds; B vampire bat has a second bite (poisonous, drains strength)
- all D dragons
- J jabberwock
- all N nagas
- P pudding or ooze
- P gray ooze (rust)
- P brown pudding (decay)
- P black pudding (corrosion)
- all S snakes
- all T trolls
- U umber hulk
- all V vampires
- X xorn
- Y apelike creature
- @ human or elf
- @ Medusa (poisonous, drains strength)
- & major demon
- & water demon
- & incubus / succubus (seduction)
- & horned devil
- & vrock
- & hezrou
- & ice devil
- & nalfeshnee
- & Baalzebub (poisonous, drains strength)
- all ; sea monsters except the ; jellyfish; electric eel has shocking bite
- all : lizards except the : salamander
- Defunct and deferred monsters
Strategy
The seduction used by foocubi is defined as a bite attack, which means that foocubi and (very critically) heroes in foocubi form will always be in danger of stoning if they use the attack on a footrice—a hero in foocubus form should never melee one for this reason, even if they have weapons and gloves.
History
The bite attack type is formally defined in NetHack 3.0.0.
Messages
- <The monster> bites!
- A monster hit you with a headbutt attack.[5]
- <The monster> snaps wildly and misses!
- A monster targeted a bite attack at you, but you are invisible or else they cannot see you.[6]
- <The monster> bites <the other monster>.
- A monster hit another monster with a bite attack.[7]
- You bite <the monster>.
- You hit a monster with a bite attack.[8]
Variants
Variants of NetHack may add new monsters with bite attacks, as well as different types of bite attacks.
References
- Jump up ↑ include/monattk.h in NetHack 3.6.7, line 14
- Jump up ↑ src/mhitm.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 385
- Jump up ↑ src/mhitm.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1783
- Jump up ↑ src/mhitu.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 675: monster bite versus hero
- Jump up ↑ src/mhitu.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 47
- Jump up ↑ src/mhitu.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 163
- Jump up ↑ src/mhitm.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 589
- Jump up ↑ src/uhitm.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 2527
