Dragon (UnNetHack)
In UnNetHack and DynaHack, the dragon monster class is significantly changed from NetHack.
List of dragons
The following dragons are present in UnNetHack and DynaHack:
- Adult dragons:
- D tatzelworm, or magic dragon
- D amphitere, or reflecting dragon
- D draken, or fire dragon
- D lindworm, or ice dragon
- D sarkany, or sleep dragon
- D sirrush, or disintegration dragon
- D leviathan, or electric dragon
- D wyvern, or poison dragon
- D glowing dragon (gold dragon in DynaHack), or stone dragon
- D guivre, or acid dragon
- D chromatic dragon
- Baby dragons:
- D tatzelworm, or baby magic dragon
- D amphitere, or baby reflecting dragon
- D draken, or baby fire dragon
- D lindworm, or baby ice dragon
- D sarkany, or baby sleep dragon
- D sirrush, or baby disintegration dragon
- D leviathan, or baby electric dragon
- D wyvern, or baby poison dragon
- D baby glowing dragon (gold dragon in DynaHack), or stone dragon
- D guivre, or baby acid dragon
Randomized traits
With the exception of the chromatic dragon, each dragon in UnNetHack and DynaHack has a breath weapon, elemental resistance(s) and color randomly assigned to each of them at the start of a game, making it impossible to predict a dragon's breath type based on their name or color. The list above gives the default appearances and types of each dragon - all dragons use the D and are given a different-colored glyph once identified, and dragons of the same name or color within a game are always of the same type. Dragons are auto-identified upon witnessing their breath attack, and identifying one dragon also identifies all dragons of that type (including babies), as well as their dragon scales and the dragon scale mail that can be made from it; the reverse also applies for identifying a set of dragon scales or scale mail. The stats of the dragons themselves are identical to the dragons of NetHack.
The glowing dragon is a form of dragon whose body emits light, and their scales and scale mail also act as light sources in addition to the random property they are assigned. Both variants also add lava breath as a possible breath weapon for dragons: lava breath deals heavy fire damage, melts through walls instead of rebounding like other breath weapons, and creates a square of lava where the breath ray terminates.
Below is a table that lists the names given to dragons and their scale types, alongside the default set of properties, breath weapon and color associated with each one:
| Dragon | Breath | Intrinsics | Scale properties | Corpse properties (adults only) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| tatzelworm (magic dragon) | magic missile | magic resistance | magic resistance | none |
| amphitere (reflecting dragon) | cold | cold resistance | reflection | none |
| draken (fire dragon) | fire | fire resistance | fire resistance | fire resistance |
| lindworm (ice dragon) | cold | cold resistance | cold resistance | cold resistance |
| sarkany (sleep dragon) | sleep | sleep resistance | sleep resistance | sleep resistance |
| sirrush (disintegration dragon) | disintegration | disintegration resistance | disintegration resistance | disintegration resistance |
| leviathan (electric dragon) | lightning | shock resistance | shock resistance | shock resistance |
| wyvern (poison dragon) | poison | poison resistance | poison resistance | poison resistance |
| glowing dragon (stone dragon) | lava | stoning resistance, fire resistance | stoning resistance | fire resistance |
| guivre (acid dragon) | acid | acid resistance, stoning resistance | acid resistance | cures stoning |
Generation
In addition to generation rules from NetHack, several dragons are generated on each level of The Dragon Caves at level creation.
Chromatic dragons
The chromatic dragon is a rare and non-unique form of dragon that has the resistances and breath weapons of all dragons, similar to the Chromatic Dragon of NetHack (who is known as Tiamat in these variants); their scales and scale mail grant the same properties. Chromatic dragons are similar to other adult dragons in stature and attributes, but do not have a baby form.
Strategy
The randomization of dragon breath types makes it more difficult for a hero to handle dragons and try to obtain their scales without preparation, and in some cases it can be immediately lethal if a disintegration dragon is one of the first that they encounter. In addition, wishes that are not from a wand of wishing cannot be used to obtain magical items: this means that heroes seeking reflection to deal with dragonbreath are more reliant on specific sources, such as the prize selection from Sokoban (which differs between UnNetHack and DynaHack).
Fortunately, the shield of reflection is non-magical in UnNetHack and DynaHack, making it a more ideal early wish; dragon scales are non-magical as in NetHack, and glowing dragon scales may be worth a wish for a light source and a chance at possible magic dragon scales or reflecting dragon scales.
