Feline
The feline, usually short for cat or other feline, is a monster class that appears in NetHack, and is represented by the lowercase f glyph (f). Cats and felines are designated internally by the macro S_FELINE.[1]
The class contains the following monsters:[2]
The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 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 displacer beast, f, is added to the monster class.Contents
Common traits
Felines are quadrupedal and carnivorous animals; they lack hands, and are visible via infravision. Felines are all of neutral alignment, and can be separated into two categories:
- Domestic felines: the kitten, housecat and large cat
- Wild felines, or "big cats": the jaguar, lynx, panther, and tiger
Felines primarily attack via bites, and the wild felines also have claw attacks. Chatting to a tame domestic feline monster can be used to gauge its current condition.
Felines that eat mimic corpses may assume the form of a tripe ration for the duration of the meal if they do not assume a monster-specific form.[3]
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.
All felines have infravision.Generation
Randomly generated felines that are not domestic are always created hostile; domestic felines are sometimes peaceful towards neutral characters.
Strategy
Most felines have high movement speed, allowing them to deal surprising amounts of damage to an unprepared hero in the early game.
History
The feline monster class is introduced in NetHack 3.0.0, which adds the kitten, housecat and large cat and moves the jaguar to the monster class. The jaguar first appears in Hack 1.21 (based on Jay Fenlason's Hack), where it uses the J glyph; from Hack for PDP-11 and Hack 1.0 to NetHack 2.3e, it uses the j glyph, and NetHack 3.0.0 gives the monster its current glyph.
The tiger is added to the monster class in NetHack 3.0.6. The panther originates in NetHack-- 3.1.3, while the lynx originates in SLASH 6, and both monsters make their vanilla debut in NetHack 3.3.0.
Variants
SLASH'EM
SLASH'EM adds several monsters to the monster class:
- @ / f werepanther
- f kamadan
- f displacer beast
- f caterwaul
- @ / f weretiger
- f sabre-toothed cat
- f hellcat
UnNetHack
In UnNetHack, the feline is the second quest monster class for Cavepeople, and makes up 6⁄175 (3%) of the monsters randomly generated on the Caveman quest.
dNetHack
dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack add several monsters to the monster class:
- f manticore
- f serpent-necked lioness
- f displacer beast
- f son of Typhon
- f hellcat
- f saber-toothed cat
The Cartouche of the Cat Lord is a ward that can pacify hostile felines that see it, returning them to full health if successful. The Toustefna is a ward that can scare off felines.
SpliceHack
SpliceHack adds several monsters to the monster class:
A pinch of catnip thrown at any feline will tame and confuse them, and a hero eating catnip while in the form of a feline will be confused for 2d8 (more) turns.
EvilHack
EvilHack adds two monsters to the monster class:
SlashTHEM
SlashTHEM retains the monsters added in SLASH'EM, and adds two monsters to the monster class:
The feline is the first quest monster class for Zookeepers, and makes up 24⁄175 (14%) of the monsters randomly generated on the Zookeeper quest. The feline is also the second quest monster class for Cavepeople as in UnNetHack, and makes up 6⁄175 (3%) of the monsters randomly generated on the Caveman quest.
Liontamer is an artifact bullwhip that deals extra damage against felines.
Hack'EM
Hack'EM adds several monsters to the monster class, including many from other variants:
- f serval
- f caterwaul
- @ / f werepanther
- @ / f weretiger
- f saber-toothed cat
- f lion
- f serpopard
- f fat cat
- f kamadan
- f saber-toothed tiger
- f displacer beast
- f hellcat
As in SpliceHack, a sprig of catnip thrown at any feline will tame and confuse them, and eating catnip while in the form of a feline will confuse the hero for 2d8 (more) turns.
