Fire ant
a fire ant  
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 6 |
| Attacks | |
| Base level | 3 |
| Base experience | 34 |
| Speed | 18 |
| Base AC | 3 |
| Base MR | 10 |
| Alignment | 0 (neutral) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 1 (Very rare) |
| Genocidable | yes |
| Weight | 30 |
| Nutritional value | 10 |
| Size | tiny |
| Resistances | fire resistance |
| Resistances conveyed | fire resistance (20%) |
|
A fire ant:
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| Reference | NetHack 5.0.0 - include/monsters.h, line 111 |
A fire ant, a, is a type of monster that appears in NetHack. The fire ant is a carnivorous and oviparous insectoid animal that is a stronger fire-based relative of the giant ant, and can be seen via infravision.
A fire ant has two bite attacks, with the second bite dealing fire damage that can burn away sliming, instantly destroy paper golems and straw golems, and potentially destroy potions, scrolls, and spellbooks in the victim's inventory.[1] Fire ants possess fire resistance.
Eating a fire ant corpse or tin has a 1⁄5 chance of granting fire resistance, and monsters that eat fire ant corpses can also gain fire resistance.
One possible message for a T-shirt reads "Anhur State University - Home of the Fighting Fire Ants!"
Contents
Generation
Randomly-generated fire ants are always created hostile, and may appear in small groups of 2-4.
Hostile fire ants can be generated by the summon insects monster spell.[2]
Fire ants are the first quest monster for Valkyries, and make up 96⁄175 of the monsters that are randomly generated on the Valkyrie quest. Several fire ants are generated on each level of this quest branch at level creation: ten are generated on the home level, five are generated on the upper filler level, seventeen are generated on the locate level, three are generated on the lower filler levels, and four are generated on the goal level. Fire ants can also appear among the a that are part of the first quest monster class for Valkyries and make up 24⁄175 of the monsters randomly generated there.
An anthole has a 1⁄3 chance of being populated entirely by fire ants.[3]
Strategy
While not as immediately deadly as the poison sting-wielding soldier ant, fire ants are just as fast at 18 speed and can still inflict significant damage to early heroes, including burning and destroying valuable items in their inventory. They also have the same base 3 AC as other ants, making them hard to hit. If possible, drop or stash whatever loose flammable items are in your inventory before actively engaging any fire ants.
The same techniques for escaping or fighting giant ant swarms work for fire ants: avoid being surrounded at all costs, and try to lead them through a nearby corridor or close doors to block them off. Keep an eye on where any stairs are located and be prepared to retreat there if possible—avoid being burdened if at all reasonable to maximize your movement speed. Elbereth reliably works on fire ants, and any form of magic can work as well: fire ants have a low MR score of 10, which still leaves them quite vulnerable, but gives them a slight chance of resisting unlike other ants.
Heroes capable of fighting ant swarms should use their best ranged weapons, offensive spells and/or wands as usual: fire ants are vulnerable to cold damage, making a wand of cold more effective than usual for killing swarms. Wands of sleep, slow monster, and magic missile can also work against properly lined-up fire ants. Be prepared to kill them as quickly as possible to minimize damage to your inventory, and keep escape items ready to go if you risk being overwhelmed—again, fire-vulnerable items should be bagged if possible.
A hero that has fire resistance will completely nullify damage from the second bite attack, and fire ant corpses can be eaten as a source of fire resistance to make future fights easier, especially for Valkyries that find their quest and lack the intrinsic. This will not protect the hero's inventory, however, which requires extrinsic sources or other items: a dwarvish cloak can be obtained early and protects the hero's inventory from fire damage 9⁄10 of the time while worn, and an extrinsic source of fire resistance protects each item that would be subjected to burning from destruction 99⁄100 of the time.
As with other insects, fire ants created by the summon insects spell are usually encountered at a point where they are of no real trouble to most heroes, and can even serve as a limited form of buffer, e.g. against monsters in Moloch's Sanctum or the Astral Plane—the risk of fire damage to inventory and slower HP regeneration at higher experience levels make it best not to idle unless the hero can heal themselves promptly and stash vulnerable items. Similarly, the ants can also provide a vector for chain lightning spells, although the amount of hostiles encountered in late-game situations where insects are summoned against a hero means that significant power drain will usually occur upon casting the spell—heroes conserving their energy for other spells should treat this as a form of last resort.
History
The fire ant first appears in NetHack 3.0.0.
Origin
Giant ants–specifically, ants or ant-like creatures that are human-sized or larger–are a popular form of insectoid in science-fiction media, codified by the giant ants seen in Them! (1954) and Empire of the Ants (1977). Other notable examples include the Bugs of Starship Troopers, the Formics of Ender's Game, and the ants that accompany Marvel Comics super hero Ant-Man. Like other ants in various forms of fiction, they are commonly portrayed as a hive species, which is a common misconception regarding ant colonies.
"Fire ants" constitute over 200 species of ants in the genus Solenopsis, a group of ants whose common names reflect their painful sting and are also known for their "fiery" coloration, which is usually red. The name may also be colloquially applied to other unrelated species of ants with painful stings, such as the weaver ants of Southeast Asia (genus Oecophylla) and the electric ant or "little fire ant" (Wasmannia auropunctata).
Variants
dNetHack
In dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, fire ants are a lawful and always-female species, and their second bite attack is exchanged for a fire-element 3d4 sting attack. Fire ants can be commanded by formian taskmasters.
Fire ants may appear among the random insects that are placed on the Arcadian Roads of the Law Quest during level creation for those floors.
A hero encountering a fire ant while wearing the Scorpion Carapace unlocks the fire resistance upgrade.
Encyclopedia entry
This giant variety of the ordinary ant will fight just as fiercely as its small, distant cousin. Various varieties exist, and they are known and feared for their relentless persecution of their victims.
