Hack'EM Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions for Hack'EM
Q: Why doesn't the wand of healing auto-id on engrave?
A: There are two healing wands, the wand of healing and the wand of extra-healing. Both are ported from SlashEM and both have the same engrave message. When one is identified, the other will auto-ID when engraved with (by process of elimination.)
Q: Is Dragonbane the same as Evil?
A: Yes.
Q: Do thrones have usual vanilla behaviour?
A: No - new behavior has been inherited from EvilHack. Before (in vanilla), if the players luck was 0 or greater, they had a 7.5% chance of getting a wish from sitting on a throne - now it's closer to 1.5%. If the player doesn't get a wish, other good things can happen instead, including gaining permanent see invisible intrinsic. Once the player is granted a wish from a throne, the throne is guaranteed to disappear.
Q: How does artifact wishing work in Hack'EM?
A: The same as in EvilHack. "Instead of being based off of how many artifacts exist in the game total (vanilla NetHack method), success is based off of how many artifacts the player has wished for (successful or not). Another significant difference, is that the odds are high that when an artifact is wished for, it comes with its owner, and the owner is none too happy about it." See EvilHack#Wishing for artifacts
Q: Is Vecna the version from SLASH'EM or EvilHack?
A: The EvilHack version - you will still have to defeat Vecna to annhilhilate/genocide Liches.
Q: I found a really cheap scroll in a shop, but scrolls of identify are already known, what is it?
A: A scroll of knowledge!
Q: Why can't I write scrolls of knowledge?
A: To know what you know and what you do not know, that is true knowledge. -Confucius
Q: Do healing spells only damage zombies or all other undead too?
A: Just zombies.
Q: I started to wither but a mummy did not hit me, what's happening?
A: It's likely you were carrying a cursed potion of regeneration and it broke - this will cause temporary withering.
Q: Why do I "feel guilty" when killing a shopkeeper as a chaotic?
A: Shopkeepers are generated as always peaceful, you will receive an alignment penalty for killing one no matter what your alignment is.
Q: Is a dirty rag always a poisonous cloak?
A: No - the dirty rag is just one of the randomized appearances a special cloak can take.
Q: Are potions of amnesia always sparkling (like in SLASH'EM)?
A: No. Now the sparkling potion is just another randomized appearance. To avoid quaffing a full potion, you can either pour potions down sinks to test them by breathing their vapors.
Q: Is it safe to drop potions while you are flying?
A: Yes, flying is different from levitation in that dropping items acts the same as when you are on the ground.
Q: Can vampires drink booze for nutrition?
A: Yes.
Q: Does squeezing into a boulder in sokoban produces a luck penalty?
A: Yes.
Q: Does picking up boulders (in Sokobon) as a giant penalize your luck?
A: Yes - in fact, giants get double the luck penalty of other races because it's so easy for them to do it.
Q: Can I use bag of rats as a usual bag after it's empty?
A: Yes. BUT, if you choose to recharge the bag, any items inside will be destroyed upon recharging the bag of rats. Be sure to empty it before charging it.
Q: Can you drown in sewage?
A: No. Sewage is similar to puddles (it will rust your metallic boots) but it also slows you for a few turns after leaving it.
Q: Why isn't my tonal instrument working with Grund's Stronghold drawbridge?
A: The passtune only works on the castle drawbridge.
Q: If I use a scroll of cloning on a very corroded ring will it clone a new one that is free of corrosion?
A: No. The item that is cloned will copy the erosion levels as well.
Q: Why are things waking up when I have stealth?
A: This is normal with EvilHack style stealth, you "break" the stealth by attacking.
Q: Why do I only have 50% resistance to fire/cold/etc when I know I achieved 100%?
A: There might be a few causes to this.
- 1) You might be subject to the Vulnerability spell from a hostile spellcaster. This halves your resistance for a while.
- 2) You might be a vampiric race, who can only gain 50% max resistance to fire.
- 3) You might be a flamemage, who can only gain 50% max resistance to cold.
- 4) You might be an ice mage, who can only gain 50% max resistance to fire.
Q: Why are red tiles appearing after I kill something?
A: That is blood. Bloody tiles don't have any effect on gameplay except to make the dungeon more colorful.
Q: What does a potion of invulnerability protect you from?
A: Invulnerability protects against HP loss, beheading, bisection, explosions, digestion, disease attacks, psionic wave, sinking into lava, death rays, and disintegration rays. But currently not drain life attacks.
Q: Does Hack'EM follow EvilHack's Sokobon prize rules?
A: Yes.
Q: Why are vampire infidels not available as a role/race combination?
A: Because infidels have fire resistance and have an affinity to fire (their special spell is fireball). Vampires, on the other hand, start off vulnerable to fire. If combined, they would have a awkward cap of 50% fire resistance which does not seem to fit well with the infidel role.
Q: If you play as a centaur (that can't wear boots), will your extra kick petrify you when fighting monsters like cockatrices?
A: No. Your extra barehooved kick will not fire on petrifying monsters.
Q: Are there immunity rings like in FIQhack?
A: No.
Q: Does the raise zombies spell only tame the zombies that were raised, or can I use it to tame other hostile zombies?
A: Only the zombies that were resurrected are able to be tamed.
Q: Why does the tourist start with 0:0 magic marker
A: This is a feature imported from FIQhack. Since markers don't generate randomly and no roles start with markers now, this lets the tourist be the only role that starts with a marker. They can always find a source of charging later in the game if and when they defeat the quest nemesis.
Q: Does regeneration use hunger as usual?
A: Regeneration uses up food when injured, unless due to an artifact or from your race. Once you are at max HP and done healing, you stop hungering from regeneration. Giants, vampires, and tortles can all get intrinsic hungerless regeneration.
Q: Will fixed/shatterproof rings made of glass materials (glass, crystal, ceramic, etc) still be vulnerable to sonic attacks?
A: No, they will be protected like any other fixed item.
Q: Why can't I wear a robe over armor? I tried doing so and got "You are already wearing some armor."
A: Robes were considered armor in SLASH'EM and that change has been ported over. So you can wear a robe as armor, and a cloak over it now.
Q: Why is robe of power MC 0? I was expecting MC2.
A: This is another change from SLASH'EM where robes were MC0. Except that now the Robe of Protection has been slightly buffed to MC1 for Hack'EM.
Q: Why did my pirate get a non-artifact from altar sacrifice?
A: Pirates are only guaranteed one artifact from altars - the Marauder's Map. All other gifts from sacrificing will be non-artifacts.
