Kick attack
- This article is about the attack type. For the command, see kick (command).
A kick attack or kicking attack is a melee attack type that appears in NetHack, and is used by both the hero (via the command) and monsters. The attack type is defined by the AT_KICK flag within monattk.h in the source code.[1]
Description
A hero or monster that uses a kick attack performs the attack by attempting to strike the target using their feet or equivalent body parts: kick attacks from a hero that is polymorphed into a monster and using their normal attack routine are handled differently from kick attacks performed using the command when the hero is not polymorphed[2]—the former type of kick also ignores some restrictions applied to the command, such as carrying capacity and levitation. Kick attacks account for the attacker's worn boots (or lack thereof) on their feet, and a hero performing a kick attack with training in the martial arts skill will use that skill when calculating to-hit and damage.
A kick attack will cause passive attacks from the defender to trigger. Using a kick attack on a cockatrice or chickatrice without wearing boots will turn the attacker to stone—monsters will avoid doing so against such targets when possible, with the exception of a hero in the form of either monster. Kicks used against a target with passive disenchantment attacks can drain a point of enchantment from the attacker's boots.
List of monsters
The following monsters have kick attacks:
- all u unicorns and horses (physical damage)
- angelic beings:
- centaurs:
- C plains centaur (physical damage)
- C forest centaur (physical damage)
- C mountain centaur (2x, physical damage)
- Y sasquatch (physical damage)
- @ aligned cleric (physical damage)
- @ high cleric (physical damage)
- @ monk (physical damage)
- @ Grand Master (physical damage)
- @ Arch Priest (physical damage)
- @ abbot (stun)
History
The kick attack type is formally defined in NetHack 3.0.0.
Variants
NetHack variants may add new monsters with kick attacks, as well as different types of kick attacks.
dNetHack
In dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, the hero gains bonuses to the size of their damage dice for kick attacks equal to the total of 1⁄15 of their strength, dexterity and constitution (rounded down).
Madpeople are forced to kick as their default attack when starting the game due to their cursed straitjacket—however, they gain bonuses to their kicking damage dice from their charisma, which stacks with (and is the same as) the default bonuses from strength, dexterity and charisma. They also gain a damage bonus to kicks and other unarmed attacks equal to 1⁄2 of their charisma if it is at least 10, which is capped at their bare-handed combat damage skill bonus.
Monks can perform kicks via their "dive kick" and "bird kick" fighting moves.
A hero that wears silver boots or has the spirit Eden bound will deal silver damage when kicking.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, several monsters and certain roles are given kick attacks or enhancements.
Monks that attack while they are unarmed and at Master skill or higher in martial arts have a 1⁄3 chance of performing an extra kick attack: they must not be riding or engulfed, have wounded legs and not be wearing a shield other than any form of bracers. This extra kick can be suppressed by force-fighting, and is automatically suppressed for centaur and tortle Monks in their normal forms when they are attacking monsters with immediately-deadly passive attacks (e.g. the stoning passive of a cockatrice or the disintegration passive of a black dragon) and do not possess a resistance to the passive's damage type (i.e. either stoning resistance or at least 50% disintegration resistance)—this is done in order to prevent fights becoming unnecessarily difficult for centaurs and tortles, since neither can wear boots.
References
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