Rabid wolf
d rabid wolf 
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 8 |
| Attacks |
Bite 2d4 poisonous (constitution) |
| Base level | 6 |
| Base experience | 73 |
| Speed | 12 |
| Base AC | 4 |
| Base MR | 0 |
| Alignment | 0 (neutral) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 1 (Very rare) |
| Genocidable | Yes |
| Weight | 500 |
| Nutritional value | 250 |
| Size | Small |
| Resistances | None |
| Resistances conveyed | None |
|
A rabid wolf:
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| Reference | src/monst.c, line 462 |
A rabid wolf, d, is a type of monster that appears in SLASH'EM, SlashTHEM and Hack'EM. The rabid wolf is a small and carnivorous canine animal that can be seen via infravision, and may turn traitor while tame. In Hack'EM, the rabid wolf cannot be made tame, and can go berserk if it is at 1⁄3 of its maximum HP.
A rabid wolf has a bite attack that is poisonous and drains constitution, similar to the rabid rat.
Contents
Generation
Randomly-generated rabid wolves are always created hostile. They are not randomly generated in Gehennom.
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, rabid wolves appear among the random d that are part of the first quest monster class for Samurai and make up 24⁄175 of the monsters randomly generated on the Samurai quest. They also appear among the random d that are part of the second quest monster class for Yeomen and make up 6⁄175 of the monsters randomly generated on the Yeoman quest.
SlashTHEM
In SlashTHEM, rabid wolves appear in the same capacity for Samurai and Yeomen as in SLASH'EM. They also appear among the random d that are part of the first quest monster class for Ninjas and make up 24⁄175 of the monsters randomly generated on the Ninja quest.
Hack'EM
In Hack'EM, rabid wolves appear in the same capacity for Samurai and Yeomen as in SLASH'EM. They also appear among the random d that are part of the first quest monster class for Infidels and make up 24⁄175 of the monsters randomly generated on the Infidel quest.
Werewolves that call for help and summon hostile monsters have a 1⁄10 chance of generating a rabid wolf per summoned monster—a hero that contracts lycanthropy from a werewolf can spend 10 power to summon rabid wolves with the same odds by using the #monster extended command, though they will not generate tame.
Strategy
Rabid wolves are somewhat stronger than regular wolves, but do not generate in groups like they do and still move at the same speed as an unhasted and unburdened hero. A hero that lacks poison resistance will want to rely on ranged weapons if possible to lower their chances of instant death, along with pushing their magic cancellation higher if possible. Hack'EM players will also have to contend with them going berserk at low enough HP.
Rabid wolf corpses are an adequate source of nutrition that unusually are not poisonous like the corpses of rabid rats (or rabid rabbits in Hack'EM).
History
The rabid wolf first appears in SLASH 6, an ancestor of SLASH'EM.
Origin
The wolf (Canis lupus, pl. wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large carnivorous canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though the popular understanding of gray wolves only comprises naturally-occurring wild subspecies. The wolf is the largest extant member of the family Canidae, and is distinguished from other species by its less pointed ears and muzzle, shorter torso and a longer tail—at the same time, it is still related closely enough to Canis species like the coyote and the golden jackal to produce fertile hybrids with them. The wolf's fur is usually mottled white, brown, gray, and black, although subspecies in the Arctic region may be nearly all white.
Rabies is a viral disease that causes encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) in humans and other mammals, and was historically referred to as hydrophobia or "fear of water", due to the symptom of panic when presented with liquids to drink. Other symptoms include fever and abnormal sensations at the site of exposure early on; these are followed by nausea, vomiting, violent movements, uncontrolled excitement, an inability to move parts of the body, confusion, and loss of consciousness. Once symptoms appear, the result is virtually always death, regardless of treatment. Symptoms usually appear 1-3 months after contracting the disease, with variance from less than one week to more than one year depending on the distance the virus must travel to reach the central nervous system.
Rabies is caused by lyssaviruses, including the rabies virus and Australian bat lyssavirus, and is spread by infected animals to other animals or humans via bite, scratch, or saliva that comes into contact with the eyes, mouth, or nose. While canine-specific rabies has been eradicated in the United States, rabies is common among wild animals, and an average of 100 dogs become infected from other wildlife each year. Additionally, southern and eastern Asian countries such as India and its surrounding countries are unable to treat wild canines or apply many preventative measures, due to financial limitations. The majority of fatal wolf attacks on humans since they were first recorded in the 13th century have involved rabies, though the earliest recorded case of an actual rabid wolf attack comes from Germany in 1557.
Though wolves are not reservoirs for the disease, they can catch it from other species—infected wolves develop an exceptionally severe aggressive state and can bite numerous people in a single attack; these rabid attacks usually end in a fortnight, in contrast to the normal predatory behavior, and consist solely of sustained biting that targets the victims' head and neck. Rabid attacks tend to occur in clusters during winter and spring. Before a vaccine was developed, bites were almost always fatal: while wolf bites can be treated today, the severity of rabid wolf attacks can sometimes result in outright death, and a bite near the head will often make the disease act too fast for the treatment to take effect. With the reduction of rabies in Europe and North America, few rabid wolf attacks have been recorded, though some still occur annually in the Middle East.
Messages
Encyclopedia entry
- See the encyclopedia entry for wolf.
