Difference between revisions of "Chickatrice"
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{{main|Cockatrice#Strategy}} | {{main|Cockatrice#Strategy}} | ||
| − | Both the chickatrice and cockatrice are generally considered serious nuisances, since they are often the source of many [[YASD]]s. While chickatrices may appear earlier than cockatrices, they are weaker and much less common: a chickatrice is also slower at 4 speed, and is much less likely to leave a corpse. See the article linked above for | + | Both the chickatrice and cockatrice are generally considered serious nuisances, since they are often the source of many [[YASD]]s. While chickatrices may appear earlier than cockatrices, they are weaker and much less common: a chickatrice is also slower at 4 speed, and is much less likely to leave a corpse. |
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| + | [[Magic cancellation]] will ''not'' protect you against any of the stoning attack's stages, but good [[AC]] will prevent the touch attack from landing, and [[cancellation]] will prevent the chickatrice from hissing - note that it does '''not''' cancel any of the other stoning qualities of a chickatrice or its corpse, including the stoning casued by bare-skinned contact. See the article linked above for a more in-depth look at methods of dealing with footrices, footrice meat and footrice eggs, which also applies to chickatrices.<!--List any encountered exceptions below.--> | ||
| + | |||
| + | Lizard corpses are among the most reliable cures for sudden stoning, as is the [[potion of acid]] (particularly for [[vegetarian]]s and [[vegan]]s); eating the corpse or tin of an [[acidic]] monster will also cure stoning, but you are not remotely guaranteed to get to such food in time. You can also prepare for the speed loss ahead of time by [[apply]]ing a [[tinning kit]] to create a [[quantum mechanic]] tin or keep a charged [[wand of speed monster]] in a [[bag]] or other [[container]]. | ||
Of note is that when [[wish]]ing for a footrice corpse, partly eaten chickatrice corpses are preferred since they are the lightest possible stoning implement that can be wielded and used repeatedly. | Of note is that when [[wish]]ing for a footrice corpse, partly eaten chickatrice corpses are preferred since they are the lightest possible stoning implement that can be wielded and used repeatedly. | ||
Revision as of 20:43, 19 February 2024
c chickatrice 
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 7 |
| Attacks |
Bite 1d2, touch 0d0 stoning, passive 0d0 stoning |
| Base level | 4 |
| Base experience | 136 |
| Speed | 4 |
| Base AC | 8 |
| Base MR | 30 |
| Alignment | 0 (neutral) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 1 (Very rare) |
| Genocidable | Yes |
| Weight | 10 |
| Nutritional value | 10 |
| Size | tiny |
| Resistances | poison, stoning |
| Resistances conveyed |
poison (27%) |
|
A chickatrice:
| |
| Reference | monst.c#line170 |
A chickatrice, c, is a type of monster that appears in NetHack. It is an omnivorous animal that can be seen via infravision.
The cockatrice and chickatrice are collectively referred to as footrices, are among the more complex creatures in Nethack: both monsters can turn you to stone instantaneously if your bare skin makes contact with their body or corpse, and this also applies to other monsters as well.
A chickatrice has a bite attack and a touch attack that can initiate stoning: to turn a player character to stone, the chickatrice's touch attack must land, and there is a 1⁄3 chance of the chickatrice hissing - if hissing occurs and you do not have stoning resistance, there is a 1⁄10 chance that you will begin turning to stone, and this will always occur on a new moon unless you are carrying a lizard corpse. Turning to stone this way is a delayed instadeath: you lose any intrinsic speed, and have a limited amount of time to cure the stoning before it turns you into a statue.
Chickatrices possess poison resistance and stoning resistance. Eating a chickatrice corpse or tin will instantly turn you to stone unless you have stoning resistance - if you have stoning resistance, YAFM is printed and the meat has a roughly 4⁄15 chance of conveying poison resistance.
According to the definition in monst.c, eating chickatrice meat should convey stoning resistance, but this is not yet implemented.[1][2]
Generation
Randomly-generated chickatrices are always hostile, and may appear in small groups. A chickatrice can grow up into a cockatrice, and a cockatrice egg will hatch into a chickatrice.
Strategy
Both the chickatrice and cockatrice are generally considered serious nuisances, since they are often the source of many YASDs. While chickatrices may appear earlier than cockatrices, they are weaker and much less common: a chickatrice is also slower at 4 speed, and is much less likely to leave a corpse.
Magic cancellation will not protect you against any of the stoning attack's stages, but good AC will prevent the touch attack from landing, and cancellation will prevent the chickatrice from hissing - note that it does not cancel any of the other stoning qualities of a chickatrice or its corpse, including the stoning casued by bare-skinned contact. See the article linked above for a more in-depth look at methods of dealing with footrices, footrice meat and footrice eggs, which also applies to chickatrices.
Lizard corpses are among the most reliable cures for sudden stoning, as is the potion of acid (particularly for vegetarians and vegans); eating the corpse or tin of an acidic monster will also cure stoning, but you are not remotely guaranteed to get to such food in time. You can also prepare for the speed loss ahead of time by applying a tinning kit to create a quantum mechanic tin or keep a charged wand of speed monster in a bag or other container.
Of note is that when wishing for a footrice corpse, partly eaten chickatrice corpses are preferred since they are the lightest possible stoning implement that can be wielded and used repeatedly.
History
The chickatrice first appears in NetHack 3.3.0.
Chickatrices are subject to a few bugs:
- Smashing a wielded potion of polymorph over a monster while not wearing gloves will stone the character if the monster turns into a chickatrice. This is bug #C343-31, fixed May 2004.
Origin
The chickatrice is simply a young cockatrice. Cockatrices are alleged to be incubated by a serpent or toad from a rooster's egg. Yolkless eggs were traditionally believed to have been laid by roosters.
Physically, it resembles a rooster with a reptilian tail and bat wings.
The traditional cockatrice is simply deadly. The stoning attack property comes from Dungeons & Dragons.
The cockatrice is closely related to the basilisk (a monster not present in vanilla NetHack) referred to in the encyclopedia entry. The relation between basilisks and cockatrices is unclear; sometimes they are used as synonyms, but other times a basilisk is a different monster.
Messages
- This tastes just like chicken!
- You ate a chickatrice corpse with stoning resistance.
Encyclopedia entry
Once in a great while, when the positions of the stars are
just right, a seven-year-old rooster will lay an egg. Then,
along will come a snake, to coil around the egg, or a toad,
to squat upon the egg, keeping it warm and helping it to
hatch. When it hatches, out comes a creature called basilisk,
or cockatrice, the most deadly of all creatures. A single
glance from its yellow, piercing toad's eyes will kill both
man and beast. Its power of destruction is said to be so
great that sometimes simply to hear its hiss can prove fatal.
Its breath is so venomous that it causes all vegetation
to wither.
There is, however, one creature which can withstand the
basilisk's deadly gaze, and this is the weasel. No one knows
why this is so, but although the fierce weasel can slay the
basilisk, it will itself be killed in the struggle. Perhaps
the weasel knows the basilisk's fatal weakness: if it ever
sees its own reflection in a mirror it will perish instantly.
But even a dead basilisk is dangerous, for it is said that
merely touching its lifeless body can cause a person to
sicken and die.
