Delayed instadeath
Revision as of 10:52, 4 January 2007 by Ekaterin (talk | contribs) (Delayed sure death moved to Delayed instadeath: "Delayed instadeath" is the established term.)
A delayed instadeath is a death not involving running out of HP which takes more than one turn but which will kill you unless you do something to prevent it. (While the term "delayed instadeath" sounds self-contradictory, it is the accepted term in the roguelike community.) Delayed instadeaths are regarded as major problems by your god, so prayer will normally save you.
The following delayed instadeaths exist in NetHack:
- Turning to stone as a result of being hit by a cockatrice's special attack or eating a cockatrice egg. The standard cure is to eat a lizard corpse. Vegetarians can quaff a potion of acid instead.
- Sliming (turning into green slime). Curable by setting yourself on fire.
- Food poisoning from eating an old corpse or disease from the sickness attack of Juiblex, Scorpius or Demogorgon. Curable by applying a unicorn horn.
- Sinking in lava. Fix this by praying or zapping a wand of cold downwards.
- Strangulation, from wearing an amulet of strangulation. Instantly curable by removing the amulet, but amulets of strangulation are normally generated cursed.
