Difference between revisions of "Diet"
m (→Special cases: monsymlink) |
(rewrite intro) |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
The '''diet''' of a monster describes which types of things it will eat. | The '''diet''' of a monster describes which types of things it will eat. | ||
| − | Every monster, including yourself, is restricted to eating only certain [[material]]s. Solid foods that are edible to your starting character are generally classified as [[comestible]]s, but if you [[polymorph]] into a different type of monster, | + | Every monster, including yourself, is restricted to eating only certain [[material]]s. Solid foods that are edible to your starting character are generally classified as [[comestible]]s, but if you [[polymorph]] into a different type of monster, you may find yourself snacking on such things as shirts or wands. Independently of diet, you can also quaff any form of [[Foodless#Restoring_nutrition|liquid nourishment]], provided you are capable of drinking. Further, many types of monsters have strong innate preferences with regard to meats and vegetable matter. |
| − | + | Most types of monsters eat only when [[tameness|tame]], i.e., your [[pet]]s; the exceptions are metallivores and other unique diets, which largely avoid safe comestibles. A pet encountering something it is capable of eating will decide whether to eat it according to its dietary preference and its degree of [[nutrition|hunger]], with due care to avoid harmful meals. A pet [[dog]], for example, will eat a banana only when starving. Diet also determines which foods will tame a [[domestic animal]] and which foods a pet considers a [[treat]]. Thus it is helpful to be aware of the diets of your [[pet]]s or potential pets you want to [[tame]] (that pony wants an apple, not a yucky tripe ration!) and of monsters that might go after your treasures (a rock mole ate my gold stash!). | |
| − | Note that being ''capable'' of eating something does not mean that you ''should'' eat it | + | You, as a monster endowed with free will, are restricted only by your physical capacity to consume. Still, your diet is determined by what you are. Most character types are omnivores, although [[monk]]s are effectively herbivores, suffering an alignment penalty for eating non-vegetarian food. When [[polymorph]]ed into a new type of monster, you can eat whatever that monster type can eat, in addition to the usual [[comestibles]]. You are the only monster that can open a [[tin]] of food. Being a carnivore or herbivore (or even inediate) does not restrict your ability to eat, but does make the respective food types more delicious. Note, however, that being ''capable'' of eating something does not mean that you ''should'' eat it; eating a dead [[cockatrice]] by mistake has ended many a game, and eating your own race carries the penalties of [[cannibalism]]. |
| + | |||
| + | Three [[conducts]] tracked by the game entail ''voluntarily'' restricting your diet: vegetarian, vegan, and [[foodless]]. | ||
==Omnivore== | ==Omnivore== | ||
Revision as of 05:45, 13 January 2011
The diet of a monster describes which types of things it will eat.
Every monster, including yourself, is restricted to eating only certain materials. Solid foods that are edible to your starting character are generally classified as comestibles, but if you polymorph into a different type of monster, you may find yourself snacking on such things as shirts or wands. Independently of diet, you can also quaff any form of liquid nourishment, provided you are capable of drinking. Further, many types of monsters have strong innate preferences with regard to meats and vegetable matter.
Most types of monsters eat only when tame, i.e., your pets; the exceptions are metallivores and other unique diets, which largely avoid safe comestibles. A pet encountering something it is capable of eating will decide whether to eat it according to its dietary preference and its degree of hunger, with due care to avoid harmful meals. A pet dog, for example, will eat a banana only when starving. Diet also determines which foods will tame a domestic animal and which foods a pet considers a treat. Thus it is helpful to be aware of the diets of your pets or potential pets you want to tame (that pony wants an apple, not a yucky tripe ration!) and of monsters that might go after your treasures (a rock mole ate my gold stash!).
You, as a monster endowed with free will, are restricted only by your physical capacity to consume. Still, your diet is determined by what you are. Most character types are omnivores, although monks are effectively herbivores, suffering an alignment penalty for eating non-vegetarian food. When polymorphed into a new type of monster, you can eat whatever that monster type can eat, in addition to the usual comestibles. You are the only monster that can open a tin of food. Being a carnivore or herbivore (or even inediate) does not restrict your ability to eat, but does make the respective food types more delicious. Note, however, that being capable of eating something does not mean that you should eat it; eating a dead cockatrice by mistake has ended many a game, and eating your own race carries the penalties of cannibalism.
Three conducts tracked by the game entail voluntarily restricting your diet: vegetarian, vegan, and foodless.
Contents
Omnivore
Most humanoid monsters, including yourself initially, are omnivores. This diet is essentially a combination of carnivore and herbivore.
Carnivore
Carnivores are monsters that (when tamed) prefer to eat meat. Tripe and meat created with stone to flesh are considered treats. They will eat any safe corpses and eggs that they find on the ground. They will eat "people food" such as food rations, pancakes, or fortune cookies if they are hungry and vegetarian food such as fruit and melons if starving. They will not eat vegan corpses such as mold or lichens, nor will they eat tins.
Herbivore
Herbivores are monsters that (when tamed) prefer to eat vegetable matter such as fruit, vegetables, fungi, and other plants. Apples and carrots are considered treats. They will eat safe vegan corpses such as lichens, mold, shriekers, blobs, and jellies if they find them lying on the ground. They will also eat melons, oranges, pears, wolfsbane, garlic, kelp fronds, and so on, but only when hungry. If they are very hungry, they will eat some people food like food rations, pancakes, and lembas. They will never eat meat products, meaty corpses, eggs, or tins.
Metallivore
Metallivores subsist on metals, including not only metallic weapons and armor but also rings, amulets, and wands made of metal. In fact, a useful strategy is to polymorph into a metallivore in order to gain intrinsics by eating jewelry. They also eat tins of food, biting right through the tasty metal. Non-rustproof iron objects are considered treats. Unlike xorns and rock moles, rust monsters are restricted to the one metal that can rust, iron.
Inediate
Inediates do not need to eat any kind of food to stay alive. Generally, monsters that are undead, demonic, angelic, or otherwise magical in nature are inediate, but there are exceptions, such as ghouls.
Special cases
Several monsters have unique diets.
- b Gelatinous cubes eat any organic material (anything that can rot), and engulf most everything else.
- h Mind flayers eat the brains out of living monsters.
- U Umber hulks can chew through solid rock, which gives them nutrition. They cannot, however, eat items made of rock (mineral, as it is called in-game).
- Z Ghouls eat only old corpses.
Internals
Internally, the diet of a monster type is indicated by the flags M1_CARNIVORE and M1_HERBIVORE; both flags are set for an omnivore, and neither is set for inediates. The M1_METALLIVORE flag denotes a metallivore. Interestingly, a monster with M1_METALLIVORE but not M1_CARNIVORE or M1_HERBIVORE is considered inediate for ingame purposes.
