Drowning

There are several ways to drown in NetHack; the most common of these is by means of an attacked possessed by some sea monsters, which is a two move instadeath to those unfortunate enough to suffer it.

Avoiding drowning

It is impossible for the drowning attack to hit if you are wearing an oilskin cloak or if your outermost item is greased; this is part of the reason why items of armour are largely wished for greased.

Escaping drowning

If you see the message foo swings itself around you!, you usually have only one turn to escape death by drowning (except if the monster is a kraken, which is very slow and will not get its next attack for at least three turns). On this turn, you can:

• Pray, which can get you out of trouble.
• Engrave Elbereth, if you are on land
• Try to kill the monster in one turn, or put it to sleep (this is risky)
• Teleport it away
• Freeze the water
• Wear an amulet of magical breathing (you will still be held by the creature)
• If you are levitating in a controlled fashion over dry land, stop levitating and the monster will become startled, releasing you