Electric eel
; electric eel 
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 10 |
| Attacks | |
| Base level | 7 |
| Base experience | 1129 |
| Speed | 10 |
| Base AC | −3 |
| Base MR | 0 |
| Alignment | 0 (neutral) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 0 (Not randomly generated) |
| Genocidable | Yes |
| Weight | 200 |
| Nutritional value | 250 |
| Size | Huge |
| Resistances | Shock |
| Resistances conveyed | Shock (47%) |
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An electric eel:
| |
| Reference | monst.c#line2632 |
An electric eel, ;, is a type of monster that appears in NetHack. It is an oviparous sea monster like its relative, the giant eel.
Electric eels have a shocking bite attack that can destroy wands and rings in the target's open inventory, and a touch attack that causes it to wrap around the target: this will result in the hero drowning if they are adjacent to a pool or moat, and are hit by the attack again while already wrapped by it.
Eating an electric eel corpse has a 7⁄15 chance (46%) of granting shock resistance.
Contents
Generation
Electric eels are not randomly generated, and normally-created electric eels are always hostile.
Each square of water in a swamp where a monster is placed at level creation has a 1⁄10 of that monster being an electric eel.[1]
Six electric eels are generated on the second variant of Medusa's Island at level creation.[2]
Eight electric eels are generated on the Plane of Water at level creation.[3]
Strategy
Electric eels are especially concerning when crossing large bodies of water: in addition to drowning you normally like giant eels and kraken, their shocking bite can destroy a ring of levitation, which can instantly drown you if it happens over water. As with other sea monsters, dispatch electric eels at a range outside of their reach to minimize danger, and use any monster-locating method (e.g., telepathy or warning) to make sure none of them get the jump on you.
The usual safeguards against drowning attacks apply, e.g., a non-cursed oilskin cloak prevents grabbing, and a wand of teleportation can reliably warp them away even on non-teleport levels. You can also use any means of scaring monsters such as Elbereth, or initiate levitation via other sources like a potion or spell, to shake loose an eel that has wrapped around you. Electric eels are vulnerable to spells and wands since they lack an MR score, but their -3 AC makes this unreliable for dealing with one that is about to drown you.
Electric eels are most dangerous in the Plane of Water: you are all but forced into proximity to them and cannot engrave anything. Most methods of keeping them back are still viable, such as wands of teleportation and instruments like tooled horns, but the wand of cold and cone of cold spell are rendered unusable, as is the scroll of earth. Many players prefer to not take chances and instead use a blessed scroll of genocide to wipe out all ; right after entering the level.
Electric eel corpses are generally passed over as a source of shock resistance, since they must usually be retrieved from the water they were killed in. This is easiest to do in swamp rooms: you can use a wand of fire or other fire source to evaporate the pool and its surrounding waters into pits, or freeze the square and adjacent waters before digging out the corpse.
History
The electric eel first appears in NetHack 2.3e, where it replaces the giant eel—NetHack 3.0.0 adds both monsters to the default bestiary.
Origin
The electric eels (Electrophorus) are a genus of neotropical freshwater fish from South America in the family Gymnotidae. They are known for their ability to stun their prey by generating electricity, delivering shocks at up to 860 volts. Their electrical capabilities were first studied in 1775, contributing to the invention of the electric battery in 1800.
Despite their name, electric eels are not closely related to the true eels (Anguilliformes) but are members of the electroreceptive knifefish order Gymnotiformes. This order is more closely related to catfish. In 2019, electric eels were split into three species: for more than two centuries before that, the genus was believed to be monotypic, containing only Electrophorus electricus.
They are nocturnal, obligate air-breathing animals, with poor vision complemented by electrolocation; they mainly eat fish. Electric eels grow for as long as they live, adding more vertebrae to their spinal column. Males are larger than females. Some captive specimens have lived for over 20 years.
Variants
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, four electric eels are generated in the swamp area of the Lawful Quest at level creation, with two more electric eels that each have a 1⁄2 chance of being generated.
In older versions, an electric eel is generated in the lake of the Hobbit quest goal level at level creation.
UnNetHack
In UnNetHack, the "watcher in the water" random vaults may contain an electric eel within its pools if generated at dungeon level 3 or lower.
Three electric eels are randomly generated in the moat of the first alternate layout for the Castle at level creation.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, an electric eel is placed within the moat on the ground floor of the Wizard's Tower at level creation.
Encyclopedia entry
South-American fish (_Gymnotus electricus_), living in fresh water. Shaped like a serpent, it can grow up to 2 metres. This eel is known for its electrical organ which enables it to paralyse creatures up to the size of a horse.
[ Van Dale's Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal ]
