Lizard
: lizard 
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 6 |
| Attacks |
Bite 1d6 |
| Base level | 5 |
| Base experience | 56 |
| Speed | 6 |
| Base AC | 6 |
| Base MR | 10 |
| Alignment | 0 (neutral) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 5 (Common) |
| Genocidable | Yes |
| Weight | 10 |
| Nutritional value | 40 |
| Size | Tiny |
| Resistances | Stoning |
| Resistances conveyed |
Cures stoning |
|
A lizard:
| |
| Reference | monst.c#line2875 |
- For the class of monster that includes this creature, see Lizard (monster class).
A lizard, :, is a monster that appears in NetHack.
While seemingly unremarkable as enemies, lizard corpses and meat serve a vital purpose to aspiring adventurers - eating a lizard cures gradual stoning and shortens the duration of any current confusion and stunning to two turns. Lizards themselves have stoning resistance, and carrying a corpse on hand counteracts the immediate stoning that a cockatrice hiss can initiate during the new moon.[1] The lizard is the only member of its monster class to have these properties.
The following information pertains to an upcoming version (3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that it is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate this information.
Lizard meat now grants temporary petrification resistance, like the meat of all stoning-resistant monsters.Generation
Killing a lizard always leaves a corpse unless it is done via disintegration or engulfing.
Strategy
Most players carry at least one lizard corpse in inventory, both to lower the odds of slowly turning to stone from footrice attacks and to immediately cure any such stoning should it occur. Lizard corpses do not rot and cannot become tainted from aging, though they can still be too old to sacrifice - as such, they are a very common autopickup exception.
Note that you do not have to finish the lizard corpse to prevent gradual stoning: simply taking a bite is enough. This can prove useful and allow you to get a couple of "unstonings" per corpse, especially since whatever hostile attempting to stone you will often interrupt you meal. Note that lizard meat does not prevent you from turning to stone if you make contact with or eat a stoning corpse (e.g. accidentally touching a cockatrice corpse by feeling around on the floor without gloves while blind); lizard meat also does not restore any intrinsic speed lost from turning to stone. In addition, be mindful of killing lizards around meat-eating pets, as they may quickly snatch up the corpse and consume it.
History
The lizard first appears as a monster in NetHack 3.0.6, while lizard corpses themselves date all the way back to Hack 1.0 (where they were first known as dead lizards). From Hack 1.0 to Hack 1.0.2, stoning by cockatrice hissing is an instadeath, and lizard corpses reduce the duration of confusion instead; Hack 1.0.3 introduces gradual stoning and gives lizard corpses their modern anti-stoning function.
Messages
- You feel limber.
- You ate a lizard corpse and cured stoning. (Intrinsic speed is still lost.)
- What a pity - you just ruined a future piece of <fine> art!
- As above; you are hallucinating. If your charisma is above 15, the message will say "fine art", otherwise just "art".[2]
- <Monster> is slowing down. <Monster> eats a lizard corpse. <Monster> seems limber!
- A monster ate a lizard corpse to cure stoning.
- <Monster> is slowing down. <Monster> eats a lizard corpse. <Monster> seems steadier now.
- The monster ate a lizard corpse to cure stunning or confusion. (The "slowing down" message appears incorrectly in this case because the "eat a lizard corpse to unstone" function is called. This also means that a monster with intrinsic speed loses it if it eats a lizard corpse.[3][4])
- You hear chewing.
- As above, but unseen.
Encyclopedia entry
Lizards, snakes and the burrowing amphisbaenids make up the
order Squamata, meaning the scaly ones. The elongate, slim,
long-tailed bodies of lizards have become modified to enable
them to live in a wide range of habitats. Lizards can be
expert burrowers, runners, swimmers and climbers, and a few
can manage crude, short-distance gliding on rib-supported
"wings". Most are carnivores, feeding on invertebrate and
small vertebrate prey, but others feed on vegetation.
References
This page may need to be updated for the current version of NetHack.
It may contain text specific to NetHack 3.4.3. Information on this page may be out of date.
Editors: After reviewing this page and making necessary edits, please change the {{nethack-343}} tag to the current version's tag or {{noversion}} as appropriate.
