Difference between revisions of "Meatball"

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A '''meatball''' is a type of food created by zapping a [[spell]] of [[stone to flesh]] at [[rock]]s or [[gems]] (glass will not work). Meatballs have very little nutritional value, but they can be used to [[tame]] [[cat]]s and [[dog]]s, and act like miniature [[tripe ration]]s for the purpose of training them to [[stealing from shops|steal from shops]].
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A '''meatball''' is a type of [[comestible]] created by zapping a [[spell]] of [[stone to flesh]] at [[rock]]s, valuable [[gems]], [[gray stone]]s, and [[statue]]s of non-fleshy monsters. (Pieces of [[glass]] are not affected and do not turn into meatballs.)
  
Meatballs have monetary value, so you can cast [[stone to flesh]] on worthless rocks and then sell the resulting meatballs for cash. This may not be the best option, because you could also then [[polypile]] the meatballs, and from your 100 meatballs get say, 100 [[lembas wafer]]s, which you could sell for more than you would get for the meatballs. This however has a risk of creating a [[flesh golem]].
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Meatballs have very little nutritional value, but [[carnivorous]] creatures treat them just like [[tripe ration]]s. Throwing one at a [[cat]] or [[dog]] will tame it, and they can be fed to carnivorous pets to increase their [[tameness]] and [[apport]].
  
 
== Strategy ==
 
== Strategy ==
If you have a magical means of taming, polypiling meatballs is an almost win-win scenario for lower levels (unless you get tins). If you get a flesh golem, the golem is unlikely to resist taming, and is a useful pet to have for lower levels. Hit it with a [[footrice]] corpse to transform it into a level 13 [[stone golem]]. If you get food, you can do whatever you want with it, although if you get fruit, vegetables or herbs, you may want to save some for training and/or taming non-[[carnivore|carnivorous]] [[pet]]s.  
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Since the spellbook of stone to flesh is a rare find and isn't particularly easy to cast, it's not easy to create meatballs unless you are a [[Healer]]. However, once you do have the spell, it is easy to get hundreds of meatballs out of a single casting. All you need to do is gather lots of rocks (easily obtained via smashing [[boulder]]s and [[statue]]s) in one place, and then cast the spell at them.
  
With luck and a little [[polypiling]], one can obtain [[cockatrice egg]]s, tins of [[spinach]] and [[tengu]] meat, and other rare comestibles. However, creating such comestibles reliably requires great numbers of meatballs. Thankfully, it's easy to create big piles of meatballs for polypiling by stoning a large group of monsters (as often found in various special rooms) with a [[footrice]] corpse, then breaking the resulting statues with a [[pick-axe]] or [[spellbook of force bolt|force bolts]].
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Besides eating them, the most direct use of meatballs is to feed them to your carnivorous pets to increase their [[tameness]] (important if you plan on using a [[polymorph trap]] to turn it into a [[non-eating]] pet), or to increase [[apport]] to train them for [[stealing from shops]]. They are also useful in a pinch for taming a hostile [[cat]] or [[dog]].
  
The obvious use of meatballs is to increase [[tameness]] of your [[carnivorous]] pets. They will gain a point of tameness (up to 20) each time they eat in your presence. Tame pets are easier to handle and follow you more closely. This is especially important if you are [[polytrap]]-dancing for a [[non-eating]] pet, or if you are splitting tame puddings.
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[[Polypile|Polypiling]] a large quantity of meatballs is likely to cause a [[flesh golem]] to form. If you have a magical means of taming, you may want to create a golem deliberately so that you can tame it. The golem is unlikely to resist taming and is a useful pet to have for lower levels. You can then upgrade it into a more powerful [[stone golem]] by hitting it with a [[cockatrice]] corpse.
  
==Encyclopaedia entry==
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Polypiling meatballs is also useful if you don't want to create a golem: they make excellent comestible polyfodder since they can usually be obtained in large quantities, are lightweight, and can polymorph into any randomly generated comestible, including [[lembas wafer]]s, tins of [[spinach]] and [[tengu]] meat, [[cockatrice egg]]s, and other uncommon comestibles. Note, however, that getting eggs or tins of a specific monster type will likely require a lot of polypiling and great numbers of meatballs.
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If you're really strapped for cash, you can turn worthless rocks into meatballs and sell them at a [[general store]] or [[delicatessen]]. Or better yet, polypile the meatballs into food that will sell for more money.
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==Encyclopedia entry==
 
Interestingly, meatball shares its entry with the [[huge chunk of meat]]:
 
Interestingly, meatball shares its entry with the [[huge chunk of meat]]:
  
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[[Category:Comestibles]]
 
[[Category:Comestibles]]
{{nethack-343}}
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{{nethack-362}}

Revision as of 22:40, 29 November 2019

% Meatball.png
Name meatball
Base price 5 zm
Nutrition 5
Turns to eat 1
Weight 1
Conduct meat

A meatball is a type of comestible created by zapping a spell of stone to flesh at rocks, valuable gems, gray stones, and statues of non-fleshy monsters. (Pieces of glass are not affected and do not turn into meatballs.)

Meatballs have very little nutritional value, but carnivorous creatures treat them just like tripe rations. Throwing one at a cat or dog will tame it, and they can be fed to carnivorous pets to increase their tameness and apport.

Strategy

Since the spellbook of stone to flesh is a rare find and isn't particularly easy to cast, it's not easy to create meatballs unless you are a Healer. However, once you do have the spell, it is easy to get hundreds of meatballs out of a single casting. All you need to do is gather lots of rocks (easily obtained via smashing boulders and statues) in one place, and then cast the spell at them.

Besides eating them, the most direct use of meatballs is to feed them to your carnivorous pets to increase their tameness (important if you plan on using a polymorph trap to turn it into a non-eating pet), or to increase apport to train them for stealing from shops. They are also useful in a pinch for taming a hostile cat or dog.

Polypiling a large quantity of meatballs is likely to cause a flesh golem to form. If you have a magical means of taming, you may want to create a golem deliberately so that you can tame it. The golem is unlikely to resist taming and is a useful pet to have for lower levels. You can then upgrade it into a more powerful stone golem by hitting it with a cockatrice corpse.

Polypiling meatballs is also useful if you don't want to create a golem: they make excellent comestible polyfodder since they can usually be obtained in large quantities, are lightweight, and can polymorph into any randomly generated comestible, including lembas wafers, tins of spinach and tengu meat, cockatrice eggs, and other uncommon comestibles. Note, however, that getting eggs or tins of a specific monster type will likely require a lot of polypiling and great numbers of meatballs.

If you're really strapped for cash, you can turn worthless rocks into meatballs and sell them at a general store or delicatessen. Or better yet, polypile the meatballs into food that will sell for more money.

Encyclopedia entry

Interestingly, meatball shares its entry with the huge chunk of meat:

Some hae meat and canna eat,
And some would eat that want it;
But we hae meat, and we can eat,
Sae let the Lord be thankit.

[ Grace Before Meat, by Robert Burns ]

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It may contain text specific to NetHack 3.6.2. Information on this page may be out of date.

Editors: After reviewing this page and making necessary edits, please change the {{nethack-362}} tag to the current version's tag or {{noversion}} as appropriate.