NetHackWiki:Sandbox
Ants are a group of monsters in NetHack represented by the overall symbol a. Due to their high intrinsic speed and somewhat powerful attacks they result in the deaths of many inexperienced players, leading to their proverbial nickname of Team Ant. They are the leading cause of death on nethack.alt.org, and it has become common practice in #nethack to exclaim "Go Team Ant!" whenever Rodney announces a death at the hands of an ant.
Team Ant is comprised of giant ants, soldier ants, and fire ants. Whether killer bees, queen bees, and giant beetles are a member of Team Ant is a point of contention; while they share the a glyph, they aren't actually ants. Furthermore, killer bees, who appear in huge swarms, are at least as formidable as giant ants, who are rarely seen in a group outside of an ant hole.
Giant Ants
a sandbox 
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 4 |
| Attacks |
Bite 1d4 |
| Base level | 2 |
| Base experience | 22 |
| Speed | 18 |
| Base AC | 3 |
| Base MR | 0 |
| Alignment | 0 (neutral) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | Uncommon, normally appears in small groups |
| Genocidable | yes |
| Weight | 10 |
| Nutritional value | 10 |
| Size | tiny |
| Resistances | none |
| Resistances conveyed |
none
|
The giant ant is the weakest of the ants, but still a frequent cause of early deaths due to their high intrinsic speed and tendency to appear in groups.
Soldier Ant
a sandbox 
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 6 |
| Attacks |
Bite 2d4 poison |
| Base level | 3 |
| Base experience | 39 |
| Speed | 18 |
| Base AC | 3 |
| Base MR | 0 |
| Alignment | 0 (neutral) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | Rare |
| Genocidable | Yes |
| Weight | 20 |
| Nutritional value | 5 |
| Size | Tiny |
| Resistances | Poison |
| Resistances conveyed |
Poison |
|
A soldier ant: | |
| Reference | monst.c#line111 |
A soldier ant is a fast, very deadly ant.
Soldier ants are a major cause of early death. This is because of their high intrinsic speed, and tendency to appear in packs. (Some players die to giant ants, but those deaths occur less often as soldier ants can do significantly more damage.)
There are several strategies for players who encounter soldier ants early in the game.
- Run to the stairway (hopefully, the stairway up) as soon as the ant is spotted. If possible, disable the ant (with a wand of sleep) before fleeing. Soldier ants are very fast, so use any escape items or spells that will help you get to the stairs more quickly. Close doors to block the ant, if you are strong. Weak characters might not be able to close the door in time.
- Attack the ant with your best items. Use your best offensive wands against the ant. (A wand of striking is likely to miss the ant; it is a poor choice.)
- Another option is to engrave Elbereth. A fleeing ant is less deadly than one attacking you. With Elbereth, you can use the spare turns to attack the ant in melee, throw weapons, cast spells, or find an escape route.
Soldier ants are a nickname for army ants in real life. Although it is possible that humans have been killed by army or driver ants, it is extremely unlikely, as they are little bigger than ordinary ants. They do, however, travel in very large groups.
"Team Ant"
Since soldier ants are the highest single cause of death on nethack.alt.org, it has become something of a cliche to say "Go team a!" or "Go Team Ant!" on #nethack on irc.freenode.net, NAO's channel, whenever Rodney announces a death by the hands of a soldier ant.
Fire Ant
a sandbox 
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 6 |
| Attacks |
2d4 bite; burns with fire for 2d4 |
| Base level | 3 |
| Base experience | 36 |
| Speed | 18 |
| Base AC | 3 |
| Base MR | 10 |
| Alignment | 0 |
| Frequency (by normal means) | Very rare, normally appears in small groups |
| Genocidable | yes |
| Weight | 30 |
| Nutritional value | 10 |
| Size | tiny |
| Resistances | fire |
| Resistances conveyed |
fire (3%)
|
The fire ant, a, is a monster in NetHack. It is a member of the proverbial Team Ant and as such can result in the deaths of many an inexperienced player due to its high intrinsic speed and fire attacks (although not as deadly as the soldier ant).
Eating the corpse
Eating the corpse of a fire ant gives you a 20% chance to gain the fire resistance intrinsic and is a common source in the absence of red dragons and fire giants.
