NotdNetHack

notdNetHack is a variant of dNetHack, aiming to improve the shortcomings and balance of dNetHack, while also adding new content.

The full changelog can be found at the repository on GitHub.

New races

Salamander

These fiery creatures count as amphibians for cannibalism purposes. They like to be in lava, where they can regenerate hungerlessly. If there's none around, they can secrete a pool at the cost of halving HP. From there they can fling balls of lava that do extra damage based on XL and burn down any door within heat range of impact.

They require special snakeleg body armour and cannot wear boots or even kick things due to lacking feet. At XL10 they unlock a tail slap attack routine. Being slithy, they can slink through iron bars.

They can reach Expert skill in spear. Their special spell is fireball.

Ent

• lawful or neutral alignment
• attribute caps:

Str	Dex	Con	Int	Wis	Cha
25	16	25	14	14	14

• start with at least 19 strength
• can pick up and throw boulders
• Huge size
• Better HP growth than dwarves
• Base speed 10
• extra -3 AC and 3 DR for each slot
• special spell: restore ability

• random species determines additional properties (for species by property see the changelog):
  • ancient body: reroll negative AC
  • ancient knowledge: to-hit/damage increase based on Wisdom/4 floored
  • beautiful scent: when hitting a breathing monster, 1/5 chance of calming them by d(1+XL/7) up to XL
  • coniferous: cold resistant (also protects inventory)
  • deciduous: receives amnesia forgetness and take sanity damage at half the rate
  • powerful build: effectively one size larger for attacks (like Ymir and cavepeople)
  • fast healing: heal at double the natural rate
  • spry: 12 speed instead of 10

species	ancient body	ancient knowledge	beautiful scent	coniferous	deciduous	powerful build	fast healing	spry	special
ash	x				x		x
beech					x		x
birch					x		x
blue gum	x				x	x			one size larger
cedar				x			x
chestnut			x		x	x
cypress				x				x
dogwood			x		x			x	One size smaller for weapons, fast
elder		x			x		x		robe effect like incantifiers
elm	x				x		x	x
fir				x			x	x
ginkgo					x	x	x		Poison resistance
larch						x		x
locust	x				x	x			+2 to strength damage bonus
magnolia			x		x	x
maple					x		x
methuselah	x			x					Spell boost intrinsic
mimosa			x		x				+1 DR per slot
oak		x			x	x	x
poplar			x		x			x
redwood	x			x		x
spruce								x
willow		x			x
yew		x		x			x
species	ancient body	ancient knowledge	beautiful scent	coniferous	deciduous	powerful build	fast healing	spry	special

yuki-onna changes

Added a snow cloud form that can be switched back and forth from at will (blocked by protection from shape changers. While in that form, they cannot wear armor, hold weapons or even use hands, have regeneration, catsight, and resist cold, sleep, poison, and sickness. They also gain a cold touch, engulfing, and passive cold attack.

New roles

Adds the Illithanachronounbinder role.

Illithanachronounbinder

They can be humans, orcs, dwarves, elves, drow, gnomes, half-dragons, incantifiers, ents, salamanders, or yuki-onna. They always start as lawful.

You play as a mind flayer of your chosen race, having all of the abilities of your race plus the mind flayer ones. They are immune to madness and insanity, their sanity is always locked at 100 and they can not contract madnesses.[1]

A key mechanic is that you need to summon spirits to be able to level up. Additionally, they are always lawful and can not change their alignment in any way. Due to their god being fallen, praying and sacrificing is impossible. BUC-testing on altars still works as usual, though.

Abilities

The following abilities are gained by levelling up:

• XL 1: ESP, tentacle attack, mind blast ability
  • The tentacle attack automatically triggers in melee, giving nutrition to the user if the target has a brain. Additionally, it may kill the target by brainlessness, and you can not choke or vomit by getting nutrition this way.
  • Mind blast works identically to the ability madmen have but is stronger due to the player being a mind flayer.
• XL 4: Psionic pulse ability: a directional psionic attack which deals damage and is able to knock monsters back.
• XL 7: Psionic echolocation: works identically to the chiropteran echolocation ability.
• XL 10: Flying
• XL 12: Psionic craze ability: allows you to "psionically torture" a monster, which may make it flee.
• XL 14: Reflection
• XL 15: Telekinesis: allows picking up items from a distance.
• XL 17: Teleport control
• XL 20: All thrown items return

Rank titles

The status line shows you to be one of the following ranks when you reach the specified experience level:

• XL 1–2: Exorcist
• XL 3–5: Unbinder
• XL 6–9: Vestige Vanquisher
• XL 10–13: Spirit Killer
• XL 14–17: Mind Flayer
• XL 18–21: Psionaut
• XL 22–25: Void Voider
• XL 26–29: Telekinetic
• XL 30: Keeper of the Gate

Spirits

In order to be able to level up, you need to summon spirits. When spirits are vanquished, they will drop useful things. Once summoned, they do not need to be killed in order to be able to advance to the next XL.

The role starts with knowing Ahazu's and Amon's seal and will learn more in vaguely alphabetical order by gaining levels.

• XL 1: Ahazu drops 4-5 food rations.
• XL 1: Amon drops a frost horn, with a high chance of it having a non-standard material (such as gold or mithril).
• XL 2: Andrealphus drops a sensor pack and a can of grease.
• XL 3: Andromalius drops 5-15 daggers and a sack.
• XL 4: Astaroth drops 2-3 upgrade kits.
• XL 5: Balam drops two large daggers and a large robe.
• XL 6: Berith drops The Crown of Berith, a golden helmet which prevents brainsucking attacks (useful for the Quest) and is able to be enchanted to +7.
• XL 7: Buer drops the Talisman of Buer, an amulet of life saving which confers sustain ability and health regeneration when worn. It can be invoked for healing, just like Release from Care.
• XL 8: Chupoclops drops a large number of cave spider eggs.
• XL 9: Dantalion drops the Dread of Dantalion, an intelligent, lawful two-handed sword with +1d10 damage that acts like a scroll of scare monster when dropped.
• XL 10: Shiro drops the Stone Mask, a ceramic mask which confers invisibility, stoning resistance and stealth when worn.
• XL 11: Echidna
• XL 12: Eden, drops branchporting Eden's Scales
• XL 13: Enki
• XL 14: Eurynome drops fancy shoes
• XL 15: Eve
• XL 16: Fafnir
• XL 17: Huginn and Muninn
• XL 18: Iris
• XL 19: Jack
• XL 20: Malphas
• XL 21: Marionette
• XL 22: Mother
• XL 23: Naberius
• XL 24: Orthos
• XL 25: Ose
• XL 26: Otiax
• XL 27: Paimon
• XL 28: Simurgh
• XL 29: Tenebrous
• XL 30: Ymir

Quest

The Ulitharid sees you fighting Menzoberranzan for the Elder Cerebral Fluid, a dilithium crystal which confers half spell damage and energy regeneration while carried.

There will be many hostile mind flayers ("adversaries") and so-called vilithids, which are vampire mind flayers. They can drain your levels in addition to sucking your brain.

Strategy

This role sees you fighting many minibosses to advance and rewards you with excellent drops to further encourage vanquishing them. Fighting some of the spirits will be tough. However, unless specifically mentioned, they are all vulnerable to your brain eating attack.

• Ahazu: has threatening melee attacks, including Famine's touch and digestion. Use ranged attacks.
• Amon: Very tough early fight. He will hit fast and hard. Due to his high speed and thick hide, it is usually required to draw the seal, escape downstairs, get some equipment and gain a level and then come back. Drops a frost horn you will likely need for Balam's seal.
• Andrealphus: Very fast but not nearly as threatening as the previous two. Can teleport you around with his attacks.
• Andromalius: Will use the stack of daggers he is guaranteed to spawn with, so be prepared for some ranged attacks. He can both paralyze you and teleport your equipped gear away, which is especially dangerous in combination with the paralysis he inflicts. Ranged attacks are strongly recommended.
• Astaroth: Will create automata such as clockwork dwarves to fight for him. Can hit hard in melee but it is managable.
• Balam: Another tough fight. He is fast and will use a ranged icy gaze at you and a cold touch attack in melee. Beware of his demon gating abilities.
• Berith: Due to the artifact helm he will be dropping, he is invulnerable to your brain eating attacks. He hits hard and fast in melee and deals more damage to creatures with blood, so basically all races except Etherealoids, Ents, and Clockwork Automata. He also has an AC of 0.
• Buer: Beware his poisonous bite and speed. He is fortunately rather unremarkable and binding him will permanently unlock martial arts for you.
• Chupoclops: Would be dangerous if the binding did not confer immunity to webs and movement speed penalties to nearby monsters. Beware her poisonous bite. The many spider eggs she drops will hatch and spawn an army of cave spiders. They are not too dangerous, but they will be annoying.
• Dantalion: Hits hard in melee and will teleport to the upstairs like some of the demon lords. He will wear armor and will thus be resistant to brain eating attacks.
• Shiro: Very hard to hit and will retaliate by throwing rocks as a bonus attack. Vulnerable to brain eating attacks, but they will rarely land due to his high AC. Annoying to fight but not too dangerous.
• Echidna: Beware her seduction attacks. Her acid breath is also pretty nasty, but can be countered with reflection.
• Eden: Basically a silver dragon with a fire breath attack, much higher MR and less damaging physical attacks.
• Enki: Will use water-based attacks to try and apply water damage to your inventory and equipped weapon.

Role changes

Monk

Can set attack #style:

• Surge punch: 3 Pw to do 3 + d5 damage per barehanded hit
• Force punch: 3 Pw to do a big pushback 50% of hits, also does d5 bonus damage. Unlocked at level 4.
• Spirit punch: 8 Pw for a 3x3 magic explosion 6d3 with punch, centered on target. Unlocked at level 10.
• Flicker punch: 1 pw, works like ataru somersaults but flavored as warping. Unlocked at level 8.
• Absorptive strikes: Half damage but regains damage as Pw; this can't be on with other modes. Unlocked at level 2.
• Chi Healing: drains 1 Pw per turn to heal 1 hp. Unlocked at level 6.

Caveman

They now start with a spear instead of a club (the Sceptre of Might also becoming a bone spear), and can apply rocks to knap soft stones into new spear points/heads:

• dilithium crystal: double damage
• turquoise: Hitting an enemy warps the player nearby
• morganite: regeneration
• citrine: bright light, blinding on hit
• amber: slow monster
• jet: shrouds you in a black mist - AC and DR protection (based on enchantment)
• opal: Reflection
• chrysoberyl: disease resistance
• garnet: 2x fire damage, fire resistance
• amethyst: telepathy
• jasper: +d8 damage
• violet fluorite: sleeping attack, sleep resistance
• blue fluorite: +d8 magic damage, drain Pw if it hits you, half spell damage
• white fluorite: energy regeneration
• green fluorite: curse resistance
• obsidian: ignores DR
• agate: free action
• jade: stinking cloud, poison resistance
• luckstone: +7 to-hit
• loadstone: +2d4 damage, weldproof
• touchstone: +3d5 study
• fossil dark: 2x damage drain xp
• silver slingstone: Sears silver haters

Armorsmith services

Armorsmiths are meant to address the weird gap caused by upgrade kits for strangely sized races. Maybe you'll find one in an adventure town. They charge a price to provide various services: they can remove damage from armor, lower or increase (with a duplicate) the size of a piece of armor, change its shape between barded/segmented/centaur (requiring a corpse or figurine if not modeling on you), and turn dragon scales into a shield (useful for etherealoids).

Dungeon changes

The village

Dungeon level 4 is guaranteed to be a village of friendlies of your own race. It contains a couple of houses, a fountain and the travelling wizard.

The fountain will be replaced with a magic portal after talking with the wizard.

Chatting with the peaceful inhabitants of the village will give you hints about what is waiting in the adventure branches.

Adventure branches

The stairs to the Gnomish Mines are replaced with a magic portal to a branch the player chose while taking to the travelling wizard. Each of the branches contains a unique reward, a different set of enemies and obstacles.

The chosen branch will affect how the base level of the Windowless Tower and Minetown will look.

Ice Caves

• Enemies: Mainly cold-themed, including White naga hatchlings, white nagas, brown molds, chill bugs, baby white dragons, ice vortices
• Minetown: Shopkeepers are frost giants or ice trolls instead of humans. The altar is being watched over by two hostile ice devils and fenced in with iron bars. The corner of said cage are trees. A river is flowing through the town.
• Boss: Abominable Snowman
• Reward: The Abominable Veil: a Cloak of displacement conveying cold resistance.
• Windowless tower: Trees replaced with walls, the floor is ice.

Black Forest

• Enemies: Werecreatures, bugbears, horses, plants (mainly razorvines and weeping willows)
• Boss: Tulip Poplar
• Reward: the Poplar Punisher, a quarterstaff with 2d6 extra damage.

Gnomish Mines

Almost unchanged from the original. Mines' End was replaced with a maze-like but static structure of corridors and a throne room containing Raggo (Ruggo the Gnome King's crazed brother) with his pet rock in the southeast. The corridors contain gems and gold.

Dismal Swamp

• Enemies: Snakes, kobolds, some orcs and birds (mostly parrots and ravens).
• Minetown: Swampy, has two shops and a large stone structure on the northern part of the level, housing both a temple and the stairs down.
• Boss: Kroo the Kobold King
• Reward: Kroo's Ring, a ring of poison resistance conveying very fast speed.
• Windowless tower: Swampy, but mostly traversible.

Archipelago

• Enemies: Snakes, parrots, monkeys
• Minetown: Very small. The whole area will flood if any of the outer walls are damaged, swallowing loot and monsters alike.
• Boss: Archipelago Ancient
• Reward: The Gillystone, an emerald which conveys breathlessness and swimming when carried.
• Windowless tower: Sand and lots of water.

Lokoban

Sokoban consists only of a single level with a few crates, no pits, and a piñata monster, which doesn't move or attack, but has around 1400-1500 hit points; it can be instakilled if you play the game properly. On death, it scatters 3 wands and rings, 30 random food items, 500 pieces of gold, and one of a bag of holding, an amulet of reflection, or more gold, depending on what you already possess.