Nymph
nnn nymph   
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 5 |
| Attacks |
Claw steal item, Claw seduce |
| Base level | 3 |
| Base experience | 28 |
| Speed | 12 |
| Base AC | 9 |
| Base MR | 20 |
| Alignment | 0 (neutral) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | Rare |
| Genocidable | Yes |
| Weight | 600 |
| Nutritional value | 300 |
| Size | Medium |
| Resistances | None |
| Resistances conveyed |
Teleportitis (30%) |
|
A nymph:
A water nymph also:
| |
| Reference | monst.c#line634 |
While not a strong attacker, the nymph is nevertheless a very dangerous monster. The main danger of nymphs is that they will charm/seduce you and steal items. Once they steal an item, they will attempt to teleport away. They can and will use the most powerful items against you. Nymphs have a 50% chance of carrying a mirror and a 50% chance of carrying a potion of object detection.[1]
The three nymph species are water nymph, wood nymph, and mountain nymph.
Contents
Dealing with nymphs
You shouldn't attack a nymph in melee unless you are strong enough to kill it in one hit. Polearms or lances may be effective if you are fast enough to keep them always one square away while you attack, but you will need to find a way to increase your speed, as nymphs can easily outrun an early game player. Launchers and thrown weapons are the best choices against nymphs, as well as spells and wands. Because they carry mirrors, it is not a good idea to zap them with a wand of striking or a spell of force bolt because the mirrors will often break, resulting in a luck penalty. Finally, you can put nymphs to sleep with a spell or wand and hopefully kill them before they wake up. Besides attacking them, you can also use cancellation, which would make them harmless.
Do NOT have a wand of sleep out in the open or in your inventory when a nymph is nearby. It will steal it from you and use it to put you to sleep, leaving you open to more theft. Other objects that you wouldn't want used on you should also be put away.
A good tactic if there are no other monsters on the level is to drop everything or to put it in a chest before going after a nymph. If nothing dangerous was stolen and there is nothing dangerous on your person, a nymph can't hurt you. Kill it using your fists and remember to reclaim your things once you're done. This is a very, very bad idea if there are any other creatures on the level.
If you apply a mirror to a nymph it will steal that without taking anything else.
Nymphs are often generated asleep. If you don't have a perfectly safe way to deal with one, the best idea is just to leave it asleep.
Polymorphing into a nymph
You can polymorph into any species of nymph. The polymorph is safe for your armor. This gives you two unique abilities:
- You can remove an iron chain with the #monster command.
- You can steal gear from monsters without killing them.
In order to steal, attack the monster bare-handedly. The game asks you for confirmation when you try to attack peaceful monsters, but stealing does NOT make them hostile.
Other uses
Nymphs can be put to your need as well. When cursed items are worn or wielded, you can allow a nymph to take these items deliberately. This is done by firstly removing and dropping every item in your inventory (or put them in a stash, whatever fits the situation). The nymph will attempt to charm you, and steal the cursed worn or wielded item.
Individual information
Water nymph
Water nymphs can traverse water. Sometimes a water nymph is summoned when you dip an item into, or quaff from a fountain. Chance of summoning a water nymph is 1/30 for both methods.
Wood nymph
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Mountain nymph
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Encyclopedia entry
A female creature from Roman and Greek mythology, the nymph
occupied rivers, forests, ponds, etc. A nymph's beauty is
beyond words: an ever-young woman with sleek figure and
long, thick hair, radiant skin and perfect teeth, full lips
and gentle eyes. A nymph's scent is delightful, and her
long robe glows, hemmed with golden threads and embroidered
with rainbow hues of unearthly magnificence. A nymph's
demeanour is graceful and charming, her mind quick and witty.
"Theseus felt her voice pulling him down into fathoms of
sleep. The song was the skeleton of his dream, and the dream
was full of terror. Demon girls were after him, and a bull-
man was goring him. Everywhere there was blood. There was
pain. There was fear. But his head was in the nymph's lap
and her musk was about him, her voice weaving the dream. He
knew then that she had been sent to tell him of something
dreadful that was to happen to him later. Her song was a
warning. But she had brought him a new kind of joy, one that
made him see everything differently. The boy, who was to
become a hero, suddenly knew then what most heroes learn
later -- and some too late -- that joy blots suffering and
that the road to nymphs is beset by monsters."
[ The Minotaur by Bernard Evslin ]
