Difference between revisions of "Piercer"

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Outside of this, piercers are the slowest monsters in the dungeon with a measly 1 [[speed]] - their sole bite attack is somewhat damaging for the point at which you first encounter them, but this can easily be mitigated by keeping your distance. Piercers have relatively low AC that can pose a problem to players lacking a decent weapon, but are otherwise trivial to dispatch.
 
Outside of this, piercers are the slowest monsters in the dungeon with a measly 1 [[speed]] - their sole bite attack is somewhat damaging for the point at which you first encounter them, but this can easily be mitigated by keeping your distance. Piercers have relatively low AC that can pose a problem to players lacking a decent weapon, but are otherwise trivial to dispatch.
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All piercers leave ordinary [[flesh]]y corpses - the adjectives prefixing their names describe what each piercer resembles, rather than what they or their shells are composed of.
  
 
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==Origin==
 
==Origin==
Yet another [[Dungeons and Dragons]] monster.
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The piercer is a snail-like gastropod that first appeared in ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]''. It has a shell that resembles a stalactite, and clings to the ceiling to await prey, falling down to impale anything that passes underneath.
 
 
A piercer resembles a stalactite, but with eyes in the sides. It is actually a giant gastropod; the "stalactite" is its shell.
 
 
 
They cling to the ceiling, pretending to be a stalactite. When prey comes beneath them, they fall to impale it.
 
  
The adjectives "rock", "iron", and "glass" describe the materials that the respective piercers resemble, not what they (or their shells) are composed of. They leave ordinary [[Flesh|meaty]] corpses when killed, and [[iron]] piercers do not [[rust]] (although glass piercers are acid-resistant).
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The "bestiary of Xygag" is an in-universe equivalent to the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' Monster Manual, and the excerpt used in the encyclopedia entry is from issue #72 of the ''Dragon'' magazine.
  
 
== Encyclopedia entry ==
 
== Encyclopedia entry ==
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[[Category:Monsters]]
 
[[Category:Monsters]]
 
[[Category:Monster classes]]
 
[[Category:Monster classes]]
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Revision as of 02:39, 2 September 2021

The piercer, p, is a monster class in NetHack that contains the following monsters:

  • p rock piercer
  • p iron piercer
  • p glass piercer

Common traits

All piercers are capable of hiding on the ceiling, surprising your character by falling on you just as you pass beneath. The fall itself deals 4d6 damage regardless of piercer type, but is rather inaccurate and dependent on your AC - it has only a 35 chance to hit you at 10 AC, and will always miss a player with at least −2 AC. Wearing any metallic helm will fully protect you from the attack, with the blow glancing off it.

Outside of this, piercers are the slowest monsters in the dungeon with a measly 1 speed - their sole bite attack is somewhat damaging for the point at which you first encounter them, but this can easily be mitigated by keeping your distance. Piercers have relatively low AC that can pose a problem to players lacking a decent weapon, but are otherwise trivial to dispatch.

All piercers leave ordinary fleshy corpses - the adjectives prefixing their names describe what each piercer resembles, rather than what they or their shells are composed of.

Heaven piercer (dNetHack)

A somewhat higher-damage piercer found in Gehennom.

Origin

The piercer is a snail-like gastropod that first appeared in Dungeons & Dragons. It has a shell that resembles a stalactite, and clings to the ceiling to await prey, falling down to impale anything that passes underneath.

The "bestiary of Xygag" is an in-universe equivalent to the Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual, and the excerpt used in the encyclopedia entry is from issue #72 of the Dragon magazine.

Encyclopedia entry

Ye Piercer doth look like unto a stalactyte, and hangeth
 from the roofs of caves and caverns. Unto the height of a
 man, and thicker than a man's thigh do they grow, and in
 groups do they hang. If a creature doth pass beneath them,
 they will by its heat and noise perceive it, and fall upon
 it to kill and devour it, though in any other way they move
 but exceeding slow.

the Bestiary of Xygag