Difference between revisions of "Plane of Air"

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The '''Plane of Air''' is the second of the [[Elemental Planes]]. It is reached by a magic [[portal]] from the [[Plane of Earth]]. Only monsters that can fly (excluding trappers), can float, are amorphous, are noncorporeal, or are whirly will be randomly generated.{{refsrc|makemon.c|60}}
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The '''Plane of Air''' is the second of the [[Elemental Planes]]. It is reached by a magic [[portal]] from the [[Plane of Earth]]. Only monsters that can [[fly]] (excluding [[lurkers above]]), can float, are amorphous, are noncorporeal, or are whirly will be randomly generated.{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|70|nethack=3.6.6}}
  
 
The Plane of Air is ineligible to leave [[bones]] files. The entire level is no-teleport.
 
The Plane of Air is ineligible to leave [[bones]] files. The entire level is no-teleport.
  
 
==Map==
 
==Map==
[[Image:Plane_of_Air.png|thumb|right|280px|The Plane of Air.]]
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[[Image:Plane_of_Air.png|thumb|right|280px|An example layout of the Plane of Air.]]
 +
 
 +
The level consists of open air, with multiple opaque moving [[cloud]]s scattered throughout. You enter the level somewhere in the left side of the level, and the portal to the [[Plane of Fire]] is somewhere in the right side.
 +
 
 +
The level contains eleven [[air elemental]]s, three [[floating eye]]s, three [[yellow light]]s, a [[couatl]], three [[djinn]], nine [[fog cloud]]s, five [[energy vortices]], five [[steam vortices]], two [[jabberwock]]s, five random [[dragon]]s, and three random {{white|E}}, all placed randomly.
 +
 
 +
==Strategy==
 +
As always, the priority is locating and entering the portal to the next Plane. The two primary challenges to this end are controlling your movement across the level and surviving the monsters and lightning strikes.
 +
 
 +
===Moving===
 +
Movement on the Plane of Air without either [[levitation]] or flight is hard - there is a {{frac|3|4}} chance of failing to move, with equal chances of exercising dexterity, abusing it, or neither. Every turn, there is a {{frac|8}} chance of lightning strikes. If you are inside the clouds when lightning strikes, you will be paralyzed for three turns and [[deaf]]ened for {{rn1|20|30}} (more) turns; the paralysis ignores [[free action]].{{refsrc|src/timeout.c|1613|nethack=3.6.6}} The lightning strikes themselves can occur outside the clouds, but are [[reflection|reflectable]].
 +
 
 +
Even if you are not levitating at will, some of the effects of levitation apply. If you throw objects or kick monsters, you will be propelled in the opposite direction, in accordance with Newton's third law. If you want to escape a situation quickly, you can propel yourself by throwing junk objects - although you will then be left helpless for a number of turns equal to the distance you moved.
 +
 
 +
If you don't have any sources levitation or flight, trying to move by struggling through the air will take far longer than any other method, making it much more likely that you will end up in the cloud banks at the wrong time. As indicated above, one way to travel without control of your movements is to throw objects in the opposite direction. This is reasonably expeditious, and may warrant carrying some light junk objects to the Planes if no other options are available.
 +
 
 +
Another option is to get engulfed by a whirly monster (e.g., a steam vortex if you have [[fire resistance]]) and let it ferry you around - however, '''do not''' get carried into the clouds! The clouds move across the level, and whirly monsters can move near or into them while you are inside them—the tougher air elementals in combination with an ill-fated lightning strike can make short work of even a well-prepared character. If you find yourself engulfed by a whirly monster intent on dragging you deep into the clouds, do your best to break out as soon as possible.
 +
 
 +
===Survival and combat===
 +
The monsters on this plane are fairly tough. The air elementals move much faster than even a [[very fast]] player and can dish out damage quickly; while a [[wand of slow monster]] or [[wand of opening]] will force them to expel you, the air elemental may likely re-engulf you before you can escape. They are also generated to be much tougher than the ones encountered in the dungeons; keep an eye on your HP and be prepared to expend some resources to escape and/or kill them when necessary. As mentioned above, they may also pull you close to or into the clouds, making escape paramount.
 +
 
 +
Air elementals are susceptible to various spells and wands, such as the [[wand of sleep|sleep]] [[spell of sleep|spell]], [[wand of death|death]] [[Finger of death|rays]], [[wand of teleportation|teleportation]] [[spell of teleportation|beams]], and so on. [[Polymorphing]] is also a valid strategy, but carries the usual risks of producing something worse.
 +
 
 +
As this plane has no normal floor, you cannot use [[Elbereth]] in emergency situations; the [[scroll of scare monster]] still works normally. [[Tooled horn]]s and [[leather drum]]s are also solid monster deterrents. You can also hide in the steam vortexes as mentioned previously - with fire resistance, they will do no damage and allow you to safely restore HP while engulfed, though the primary hazard then becomes the clouds and their aforementioned lightning strikes. [[Conflict]] is also viable to keep monsters occupied and away from you while you prioritize finding the portal.
 +
 
 +
{{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Mindless monsters, including air elementals and vortices, are no longer afraid of music. ({{commit|6e49372d8f76172f5dde2a9a8ecb551d4be2a1e1}})}}
 +
 
 +
===Portal detection===
 +
As with the other elemental planes, you must locate the portal. It is stationary, but not immediately visible, so the [[Portal detection methods|usual methods]] work nicely. As the area the portal can be placed in is relatively small, it is easier than usual to find it with [[The Amulet of Yendor|the Amulet]]. The moving clouds, however, limit the reliability of a [[wand of secret door detection]].
 +
 
 +
==History==
 +
In [[NetHack 3.4.3]] and earlier versions, as well as variants based on them, the clouds do not move, and the layout is static:
  
<!--
 
 
<div class="ttymap"><replacecharsblock rules="ttymap">
 
<div class="ttymap"><replacecharsblock rules="ttymap">
 
@=[[you|{{white|@}}]]
 
@=[[you|{{white|@}}]]
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...........................................###..............................
 
...........................................###..............................
 
</replacecharsblock></div>
 
</replacecharsblock></div>
-->
 
The level consists of open air, with multiple opaque moving clouds scattered throughout. You will enter the level somewhere in the left side and the portal to the [[Plane of Fire]] will be somewhere in the right side of the level.
 
 
Movement on the Plane of Air without either [[levitation]] or [[flying]] is hard; there is a 3/4 chance of failing to move, with equal chances of exercising dexterity, abusing it, or neither. Every turn, there is a 1/8 chance of lightning strikes. If you are inside the clouds when lightning strikes, you will be paralysed for three turns and [[deaf]]ened for 30-49 (more) turns.{{refsrc|timeout.c|1484|nethack=3.6.1}}  The lightning strikes themselves can occur outside the clouds, but are [[reflection|reflectable]].
 
 
Even if you are not levitating at will, some of the effects of levitation apply. If you throw objects or kick monsters you will be propelled in the opposite direction, in accordance with Newton's third law.
 
 
The level contains eleven [[air elemental]]s, three [[floating eye]]s, three [[yellow light]]s, a [[couatl]], three [[djinni|djinn]], nine [[fog cloud]]s, five [[energy vortex|energy vortices]], five [[steam vortex|steam vortices]], two [[jabberwock]]s, five random dragons, and three random E, all placed randomly.
 
 
==Strategy==
 
There are two main challenges on the Plane of Air - controlling your movement across the level and surviving the monsters and lightning strikes.
 
 
As you note upon entering the plane, there is no gravity here. It is highly recommended that you bring some means of levitation or flying so that you can gain control of your movements. If you do then movement across the plane is essentially no more difficult than walking around on the ground. Note also that if you want to escape a situation quickly you can throw junk objects to propel you even if you have control of your movement (although you will then be left helpless for a number of turns equal to the distance you moved, so this does not increase your average speed).
 
 
If, for whatever reason, you don't have access to levitation or flying then movement across the level will be difficult. If you try to move by struggling through the air you will spend a long time on this plane. You will also spend longer in the cloud banks than you would otherwise have done. This is a Bad Thing.
 
 
One way to travel without control of your movements is to throw objects in the opposite direction. This is reasonably expeditious and for this reason you might want to bring some light junk objects to the planes if you don't have levitation. Another option is to get engulfed by a steam vortex and let it ferry you around. Assuming you have [[fire resistance]] you won't be damaged and, with a little luck, your host will eventually take you where you need to go.
 
 
The monsters on this plane are fairly tough. The air elementals move much faster than even a [[very fast]] player monster and can dish out damage quickly. They are also generated much tougher than the air elementals one might encounter in the dungeons. While a [[wand of slow monster]] or [[wand of opening]] will make an air elemental expel you, possibly allowing you to escape, the elemental will likely just reengulf you before you can move away. They are also susceptible to wands and spells of [[wand of sleep|sleep]], [[wand of polymorph|polymorph]], [[wand of death|death]], [[wand of teleportation|teleportation]] and so on.  Another way to deal with this health loss is to be engulfed by a v for which you have resistance, so you can recover your hp.
 
 
As this plane has air instead of normal floor, you cannot use [[Elbereth]] in emergency situations; [[scroll of scare monster|scrolls of scare monster]] still work normally. [[Tooled horn]]s and [[leather drum]]s can be very useful here to make the monsters avoid you.
 
 
It is highly recommended that you use [[conflict]] to distract the monsters from yourself. As on all the elemental planes the goal is not to kill everything - the goal is to get to the portal. Use every turn to move towards that goal. If you get engulfed by an air elemental watch your HP and be prepared to expend resources to get out. Be especially wary of being engulfed near the clouds - the engulfing elemental can move into them while you are inside.
 
 
The cloud banks are not good places to be. The lightning strikes can paralyse you even if you have free action. Even well prepared characters can succumb surprisingly quickly to the beefed-up air elementals if they get trapped in a cloud bank. For this reason, if you are playing version 3.4.3 which has immobile clouds, you should either break through the cloud bank at the narrow point near the middle of the map or go around it altogether at the top. If you find yourself engulfed by an air elemental intent on dragging you deep into the clouds, do your best to break out as soon as possible.
 
 
As with the other elemental planes, you must locate the portal; it is not immediately visible. The [[Portal detection methods|usual methods]] work nicely. Also, as the area the portal can be placed in is relatively small, it is easier than usual to find it with [[The Amulet of Yendor|the Amulet]]. The moving clouds, however, limit the feasibility of a [[wand of secret door detection]]. Although this now resembles the [[Plane of Water]] here the portal is stationary.
 
  
== UnNetHack ==
+
The best path for most players is to either break through the cloud bank at the narrow point near the middle of the map, or go around it altogether at the top.
  
 +
==Variants==
 +
===UnNetHack===
 
In [[UnNetHack]], the escape portal can be located on either side of the Plane, even a few steps from your arrival point.
 
In [[UnNetHack]], the escape portal can be located on either side of the Plane, even a few steps from your arrival point.
  
== References ==
+
==References==
 
<references />
 
<references />
  
 
{{DOD}}
 
{{DOD}}
{{nethack-360}}
+
{{nethack-366}}
 
[[Category:Planes]]
 
[[Category:Planes]]

Latest revision as of 00:15, 12 June 2023

Plane of Air
Location Level -2 of the
End Game
Bones No
Mappable Yes
Teleportable No
Diggable floor No
Diggable walls Yes

The Plane of Air is the second of the Elemental Planes. It is reached by a magic portal from the Plane of Earth. Only monsters that can fly (excluding lurkers above), can float, are amorphous, are noncorporeal, or are whirly will be randomly generated.[1]

The Plane of Air is ineligible to leave bones files. The entire level is no-teleport.

Map

An example layout of the Plane of Air.

The level consists of open air, with multiple opaque moving clouds scattered throughout. You enter the level somewhere in the left side of the level, and the portal to the Plane of Fire is somewhere in the right side.

The level contains eleven air elementals, three floating eyes, three yellow lights, a couatl, three djinn, nine fog clouds, five energy vortices, five steam vortices, two jabberwocks, five random dragons, and three random E, all placed randomly.

Strategy

As always, the priority is locating and entering the portal to the next Plane. The two primary challenges to this end are controlling your movement across the level and surviving the monsters and lightning strikes.

Moving

Movement on the Plane of Air without either levitation or flight is hard - there is a 34 chance of failing to move, with equal chances of exercising dexterity, abusing it, or neither. Every turn, there is a 18 chance of lightning strikes. If you are inside the clouds when lightning strikes, you will be paralyzed for three turns and deafened for 30–49 (more) turns; the paralysis ignores free action.[2] The lightning strikes themselves can occur outside the clouds, but are reflectable.

Even if you are not levitating at will, some of the effects of levitation apply. If you throw objects or kick monsters, you will be propelled in the opposite direction, in accordance with Newton's third law. If you want to escape a situation quickly, you can propel yourself by throwing junk objects - although you will then be left helpless for a number of turns equal to the distance you moved.

If you don't have any sources levitation or flight, trying to move by struggling through the air will take far longer than any other method, making it much more likely that you will end up in the cloud banks at the wrong time. As indicated above, one way to travel without control of your movements is to throw objects in the opposite direction. This is reasonably expeditious, and may warrant carrying some light junk objects to the Planes if no other options are available.

Another option is to get engulfed by a whirly monster (e.g., a steam vortex if you have fire resistance) and let it ferry you around - however, do not get carried into the clouds! The clouds move across the level, and whirly monsters can move near or into them while you are inside them—the tougher air elementals in combination with an ill-fated lightning strike can make short work of even a well-prepared character. If you find yourself engulfed by a whirly monster intent on dragging you deep into the clouds, do your best to break out as soon as possible.

Survival and combat

The monsters on this plane are fairly tough. The air elementals move much faster than even a very fast player and can dish out damage quickly; while a wand of slow monster or wand of opening will force them to expel you, the air elemental may likely re-engulf you before you can escape. They are also generated to be much tougher than the ones encountered in the dungeons; keep an eye on your HP and be prepared to expend some resources to escape and/or kill them when necessary. As mentioned above, they may also pull you close to or into the clouds, making escape paramount.

Air elementals are susceptible to various spells and wands, such as the sleep spell, death rays, teleportation beams, and so on. Polymorphing is also a valid strategy, but carries the usual risks of producing something worse.

As this plane has no normal floor, you cannot use Elbereth in emergency situations; the scroll of scare monster still works normally. Tooled horns and leather drums are also solid monster deterrents. You can also hide in the steam vortexes as mentioned previously - with fire resistance, they will do no damage and allow you to safely restore HP while engulfed, though the primary hazard then becomes the clouds and their aforementioned lightning strikes. Conflict is also viable to keep monsters occupied and away from you while you prioritize finding the portal.

The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that it is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate this information.

Mindless monsters, including air elementals and vortices, are no longer afraid of music. (commit 6e49372d)

Portal detection

As with the other elemental planes, you must locate the portal. It is stationary, but not immediately visible, so the usual methods work nicely. As the area the portal can be placed in is relatively small, it is easier than usual to find it with the Amulet. The moving clouds, however, limit the reliability of a wand of secret door detection.

History

In NetHack 3.4.3 and earlier versions, as well as variants based on them, the clouds do not move, and the layout is static:

                        ####                                                
                       ######        ####                                   
                     ##  #####      ######                                  
                     ## #######     #####                                   
                      ##########     ####                                   
                        ####   ##   ####                                    
                         ####      ##                                       
                       #######    ## ######                                 
                      ####       ## #  #####                                
                                ##  #########                               
                                #  ####   ######                            
                              # # #####   #######                           
                             #  #######    #######                          
                              # ########   ########                         
                               ##########  ########                         
                             # ########## ########                          
                             #  ################                            
                              #  ######   #####                             
                            #      ##      ####                             
                                           ###                              

The best path for most players is to either break through the cloud bank at the narrow point near the middle of the map, or go around it altogether at the top.

Variants

UnNetHack

In UnNetHack, the escape portal can be located on either side of the Plane, even a few steps from your arrival point.

References

This page is based on a spoiler by Dylan O'Donnell. The original license is:

Redistribution, copying, and editing of these spoilers, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:

  1. The original contributors to any spoiler must continue to be credited.
  2. Any modifications to the spoiler must be acknowledged and credited.