View source for Poison

{{tocright}}
{{otheruses|the damage type|[[sickness]] from consuming tainted [[corpse]]s|food poisoning}}
'''Poison''' is a [[damage type]] that appears in ''[[NetHack]]'', and can occur from various hazards, attack methods and items that can all be potentially lethal to both [[hero]]es and [[monster]]s.

==Description==
As indicated above, poison damage can occur from several sources:

* The [[#Poisonous attacks|venomous melee attacks]] and [[breath]] weapons of various monsters.
* Being caught in [[#Poison clouds|clouds of poisonous gas]].
* Heroes and monsters using [[#Poisoned weapon|poisoned weapons]].
* Falling victim to [[#Poison trap|spiked pits or certain other traps]].
* [[Eating]] a [[#Poisonous monster|poisonous corpse]]&mdash;this is not to be confused with [[food poisoning]], which occurs independently from eating any corpse that is too old.
* [[Quaffing]] a [[potion of sickness]], which can damage one of the hero's [[attribute]]s.

Poison is capable of weakening a hero or monster with additional [[HP]] loss, and for the hero this may be combined with damage to one of their physical [[attribute]]s.{{refsrc|src/attrib.c|273|nethack=3.6.7|comment=<tt>poisoned()</tt> function}} Poison from spiked pits, poisoned weapons, poison clouds, and poisonous attacks from monsters also have a chance of [[Instant death|outright killing]] their victims:{{refsrc|src/attrib.c|312|nethack=3.6.7}} The chance of attribute loss and instant death is applied per exposure, rather than per source, and the instadeath chance is always {{frac|5}} the chance of attribute loss, with extra HP damage occuring otherwise&mdash;said damage will be 1-6 HP for thrown weapons and {{rn1|10|6}} otherwise. The game will print a message indicating when the effects of poison from any source occur.{{refsrc|src/mhitu.c|113|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}

[[Poison resistance]] is a [[property]] that protects a hero or monster from poison damage by reducing or nullifying the amount of damage dealt, and it also prevents the possibility of instant death from exposure to poison.{{refsrc|src/attrib.c|292|nethack=3.6.7}} Poison resistance also lowers the severity of the effects from quaffing a potion of sickness.

{{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Per {{commit|d0b11fd2c05dae5ebc7a3ff6425257e6ed372894}}, poison no longer instantly kills the hero, and the effect is replaced by an additional 6 + 4d6 damage, half of which is subtracted from their maximum HP, and harsher lowering of attribute points.

Per {{commit|8f7258dc35a92daaf530e9f5858c95ee114a0c99}}, Grimtooth is permanently poisoned, with each hit against targets without poison resistance hacing a {{frac|4}} chance of dealing harsher poison damage and a further {{frac|10}} chance of causing [[instadeath]].}}

===Poisonous attacks===
Poison attacks can have one of three damage types:

* Poison that drains [[strength]], which uses the '''<tt>AD_DRST</tt>''' damage type flag{{refsrc|src/mhitu.c|1126|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
* Poison that drains [[dexterity]], which uses the '''<tt>AD_DRDX</tt>''' damage type flag{{refsrc|src/mhitu.c|1129|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
* Poison that drains [[constitution]], which uses the '''<tt>AD_DRCO</tt>''' damage type flag{{refsrc|src/mhitu.c|1132|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}

A hero hit by a poison attack that is not blocked by [[magic cancellation]] has a {{frac|8}} chance of the poison triggering:{{refsrc|src/mhitu.c|1136|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} this has a further {{frac|6}} chance of decreasing the affected attribute, a {{frac|30}} chance of being fatal outright, and otherwise deals {{rn1|10|6}} extra damage.{{refsrc|src/mhitu.c|1139|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} Poison resistance blocks all of these effects, with a message printed accordingly.{{refsrc|src/attrib.c|295|nethack=3.6.7}}

Poison breath attacks leave a trail of [[poison cloud]]s behind covering the path of the ray, and any such [[ray]]s of poison that hit a hero directly have a {{frac|3}} chance of draining 2-4 points of [[dexterity]] (despite the attack using the <tt>AD_DRST</tt> flag), with a {{frac|15}} chance of being immediately fatal, and otherwise deals {{rn1|10|6}} extra damage, with all of these effects blocked by poison resistance.{{refsrc|src/zap.c|3870|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}

The guardian naga's [[spitting attack]] uses the <tt>AD_DRST</tt> damage type flag, even though it behaves as non-damaging [[blinding venom]] upon hitting a hero or monster&mdash;poison resistance therefore does not block this effect. Additionally, the [[erinys]] and the [[Master Assassin]] both have a weapon attack that is poisonous independent of whether the physical weapon is poisoned.

A hero that is [[polymorph]]ed into a monster with a poisonous attack and successfully lands one against a target without poison resistance has a {{frac|8}} chance of the poison taking effect, with a further {{frac|10}} chance of being outright fatal and otherwise dealing {{rn1|10|6}} extra damage.{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|1887|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}

Magic cancellation can block the poison of melee attack types (including weapon attack types with the poison damage type) from taking effect, but not from breath weapons or spitting attacks.

===Poison clouds===
{{main|Poison cloud}}
Poison breath, [[scrolls of stinking cloud]] and lava plumes on the [[Plane of Fire]] all produce poison clouds that cause any heroes and monsters caught within them to take constant poison damage unless they have poison resistance or move outside of the clouds, and also causes coughing and [[blindness]] even if they have poison resistance.{{refsrc|src/zap.c|4562|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/region.c|979|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} See the linked article for more details on the dungeon feature.

===Poisonous monsters===
Several monsters are poisonous to consume, whether by [[eating]] their [[corpse]] or [[glob]], or else by consuming them directly with a [[digestion attack]]: the <tt>'''M1_POIS'''</tt> monster flag used within <tt>[[monst.c]]</tt> governs whether or not a monster is poisonous to eat.{{refsrc|include/monflag.h|98|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} The hero has a {{frac|4|5}} chance of being poisoned from eating a poisonous monster or its corpse, which causes up to 15 HP of damage and drains 1-4 points of strength{{refsrc|src/eat.c|1649|version=NetHack 3.6.7|name="poisoned_meal"}}&mdash;this does not apply to [[tin]]s of poisonous monsters, presumably due to the most edible parts being preserved by the tinning process (including ones the hero makes with a [[tinning kit]]). Poison resistance blocks these effects, and [[pet]]s eating corpses and globs will avoid poisonous ones unless they have poison resistance.

While eating a poisonous corpse or glob does not have a chance of instant death like other sources of poison, HP loss and strength drain always occur if the hero is poisoned and can still kill them as normal. A monster's corpse or body being poisonous is independent of that monster granting poison resistance when eating it, let alone the monster having poison resistance ''or'' even an attack that inflicts poison&mdash;see [[#List of poisonous monsters|the list of poisonous monsters]] below for details. Additionally, a corpse being poisonous is independent of food poisoning from an old corpse: both hazards are separate and check for different resistances (poison resistance versus [[immunity to sickness]]), though they can occur simultaneously, e.g. a [[kobold]] corpse left by a [[kobold zombie]] or [[kobold mummy|mummy]].

The following monsters are considered poisonous to eat or digest directly:

* {{monclass|a}}: {{monsymlink|killer bee}}, {{monsymlink|soldier ant}}, {{monsymlink|giant beetle}}, {{monsymlink|queen bee}}
* {{monclass|d}}: {{monsymlink|werejackal}}, {{monsymlink|werewolf}}
* {{monsymlink|gremlin}}
* {{monclass|i}}: {{monsymlink|manes}}, {{monsymlink|homunculus}}, {{monsymlink|lemure}}
* all {{monclass|k}}s
* {{monclass|r}}: {{monsymlink|rabid rat}}, {{monsymlink|wererat}}
* {{monclass|s}}: {{monsymlink|giant spider}}, {{monsymlink|scorpion}}, {{monsymlink|Scorpius}}
* {{monsymlink|xan}}
* {{monsymlink|couatl}}
* {{monsymlink|vampire bat}}
* {{monclass|D}}: {{monsymlink|baby green dragon}}, {{monsymlink|green dragon}}, {{monsymlink|Chromatic Dragon}}
* {{monsymlink|yellow mold}}
* all {{monclass|L}}es
* all {{white|M}} [[mummies]]
* {{monsymlink|guardian naga}}
* {{monsymlink|green slime}}
* {{monsymlink|quantum mechanic}}
* {{monclass|S}}: {{monsymlink|snake}}, {{monsymlink|water moccasin}}, {{monsymlink|pit viper}}, {{monsymlink|cobra}}
* all {{monclass|V}}s
* all {{monclass|Z}}s
* {{monsymlink|iron golem}}
* {{monclass|@}}: {{monsymlink|Medusa}}, all [[werecreature]]s
* all {{monclass|&}}s except [[sandestin]]s and the [[Riders]]
* {{monsymlink|jellyfish}}
* {{monsymlink|salamander}}

===Poisoned weapons===
Various projectile weapons can be poisoned:

* [[Dart]]s, [[shuriken]], [[crossbow bolt]]s, and all types of [[arrow]]s have a {{frac|100}} chance of generating as poisoned.{{refsrc|include/obj.h|201|version=NetHack 3.6.7|comment=specified range covers all projectile weapons from arrows to shuriken in <tt>objects.c</tt>{{refsrc|src/objects.c|113-L130|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}}}{{refsrc|src/mkobj.c|813|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
* A hero can poison projectiles of the same type by [[dipping]] them in a potion of sickness.{{refsrc|src/potion.c|2114|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
* A chaotic hero has a {{frac|100}} chance of compatible projectiles in their starting inventory generating as poisoned.{{refsrc|src/u_init.c|1090|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
* [[Orcish arrow]]s generated in a [[Monster starting inventory|monster's starting inventory]] are always poisoned.{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|157|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}

A hero without poison resistance that is hit by a poisoned projectile has a {{frac|4|5}} chance of losing 1 point of strength, a {{frac|30}} chance of the poison being fatal, and otherwise takes up to 6 HP of extra damage, with the chances applied for each individual projectile and all of these effects being blocked by poison resistance.{{refsrc|src/mthrowu.c|285|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/mthrowu.c|628|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} A monster without poison resistance that is hit by a hero's poisoned weapon or projectile takes up to 6 points of additional damage, with a {{frac|10}} chance of the poison being fatal{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|1135|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}&mdash;a monster hit with a poisoned weapon or projectile thrown or shot by another monster takes up to 6 points of additional damage, with a {{frac|30}} chance of the poison being fatal.{{refsrc|src/mthrowu.c|374|version=NetHack 3.6.7|name="nonplayerdart"}} Poisoned weapons and projectiles that hit a hero or monster ignore magic cancellation.

A hero's weapon that is poisoned has a [[weight]]-based chance (which is always {{frac|10}} in practice) of its poison wearing off after each hit.{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|1117|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} Lawful heroes take a -1 penalty to [[alignment record]] for using a poisoned weapon (with a minimum of -10), and [[Samurai]] take a separate penalty to alignment record for using poisoned weapons.{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|1122|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/uhitm.c|1125|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} Poisoned weapons that are dipped into a [[potion of healing]], {{! of|extra healing|or=1|full healing}} will lose their poison and use up the potion.{{refsrc|src/potion.c|2125|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}

Eating a poisoned weapon while in the form of a [[metallivore]] or [[gelatinous cube]] has the same effects on strength and HP as eating a poisonous corpse, including both effects being blocked by poison resistance (which cubes naturally have).{{refsrc|src/eat.c|2579|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}

===Poison traps===
Four different types of trap, including [[container trap]]s, can poison the hero and sometimes other monsters:{{refsrc|src/trap.c|4797|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}

* Container traps can release noxious gas which [[abuse]]s constitution, and will deal damage with a {{frac|3}} chance of lowering strength, a {{frac|15}} chance of being fatal and otherwise dealing {{rn1|10|6}} damage.{{refsrc|src/trap.c|4905|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} Poison resistance prevents instadeath and blocks damage to HP or attributes, and there is a [[luck]]-dependent chance of the gas blowing away before it can do any harm.{{refsrc|src/trap.c|4814|version=NetHack 3.6.7|name="but_luckily"}}{{refsrc|src/trap.c|4837|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
* Container traps can also fire a poisoned needle which [[abuse]]s constitution, and will deal damage with a {{frac|2}} chance of lowering constitution, a {{frac|10}} chance of being fatal and otherwise dealing {{rn1|10|6}} damage.{{refsrc|src/trap.c|4905|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} Poison resistance prevents instadeath and blocks damage to HP or attributes, and there is a [[luck]]-dependent chance of the needle missing.<ref name="but_luckily"/>{{refsrc|src/trap.c|4831|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
* [[Dart trap]]s that activate and fire a dart at a hero or monster have a {{frac|6}} chance of the dart being poisoned{{refsrc|src/trap.c|997|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/trap.c|1002|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/trap.c|2239|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}{{refsrc|src/trap.c|3989|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}&mdash;as with thrown poisoned darts, they have a further {{frac|6}} chance of lowering constitution and a {{frac|30}} chance of being deadly, and otherwise deal up to 6 extra points of damage.<ref name="nonplayerdart"/> Poison resistance blocks all of these effects.
* [[Spiked pit]]s have a {{frac|6}} chance of poisoning the victim each time they fall into one, including falling into the same pit repeatedly{{refsrc|src/trap.c|1261|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}&mdash;the poison from the spikes has a further {{frac|5|8}} chance of lowering strength and a {{frac|8}} chance of being fatal, and otherwise deals {{rn1|10|6}} damage, with strength loss occurring if [[life saving]] triggers in response to fatal poisoning or HP damage.{{refsrc|src/trap.c|1268|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} Poison resistance blocks all of these effects.

==Strategy==
The threat of [[YASD|an instant and unceremonious defeat]] to a poisoned trap or weapon means that poison resistance is a highly critical property to obtain for any hero at the beginning stages of any ''NetHack'' game: [[Uruk-hai]] and soldier ants are among the most common poisonous threats, between the poisoned orcish arrows of the former and the speed and stinging of the latter. Certain [[role]]s have more leeway in how far they can explore the early dungeon versus others, to the point that it is often a defining factor in [[Role difficulty|that role's difficulty]].

The [[Barbarian]] is one of the most clear examples of this, being a strong melee role that starts with poison resistance, while [[Monk]]s gain the property at [[experience level]] 3, and can easily gain the required experience with their [[martial arts]]. [[Orc (starting race)|Orcish]] heroes in roles that lack poison resistance have somewhat better survival chances early on compared to other races in that same role, though this is also subject to tradeoffs elsewhere (such as lower strength caps and mental stats). [[Healer]]s start with poison resistance, and while this does give them something of an edge over other casting roles, they are also generally more fragile and restricted in several other aspects.

Intrinsic poison resistance is granted by eating any of a large variety of corpses&mdash;as indicated by [[#List of poisonous monsters|the list of poisonous monsters]] in the table below, many of these corpses are poisonous themselves, and loss of strength and [[carrying capacity]] can spell a hero's doom early on, so it is not advisable to eat them without some way of avoiding or curing strength loss. Even monsters that have non-poisonous corpses which grant the intrinsic, such as [[quasit]]s and [[pudding]]s, can use poisonous attacks or prove hazardous in other ways&mdash;tins and corpses of [[quivering blob]]s, [[naga hatchling]]s, and [[Red mold|red]] and [[brown mold]]s are among the sources that are safest to eat. See the [[poison resistance]] article for a comprehensive list of monsters that grant poison resistance when eaten.

===Precautions===
There are many precautions a hero can take to make poison less perilous to deal with. For poisonous corpses, [[applying]] a tinning kit to a poisonous corpse will remove the risk of poisoning, a worn [[ring of sustain ability]] will prevent attribute damage from eating the corpses, and applying a non-cursed [[unicorn horn]], [[quaffing]] a [[potion of restore ability]] or successfully casting the {{+ of|restore ability}} spell can repair attribute damage. If all else fails, successful [[prayer]] can also potentially restore attributes: a hero being [[overtaxed]] while having lost at least four points of strength is considered a [[major trouble]], while having any reduced attributes at all is a [[minor trouble]].

For dealing with other sources of poison, wearing extrinsic sources of poison resistance such as an [[amulet versus poison]] is ideal to both significantly reduce poison damage and widen the amount of safely edible corpses available, including ones that you can obtain the intrinsic from&mdash;even once you obtain the intrinsic, it may be worth keeping an extrinsic source or two in case you lose it to a [[throne]] or a [[gremlin]] attack.

If you lack even an informally known source of poison resistance, high magic cancellation can protect against poisonous melee attacks, and it is already wise to avoid randomly using unknown scrolls and potions to minimize the odds of quaffing a potion of sickness or randomly reading a scroll of stinking cloud; in the latter case, the scroll can be discharged harmlessly by selecting a far away square out of range. Dip-testing using projectiles such as arrows and darts can reveal the identity of a potion of sickness without the risk of quaffing it, though this will use up the potion in the process, and some other potions such as {{! of|oil}} can also be used up this way. While dart traps and spiked pits can be difficult to find without tripping them, early dart traps in particular are often marked by corpses of their previous victims, and other monsters that walk into the traps can serve as indicators, especially if the trap killed them.

{{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Per {{commit|43d331c4ebe7bcd30a7cab7d4228957e283584c2}}, unicorn horns can no longer restore strength.}}

===Statistics===
The table below is a quick review of general poison sources and which ones can be deadly:

{|class="wikitable"
!Source!!Chance of extra damage!!Chance of deadly poison!!Chance of stat damage
|-
|Monster [[melee]] attack||4 in 5 successful attacks that are ''not'' blocked by [[magic cancellation]]||1 in 30 poisoned attacks||1 in 6 chance of damaging strength, dexterity or constitution
|-
|Monster ranged weapon||4 in 5||1 in 30 successful hits||4 in 5 chance of damaging [[strength]]
|-
|Poisoned [[dart trap]]||4 in 5||1 in 30 poisoned hits||1 in 6 chance of damaging [[constitution]]
|-
|Poisoned [[spiked pit]]||1 in 4||1 in 8 'poisoned' falls||5 in 8 chance of damaging [[strength]]
|-
|Noxious gas [[container trap]]||depends on luck||1 in 15 chance||1 in 3 chance of damaging [[strength]]
|-
|Poisoned needle container trap||depends on luck||1 in 10 chance||1 in 2 chance of damaging [[constitution]]
|-
|Poison blast attack from an [[iron golem]] or [[green dragon]]||3 in 5||1 in 15 chance||1 in 3 chance of damaging [[dexterity]]
|-
|Poisonous corpse||4 in 5||none||always damages [[strength]], deals d15 HP damage
|}

===List of poisonous monsters===
This more detailed table lists monsters that are either poisonous or have poisonous attacks, and whether they also possess poison resistance, grant poison resistance, or have some combination of the aforementioned traits:

{|class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
!Monster name and glyph!! Poison attacks? !! Poisonous corpse? !! Poison resistance? !! Grants intrinsics? !! Notes
|-
|{{monsymlink|killer bee}} || Sting 1d3 (drains strength) || Yes || Yes || Poison resistance (30%) || Very fast and appears in groups
|-
|{{monsymlink|soldier ant}} || Sting 3d4 (drains strength) || Yes || Yes || Poison resistance (20%) || Very fast and appears in groups
|-
|{{monsymlink|giant beetle}} || None || Yes || Yes || Poison resistance (33%) || 
|-
|{{monsymlink|queen bee}} || Sting 1d8 (drains strength) || Yes || Yes || Poison resistance (60%) || not randomly generated<br>normally appears only in [[beehive]]s
|-
|{{monsymlink|werejackal}} || None || Yes || Yes || causes [[lycanthropy]] || 
|-
|{{monsymlink|werewolf}} || None || Yes || Yes || causes [[lycanthropy]] || 
|-
|{{monsymlink|gremlin}} || None || Yes || Yes || Poison resistance (33%) || [[Intrinsic theft|Can remove poison resistance]]
|-
|{{monsymlink|manes}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[corpseless]]
|-
|{{monsymlink|homunculus}} || None || Yes || Yes || Poison resistance (6%)<br>[[Sleep resistance]] (6%) || bite can inflict [[sleep]]
|-
|{{monsymlink|lemure}} || None || Yes || Yes || [[Sleep resistance]] if [[digested]] || [[corpseless]], only generates randomly in [[Gehennom]]
|-
|{{monsymlink|quasit}} || Claw 1d2 (drains dexterity) x2 || No || Yes || Poison resistance (20%) || 
|-
|{{monsymlink|kobold}} || No || Yes || Yes || None || 
|-
|{{monsymlink|large kobold}} || No || Yes || Yes || None || 
|-
|{{monsymlink|kobold lord}} || No || Yes || Yes || None || 
|-
|{{monsymlink|kobold shaman}} || No || Yes || Yes || None || 
|-
|{{monsymlink|rabid rat}} || Bite 2d4 (drains constitution) || Yes || Yes || None || 
|-
|{{monsymlink|wererat}} || None || Yes || Yes || causes [[lycanthropy]] || 
|-
|{{monsymlink|centipede}} || Bite 1d3 (drains strength) || No || Yes || Poison resistance (13%) || 
|-
|{{monsymlink|giant spider}} || Bite 2d4 (drains strength) || Yes || Yes || Poison resistance (33%) || 
|-
|{{monsymlink|scorpion}} || Sting 1d4 (drains strength) || Yes || Yes || Poison resistance (50%) || 
|-
|{{monsymlink|xan}} || None || Yes || Yes || Poison resistance (~46%) || 
|-
|{{monsymlink|couatl}} || Bite 2d4 (drains constitution) || Yes || Yes || None || [[corpseless]]
|-
|{{monsymlink|vampire bat}} || Bite 0d0 (drains strength) || Yes || Yes || None || may be shapeshifted [[Vampire (monster class)|vampire]]
|-
|{{monsymlink|baby green dragon}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || only randomly generated in aligned branches<br>cannot be engulfed
|-
|{{monsymlink|green dragon}} || Breath 4d6 (drains strength) || Yes || Yes || Poison resistance (100%) || will not use breath in melee range<br>cannot be engulfed
|-
|{{monsymlink|yellow mold}} || None || Yes || Yes || Poison resistance (6%)<br>causes [[hallucination]] || 
|-
|{{monsymlink|lich}} || None || Yes || Yes || [[Cold resistance]] if [[digested]] || [[corpseless]]
|-
|{{monsymlink|demilich}} || None || Yes || Yes || [[Cold resistance]] if [[digested]] || [[corpseless]]
|-
|{{monsymlink|master lich}} || None || Yes || Yes || [[Fire resistance]] or [[cold resistance]] if [[digested]] || [[corpseless]]
|-
|{{monsymlink|arch-lich}} || None || Yes || Yes || [[Fire resistance]] or [[cold resistance]] if [[digested]] || [[corpseless]]
|-
|{{monsymlink|kobold mummy}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[corpseless]], leaves behind old [[kobold]] corpse
|-
|{{monsymlink|gnome mummy}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[corpseless]], leaves behind old [[Gnome (monster)|gnome]] corpse
|-
|{{monsymlink|orc mummy}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[corpseless]], leaves behind old [[Orc (monster)|orc]] corpse
|-
|{{monsymlink|dwarf mummy}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[corpseless]], leaves behind old [[Dwarf (monster)|dwarf]] corpse
|-
|{{monsymlink|elf mummy}} || None || Yes || Yes || [[Sleep resistance]] (66%, see note) || [[corpseless]], leaves behind old [[Elf (monster)|elf]] corpse
|-
|{{monsymlink|human mummy}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[corpseless]], leaves behind old [[Human (monster)|human]] corpse
|-
|{{monsymlink|ettin mummy}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[corpseless]], leaves behind old [[ettin]] corpse<br>cannot be engulfed
|-
|{{monsymlink|giant mummy}} || None || Yes || Yes || Increases strength (50%, see note) || [[corpseless]], leaves behind old [[Giant (monster)|giant]] corpse<br>cannot be engulfed
|-
|{{monsymlink|guardian naga}} || Spit 1d6 (drains strength) || Yes || Yes || Poison resistance (80%) || spitting attack behaves as blinding venom (i.e. no poison)<br>cannot be engulfed
|-
|{{monsymlink|green slime}} || None || Yes || Yes || Causes [[sliming]], cures [[stoning]] || [[Acidic]]<br>[[corpseless]], leaves behind [[glob of green slime]]<br>digestion causes sliming
|-
|{{monsymlink|quantum mechanic}} || None || Yes || Yes || Toggles intrinsic [[speed]] || 
|-
|{{monsymlink|snake}} || Bite 1d6 (drains strength) || Yes || Yes || Poison resistance (26%) || 
|-
|{{monsymlink|water moccasin}} || Bite 1d6 (drains strength) || Yes || Yes || Poison resistance (26%) || only generated when [[dipping]] into or [[quaffing]] from fountains
|-
|{{monsymlink|pit viper}} || Bite 1d4 (drains strength) x2 || Yes || Yes || Poison resistance (40%) || 
|-
|{{monsymlink|cobra}} || Bite 2d4 (drains strength) || Yes || Yes || Poison resistance (40%) || 
|-
|{{monsymlink|vampire}} || None (see note) || Yes || Yes || None || [[corpseless]], leaves behind old [[Human (monster)|human]] corpse<br>has poisonous bite in vampire bat form
|-
|{{monsymlink|vampire lord}} || None (see note) || Yes || Yes || None || [[corpseless]], leaves behind old [[Human (monster)|human]] corpse<br>has poisonous bite in vampire bat form
|-
|{{monsymlink|Vlad the Impaler}} || None (see note) || Yes || Yes || None || [[unique]]<br>[[corpseless]]<br>has poisonous bite in vampire bat form
|-
|{{monsymlink|kobold zombie}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[corpseless]], leaves behind old [[kobold]] corpse
|-
|{{monsymlink|gnome zombie}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[corpseless]], leaves behind old [[Gnome (monster)|gnome]] corpse
|-
|{{monsymlink|orc zombie}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[corpseless]], leaves behind old [[Orc (monster)|orc]] corpse
|-
|{{monsymlink|dwarf zombie}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[corpseless]], leaves behind old [[Dwarf (monster)|dwarf]] corpse
|-
|{{monsymlink|elf zombie}} || None || Yes || Yes || [[Sleep resistance]] (66%, see note) || [[corpseless]], leaves behind old [[Elf (monster)|elf]] corpse
|-
|{{monsymlink|human zombie}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[corpseless]], leaves behind old [[Human (monster)|human]] corpse
|-
|{{monsymlink|ettin zombie}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[corpseless]], leaves behind old [[ettin]] corpse<br>cannot be engulfed
|-
|{{monsymlink|ghoul}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[corpseless]]
|-
|{{monsymlink|giant zombie}} || None || Yes || Yes || Increases strength (50%, see note) || [[corpseless]], leaves behind old [[Giant (monster)|giant]] corpse<br>cannot be engulfed
|-
|{{monsymlink|iron golem}} || Breath 4d6 (drains strength) || Yes || Yes || None || [[corpseless]], leaves behind [[iron chain]]s
|-
|{{monsymlink|Medusa}} || Bite 1d6 (drains strength) || Yes || Yes || Poison resistance (100%)<br>causes instant [[stoning]] || has passive stoning [[gaze]]<br>digestion causes stoning
|-
|{{monsymlink|water demon}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[corpseless]], only generated when [[dipping]] into or [[quaffing]] from fountains
|-
|{{monsymlink|incubus}} / [[succubus]] || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[corpseless]]
|-
|{{monsymlink|horned devil}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[corpseless]], only generates randomly in [[Gehennom]]
|-
|{{monsymlink|erinys}} || Weapon 2d4 (drains strength) || Yes || Yes || None || [[corpseless]], only generates randomly in [[Gehennom]]
|-
|{{monsymlink|barbed devil}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[corpseless]], only generates randomly in [[Gehennom]]
|-
|{{monsymlink|marilith}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[corpseless]], only generates randomly in [[Gehennom]]
|-
|{{monsymlink|vrock}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[corpseless]], only generates randomly in [[Gehennom]]
|-
|{{monsymlink|hezrou}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[corpseless]], only generates randomly in [[Gehennom]]
|-
|{{monsymlink|bone devil}} || Sting 2d4 (drains strength) || Yes || Yes || None || [[corpseless]], only generates randomly in [[Gehennom]]
|-
|{{monsymlink|ice devil}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[corpseless]], only generates randomly in [[Gehennom]]
|-
|{{monsymlink|nalfeshnee}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[corpseless]], only generates randomly in [[Gehennom]]
|-
|{{monsymlink|pit fiend}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[corpseless]], only generates randomly in [[Gehennom]]
|-
|{{monsymlink|balrog}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[corpseless]], only generates randomly in [[Gehennom]]
|-
|{{monsymlink|Juiblex}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[unique]]<br>[[corpseless]], can generate via [[demon gating]] or same-race sacrifice<br>appears within [[Juiblex's Swamp|his lair]] in Gehennom
|-
|{{monsymlink|Yeenoghu}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[unique]]<br>[[corpseless]], can generate via [[demon gating]] or same-race sacrifice
|-
|{{monsymlink|Orcus}} || Sting 2d4 (drains strength) || Yes || Yes || None || [[unique]]<br>[[corpseless]]<br>appears within [[Orcus-town|his lair]] in Gehennom<br>cannot be engulfed
|-
|{{monsymlink|Geryon}} || Sting 2d4 (drains strength) || Yes || Yes || None || [[unique]]<br>[[corpseless]], can generate via [[demon gating]]<br>cannot be engulfed
|-
|{{monsymlink|Dispater}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[unique]]<br>[[corpseless]], can generate via [[demon gating]] 
|-
|{{monsymlink|Baalzebub}} || Bite 2d6 (drains strength) || Yes || Yes || None || [[unique]]<br>[[corpseless]]<br>appears within [[Baalzebub's Lair|his lair]] in Gehennom
|-
|{{monsymlink|Asmodeus}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[unique]]<br>[[corpseless]]<br>appears within [[Asmodeus' lair|his lair]] in Gehennom<br>cannot be engulfed
|-
|{{monsymlink|Demogorgon}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[unique]]<br>[[corpseless]], can generate via [[demon gating]]<br>cannot be engulfed 
|-
|{{monsymlink|mail daemon}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[unique]]<br>[[corpseless]]
|-
|{{monsymlink|djinni}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[corpseless]], not generated randomly
|-
|{{monsymlink|jellyfish}} || Sting 3d3 (drains strength) || Yes || Yes || Poison resistance (20%) || not generated randomly
|-
|{{monsymlink|salamander}} || Sting 3d3 (drains strength) || Yes || Yes || Fire resistance (53%) || only randomly generates in Gehennom<br>appears on [[Plane of Fire]]
|-
|{{monsymlink|Minion of Huhetotl}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[Archeologist]] [[quest nemesis]]<br>[[corpseless]]
|-
|{{monsymlink|Chromatic Dragon}} || Breath 6d6 [[Random breath|random]] || Yes || Yes || Fire resistance (16%)<br>Cold resistance (16%)<br>Sleep resistance (16%)<br>[[Disintegration resistance]] (16%)<br>[[Shock resistance]] (16%)<br>Poison resistance (16%)<br>cures [[stoning]] || [[Caveman]] [[quest nemesis]]<br>[[acidic]]<br>cannot be engulfed
|-
|{{monsymlink|Nalzok}} || None || Yes || Yes || None || [[Priest]] [[quest nemesis]]<br>[[corpseless]]
|-
|{{monsymlink|Scorpius}} || None || Yes || Yes || Poison resistance (100%) || [[Ranger]] [[quest nemesis]]
|-
|{{monsymlink|Master Assassin}} || Weapon 2d6 (drains strength) || No || No || None || [[Rogue]] [[quest nemesis]]
|}

==History==
Poison has been present in the game since Hack 1.21 and Hack for PDP-11, which are based on [[Jay Fenlason's Hack]], and also appears in Hack 1.0. From these versions to [[NetHack 2.3e]], strength is the hero's sole attribute and thus the only one that poison can affect&mdash;the other five attributes are introduced in [[NetHack 3.0.0]].

From [[NetHack 2.3e]] to [[NetHack 3.6.0]], including some variants based on those versions, poison breath simply poisons targets hit by the ray unless they have poison resistance. [[NetHack 3.6.1]] introduces poison breath attacks leaving behind trails of poison clouds via {{commit|da0e660110c85d2bfce393abb4ec71d836ed6504}}, which is based on an original patch by [[Leon Arnott]]&mdash;NetHack 3.6.1 also introduces immunity to gas clouds for monsters that breathe poison gas via {{commit|f5c157cb4bfe1fd7912ce268a43e39826cffa8a4}}, with the iron golem already being immune as a non-breathing monster.

==Variants==
[[Variant]]s of ''NetHack'' often add several other sources of poison, including various attacks, and may also adjust or remove its ability to instantly kill monsters and heroes.
{{todo|Renovate entire section.}}

===SLASH’EM===
In [[SLASH'EM]], poison behaves as it does in NetHack 3.4.3.

The hero can poison weapons by dipping them in a [[toilet]].

=== UnNetHack ===
In [[UnNetHack]], the chance of an instadeath from poison is replaced with a "very toxic" poison that damages max HP and does strength damage, reducing the chance or frustrating [[YASD]] (though it is still nearly always fatal to low level characters). Other detriments of being poisoned remain the same.

===FIQHack===
[[FIQHack]] also eliminates poison instadeath and replaces it with permanent attribute damage, which cannot be fixed via potion or unicorn horn. Additionally, poison resistance only halves poison damage, ensuring that it is never completely safe to eat a poisonous corpse; chances of attribute reduction are also lowered to one third of the time, and the attribute loss itself is reduced by a third.

Since poison resistance only partially protects you in FIQHack, the [[amulet versus poison]] and the [[ring of poison resistance]] are even more useful as they completely protect you from the effects of poison.

==Encyclopedia entry==
{{upcoming|3.7.0|The following entry is added for venom and poison (including the [[potion of sickness]]) via {{commit|f5bd6950172957b5f6ddc3588c1d870fe4b73831}}.}}
{{encyclopedia|
Fate intervened. Some of us, that day, she led inexorably
through the gates of death. Some of us, innocent and unsuspecting,
took, unwillingly, that one last step to oblivion. Some of us took
very little sugar.
|[ We Have Always Lived in the Castle,
by Shirley Jackson ]}}

==References==
<references />
{{nethack-367}}
[[Category:Instadeath]]
[[Category:Damage types]]
[[Category:Monster attributes]]