Priest of an unknown god

& priest of an unknown god
Difficulty	27
Attacks	Passive 10d10 take artifact

& priest of an unknown god
Difficulty	27
Attacks	Passive 10d10 take artifact
Base level	25
Base experience	1054
Speed	0
Base AC	-7
Base MR	70
Alignment	-128 (chaotic)
Frequency (by normal means)	0 (Not randomly generated)
Genocidable	No
Weight	1450
Nutritional value	400
Size	medium
Resistances	fire, sleep, shock, poison, petrification, level drain
Resistances conveyed	sleep
A priest of an unknown god: can swim. can survive underwater. has a head, a couple of arms, and a torso. can see invisible creatures. is omnivorous. is not a valid polymorphable form. is a human. is an overlord to its kind. is normally generated hostile. is nasty. can pick up weapons and food. can pick up magical items. can be seen through infravision. resists level drain.

The priests of an unknown god are monsters in dNetHack that are more a feature of the dungeon than a threat to the player. They have no offensive or defensive abilities, but when you strike one with an artifact, it will "tug gently" on it, and you will be asked if you want to let go of the item. If you let go, both the priest and the artifact will disappear from the game, and an earthquake will occur around you. Artifacts that have been removed in this way will never be generated again in the same game.

Any artifact that's guaranteed to appear in a certain location (Rod of Seven Parts, demon lord artifacts, etc.) or that can be necessary to complete the game (Pen of the Void, Silver Key, Annulus) cannot be given away. Broadly speaking, if it's wishable, giftable, or randomly findable it can be given.

If a priest of an unknown god is killed in any other way, it will resurrect after a few turns, like one of the Riders.

Occurrence

Five priests of an unknown god are guaranteed to appear in dNetHack, all of them in the Neutral Quest, below the Outlands:

• The first on the island in the headwaters of the Lethe
• The second on the sixth level of the Lethe, south of the temple of the forgotten god
• The third in a ruined temple on an island on the third level of the Gulf of N'kai
• The fourth and fifth on two of the altars in R'lyeh (not the same ones as Great Cthulhu or the other alhoon)

Strategy

The priests' ability to remove artifacts from the game makes them a way to manage unwanted artifacts. dNetHack doesn't count randomly generated artifacts towards the wishing numbers, but it does count them towards sacrifice, so a character who really wants a specific sacrifice gift could try to donate unwanted gifts to that end.

Be aware, however, that there are some benefits to giving away artifacts you aren't going to use, even if you're not planning on sacrificing. Giving away 5 artifacts will unlock a special seal for Binders, in addition to allowing any character to wish for another (generally their third wished) artifact.

Be mindful that destroying an artifact that was given to you by your deity as a sacrifice gift will anger your deity.