Scorpius
s Scorpius 
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 17 |
| Attacks |
Claw 2d6, claw quest-artifact-stealing 2d6, sting sickness 1d4 |
| Base level | 15 |
| Base experience | 474 |
| Speed | 12 |
| Base AC | 10 |
| Base MR | 0 |
| Alignment | -15 (chaotic) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | Unique |
| Genocidable | No |
| Weight | 750 |
| Nutritional value | 350 |
| Size | Medium |
| Resistances | Poison, stoning |
| Resistances conveyed |
Poison (100%) |
|
Scorpius:
| |
| Reference | monst.c#line3277 |
Scorpius, s, is the Ranger quest nemesis. He guards the Bell of Opening and the Ranger's quest artifact, the Longbow of Diana.
Eating Scorpius's corpse is guaranteed to convey poison resistance.
Generation
Scorpius will always generate atop his throne at the center of his would-be castle, where he sits meditating.
Strategy
The damage Scorpius deals with his two claw attacks is moderate, but manageable - the true danger lies in his third attack, a sickness-inducing sting. An attentive Ranger with a blessed unicorn horn and other methods of curing sickness (e.g. eucalyptus leaves and potions of extra healing or full healing) may find Scorpius among the easier quest nemeses to defeat.
Scorpius moves at the same base speed as you - with fast speed or better, you should have a few openings to attack him before he can teleport away. A scroll of scare monster on the up stair is an excellent defensive measure, as he lacks any sort of ranged or spellcasting attack, and his pitiful 10 AC makes it very easy to finish him off. Another method is to maintain line-of-sight with the up stair as you approach Scorpius: you can then snipe at Scorpius using whatever missiles you have on hand (e.g., your bow and a stack of enchanted arrows) and scare him towards the up stair. As long as you maintain enough distance, continued fire should drop Scorpius in a matter of turns.
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.
The scroll of scare monster on the ground no longer scares any unique monster.Encyclopedia entry
Since early times, the Scorpion has represented death, darkness,
and evil. Scorpius is the reputed slayer of Orion the Hunter.
[...] The gods put both scorpion and hunter among the stars, but
on opposite sides of the sky so they would never fight again.
As Scorpius rises in the east, Orion sets in the west.
