Things To Do If You're Going to Die Next Turn

This is a list of things you probably shouldn't do on a regular basis. But if you're about to die, you might resort to them as a last-ditch defense against a one-way ticket on the Charon Express.

The most important thing to remember is: Don't Panic. Or at least, panic at your leisure. Nethack is not Quake. You have as much time as you want to think between each keypress. Stop, stretch, look at your situation, review your inventory, and make a plan of action. Avoid the forehead slap of reviewing his post-mortem inventory and discovering something that would have saved your life.

There are a couple semi-routine moves you might consider first:

• Would engraving Elbereth help your situation? Of course, whatever's bashing you might not respect Elbereth. However, many an adventurer's life has been saved by repeatedly engraving Elbereth and resting on it.
• Pray. Your God may increase your hit points.

Roughly in order of desperation:

• Perhaps you can dig down and drop to a lower level. Of course, the frying pan/fire potential is obvious.
• Polymorph yourself (ring, trap, wand, etc.)
• Polymorph whatever's bashing on you. This may not improve your situation.
• Eat a corpse that inflicts Teleportitis. With luck, you'll teleport soon. Then of course, you have a new problem, but hopefully one much less severe.
• Read an unidentified scroll or book. You might read the book, have a wrenching sensation, and wind up on the other side of the level. On the other hand, you might read a scroll and make things worse.
• Quaff an unidentified potion. It might be a Potion of Full Healing. Of course, it might also be a Potion of Paralysis.
• Put on an unidentified amulet. Maybe you'll get an Amulet of Life Saving. Maybe you'll get an Amulet of Strangulation

Fatalistic approach

If, after reviewing all of the options and you have utterly determined that you are going to perish, and are on an eligible bones level, you might consider [E]ngraving (quickly) a message of warning for other adventurers - the monster that killed you may move away when they enter the level and stumble upon your loot, but they at least may have a fighting chance. Additionally, although it is considered cheating, you can Engrave the highlights of your inventory (you have a bag of holding, or a single particular spellbook or other interesting item). The short length of space available to Engrave is a mild deterrent to this.

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