Difference between revisions of "Thoth Amon"
m (→Encyclopedia entry) |
(corrections) |
||
| (3 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| − | |||
{{monster | {{monster | ||
|name=Thoth Amon | |name=Thoth Amon | ||
| Line 11: | Line 10: | ||
|frequency=Unique | |frequency=Unique | ||
|genocidable=No | |genocidable=No | ||
| − | |attacks=Weapon 1d6, [[monster spell|spell-casting]] | + | |attacks=Weapon 1d6, [[monster spell|spell-casting]], spell-casting, claw [[covetous|quest-artifact-stealing]] 1d4 |
|weight=1450 | |weight=1450 | ||
|nutr=400 | |nutr=400 | ||
| Line 21: | Line 20: | ||
}} | }} | ||
| − | {{questmon|Thoth Amon|Barbarian|nemesis}} | + | {{questmon|Thoth Amon|Barbarian|nemesis}} He guards the [[Bell of Opening]] and the Barbarian's [[quest artifact]], [[The Heart of Ahriman]]. |
| + | |||
| + | Thoth Amon has a weapon attack, the ability to cast mage [[monster spell]]s twice during each of his turns, and a 'claw' attack that can [[Covetous|steal the quest artifact]] if you obtained it from him without killing him. He possesses [[poison resistance]] and [[stoning resistance]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Generation== | ||
| + | Thoth Amon is generated on the cross-aligned altar in the [[Barbarian quest]] goal level, with The Heart of Ahriman underneath him. He is [[Monster starting inventory|always generated]] carrying the Bell of Opening. | ||
==Strategy== | ==Strategy== | ||
| − | Thoth Amon is a | + | Thoth Amon is a foe capable of casting spells such as [[haste self]], [[curse items]], [[Destroy armor (monster spell)|destroy armor]], and [[drain strength]] at minimum, and is also very likely to generate with the ability to [[summon nasties]] - despite this, he may prove surprisingly easy to defeat for all but the most unprepared of Barbarians. When preparing to take on Thoth Amon, remember that he does not respect [[Elbereth]] and tailor your kit accordingly. |
| + | |||
| + | [[Magic resistance]] blunts the impact of Thoth Amon's spells, and his low 10 [[Magic resistance (monster)|MR score]] renders him vulnerable to magic in turn: a [[wand of sleep]] leaves Thoth Amon helpless against a Barbarian's usual powerful melee attacks, a [[wand of death]] can kill him outright, and a [[wand of cancellation]] can reliably nullify his spellcasting and make him into a pushover. | ||
| + | {{todo|Flesh this out some more if possible}} | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==History== | ||
| + | Thoth Amon first appears with most other quest nemeses in [[NetHack 3.1.0]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Origin== | ||
| + | {{Wikipedia|Thoth-Amon}} | ||
| + | Thoth-Amon is a recurring character in the ''[[Wikipedia:Conan the Barbarian|Conan the Barbarian]]'' stories of [[wikipedia:Robert E. Howard|Robert E. Howard]], making his official debut in one of the original tales, [[Wikipedia:The Phoenix on the Sword|"The Phoenix on the Sword"]]. He is also mentioned by name in another ''Conan'' story, [[wikipedia:The God in the Bowl|"The God in the Bowl"]], which was not published in Howard's lifetime. Thoth-Amon is a wizard from the lands of Stygia who holds the moniker "Thoth-Amon of the Ring". | ||
| − | + | In "The Phoenix on the Sword", Thoth-Amon was robbed of his magical ring, the Black Ring of Set, forcing him to flee from Stygia; while disguised as a camel driver, he was waylaid in Koth by the reavers of an outlaw named Ascalante, and survived the slaughter of his caravan by revealing his identity and swearing to serve Ascalante. Ascalante is later recruited along with Thoth-Amon by a quartet of conspirators to aid in the deposing of Conan, who seized the crown of Aquilonia after strangling the tyrannic King Numedides on his throne: the Aquilonians initially welcomed him as a liberator, but soon turned on him due to his foreign blood. The "Rebel Four" intend to assassinate King Conan when he is unprepared and defenseless and put the crown in the hands of someone with royal blood - unbeknownst to them, Ascalante secretly plans to betray his employers and claim the crown, while Thoth-Amon only seeks to recover his lost ring. | |
| + | |||
| + | Both these elements, along with an omen delivered to Conan in his dream by a long-dead sage named Epemitreus, ultimately thwart the conspiracy: Thoth-Amon murders one of the conspirators and summons a fanged ape-like demon to slay Ascalante, allowing Conan to slay the three remaining members of the Rebel Four. In a moment of mercy, Conan hesitates to kill Rinaldo, whose songs once touched the King's heart, but Rinaldo repays this by stabbing him, and is killed like the rest. Ascalante takes the opportunity to try and finish off Conan, only to be killed by Thoth-Amon's demon, and Conan recovers enough to slay the demon in turn. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Thoth-Amon only crosses paths with Conan in the aforementioned stories: the two never meet face to face, and Conan's involvement in Thoth-Amon's plans are pure happenstance; the hero even unknowingly does the sorcerer a favor by disposing of a rival priest of Set. Even so, later writers would come to depict Thoth-Amon as the Cimmerian's arch-nemesis. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Variants== | ||
| + | ===SLASH'EM=== | ||
| + | In [[SLASH'EM]], Thoth Amon's difficulty is raised to 24, and he gains access to the [[create pool]] spell, which is rarely cast but can spell a quick end for an unwary Barbarian - [[levitation]], [[water walking]] and/or [[flight]] are useful countermeasures against this. This information also applies to SlashTHEM. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===dNetHack=== | ||
| + | In [[dNetHack]], Thoth Amon always generates with 128 HP and has all 10 points of AC in the protection category, but is otherwise unchanged in terms of basic stats. However, he also gains the ability to cast the nightmare [[dNetHack monster spells|monster spell]], which inflicts [[hallucination]], [[confusion]] and [[stunning]], and has a {{frac|3}} chance of using the spell with each of his casting attempts during his attacks. The Heart of Ahriman is changed heavily from ''NetHack'', and grants [[half spell damage]], magic resistance, [[reflection]], [[drain resistance]], [[fire resistance]], and [[poison resistance]] when carried - Thoth Amon gains these properties from picking up the artifact, making him much more resistant to wands and many other sources of magic. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Fortunately, Barbarians in dNetHack lack any form of magical skill in exchange for highly-improved melee prowess, including gaining an extra melee attack (along with an offhand attack if [[twoweapon]]ing) at [[experience level]] 14: a speedy, quest-ready Barbarian equipped with [[Cleaver]] or the [[Atlantean Royal Sword]] can simply hack their way through Thoth Amon in a handful of turns before he can establish himself as a threat. Thoth Amon's casting is also subject to spell cooldowns, and he is not especially likely to make use of haste self in time. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===EvilHack=== | ||
| + | In [[EvilHack]], the Barbarian quest artifact is changed to [[the Ring of P'hul]], an artifact [[ring of free action]] that confers [[sickness resistance]] and [[magic resistance]] - Thoth Amon will pick up and put on the ring the first opportunity he gets. Even with the worn ring, he is still susceptible to [[sleep]] and is no less difficult for a prepared Barbarian to hack apart. | ||
==Encyclopedia entry== | ==Encyclopedia entry== | ||
| − | |||
{{encyclopedia| | {{encyclopedia| | ||
| − | Men say that he [Thutothmes] has opposed Thoth-Amon, who is master of all priests of Set, and dwells in Luxor, and that Thutothmes seeks hidden power [The | + | Men say that he [Thutothmes] has opposed Thoth-Amon, who is master of all priests of Set, and dwells in Luxor, and that Thutothmes seeks hidden power [The Heart of Ahriman] to overthrow the Great One. |
|[ Conan the Conqueror, by Robert E. Howard ] | |[ Conan the Conqueror, by Robert E. Howard ] | ||
}} | }} | ||
| − | + | {{nethack-367}} | |
| − | |||
| − | {{nethack- | ||
Revision as of 03:05, 25 March 2024
@ Thoth Amon 
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 22 |
| Attacks |
Weapon 1d6, spell-casting, spell-casting, claw quest-artifact-stealing 1d4 |
| Base level | 16 |
| Base experience | 547 |
| Speed | 12 |
| Base AC | 0 |
| Base MR | 10 |
| Alignment | −14 (chaotic) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | Unique |
| Genocidable | No |
| Weight | 1450 |
| Nutritional value | 400 |
| Size | Medium |
| Resistances | Poison, stone |
| Resistances conveyed |
None |
|
Thoth Amon:
| |
| Reference | monst.c#line3200 |
Thoth Amon, @, is the Barbarian quest nemesis. He guards the Bell of Opening and the Barbarian's quest artifact, The Heart of Ahriman.
Thoth Amon has a weapon attack, the ability to cast mage monster spells twice during each of his turns, and a 'claw' attack that can steal the quest artifact if you obtained it from him without killing him. He possesses poison resistance and stoning resistance.
Contents
Generation
Thoth Amon is generated on the cross-aligned altar in the Barbarian quest goal level, with The Heart of Ahriman underneath him. He is always generated carrying the Bell of Opening.
Strategy
Thoth Amon is a foe capable of casting spells such as haste self, curse items, destroy armor, and drain strength at minimum, and is also very likely to generate with the ability to summon nasties - despite this, he may prove surprisingly easy to defeat for all but the most unprepared of Barbarians. When preparing to take on Thoth Amon, remember that he does not respect Elbereth and tailor your kit accordingly.
Magic resistance blunts the impact of Thoth Amon's spells, and his low 10 MR score renders him vulnerable to magic in turn: a wand of sleep leaves Thoth Amon helpless against a Barbarian's usual powerful melee attacks, a wand of death can kill him outright, and a wand of cancellation can reliably nullify his spellcasting and make him into a pushover.
A user has suggested improving this page or section as follows:
"Flesh this out some more if possible"
History
Thoth Amon first appears with most other quest nemeses in NetHack 3.1.0.
Origin
Thoth-Amon is a recurring character in the Conan the Barbarian stories of Robert E. Howard, making his official debut in one of the original tales, "The Phoenix on the Sword". He is also mentioned by name in another Conan story, "The God in the Bowl", which was not published in Howard's lifetime. Thoth-Amon is a wizard from the lands of Stygia who holds the moniker "Thoth-Amon of the Ring".
In "The Phoenix on the Sword", Thoth-Amon was robbed of his magical ring, the Black Ring of Set, forcing him to flee from Stygia; while disguised as a camel driver, he was waylaid in Koth by the reavers of an outlaw named Ascalante, and survived the slaughter of his caravan by revealing his identity and swearing to serve Ascalante. Ascalante is later recruited along with Thoth-Amon by a quartet of conspirators to aid in the deposing of Conan, who seized the crown of Aquilonia after strangling the tyrannic King Numedides on his throne: the Aquilonians initially welcomed him as a liberator, but soon turned on him due to his foreign blood. The "Rebel Four" intend to assassinate King Conan when he is unprepared and defenseless and put the crown in the hands of someone with royal blood - unbeknownst to them, Ascalante secretly plans to betray his employers and claim the crown, while Thoth-Amon only seeks to recover his lost ring.
Both these elements, along with an omen delivered to Conan in his dream by a long-dead sage named Epemitreus, ultimately thwart the conspiracy: Thoth-Amon murders one of the conspirators and summons a fanged ape-like demon to slay Ascalante, allowing Conan to slay the three remaining members of the Rebel Four. In a moment of mercy, Conan hesitates to kill Rinaldo, whose songs once touched the King's heart, but Rinaldo repays this by stabbing him, and is killed like the rest. Ascalante takes the opportunity to try and finish off Conan, only to be killed by Thoth-Amon's demon, and Conan recovers enough to slay the demon in turn.
Thoth-Amon only crosses paths with Conan in the aforementioned stories: the two never meet face to face, and Conan's involvement in Thoth-Amon's plans are pure happenstance; the hero even unknowingly does the sorcerer a favor by disposing of a rival priest of Set. Even so, later writers would come to depict Thoth-Amon as the Cimmerian's arch-nemesis.
Variants
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, Thoth Amon's difficulty is raised to 24, and he gains access to the create pool spell, which is rarely cast but can spell a quick end for an unwary Barbarian - levitation, water walking and/or flight are useful countermeasures against this. This information also applies to SlashTHEM.
dNetHack
In dNetHack, Thoth Amon always generates with 128 HP and has all 10 points of AC in the protection category, but is otherwise unchanged in terms of basic stats. However, he also gains the ability to cast the nightmare monster spell, which inflicts hallucination, confusion and stunning, and has a 1⁄3 chance of using the spell with each of his casting attempts during his attacks. The Heart of Ahriman is changed heavily from NetHack, and grants half spell damage, magic resistance, reflection, drain resistance, fire resistance, and poison resistance when carried - Thoth Amon gains these properties from picking up the artifact, making him much more resistant to wands and many other sources of magic.
Fortunately, Barbarians in dNetHack lack any form of magical skill in exchange for highly-improved melee prowess, including gaining an extra melee attack (along with an offhand attack if twoweaponing) at experience level 14: a speedy, quest-ready Barbarian equipped with Cleaver or the Atlantean Royal Sword can simply hack their way through Thoth Amon in a handful of turns before he can establish himself as a threat. Thoth Amon's casting is also subject to spell cooldowns, and he is not especially likely to make use of haste self in time.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, the Barbarian quest artifact is changed to the Ring of P'hul, an artifact ring of free action that confers sickness resistance and magic resistance - Thoth Amon will pick up and put on the ring the first opportunity he gets. Even with the worn ring, he is still susceptible to sleep and is no less difficult for a prepared Barbarian to hack apart.
Encyclopedia entry
Men say that he [Thutothmes] has opposed Thoth-Amon, who is master of all priests of Set, and dwells in Luxor, and that Thutothmes seeks hidden power [The Heart of Ahriman] to overthrow the Great One.
