Trapper

t trapper
Difficulty	14
Attacks	Engulfing digestion 1d10

t trapper
Difficulty	14
Attacks	Engulfing digestion 1d10
Base level	12
Base experience	270
Speed	3
Base AC	3
Base MR	0
Alignment	0 (neutral)
Frequency (by normal means)	2 (Quite rare)
Genocidable	Yes
Weight	800
Nutritional value	350
Size	Huge
Resistances	None
Resistances conveyed	None
A trapper: can blend in with its surroundings. has no eyes. has no limbs. has no head. is an animal. is carnivorous. is normally generated hostile. can follow you to other levels. is strong.
Reference	monst.c#line807

A trapper, t, is a type of monster that appears in NetHack. It is one of the two eponymous monsters that make up the trapper or lurker above monster class. The trapper has a slightly stronger digestion attack compared to the lurker above, but cannot fly and instead hides itself on the floor of the dungeon to take its targets by surprise.

Generation

Trappers are always generated hostile.

Strategy

Like the lurker above, a trapper can easily be detected via telepathy or warning, and its very low speed of 3 makes it fairly nonthreatening, especially if you are decently equipped. However, do not let any of your pets near one - digestion attacks will instantly kill pets, so be sure to scout for trappers beforehand when navigating a floor.

History

The trapper first appears in Hack for PDP-11, a variant of Jay Fenlason's Hack, and is included in the initial bestiary for Hack 1.0.

Origin

The trapper originates from Dungeons & Dragons, where it first appears in TSR Games' official newsletter The Strategic Review as an addition to the original 1974 edition's bestiary. It is one of the classic examples of the franchise's "gotcha monsters", creatures that are primarily designed with the purpose of tricking and killing adventuring parties - for this reason, both it and the lurker above are often ranked among the most obnoxious monsters by players.

The trapper is a carnivorous relative of the lurker, being a large and flat manta ray-like creature with tough exterior skin that resembles stone in density and texture. The average trapper's body covers over 400 square feet (37 square meters) and could grow as large as 600 square feet (56 square meters). Trappers are primarily found in caves, caverns, and dark locations such as dungeons, and can attach themselves to walls and ceilings with ease, mimicking their surroundings by shapeshifting the texture and color of their outer body to blend in with earthen, stone, or wooden surfaces.

When hunting, a trapper often forms a box-like protrusion in their center to lure in prey: Whenever an unwary victim wandered near or onto the center of their body, the trapper attacks by forming a ball around them in order to crush and smother them to death; a trapper will not release its prey unless facing certain death or killed outright. The trapper remains in ball shape while it digests its victim's flesh, leaving bones, metal and other indigestible materials where the prey once stood. Trappers are known to use the remains of previous victims as bait, and hibernate whenever prey became scarce (though they would remain aware of anything that approached them); they also remain in an area for extended periods of time if food was plentiful.

In the 3rd and 4th Editions, trappers and their lurker 'relatives' were eventually phased out in favor of the similar darkmantle, though they would return alongside it for the 5th Edition.

Encyclopedia entry

The trapper is a creature which has evolved a chameleon-like ability to blend into the dungeon surroundings. It captures its prey by remaining very still and blending into the surrounding dungeon features, until an unsuspecting creature passes by. It wraps itself around its prey and digests it.