Water demon
& water demon 
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 11 |
| Attacks |
Weapon 1d3, claw 1d3, bite 1d3 |
| Base level | 8 |
| Base experience | 196 |
| Speed | 12 |
| Base AC | −4 |
| Base MR | 30 |
| Alignment | −7 (chaotic) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 0 (Not randomly generated) |
| Genocidable | No |
| Weight | 1450 |
| Nutritional value | 400 |
| Size | Medium |
| Resistances | Fire, poison |
| Resistances conveyed |
None |
|
A water demon:
| |
| Reference | monst.c#line2535 |
A water demon, &, is a type of demon that appears in NetHack. It is a major demon that resides in fountains.
Generation
Water demons are not randomly generated, and only appear when quaffing from or dipping into a fountain, with a 1⁄30 chance for either action. The water demon will be hostile with a probability of (80 + LD)⁄100, where LD is your current level difficulty - otherwise, they will generate peaceful and grant you a wish.[1] Water demons can also be gated in by the melee attacks of other water demons.
A water demon has a chance to generate with any one of the following weapon sets: a two-handed sword, a long sword, a lucern hammer, a battle-axe, or a bow and 3-14 arrows.[2]
Water demon cannot be a target for genocide, and are not a valid form for polymorph.
Strategy
Though one of the less powerful major demons, the water demon is more than capable of destroying most early-game characters - a player who cannot dispatch one quickly may find themselves overwhelmed if a second or even third water demon is gated in. This is the result of code governing demon gating that makes monsters with a difficulty greater than the current dungeon level exponentially unlikely to generate, meaning that a majority of the gated demons will be other water demons and foocubi.[3] However, there is a 1⁄260 chance of one summoning Juiblex or Yeenoghu this way.
Starting characters should ideally avoid using fountains as much as possible until they have a solidly built kit of armor, escape items and weapons capable of standing against water demons and water moccasins - even then, a gated second water demon or even the presence of a demon lord or prince can turn the battle against you. Once you feel confident enough to take your chances with fountains, start from the topmost fountain in the main dungeon and work your way down - dipping into fountains is generally safer than quaffing, particularly since at worst only your dipped item will be cursed.
Encyclopedia entry
[ The monkey king ] walked along the bank, around the pond. He examined the footprints of the animals that had gone into the water, and saw that none came out again! So he realized this pond must be possessed by a water demon. He said to the 80,000 monkeys, "This pond is possessed by a water demon. Do not let anybody go into it."
After a little while, the water demon saw that none of the monkeys went into the water to drink. So he rose out of the middle of the pond, taking the shape of a frightening monster. He had a big blue belly, a white face with bulging green eyes, and red claws and feet. He said, "Why are you just sitting around? Come into the pond and drink at once!"
The monkey king said to the horrible monster, "Are you the water demon who owns this pond?" "Yes, I am," said he. "Do you eat whoever goes into the water?" asked the king. "Yes, I do," he answered, "including even birds. I eat them all. And when you are forced by your thirst to come into the pond and drink, I will enjoy eating you, the biggest monkey, most of all!" He grinned, and saliva dripped down his hairy chin.
