Difference between revisions of "Woodchuck"
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Woodchucks are almost never seen in the wild by characters that do not deliberately generate them, with the exception of [[shapeshifter]]s such as [[chameleon]]s or other monsters polymorphing themselves. As such, they are not especially notable to most players with the exception of [[extinctionist]] play, where they must be generated by the character in order to kill off enough of them. Otherwise, much of the same strategies that apply to rock moles also apply to woodchucks, though they will thankfully avoid eating valuable [[metallic]] items. | Woodchucks are almost never seen in the wild by characters that do not deliberately generate them, with the exception of [[shapeshifter]]s such as [[chameleon]]s or other monsters polymorphing themselves. As such, they are not especially notable to most players with the exception of [[extinctionist]] play, where they must be generated by the character in order to kill off enough of them. Otherwise, much of the same strategies that apply to rock moles also apply to woodchucks, though they will thankfully avoid eating valuable [[metallic]] items. | ||
| − | + | Woodchucks are not uncommon to generate in some form as a means of novelty - one particular player on servers such as [[Hardfought]] is known to make a novelty wish for a named figurine of a woodchuck while standing on the character's proper [[high altar]] just before before [[ascension]]. | |
==History== | ==History== | ||
Revision as of 11:30, 30 January 2024
r woodchuck 
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 4 |
| Attacks |
Bite 1d6 |
| Base level | 3 |
| Base experience | 35 |
| Speed | 3 |
| Base AC | 0 |
| Base MR | 20 |
| Alignment | 0 (neutral) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 0 (Not randomly generated) |
| Genocidable | Yes |
| Weight | 30 |
| Nutritional value | 30 |
| Size | Small |
| Resistances | None |
| Resistances conveyed |
None |
|
A woodchuck:
| |
| Reference | monst.c, line 833 |
A woodchuck, r, is a type of monster that appears in NetHack. It is a small herbivorous animal that is extremely similar to the rock mole in several aspects, sharing most of the same stats and the ability to tunnel through walls and trees. Unlike the rock mole, woodchucks can also swim, and has a tendency to wander while moving.
Woodchucks are primarily included as a reference to the Usenet Oracle, which the Oracle monster is based on - a few messages related to the Oracle make reference to woodchucks.
A woodchuck has a single bite attack.
Contents
Generation
Woodchucks are not randomly generated, though they are a valid form for polymorph, and figurines and statues of them can be wished for. A normally-generated woodchuck would always be created hostile.
Strategy
Woodchucks are almost never seen in the wild by characters that do not deliberately generate them, with the exception of shapeshifters such as chameleons or other monsters polymorphing themselves. As such, they are not especially notable to most players with the exception of extinctionist play, where they must be generated by the character in order to kill off enough of them. Otherwise, much of the same strategies that apply to rock moles also apply to woodchucks, though they will thankfully avoid eating valuable metallic items.
Woodchucks are not uncommon to generate in some form as a means of novelty - one particular player on servers such as Hardfought is known to make a novelty wish for a named figurine of a woodchuck while standing on the character's proper high altar just before before ascension.
History
The woodchuck is introduced in NetHack 3.3.0.
Origin
The woodchuck is a common name for the groundhog (Marmota monax), a rodent that is part of the family Sciuridae, which includes large ground squirrels known as marmots. The groundhog is a lowland creature of North America, and is found through much of the Eastern United States, across Canada and into Alaska. It was first scientifically described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. The groundhog is exceptional among marmots due to its habitat, and plays an important role as a habitat engineer, maintaining healthy soil in woodlands and plains.
Groundhogs are considered the most solitary of the marmot species: They live in aggregations, and their social organization also varies across populations. Groundhogs do not form stable, long-term pair-bonds, and typically only pair up during mating - groundhogs in Ohio are a notable exception, with adult males and females associating with each other throughout the year and often from year to year. Groundhogs are extremely intelligent, forming complex social networks and kinship with their young; they also demonstrate the ability to understand social behavior, communicate threats through whistling, and work cooperatively to solve tasks such as burrowing.
The name "woodchuck" stems from an Algonquian (possibly Narragansett) name for the animal, wuchak: the similarity between the words has led to the popular tongue-twister "How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?" The Usenet Oracle (or Internet Oracle) has an Oracularity dedicated to this tongue-twister, which was frequently asked as a question - an excerpt from the Oracularity serves as the encyclopedia entry.
Messages
- You hear someone say "No more woodchucks!"
You hear a loud ZOT! - You are on the Oracle level while hallucinating.
Variants
Some variants make it possible for woodchucks to generate through standard means, and many of them incorporate the grudge patch, causing woodchucks and the Oracle to attack each other on sight.
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, woodchucks may very rarely generate on the Oracle level.
On Groundhog Day (February 2), many woodchucks spawn on the Oracle level, with a recurring message of "No more woodchucks!"
Encyclopedia entry
The Usenet Oracle requires an answer to this question!
> How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could
> chuck wood?
"Oh, heck! I'll handle *this* one!" The Oracle spun the terminal back toward himself, unlocked the ZOT-guard lock, and slid the glass guard away from the ZOT key. "Ummmm....could you turn around for a minute? ZOTs are too graphic for the uninitiated. Even *I* get a little squeamish sometimes..." The neophyte turned around, and heard the Oracle slam his finger on a computer key, followed by a loud ZZZZOTTTTT and the smell of ozone.
