Bat or bird
The bat or bird is a monster class that appears in NetHack, and is represented by the uppercase B glyph (B). Bats and birds are designated internally by the macro S_BAT.[1]
The class contains the following monsters:[2]
- B bat
- B giant bat
- B raven
- B vampire bat
Common traits
Bats and birds are neutral animals whose diets include meat. They are visible via infravision and capable of flight, and generally move erratically: there is a 1⁄3 chance of the monster moving in a random direction, rather than approaching you.[3]
Bats and birds generated in Gehennom have slightly higher speed than normal, as a play on the phrase "like a bat [on its way] out of hell".[4]
Generation
Randomly generated bats and birds are typically hostile with the exception of the standard bat, which may generate as peaceful for a neutral character.
The bat or bird is the first quest monster class for Wizards, and make up 24⁄175 of the monsters that are randomly generated on the Wizard quest. Some bats and birds are also generated on a few levels within the quest branch at level creation: ten are generated on the home level, with six placed at specific locations near the pond bank and four further away; twelve are placed randomly on the locate level; and eleven are generated on the goal level.
History
The standard bat and vampire bat appears in Hack121, a variant of Jay Fenlason's Hack, where both use the b glyph; in PDP-11 Hack and Hack 1.0, it begins using the B glyph. The giant bat first appears in NetHack 3.0.0, while the raven first appears in NetHack 3.3.0.
Variants
SLASH'EM
SLASH'EM introduces several new monsters to the bat or bird monster class:
The bat or bird is the first quest monster class for Necromancers, and make up 24⁄175 of the monsters that are randomly generated on the Necromancer quest. Some bats and birds are also generated on a few levels within the quest branch at level creation: five are generated on the home level, and three are placed randomly on the locate level.
dNetHack
dNetHack adds several new monsters to the monster class:
- B parrot
- B crow
- B battle-bat
- B warbat
- B chiropteran
- B byakhee
The Dreprun stave can be carved into a wooden weapon to ward off bats and birds.
