Bugle
( 
| |
|---|---|
| Name | bugle |
| Appearance | bugle |
| Base price | 15 zm |
| Weight | 10 |
| Material | copper |
| Monster use | May be used defensively by monsters. |
The bugle is a tonal musical instrument that appears in NetHack.
Generation
Sergeants, lieutenants, and captains in the Yendorian Army have a 1⁄3 chance of being generated with a bugle.
Effects
Applying a bugle will allow you to play it. Improvising can awaken or scare nearby monsters, as with a tooled horn; however, it will also awaken, anger, and unparalyze all soldiers and watchmen on the level, and vault guards are unaffected.[1][2] Improvising abuses your wisdom.
Soldiers themselves are capable of using bugles to the same effect, causing the same effects as when you improvise with it; a soldier will only play it if there is another sleeping soldier in a 7×7 square around them.[3]
As a tonal instrument, it can be used to play the passtune to enter the castle.
Strategy
A bugle can be a good substitute for a tooled horn; they are lighter and have a good chance of scaring most monsters outside of the Yendorian Army, but cannot be safely used in Minetown unless you've neutralised the watch. At least one of the higher-ranked soldiers in a barracks may carry a bugle, and will use it to wake up the rest of their sleeping comrades as soon as they get an opportunity, which may spoil any sleep or stealth-based approach you were employing. It's a good idea to find out if there are any barracks on a level before using your bugle.
Bugles are considered very useful tools for the late game and Endgame, as they can keep angry priests from surrounding you in the Sanctum and drive away the air elementals on the Plane of Air.
Encyclopaedia entry
'I read you by your bugle horn
And by your palfrey good,
I read you for a Ranger sworn
To keep the King's green-wood.'
'A Ranger, Lady, winds his horn,
And 'tis at peep of light;
His blast is heard at merry morn,
And mine at dead of night.'
References
This page may need to be updated for the current version of NetHack.
It may contain text specific to NetHack 3.6.4. Information on this page may be out of date.
Editors: After reviewing this page and making necessary edits, please change the {{nethack-364}} tag to the current version's tag or {{noversion}} as appropriate.
