Green slime
P green slime 
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 8 |
| Attacks |
Touch 1d4 sliming |
| Base level | 6 |
| Base experience | 164 |
| Speed | 6 |
| Base AC | 6 |
| Base MR | 0 |
| Alignment | 0 (neutral) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 1 (Very rare) |
| Genocidable | Yes |
| Weight | 400 |
| Nutritional value | 150 |
| Size | Large |
| Resistances | cold, electricity, poison, acid, petrification |
| Resistances conveyed |
None |
|
A green slime:
| |
| Reference | monst.c#line1847 |
A green slime, P, is a seemingly innocuous monster that appears in NetHack. It is a slow, acidic creature with a single touch attack that deals very low damage—but the attack also causes sliming that can turn you and other afflicted monsters into green slimes.
The green slime also has a sliming passive attack coded into its attack set, but there is nothing in uhitm.c that currently handles sliming passives;[1] the attack still contributes to the experience points you earn for killing the green slime.
Contents
Generation
Green slimes are randomly generated only in Gehennom, but are a valid polyform for shapeshifters and polymorph traps. They can also be generated if a neutral spellcaster casts the summon nasties monster spell.
Instead of corpses, killing a green slime leaves a glob of green slime that is safe to touch, but causes sliming when eaten.
Strategy
Fighting back against green slimes isn't difficult on its own—their low speed and unimpressive AC mean that most ranged attacks can dispatch them effectively. While it only has one attack and moves at half the speed of an average hero, the green slime is still extremely dangerous—sliming is a delayed instadeath that leaves you with nine turns to cure it before you are fully turned into a green slime yourself. As such, avoid remaining within melee range of the monster if at all possible.
If you have no choice or else are pinned close to one (e.g., as part of a group of summoned nasties), be sure to have at least one or two cures ready to go immediately if you get slimed—a spare wand of fire can be just as effective at damaging them as it is at curing you of your sliming. Green slimes respect Elbereth, and prayer is sufficient if you lack any other means of removing the sliming—but neither method will work in Gehennom. To avoid being left helpless while near a green slime, other monsters with immobilizing abilities should also be treated with the utmost caution.
Sliming will instantly turn most pets into a green slime, except for tamed flaming monsters. Monsters will pick up the leftover globs from killed slimes as a potential stoning cure, but only salamanders will actually eat them, as they are the only fiery monsters able to pick up and use such items.
Origin
Green slimes are one of the many monsters imported from Dungeons & Dragons, and appeared in the initial bestiary for the first editions in 1974.
Pre-4th edition green slimes are typically immobile ooze-like plant growths found in subterranean places that slowly grow by feeding on various substances. Green slimes dropped down on passersby to attach itself to living flesh, turning the victim into green slime within a short time. The slime could be removed through a few methods, with the most effective being casting "cure disease"—which could also kill the slime itself. Burning is also effective for removing infection and killing slimes, hence their lack of fire resistance.
History
The green slime is introduced in NetHack 3.3.0; the glob of green slime it leaves behind in lieu of a corpse was introduced in NetHack 3.6.0.
Variants
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, the green slime's attack has a 1⁄4 chance of succeeding instead of 100%. They also drop normal corpses instead of globs, but the corpse is still unsafe to eat. Green slime corpses can be found in fungus farms.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, the green slime now has an engulfing attack that can induce sliming similar to its touch attack, as well as strangling its victim unless they have a means of magical breathing.
Encyclopedia entry
- See the encyclopedia entry for amoeboid.
Reference
