Panic

NetHack panics when it reaches a state where it is completely impossible to continue the current session by terminating the game immediately with the messages "Oops... Suddenly, the dungeon collapses.", sometimes generating a backup saved game if the game can be recovered to a point where it is continuable.

Mechanics

It is very rare for a normal game to result in a panic; however, several bugs in NetHack 3.4.3 revolve around panics, usually involving monsters or objects being destroyed under unusual circumstances; exceptions include C343-23, "Dungeon collapses after vault guard fails to lead you out.", and C343-383, "Applying a bullwhip while hero is at edge of map may cause a panic or crash."

It is handled through the panic() function in Source:end.c.

Less serious errors can result in an impossible message.

Rumor

There's even a rumor about this.

They say that collapsing a dungeon often creates a panic.

This page may need to be updated for the current version of NetHack.

It may contain text specific to NetHack 3.4.3. Information on this page may be out of date.

Editors: After reviewing this page and making necessary edits, please change the {{nethack-343}} tag to the current version's tag or {{noversion}} as appropriate.