View source for Yendorian army

{{merge|mercenary}}

{{monster
 |name=soldier
 |difficulty=8
 |level=6
 |experience=78
 |speed=10
 |AC=10
 |MR=0
 |align=&minus;2
 |frequency=1
 |genocidable=Yes
 |attacks=Weapon 1d8
 |weight=1450
 |nutr=400
 |size=Medium
 |resistances=None
 |resistances conveyed=None
 |attributes={{attributes|A soldier|humanoid=1|omnivore=1|nopoly=1|human=1|merc=1|stalk=1|hostile=1|strong=1|collect=1|infravisible=1|sgroup=1}}
 |reference=[[monst.c#line2231]]
}}
{{monster
 |name=sergeant
 |difficulty=10
 |level=8
 |experience=118
 |speed=10
 |AC=10
 |MR=5
 |align=&minus;3
 |frequency=1
 |genocidable=Yes
 |attacks=Weapon 2d6
 |weight=1450
 |nutr=400
 |size=Medium
 |resistances=None
 |resistances conveyed=None
 |attributes={{attributes|A sergeant|humanoid=1|omnivore=1|nopoly=1|human=1|merc=1|stalk=1|hostile=1|strong=1|collect=1|infravisible=1|sgroup=1}}
 |reference=[[monst.c#line2238]]
}}
{{monster
 |name=lieutenant
 |difficulty=12
 |level=10
 |experience=221
 |speed=10
 |AC=10
 |MR=15
 |align=&minus;4
 |frequency=1
 |genocidable=Yes
 |attacks=Weapon 3d4, weapon 3d4
 |weight=1450
 |nutr=400
 |size=Medium
 |resistances=None
 |resistances conveyed=None
 |attributes={{attributes|A lieutenant|humanoid=1|omnivore=1|nopoly=1|human=1|merc=1|stalk=1|hostile=1|strong=1|collect=1|infravisible=1}}
 |reference=[[monst.c#line2251]]
}}
{{monster
 |name=captain
 |difficulty=14
 |level=12
 |experience=277
 |speed=10
 |AC=10
 |MR=15
 |align=&minus;5
 |frequency=1
 |genocidable=Yes
 |attacks=Weapon 4d4, weapon 4d4
 |weight=1450
 |nutr=400
 |size=Medium
 |resistances=None
 |resistances conveyed=None
 |attributes={{attributes|A captain|humanoid=1|omnivore=1|nopoly=1|human=1|merc=1|stalk=1|hostile=1|strong=1|collect=1|infravisible=1}}
 |reference=[[monst.c#line2258]]
}}
:''"Sergeant" redirects here. For other uses of the term, see [[Sergeant (disambiguation)]].''

The '''Yendorian army''' is a group of [[Human (monster attribute)|human]]s encountered in ''[[NetHack]]''. According to their [[encyclopedia]] entry, they are employed and often trained directly by the [[Wizard of Yendor]] himself. The Yendorian army is composed of:
* {{monsym|soldier}} '''soldiers'''
* {{monsym|sergeant}} '''sergeants'''
* {{monsym|lieutenant}} '''lieutenants'''
* {{monsym|captain}} '''captains'''

All Yendorian Army members are [[chaotic]], are not valid [[polymorph]] forms, and can [[follow]] the player to other levels; like other humans, they do not respect [[Elbereth]]. They have low [[monster magic resistance]], and possess at least one weapon attack per turn; lieutenants and captains are capable of two per turn.

==Generation==
{{main|Mercenary}}
All members of the army are considered [[mercenaries]], which among other things governs how their [[Monster starting inventory|starting inventory]] is generated. All soldiers are eligible for [[offensive item]]s. 

Yendorian army soldiers and sergeants are frequently generated in small [[group]]s. [[Barracks]] are [[special room]]s populated entirely by mercenaries; very large contingents of soldiers and barracks are guaranteed to appear in the [[castle]] and [[Fort Ludios]].

===Weapons===
Ordinary soldiers have a {{frac|3}} chance of being generated with a random weapon from the set of all [[polearm]]s, plus [[lance]]s and [[dwarvish mattock]]s; if this is the case, they will always get either a knife or a [[dagger]] as a secondary weapon, with equal probability.{{refsrc|makemon.c|190}} Otherwise, a plain soldier's primary weapon will have be either an ordinary [[spear]] or an ordinary [[short sword]] with equal probability; these soldiers have a {{frac|3|4}} chance of taking a knife as a secondary weapon.

{{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Lances and mattocks no longer generate as starting weapons on watchmen and soldiers.<ref>[https://github.com/NetHack/NetHack/commit/da859c5eb88e17d04ec2bb37e2c12842e9f4c4a9 fix github issue #623 - soldiers and mattocks]</ref>}}

Higher-ranked soldiers randomly take one of two primary weapons, with equal probability. Sergeants choose either a [[flail]] or a [[mace]]; lieutenants choose either an ordinary [[broadsword]] or a [[long sword]]; and captains choose either a long sword or a [[silver saber]]. All of these higher-ranked soldiers also have a {{frac|3|4}} chance of taking a knife as a secondary weapon.

===Armor===
Each rank of soldier has a particular ''target AC'' as follows:

{| class="prettytable"
! Rank !! Target AC
|-
| soldier || 3
|-
| sergeant || 0
|-
| lieutenant || &minus;2
|-
| captain || &minus;3
|}

The game uses a complicated procedure to outfit each mercenary with a selection of armor giving roughly the target AC. Depending on how the dice roll, a soldier might be given less armor or might be given enchanted armor that takes them beyond the target. Each mercenary is generated with one suit of body armor, and will always receive [[leather armor]] at bare minimum. All ranks are eligible for [[ring mail]] or [[studded leather armor]]; sergeants and above are eligible for [[splint mail]] or [[banded mail]]; and lieutenants and captains are eligible for [[plate mail]] or [[crystal plate mail]].

In addition, soldiers  of all ranks may be randomly generated with any of the items from the following list:

<div class="div-col columns column-width" style="-moz-column-width: 30em; -webkit-column-width: 30em; column-width: 30em;">
*[[helmet]]
*[[dented pot]]
*[[small shield]]
*[[large shield]]
*[[low boots]]
*[[high boots]]
*[[leather gloves]]
*[[leather cloak]]
</div>

There is no guarantee that any particular non-body armor slot will be filled; soldiers can be given multiple items for any slot.

===Other items===
Soldiers of all ranks have a {{frac|3}} chance of being generated with a [[K-ration]], and an independent {{frac|2}} chance of being generated with a [[C-ration]]. Sergeants and above also have a {{frac|3}} chance of being generated with a [[bugle]].{{refsrc|makemon.c|549}} Ordinary soldiers are only {{frac|13}}th as likely as other monsters to receive a [[defensive item]], [[miscellaneous item]], or [[gold]];{{refsrc|makemon.c|653}} other ranks are unaffected.

==Strategy==
The usual tactics for handling groups of monsters applies; drawing soldiers into a corridor is effective for both reducing vulnerability and thinning their ranks, especially since they will likely be caught in the path of their allies' attack wands. However, said wands also make them potentially dangerous to face without [[reflection]] or [[magic resistance]] in later levels, especially Fort Ludios; on the other hand, a strong enough player can also use them as a source of such wands if so desired. As a majority of soldiers normally wear gloves, they can wield [[footrice]] corpses against you; be wary of this if you kill one in their presence, especially in [[Gehennom]].

Due to the potential frequency of barracks outside of the guaranteed set in the Castle, soldiers may become [[extinct]] in a game where you reach Fort Ludios.

In addition to wands, the armor, weapons and items dropped from killing Yendorian army fighters are a good source of [[polyfodder]] and can also replace your own eroded or lower-enchantment armor. In addition, their corpses will keep you carnivorous pet full, and are plentiful food sources; you can stash the C-rations and K-rations for later use, since they take only one turn to eat. Additionally, non-humans and human [[Cavemen]] can get half a [[food ration]]'s worth of nutrition from eating their corpses without worrying about [[cannibalism]].

===Bribery===
Yendorian Army soldiers, as well as any monster with the <code>M2_MERC</code> flag in their code, can be [[bribe]]d by throwing a certain amount of gold at them, turning them [[peaceful]]. Bribing a soldier can be used to block off a hallway in areas such as the Castle; hostile monsters will not route their movement past peaceful ones.{{refsrc|dokick.c|319}} This can then be used to herd and eliminate groups of monsters with other crowd control strategies&mdash;a knight can [[pound]] away at foes with a [[lance]] without disturbing the peaceful merc between them, and [[wizard]]s can cast skilled {{spell of|fireball}} or {{spell of|cone of cold}} with impunity. This will not stop [[teleport]]ing or covetous foes, and the soldier can still die from enemy ranged attacks - a human shield won't do much good against a [[black dragon]]'s [[disintegration]] breath.

==Variant==
===SLASH'EM===
In [[SLASH'EM]], soldiers always wield [[firearm]]s of some kind.

==Encyclopedia entry==
{{encyclopedia|
The soldiers of Yendor are well-trained in the art of war, many trained by the [[Wizard of Yendor|Wizard]] himself.  Some say the soldiers are explorers who were unfortunate enough to be captured, and put under the Wizard's spell.  Those who have survived encounters with soldiers say they travel together in platoons, and are fierce fighters.  Because of the load of their combat gear, however, one can usually run away from them, and doing so is considered a wise thing.}}

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Monsters]]
{{nethack-364}}