Tentacle attack

This article is about the attack type. For the anatomical part, see body parts.

For other uses of the term, see tentacle.

A tentacle attack is a melee attack type that appears in NetHack, and is primarily used by monsters. The attack type is defined by the AT_TENT flag within monattk.h in the source code.

Description

A monster that has a tentacle attack, including a hero polymorphed into such a monster, performs the attack by attempting to strike the target in melee range using the tentacles on their head. This is because the code explicitly assumes that the attacker is either a mind flayer or master mind flayer, who both use intelligence-draining tentacle attacks—while magic cancellation can block tentacle attacks of certain damage types in theory, intelligence drain is not a valid damage type that it can block.

A tentacle attack will cause passive attacks from the defender to trigger. Using a tentacle attack on a cockatrice or chickatrice will turn the attacker to stone—monsters will avoid doing so against such targets when possible, unless they are confused or attacking a hero in the form of either monster. In the case of a hero polymorphed into a (master) mind flayer, the tentacle attack will cause both instant stoning and delayed stoning, which is only seen if life saving revives the hero from the former. Tentacle attacks have no effect on shades.

There is a bug that occurs when a mind flayer or master mind flayer targets a hero in the form of a monster that causes stoning on contact or eating (i.e. a footrice): if the flayer misses their initial melee attack but successfully lands any of their subsequent tentacle attacks in that round, the hero's brain will be eaten and the attacker will turn to stone, but the attack sequence will continue in spite of the attacker becoming a lifeless statue unless they are revived by an amulet of life saving (which aborts the attack sequence as normal).

A user has suggested improving this page or section as follows:

"See if damage done without eating brains is considered normal physical damage (e.g for half physical damage purposes)."

The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that the information below is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate it.

Per commit 1fd3bb66, the bug regarding (master) mind flayers eating the brain of a hero while they are in the form of cockatrice is resolved, and the attack sequence is properly aborted once the attacker turns to stone.

History

The tentacle attack type is formally defined in NetHack 3.1.0, which introduces the mind flayer to the bestiary.

Messages

The <mind flayer's> tentacles suck you!

A monster hit you with a tentacle attack.

The <mind flayer's> tentacles suck <the monster>.

A monster hit another monster with a tentacle attack.

Your <tentacles> suck <the monster>!

You hit a monster with a tentacle attack.

Your <tentacles> pass harmlessly through <the shade>.

As above, but the monster was a shade.

Variants

Variants of NetHack may add new monsters with tentacle attacks, as well as different types of tentacle attacks that will naturally function differently from those of mind flayers (or similar monsters).

SLASH'EM

In SLASH'EM, a hero in the form of a monster with a tentacle attack will have the attack(s) automatically suppressed against hazardous targets such as cockatrices, unless they are performing an unarmed attack.

The mind flayer and master mind flayer have their amount of tentacle attacks switched compared to NetHack (i.e. the mind flayer has five while the master mind flayer has three), and some other monsters are given tentacle attacks:

• A star vampire has six tentacle attacks which alternate between dealing physical damage and life draining.
• Cthulhu has an intelligence-draining tentacle attack.

A hero that puts on a ring of free action gains additional protection against tentacle attacks from mind flayers and master mind flayers dependent on the hero's luck, ranging from a ¹⁄₂ chance at 0 luck to ⁹⁄₁₀ at maximum luck.

UnNetHack

In UnNetHack, Cthulhu has an intelligence-draining tentacle attack as in SLASH'EM.

dNetHack

In dNetHack, a hero that has the spirit Iris or Yog-Sothoth bound gains tentacle attacks. The Black Mother has some madnesses and mutations that can grant tentacle attacks to a hero, and one such mutation also makes it possible to grant passive tentacle attacks to Dirge if it is wielded or in the offhand.

Wearing the Ringed Brass Armor can grant the wearer passive tentacle attacks that deal fire damage.

The mind flayer and master mind flayer have their amount of tentacle attacks reduced to one and three respectively, and many other monsters have tentacle attacks:

• Any monster with the pseudonatural monster template is given a single 1d4 intelligence-draining tentacle attack.
• Semblances, the Mad Grazi, alabaster cactoids, parasitized androids, parasitized gynoids, parasitized operators, parasitized commanders, parasitic mind flayers, and the parasitized embraced alider each have a single intelligence-draining tentacle attack.
• Alhoons have an intelligence-draining tentacle attack and two life-draining tentacle attacks.
• Lugribossk and parasitic master mind flayers have three intelligence-draining tentacle attacks.
• Star spawn have an intelligence-draining tentacle attack and a second intelligence-draining tentacle attack that occurs if the hero has 40 or more insight. A star spawn's attacks ignore worn armor, meaning that helmets will not protect the hero or a monster from them.
• Metamorphosed nupperibos and ancient nupperibos have six constitution-draining tentacle attacks that are not poisonous in nature.
• The elder priest has an Amulet-stealing tentacle attack that can also steal the invocation items and the quest artifact of the hero's role, as well as a second tentacle attack with a myriad of harmful effects.
• Dracae Eladrin, polypoid beings and pisacas have two tentacle attacks that deal physical damage.
• Mothering masses have three tentacle attacks that deal physical damage, and also perform passive tentacle attacks against adjacent monsters.
• Yochlol in their major demon form have two tentacle attacks that deal physical damage.
• Aspects of The Silence have four different tentacle attacks: one that inflicts vampiric draining, another that leeches water from the target's body to restore HP, a third that causes disintegration, and a fourth that inflicts sickness.
• Raglayim tanninim have five constitution-draining tentacle attacks that are not poisonous in nature.
• Daughters of Naunet have a single tentacle attack that wets the target's inventory.
• Displacer beasts and the Watcher in the Water's swarms of snaking tentacles each have two tentacle attacks that deal physical damage.
• Hounds of Tindalos, lurking ones, deep dwellers, parasitic wall-huggers, and Kraken, the Fiend of Water each have a single tentacle attack that deals physical damage.
• Star vampires and twin siblings have a vampiric tentacle attack.
• Blibdoolpoolp, graven-into-flesh has an auto-hit tentacle attack that steals one or more magical items if the target is already held captive by her bearhug attack.
• Chuuls, elder chuuls and Blibdoolpoolp's mindgraven champion have a single paralyzing tentacle attack.
• Alkiliths have a single acidic tentacle attack.
• Sartan tanninim have a single constitution-draining tentacle attack that is not poisonous in nature.
• Dagon has two armor-shredding tentacle attacks.
• Chorister jellies have a single disintegrating tentacle attack.
• Mouths of the goat and dark young have two poisonous tentacle attacks that drain strength.
• Carcosan courtiers have a single poisonous tentacle attack that drains dexterity.
• Charybdisones have a single drowning tentacle attack.

notdNetHack

In notdNetHack, in addition to dNetHack details, Illithanachronounbinders are capable of performing an intelligence-draining tentacle attack that automatically occurs in melee and works as brain-eating attacks do for the hero in NetHack.

The following monsters are also given tentacle attacks:

• A villithid has a vampiric tentacle attack and an intelligence-draining tentacle attack.
• Adversaries have three intelligence-draining tentacle attacks.
• Neothelids have two intelligence-draining tentacle attacks and an armor-shredding tentacle attack.
• Iris has a "rainbow" tentacle attack.
• The Ulitharid has four intelligence-draining tentacle attacks.
• Menzoberranzan has an intelligence-draining tentacle attack and two life-draining tentacle attacks.

EvilHack

In EvilHack, an illithid hero has an intelligence-draining tentacle attack that has a chance of occurring during melee attacks, which grant nutrition when they hit a target that is not mindless or noncorporeal—this attack is suppressed automatically against hazardous targets such as spotted jellies or black dragons.

The following monsters are also given tentacle attacks:

• Any illithid racial monster will have an intelligence-draining tentacle attack.
• Medusa is given a poisonous 'tentacle' attack that drains strength and is flavored to be the bites from her hair full of snakes.
• Demogorgon's sickness-inducing claw attacks are made into tentacle attacks.
• The Dark One has an intelligence-draining tentacle attack.
• Alhoons have two intelligence-draining tentacle attacks.
• Neothelids have a tentacle attack that deals physical damage and three intelligence-draining tentacle attacks.
• A mind flayer larva has a tentacle attack that can attach itself to a target's face—if left attached this way, the larva will burrow into the victim's brain on their next turn and kill them instantly as the larva uses their body to become a mind flayer.

SlashTHEM

In SlashTHEM, all SLASH'EM details apply with the exception of the mind flayer and master mind flayer, who have the same amount of tentacle attacks as in NetHack. Additionally, illithid heroes have an intelligence-draining tentacle attack.

The following monsters are also given tentacle attacks:

• Vogons, vogon lords and Prostetnik Vogon Jeltz each have a stun-inducing tentacle attack.
• Otyughs have a poisonous tentacle attack that drains strength.
• Bill Gates has an intelligence-draining tentacle attack.

Hack'EM

In Hack'EM, illithid heroes have an intelligence-draining tentacle attack that functions as in EvilHack.

The following monsters are also given tentacle attacks:

• All the monsters listed above for EvilHack except the Dark One retain their tentacle attacks.
• A star vampire has six tentacle attacks which alternate between dealing physical damage and life draining, similar to their incarnations in SLASH'EM.
• Cthulhu has an intelligence-draining tentacle attack, similar to their incarnation in SLASH'EM.

notnotdNetHack

In notnotdNetHack, in addition to notdNetHack details, octopode heroes have a tentacle attack that can hold victims in place, and can drown monsters if performed while the hero is over a pool or moat of water—the octopode monster corresponding to the playable race has the same attack.