Acolyte
@ acolyte 
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 8 |
| Attacks |
Weapon 1d6 physical, Spell-casting 0d0 clerical |
| Base level | 5 |
| Base experience | 71 |
| Speed | 12 |
| Base AC | 10 |
| Base MR | 20 |
| Alignment | 0 (neutral) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 0 (Not randomly generated) |
| Genocidable | No |
| Weight | 1450 |
| Nutritional value | 400 |
| Size | Medium |
| Resistances | None |
| Resistances conveyed | None |
|
An acolyte:
| |
| Reference | monst.c#line3164 |
An acolyte, @, is a Priest quest guardian. in NetHack. The acolyte is a strong and omnivorous neutral human that can be seen via infravision.
Acolytes have a weapon attack and the ability to cast one clerical monster spell during each of their turns, similar to other aligned priests and player monster priests and priestesses.
Contents
Generation
Acolytes are not randomly generated, and are always created peaceful. They are not a valid genocide target, and are not a valid polymorph form except for doppelgangers encountered by roles other than Priests.[1][2] An acolyte can grow up into a priest or priestess.[3]
Eight acolytes are generated within the dwelling of the Grand Master on the Priest quest home level.
Acolytes may be generated with the following:[4] a 1⁄2 chance of either a dagger (2⁄3 chance) or a knife (1⁄3 chance), a 4⁄5 chance of either a leather jacket (2⁄3 chance) or a leather cloak (1⁄3 chance), a 2⁄3 chance of either low boots (2⁄3 chance) or high boots (1⁄3 chance), and a 2⁄3 chance of a potion of healing.
The following information pertains to an upcoming version (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 9b74ea0b, acolyte corpses may be generated in "massacre" themed rooms.Strategy
The following information pertains to an upcoming version (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 20cbadcf, the game is no longer unwinnable if the hero is banished from the quest branch, but killing quest leaders and guardians incur steeper penalties: killing a peaceful quest guardian will cause a -4 luck penalty and anger the hero's god, on top of the standard MAX8 alignment record penalty and murder penalties for a non-chaotic hero.
Per commit ee08c05e, quest guardians will become angry if they see you attack a peaceful monster, but will not turn to flee like other monsters do. Quest leaders will not become angry if they see you attack a peaceful monster other than one of the quest guardians.
Per commit 3d5b7f1f, killing a quest leader will anger the quest guardians.History
The acolyte first appears alongside the Priest's quest branch and its other related monsters in NetHack 3.1.0.
Origin
An acolyte is an assistant or follower assisting the celebrant in a religious service or procession—the word acolyte is derived from the Greek ἀκόλουθος (akolouthos, "attendant" via Late Latin acolythus). In many Christian denominations, an acolyte is anyone performing ceremonial duties such as lighting altar candles; in others, the term is used for one who has been inducted into a particular liturgical ministry, even when not performing those duties.
In the Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Rite Eastern Catholic Churches, the nearest equivalent of acolyte is the altar server. At one time, there was a rank of minor clergy called the taper-bearer (κηροφόρος) responsible for bearing lights during processions and liturgical entrances; however, it has long ago been subsumed by that of the reader, and the service for the tonsure of a reader begins with the setting-aside of a taper-bearer.
Messages
Variants
dNetHack
In dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, acolytes are the only quest guardians that will not generate on the Binder quest, as Priests do not have their own pantheon.
SpliceHack
In SpliceHack, acolytes may appear among the adventurers generated within the Bar.
Encyclopedia entry
[...] For the two priests were talking exactly like priests, piously, with learning and leisure, about the most aerial enigmas of theology. The little Essex priest spoke the more simply, with his round face turned to the strengthening stars; the other talked with his head bowed, as if he were not even worthy to look at them. But no more innocently clerical conversation could have been heard in any white Italian cloister or black Spanish cathedral. The first he heard was the tail of one of Father Brown's sentences, which ended: "... what they really meant in the Middle Ages by the heavens being incorruptible." The taller priest nodded his bowed head and said: "Ah, yes, these modern infidels appeal to their reason; but who can look at those millions of worlds and not feel that there may well be wonderful universes above us where reason is utterly unreasonable?"
