Aphanactonan assessor
| e aphanactonan assessor (No tile) | |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 27 |
| Attacks |
automatic hit 2d1 level-based damage, automatic hit 2d1 level-based damage, targeted gaze 1d20 study, targeted gaze 4d6 random gaze attack, passive 3d5 paralysis |
| Base level | 20 |
| Base experience | 720 |
| Speed | 15 |
| Base AC | -10 |
| Base MR | 100 |
| Alignment | 20 (lawful) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 0 (Not randomly generated) |
| Genocidable | No |
| Weight | 4500 |
| Nutritional value | 800 |
| Size | large |
| Resistances | disintegration resistance, shock resistance |
| Resistances conveyed | disintegration resistance |
|
An aphanactonan assessor:
| |
An aphanactonan assessor, e, is a type of monster that appears in dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack. The aphanactonan assessor is a large, primordial eye-based creature composed of several other eyes and formed into a humanoid shape with a hardened exterior, 4500 aum of weight and no head: it is amphibious, unbreathing, mindless, and can tear through webs; it can also see invisible and have extramission which grants perfect vision in both lit and unlit areas, but is deaf and incapable of hearing sound. An aphanactonan assessor is only visible to the hero at a minimum of 20-32 insight, and a hero that sees an aphanactonan assessor has their insight increased. Aphanactonan assessors have 20 points of AC in the 'natural' category and 10 points of natural damage reduction.
Aphanactonan assessors have two melee-range attacks that cannot miss and deal damage based on the target's experience level or monster level, a targeted gaze attack that inflicts study, a passive attack that paralyzes anything attacking it in melee, and another targeted gaze attack that uses one of 16 random damage types: death magic, cancellation, paralysis, drain life, disenchantment, gradual stoning, luck-draining, confusion, slowing, stunning, blinding, fire, cold, shock, hallucination, and sleep—fire, cold and shock gazes each have a 2⁄19 chance of being selected per attack, while the other damage types each have a 1⁄19 chance of being selected. Aphanactonan assessors possess disintegration resistance and shock resistance, and resist slashing damage.
Eating an aphanactonan assessor grants disintegration resistance, which primarily comes up if they are digested by another monster or subjected to Ahazu.
Aphanactonan assessors can be warded by hamsas, the fully-reinforced Elder Sign and the seven-fold Elder Elemental Eye.
Generation
Aphanactonan assessors are not normally randomly generated, and normally-created ones are always hostile. They cannot be subjected to genocide.
Aphanactonan assessors appear in the Law Quest, where they are generated on the Paths of Law alongside aphanactonan audients using a special method: four groups of aphanactonan monsters are placed on each of the levels during level creation, and each group has a chance of being either normal or "junked"—a normal group has one aphanactonan assessor and two aphanactonan audients, while a "junked" group lacks an aphanactonan assessor and consists of 0-2 aphanactonan audients, accompanied by either a statue of an aphanactonan assessor or a 'scrap pile' that represents the fallen assessor. There is a 4⁄9 chance of at least one 'intact' group being generated this way–with an equal probability of one, two, three, or all four groups being generated with aphanactonan assessors–and otherwise all four groups will be "junked".
During Junethack, there is a guaranteed aphanactonan assessor on the last level of the Paths of Law.
Aphanactonan assessors are considered corpseless, and upon death they always leave behind a special death drop instead of a corpse: 4-32 clockwork components, 4-16 upgrade kits, 4-16 beholder eyeballs, 2-8 sets of +4 copper archaic plate mail, an aphanactonan archive, and a floating eye corpse.
Strategy
Aphanactonan assessors are highly dangerous to heroes unless they maintain low insight, since their targeted gaze has a significant chance of being fatal and they cannot be detected via telepathy. The level-scaling automatic-hit attacks can be quite threatening to the hero as well: a hero at experience level 30 is guaranteed to take 60 HP of base damage per attack round from each hit, which is reduced by DR and subject to half physical damage. The attacks are far more deadly to pets and other monsters, due to the HP limits that most monsters have.
Fortunately, aphanactonan assessors will not appear to the hero until they reach the monster's insight threshold, and are only found in a few select locations that can be avoided until a hero is ready to confront one—additionally, the aphanactonan archives that they drop upon death are highly-prized by specific character builds. Reflection and either gaze resistance or a means of becoming blind at will (e.g., a blindfold) are recommended before entering levels where aphanactonan assessors will appear as visible, and warning can display the location of assessors and pairs well with a source of blindness. Monster detection can be used to scan the level for aphanactonan assessors and then plan an approach that closes in on them while avoiding their gazes (including teleporting directly next to one).
