Arc bug
x arc bug 
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 6 |
| Attacks |
Bite shock 2d4 |
| Base level | 4 |
| Base experience | 45 |
| Speed | 12 |
| Base AC | 9 |
| Base MR | 0 |
| Alignment | 0 (neutral) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 1 (Very rare) |
| Genocidable | Yes |
| Weight | 15 |
| Nutritional value | 10 |
| Size | Tiny |
| Resistances | shock, poison |
| Resistances conveyed | None |
|
An arc bug:
| |
| Reference | SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2/monst.c#line1800 |
An arc bug, x, is a type of monster that appears in SLASH'EM, SpliceHack, SlashTHEM, and Hack'EM. It is a stronger type of electric bug with a more powerful bite that inflicts shock damage and can destroy rings and wands.
In SLASH'EM and SlashTHEM, arc bugs hit as a +1 weapon. In SpliceHack, arc bugs are restricted to orthogonal movement like grid bugs.
Generation
Arc bugs are always generated hostile, and appear in small groups. They are not randomly generated in Gehennom. An arc bug does not leave a corpse upon death.
Spark bugs can grow up into arc bugs, and arc bugs can grow up into lightning bugs.
Strategy
As with spark bugs, the rarity of early shock resistance sources makes it important that you protect any loose rings or wands in your inventory when encountering groups of arc bugs. Remember that on top of item loss, wands that explode from shock in SLASH'EM and its variants have the same effect as breaking wands, making them far more likely to be detrimental or even lethal. Acquiring a sack or oilskin sack is generally higher priority as a result.
Arc bugs should be dealt with quickly by early-game characters, as their bites can deal decent damage even without destroying items.
Encyclopedia entry
"What was that?" cried Buck, rubbing his numb and tingling arm.
"Nature's revenge for bug zappers," replied his companion.
