Balam

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Balam, the Last Sacrifice is a spirit that appears in dNetHack and notdNetHack.

Ritual, seal and taboo

Balam's seal must be drawn on an ice square, and she must be addressed while wielding a weapon.

To remain bound to Balam, the character must not sacrifice intelligent monsters.

Mark

A character that has Balam bound leaks freezing water from deep wounds in their wrists, ankles, and neck. This mark can be seen at a distance, and a cloak or body armor is sufficient to disguise it, but gloves and boots are also required to disguise the mark up close.

Benefits

While bound, Balam confers half spell damage and grants skill in bullwhips.

Balam's active powers are as follows:

  • Icy Glare: After prompting for a direction, 5 dice of ice damage is dealt to the first monster in the indicated direction, half of that damage is dealt to all monster in a ~90 degree wedge centered on the chosen direction, and any moats and pools in this 'wedge' are frozen - the range is 1 square for every two experience levels. The character is blinded for 5 turns.
  • Balam's Anointing: Performs a touch attack with a to-hit roll against a single adjacent monster that deals 5 dice of cold damage. A target with a head and without thick skin may be killed outright (10% chance). A target with a head, eyes, and thick skin instead takes double damage and is blinded. Otherwise, this power has no extra effect.

Her passive powers are as follows:

  • Balam's Martyrdom: When you have DR above 10, you roll twice for DR when hit.

As a monster

In notdNetHack, Balam, &, also appears as a monster that can be summoned by an Illithanachronounbinder. She is a humanoid demon that can be seen via infravision, will seek out and collect items, and can follow a character to other levels if adjacent.

Balam has a weapon attack, an offhand weapon attack, a cold touch attack, and a targeted cold gaze attack. She possesses fire resistance, cold resistance, poison resistance, and death resistance.

Balam is poisonous to consume, which primarily comes up if she is digested by another monster. Like many summoned spirits, she cannot be tamed.

Generation

Balam is first generated when summoned from her seal by an Illithanachronounbinder. She is always created hostile, and is not a valid form for normal polymorph.

Balam is generated with two separate large daggers and a robe.

Balam does not leave a corpse upon death.

Strategy

Below this point, there are major spoilers for the Illithanachronounbinder role. They can be accessed by selecting the "Role spoiler" tab.

Balam is a tough opponent with cold attacks that she can use at range or in melee, as well as a demon gating ability that can overwhelm an unwary character.

If Balam is killed after being summoned, she can be encountered again in the Void, a branch accessed by opening the high altar of Ilsensine the Fallen as an Illithanachronounbinder using the invoke effect of The Elder Cerebral Fluid. Balam is generated along with many other spirits of the near void on the first floor of the branch, and is generated with the "whispers" template, which makes her nonliving.

Encyclopedia entry

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?

[Psalm 22]