Breath timer

In dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, the hero has a breath timer that signifies how long they are able to hold their breath for.

Description

The cap on a hero's breath timer is a value equal to their constitution divided by 3: while the hero can breathe normally, the breath timer regenerates at a rate of 1 per turn until it is full, and being prevented from breathing will decrement the breath timer by 1 per turn until the hero can breathe again, usually from removing or stopping the cause of air loss. Should a hero's breath timer reach 0, they will die immediately.

Monsters are not subject to a breath timer of any kind.

Causes of air loss

There are various means through which a hero can lose their ability to breathe:

• Eating an amulet of strangulation will not instantly kill the hero, but instead causes six turns of strangulation, resulting in death if the hero's breath timer is currently six turns or lower if this strangulation is not cured.
• Choking on food by overeating also causes strangulation for six turns.

The following methods of losing air do not kill the hero as a direct result:

• Babbling and screaming both cause the hero to lose 1 point per turn from their breath timer, down to a minimum of 1.

Regaining breath

In addition to the breath timer refilling normally, heroes can regain breath in the following manners:

• Successful prayer while the hero is being 'strangled' from choking can cure the strangulation.
• The breathlessness property (or magical breathing) ignores strangulation and allows it to time out harmlessly.

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