Captain

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@ captain Captain.png
Difficulty 14
Attacks

Weapon 4d4 physical, weapon 4d4 physical

Base level 12
Base experience 277
Speed 10
Base AC 10
Base MR 15
Alignment −5 (chaotic)
Frequency (by normal means) 1 (Very rare)
Genocidable Yes
Weight 1450
Nutritional value 400
Size Medium
Resistances None
Resistances conveyed None

A captain:

Reference monst.c#line2258
This article is about the highest rank of the Yendor military in NetHack. For the head of the watch, see watch captain.

A captain, @, is a type of monster that appears in NetHack. The captain is a chaotic-aligned human fighter that is the highest ranked fighter in the Yendorian army, which informally refers to a group of human mercenaries that are directly employed by the Wizard of Yendor.

Captains are strong and omnivorous, and can be seen via infravision; they will pick up any weapons, armor, food, and other items that they come across, and can follow a hero to other levels if they are adjacent. Applying a bugle will cause captains that hear it to awaken from any sleep, end any paralysis or scaring, and turn hostile if they are currently not[1][2]—any captains and other non-guard mercenaries that have a bugle will play it to awaken, unscare and/or unparalyze any nearby army fighters, with the same effect as the hero playing a bugle.[3] A captain cannot be made tame, only becoming peaceful instead. As a mercenary, they have a 2⁄3 chance of being pacified by a bribe, with the captain having a base value of 750zm for acceptable bribes.[4][5][6]

A captain has two weapon attacks.

Generation

Captains are always generated hostile, and are not a valid polymorph form. A lieutenant can grow up into a captain.

Hostile captains can be generated by the summon nasties monster spell if that spell is cast by a chaotic spellcaster or the Wizard of Yendor, or else the spell is cast in Gehennom.[7]

A barracks has a 1⁄100 chance of generating a sleeping captain on each square at level creation, including the following:[8]

Two captains are generated on each lower filler level of the Tourist quest at level creation.[17]

Monster starting inventory

Main article: Mercenary

As mercenaries, captains have more specific generation rules than most other monsters.[18][19]

A captain will be generated with either a silver saber or a long sword as their primary weapon with roughly equal probability.[20] Default generation for mercenaries means that a captain also has a 1⁄4 chance of being given a dagger as a primary weapon and a 1⁄7 chance of being given a spear as a secondary weapon, and any captain that has a primary weapon other than a dagger and no secondary weapon then has a 1⁄4 chance of being given a knife as their secondary weapon.[21]

For armor, a captain has a target AC of -3 and may receive the following armor:[22]

  • They have a 4⁄5 chance of receiving body armor that counts for 7 points of their target AC and will either be plate mail (4⁄5 chance) or crystal plate mail (1⁄5 chance).[23]
    • If neither standard or crystal plate mail is given, they have a 4⁄5 chance of receiving either splint mail (2⁄3 chance) or banded mail (1⁄3 chance) that counts for 6 points of their target AC.[24]
    • If neither splint nor banded mail is given, they have a 4⁄5 chance of receiving either ring mail (2⁄3 chance) or studded leather armor (1⁄3 chance) that counts for 3 points of their target AC.[25] Otherwise, they will be given leather armor that counts for 2 points of their target AC.[26]
  • They have a 2⁄3 chance of being given a helmet that counts for 1 point of their target AC.[27] Otherwise, they have a 1⁄2 chance of being given a dented pot that counts for 1 point of their target AC.[28]
  • They have a 2⁄3 chance of being given a small shield that counts for 1 point of their target AC.[29] Otherwise, they have a 1⁄2 chance of being given a large shield that counts for 2 points of their target AC.[30]
  • They have a 2⁄3 chance of being given a pair of low boots that counts for 1 point of their target AC.[31] Otherwise, they have a 1⁄2 chance of being given a pair of high boots that counts for 2 points of their target AC.[32]
  • They have a 2⁄3 chance of being given a pair of leather gloves that counts for 1 point of their target AC.[33] Otherwise, they have a 1⁄2 chance of being given a leather cloak that counts for 1 point of their target AC.[34]

Finally, a captain has a 1⁄3 chance of generating with a K-ration, a separate 1⁄2 chance of generating with a C-ration, and a separate 1⁄3 chance of generating with a bugle.[35] All lieutenants are eligible for offensive items, defensive items and miscellaneous items.[36][37][38]

Strategy

Main article: Soldier strategy

Captains are the most dangerous Yendorian military fighters for a hero to face, especially with the damage they can inflict if their long sword or silver saber is enchanted. This makes it unwise to let yourself be surrounded by them and other soldiers and sergeants: drawing groups of military fighters into a corridor can keep them from overwhelming you, and they may impair or kill each other trying to zap attack wands at you; while the wand of death is rare enough that reflection or magic resistance are not strictly required, said wands can still be a danger to the hero. Additionally, captains are especially dangerous if they appear as part of a swarm of summoned nasties, since they do not respect Elbereth and can hit quite hard.

Captains possess the same movement speed of 10 as the rest of the Yendor military and have a low MR score of 15, so while poisoned weapons, poison attacks and various forms of magic remain effective against them, they may occasionally resist such effects. Captains that generate with a bugle or else pick one up can apply it if any of their fellow fighters nearby are scared or immobilized, which can wake up entire barracks and ruin stealth-based approaches while scaring pets—this may also awaken other nearby monsters as well if the combat itself does not do so. As always, be mindful of leaving chickatrice and cockatrice corpses around captains with gloves (especially in the Castle or within Gehennom), and have lizard corpses or other cures for stoning ready to go in case.

Leftover equipment from captains make a good source of polyfodder, as well as possible replacements for any eroded or lower-enchantment armor that you or a pet may have—a captain's long sword can make for a good offhand weapon if the hero can perform two weapon combat, and can be used to dip for Excalibur if they have not yet obtained the artifact; a silver saber is similarly among the best silver weapons available for a hero, and can provide a great offhand weapon for two weapon combat as well. Strong humanoid pets will also appreciate the armor as well as a good-quality melee weapon.

The rations dropped by a captain make for good nutrition sources, though a human hero should make sure they do not eat a captain's corpse by accident while trying to pluck their rations off the ground if they are in a hurry—similarly, a hero that is polymorphed into a mind flayer or master mind flayer should not attack them in melee if they want to avoid cannibalism penalties. Human Cavepeople and heroes of other races can eat captain corpses safely for half the nutrition of a standard food ration, while chaotic human heroes can use them as same-race sacrifices to summon major demons and raise their luck—a human hero that is not chaotic or a Caveperson can still use the corpse to feed any meat-eating pets.

Though not commonly employed, bribery can be used can be used to block off a hallway using a pacified captain, since hostile monsters will not route their movement past peaceful ones. This can help a hero herd and eliminate groups of monsters with other crowd control strategies, including pounding and casting skilled fireball or cone of cold—it will not stop teleporting or covetous foes, however, and breath weapons and other ranged attacks can still kill the captain. Additionally, captains are the most expensive of mercenaries to bribe, making it even less practical than in other cases.

History

The captain first appears in NetHack 3.0.0.

From NetHack 3.0.0 to NetHack 3.1.3, including some variants based on those versions, captains and other mercenaries have their intended target AC recorded in their monster data, with code in makemon.c set to outfit them with armor that matches the target AC[39]—any difference is compensated for by equipping that monster with a ring of protection whose enchantment is equivalent to that difference, with the ring being cursed if that difference was negative (i.e. a captain's equipment took them above their target AC).[40] Additionally, from NetHack 3.1.0 to NetHack 3.1.3, captains only appear if the ARMY and MUSE compile-time options are both defined: if only the former is defined, then they are replaced by unarmored soldiers.[41]

NetHack 3.2.0 phases out the unarmored soldier and makes MUSE a default feature while also establishing the modern mechanism of equipment generation for mercenaries, removing the ring of protection from the process.

From NetHack 3.0.0 to NetHack 3.3.0, captains and other Yendorian army monsters move at a much slower speed of 4—in NetHack 3.3.1, their speed is boosted to 10.

From NetHack 3.0.4 to NetHack 3.0.6, captains and other Yendorian army members use the @ glyph—captains are given their current glyph color in NetHack 3.0.7.

From NetHack 3.2.0 to NetHack 3.3.1, captains and other Yendorian army monsters can generate with elven cloaks—the leather cloak is introduced in NetHack 3.4.0 to resolve this incongruity, as stated in that version's bugfix list.

Messages

"Resistance is useless!"
"You're dog meat!"
"Surrender!"
You were chatting to a hostile captain.[42]

Variants

In some variants of NetHack, captains are treated as racial monsters.

SLASH'EM

In SLASH'EM, barracks will not be randomly generated under normal circumstances due to a bug that reverses the check for genocided monsters, meaning that barracks will only appear if soldiers specifically are genocided[43]—such barracks will consist mostly of random monsters alongside a few other army members, rarely including captains. Predefined barracks such as those in the Castle will appear normally, as in NetHack.[44][45][46]

In the black market, Yendorian army officers are called in place of the Keystone Kops if the hero steals anything, with captains generated in place of Kop Kaptains.[47][48]

The captain's starting weapons are changed drastically:

  • If the FIREARMS compile-time option is defined, their primary weapon has a 1⁄2 chance of being an auto shotgun with 2 different stacks of 3–22 shotgun shells as ammo, a 1⁄4 chance of being a heavy machine gun with 3 different stacks of 3–62 bullets as ammo, and a 1⁄4 chance of being an assault rifle with 2 different stacks of 3–62 bullets as ammo.[49][50][51]
  • If FIREARMS is defined, their secondary weapon has a 1⁄2 chance of being a rocket launcher with a stack of 3–7 rockets as ammo, a 1⁄4 chance of being a grenade launcher with a stack of either 3–7 frag grenades or 3–7 gas grenades as ammo (with roughly equal probability), and a 1⁄4 chance of being either a silver saber or a dagger (with roughly equal probability).[52][53][54]
  • If FIREARMS is not defined, captains will be given either a broadsword or a long sword as their primary weapon with roughly equal probability.[55]

The captain's armor selection, chances of food and a bugle, and their fall-through cases for daggers, spears and knives are all applied as in NetHack.[56][57][58][59][60][61]

GruntHack

Main article: Captain (GruntHack)

In GruntHack, captains and other Yendorian army fighters are racial monsters, and can be generated as any applicable race.

UnNetHack

In UnNetHack, Yendorian army officers are called in place of the Keystone Kops if the hero steals anything in the black market, with captains generated in place of Kop Kaptains.

dNetHack

In dNetHack, captains are lawful rather than chaotic, and their second weapon attack uses their off-hand weapon. Captains have skilled prowess in martial combat and a full base attack bonus of +1 to-hit per level, and can command accompanying soldiers, sergeants and lieutenants fighting alongside them to increase their damage and accuracy.

The top of the Platinum Dragon Tower on the Law quest, which shares a level with the top of the Arcadian Tower, generates a sleeping captain at level creation.

Captains may appear among the random @ that are part of the first quest monster class for Binders and make up 24⁄175 of the monsters randomly generated on the Binder quest. One captain is also randomly placed on the locate level of the Binder quest at level creation.

Captains may additionally appear among the random @ that are part of the second standard quest monster class for Nobles and make up 6⁄175 of the monsters randomly generated on the default Noble quest. One captain is also generated on the default Noble quest's goal level at level creation.

A captain named Captain Ketch is placed on the locate level of the Pirate quest at level creation, with a magic chest, a crossbow, and a stack of blessed +3 crossbow bolts on his square.

Zombified captains can be randomly generated in the normal Priest quest.

In the Tourist quest, the Kop Kaptain placed within the "police station" structure on the goal level is replaced by a captain, as dNetHack replaces the Keystone Kop monster class.

Captains in dNetHack have their starting inventory changed significantly:

  • For their primary weapon, captains have a roughly equal probability of generating with either a saber or a long sword as in NetHack.
  • For their secondary weapon, captains have a 1⁄2 chance of being given a bow—if their primary weapon is not a saber, they have a 1⁄4 chance of being given 48 golden arrows as ammo, and otherwise they will be given 3–50 arrows as ammo. If they are not given a bow, they have a 1⁄5 chance of being given a long sword, and will otherwise be given a short sword.
  • As in NetHack, default generation for mercenaries means that a captain also has a 1⁄4 chance of being given a dagger as a primary weapon and a 1⁄7 chance of being given a spear as a secondary weapon, and any captain that has a primary weapon other than a dagger and no secondary weapon then has a 1⁄4 chance of being given a knife as their secondary weapon.
  • For armor, captains that are generated in the Law quest are always created with harmonium plate, a harmonium helm, a pair of harmonium gauntlets, and a pair of harmonium boots. Otherwise, they are given armor for each slot as detailed below, with the base AC for each given piece of armor counted towards their target AC of -3:
    • For their suit, they have a 4⁄5 chance of receiving plate mail. Otherwise, if they are not given plate mail, they have the same chance of receiving splint mail, banded mail, ring mail, studded leather armor, or leather armor as in NetHack.
    • For their helm, they have a 2⁄3 chance of being given a helmet, a 1⁄2 chance of being given a leather helm if they are not given a helmet, and a 1⁄10 chance of being given a war hat if they are not given a leather helm.
    • For their shield, they have the same chance of being given a buckler or a kite shield as they do in NetHack, with both items being equivalent to the small shield and large shield respectively. Otherwise, they have a 1⁄2 chance of being given a roundshield if they are not given either of the aforementioned shields.
    • For their boots, they have the same chance of being given a pair of low boots or high boots as they do in NetHack. Otherwise, they have a 1⁄2 chance of being given a pair of armored boots if they are not given either of the aforementioned boots.
    • For their gloves, they have a 2⁄3 chance of being given a pair of gloves, and a 1⁄2 chance of being given a pair of gauntlets if they are not given standard gloves.
    • For their cloak, they have a 1⁄2 chance of being given a standard cloak.
  • Captains have the same chance of being given C-rations and K-rations as in NetHack, but this chance does not apply if they are placed on level creation (including generation in barracks), are generated in the Law quest, or are created as zombies. They also have the same chance of generating with a bugle as in NetHack.

EvilHack

Main article: Captain (EvilHack)

In EvilHack, captains and other Yendorian army fighters are racial monsters, and can be generated as any applicable race.

Encyclopedia entry

The soldiers of Yendor are well-trained in the art of war, many trained by the Wizard himself. Some say the soldiers are explorers who were unfortunate enough to be captured, and put under the Wizard's spell. Those who have survived encounters with soldiers say they travel together in platoons, and are fierce fighters. Because of the load of their combat gear, however, one can usually run away from them, and doing so is considered a wise thing.

References

  1. ↑ src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 3730
  2. ↑ src/music.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 184
  3. ↑ src/muse.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 490
  4. ↑ src/dokick.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 360
  5. ↑ src/dokick.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 365
  6. ↑ src/dokick.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 370
  7. ↑ src/wizard.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 40
  8. ↑ src/mkroom.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 768: populating barracks
  9. ↑ dat/Tourist.des in NetHack 3.6.7, line 171
  10. ↑ dat/Tourist.des in NetHack 3.6.7, line 172
  11. ↑ dat/Tourist.des in NetHack 3.6.7, line 174
  12. ↑ dat/Tourist.des in NetHack 3.6.7, line 328
  13. ↑ dat/Tourist.des in NetHack 3.6.7, line 336
  14. ↑ dat/Tourist.des in NetHack 3.6.7, line 338
  15. ↑ dat/knox.des in NetHack 3.6.7, line 98: Ludios barracks
  16. ↑ dat/castle.des in NetHack 3.6.7, line 240-L241: Castle barracks
  17. ↑ dat/Tourist.des in NetHack 3.6.7, line 514-L515
  18. ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 188
  19. ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 591
  20. ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 205
  21. ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 209-L221
  22. ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 604
  23. ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 622
  24. ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 625
  25. ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 628
  26. ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 631
  27. ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 634
  28. ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 636
  29. ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 638
  30. ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 640
  31. ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 642
  32. ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 644
  33. ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 646
  34. ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 648
  35. ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 665
  36. ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 556
  37. ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 794
  38. ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 796
  39. ↑ makemon.c in NetHack 3.0.0, line 328
  40. ↑ makemon.c in NetHack 3.0.0, line 353
  41. ↑ monst.c in NetHack 3.1.0, line 1732
  42. ↑ src/sounds.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 913
  43. ↑ mklev.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 769
  44. ↑ mkroom.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 324
  45. ↑ mkroom.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 815
  46. ↑ mkroom.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 819
  47. ↑ shk.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 369
  48. ↑ shk.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 3935
  49. ↑ makemon.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 318
  50. ↑ makemon.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 322
  51. ↑ makemon.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 327
  52. ↑ makemon.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 332
  53. ↑ makemon.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 335
  54. ↑ makemon.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 340
  55. ↑ makemon.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 348: falls through to this case if FIREARMS is not defined
  56. ↑ makemon.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 358
  57. ↑ makemon.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 364
  58. ↑ makemon.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 1002
  59. ↑ makemon.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 1011
  60. ↑ makemon.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 1031
  61. ↑ makemon.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 1033
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