Changed
In dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, "changed" is a collective designation for monsters that are the result of humanoid beings being corrupted and irrevocably changed by exposure to the Far Realms of Insanity. These "changed" consist of the following monsters:
Description
Those changed by the Far Realms share several common traits: they are either humanoid or giant humanoid monsters that are all simultaneously human, elven, drow, dwarven, gnomish, orcish, and demihuman. This is likely the result of several distinct beings coalescing together into a somewhat humanoid form, due to the Far Realms and their effects on the world of the far-flung futures that the Anachrononaut and Android each hail from. The giant humanoid changed are also considered to be giants owing to their size, and lack a distinct head compared to the smaller humanoid changed.
According to Sara, the Last Oracle, these changed beings require isolation suits to exist in the world’s atmosphere, and the suits are formed from the flesh of other beings. Once a changed monster is dropped to below roughly 50% of their HP, their normal HP regeneration stops and they begin losing 1 HP each turn while releasing small groups of poison clouds as they move—this represents a breach in their isolation suit causing them to boil away into poisonous mist. Changed monsters are all poisonous to consume and will burst into several poison clouds upon death, whether from being killed directly or the eventual HP loss described above.
Generation
As alluded to prior, those changed by the Far Realms are only normally generated in any capacity on the Anachrononaut quest or Android quest:
- 1⁄7 of the monsters randomly generated on either quest will be one of those changed by the Far Realms—out of the changed monsters generated this way, 4⁄5 of them will be a group of ordinary changed, while the remainder will be a solitary warrior changed.
- On the Android quest, several changed monsters inhabit the quest home level—there are five ordinary changed, a warrior changed, a twitching four-armed changed, and a sleeping clairvoyant changed within the ruins of the Last Bastion, signifying that Sara, her troopers and the other peaceful allied monsters seen in the Anachrononaut quest were corrupted and fused when the Last Bastion was overrun.
- The twitching four-armed changed is one of two unique changed, and is only encountered on this level.
- The clairvoyant changed is the other unique changed, and she is also only encountered on this level.
Those changed by the Far Realms are normally generated as hostile and are not valid genocide targets, although genocide does not ever affect monsters generated in the Quest branch for dNetHack and its derivatives.
Changed monsters other than the warrior changed are often generated with bone weaponry.
Death drops
Those changed by the Far Realms frequently leave behind eyeballs upon their demise on top of the normal chance of a corpse, with the eyeball types varying depending on the changed monster that died. For all changed other than the clairvoyant changed, some or all of the eyeballs generated will belong to one of the following monsters:
Most of the monsters listed are also humanoids, though four of the listed monsters are quadrupedal animals—the list using "humanoid eyes" in the code most likely denotes their use for humanoids changed by the Far Realms.
Encyclopedia entry
Those Changed by the Far Realms of Insanity now find the
Prime Material plane inimical to their existence, and must
wear protective suits formed from the flesh of those still
native to our dying universe. Should the suit be breached,
the Changed within will slowly boil away in a cloud of
noxious fumes.
