Charon (monster)
@ Charon 
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 38 |
| Attacks | |
| Base level | 76 |
| Base experience | ??? |
| Speed | 18 |
| Base AC | -5 |
| Base MR | 120 |
| Alignment | 0 (neutral) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | Unique |
| Genocidable | No |
| Weight | 1450 |
| Nutritional value | 400 |
| Size | Medium |
| Resistances | fire resistance, cold resistance, poison resistance, stoning resistance |
| Resistances conveyed | None |
|
Charon:
| |
| Reference | NetHack 5.0.0 - include/monsters.h, line 2871 |
- For other implementations of the monster, see Charon.
Charon, @, is a deferred monster in the source code of NetHack. He is a monster that is part of the human or elf monster class, and is a human that is inediate and unbreathing, can see invisible, and can be seen via infravision.[1] Charon is flagged as a gold lover and will collect items such as weapons and armor. He is notable for having an incredibly high monster level of 76, which is typically reserved for demon lords and princes.
Charon has a weapon attack that deals physical damage and a touch attack that can inflict paralysis. He possesses fire resistance, cold resistance, poison resistance, and stoning resistance.
Charon is the subject of a false rumor, and is referenced in a livelogging message that occurs if a player quits their game while their hero is polymorphed and has just wiped out their base form's race through genocide (which is reported as the player having "quit while already on Charon's boat").
Generation
Charon is not generated anywhere, but has rules governing his generation like any other monster.
Charon is designated to only generate in Gehennom. He will always be created as peaceful, and he is not a valid polymorph form or genocide target.
History
Charon's data first appears in NetHack 3.0.0.
Origin
In Greek mythology, Charon (or Kharon) is the ferryman of the Greek underworld. He transports the souls of those who have been given funeral rites across the river (often called Acheron or Styx) that borders the underworld. Archaeology confirms that, in some burials, low-value coins known generically as "Charon's obols" were placed in, on, or near the mouth of the deceased, or next to the cremation urn containing the ashes. In Virgil's epic poem Aeneid, the dead who could not pay the fee or else had received no funeral rites had to wander the near shores of the Styx for one hundred years before they were allowed to cross the river. Charon also ferried the living mortals Heracles and Aeneas to the underworld and back again.
Variants
Some NetHack variants fully implement Charon and grant the monster additional traits and abilities depending on the variant.
SLASH'EM
xNetHack
EvilHack
Encyclopedia entry
When an ancient Greek died, his soul went to the nether world:
the Hades. To reach the nether world, the souls had to cross
the river Styx, the river that separated the living from the
dead. The Styx could be crossed by ferry, whose shabby ferry-
man, advanced in age, was called Charon. The deceased's next-
of-kin would place a coin under his tongue, to pay the ferry-
man.
