Berith
Berith, the Red Horseman is a spirit that appears in dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack.
Ritual, seal and taboo
Berith's seal must be drawn around one of the following: gloves with the randomized appearance of "riding gloves", boots with the randomized appearance of "riding boots", a saddle, a saber, a long sword, a bow, or a lance. Alternatively, a character can wear a blessed ring with the appearance of a "silver ring" on their left hand while chatting to the seal.
To remain bound to Berith, the character must not kill pets, including former pets that have turned feral.
Mark
A character that has Berith bound appears drenched in blood, as does any steed they are currently riding. The blood can be easily seen from a distance, but will take the form of enamel if wearing torso armor (body armor, shirt and/or a cloak), gloves, boots, and a helm—the blood on the steed cannot be disguised unless the hero dismounts from them.
Benefits
While Berith is bound, the following effects occur:
- Berith grants skill in lances, sabers, riding, and shields.
- Berith also increases the hero's base attack bonus to +1 to-hit per level (as with most martial roles), and HP regeneration occurs twice as fast.
- While the hero is riding, their steed benefits from the following resistances if the hero possesses them:
Berith's active powers are as follows:
- Blood Mercenary: Fires an invisible beam in a chosen direction that deals 5 dice of non-elemental damage to target monsters. Using this power requires the hero to have enough gold in their open inventory: the amount of gold that is required is determined when rolling for damage per target, but before that damage is applied, and is re-rolled for each target monster—if there is not enough gold present, the attack fails and nothing else happens.
- Sow Discord: Monsters on the level attack each other for an amount of turns equal to a roll of the hero's spirit die + 5.
His passive powers are as follows:
- Blood-price: Monsters may leave behind gold instead of any corpses upon death.
As a monster
| C Berith File:BerithTheHorseman.png | |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 19 |
| Attacks |
Weapon 2d8 physical, kick 1d6 physical, spiritual blade 1d6 blood |
| Base level | 15 |
| Base experience | 437 |
| Speed | 16 |
| Base AC | 10 |
| Base MR | 10 |
| Alignment | -3 (chaotic) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 0 (Not randomly generated) |
| Genocidable | No |
| Weight | 2550 |
| Nutritional value | 600 |
| Size | medium
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Berith:
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In notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, Berith, C, also appears as a monster that can be summoned by an Illithanachronounbinder. He is a strong centaur-like monster that can be seen via infravision and will collect items such as weapons, armor and gold. Like many summoned spirits, Berith cannot be tamed.
Berith has a weapon attack and a kick attack that deal standard physical damage, and a spiritual blade attack that deals more damage against monsters with blood—spiritual blade attacks bypass the AC and DR of the target's worn armor, are not considered contact attacks, and always hit insubstantial targets (e.g. shades).
Generation
Berith is first generated when summoned from his seal by an Illithanachronounbinder. He is always created hostile, and is not a valid polymorph form or genoocide target.
Berith is always generated with plate mail fitted to his body shape, a long sword, some gold, and the uncursed Crown of Berith: the Crown of Berith is an artifact helmet made of gold that can be safely enchanted from +5 and is always coated in blood, which doubles as grease for purposes such as blocking brain-eating tentacle attacks.
Berith 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.
If Berith is killed after being summoned, he 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. Berith 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 him nonliving.
Messages
- Gold rains down within the circumference of the seal, melting slowly to blood where it lands.
- A figure takes form within the showering gold, staring down at you from a crimson horse.
- His crown is gold, and his clothes are red like blood.
- You attempted to bind Berith.
- "I am Berith, war-leader of the forgotten."
- "I am Berith, god of the covenant of blood."
- One of these two lines occurs as part of the above messages.
- "I anoint you in Blood and Gold, that bloodshed and riches shall follow in your wake.
- That is my covenant, my blessing, and my curse."
- You successfully bound Berith to yourself.
- "I anoint your blade with Blood, for blood calls to blood.
- That is the covenant and curse of Berith."
- You successfully bound Berith to The Pen of the Void.
- You think you can hear faint hoofbeats from within the seal.
- But they fade away before you can be sure.
- You failed to bind Berith, due to a lack of open slots for spirits of the Near Void.
- You think of cavalry and silver rings.
- You performed the binding ritual incorrectly.
Encyclopedia entry
From Baal: God, and Berith: Covenant. The name of a deity worshiped in ancient Canaan, reviled as a demon by the early Israelites, and later the Christians.
