Dantalion

Dantalion, Star Emperor is a spirit that appears in dNetHack and notdNetHack.

Ritual, seal and taboo

Dantalion's seal must be drawn around a throne.

To remain bound to Dantalion, a character cannot destroy thrones, which includes using them up after they sit on one.

Mark

A character that has Dantalion bound grows extra faces on their chest, which can be seen from a distance and must be hidden with a shirt, body armor or a cloak. Crystal plate mail is an exception, as it is transparent.

Benefits

While bound, Dantalion grants immunity to blindness, but only while the extra faces are uncovered. Dantalion also grants skill in two-handed swords, broadswords and scimitars.

Dantalion's active powers are as follows:

• Thought Travel: Teleport to a chosen monster that can be sensed via telepathy in a manner similar to covetous warping: the character warps next to the target monster and ignores no-teleport level restrictions, but cannot use this power to warp in and out of the Wizard's Tower directly, and also cannot use it on the Astral Plane.
• Dread of Dantalion: Cause all non-unique monsters in line-of-sight to flee from the character, ignoring MR score.

His passive powers are as follows:

• Read Thoughts: Gain a to-hit bonus against creatures you can sense telepathically.
• Telepathy: You benefit from extrinsic telepathy (similar to a helm of telepathy).
• Perfect Strikes: You add your intelligence bonus to all attacks made along with any strength or dexterity bonus, including ones that normally do not receive attribute bonuses.

Strategy

Dantalion's Dread power can be valuable to give a character some additional breathing room.

As a monster

@ Dantalion (No tile)
Difficulty	20
Attacks	Weapon 4d10 physical

@ Dantalion (No tile)
Difficulty	20
Attacks	Weapon 4d10 physical
Base level	18
Base experience	707
Speed	15
Base AC	4
Base MR	40
Alignment	15 (lawful)
Frequency (by normal means)	0 (Not randomly generated)
Genocidable	No
Weight	1450
Nutritional value	400
Size	medium
Dantalion: has a head, a couple of arms, and a torso. can see invisible creatures. is omnivorous. is not a valid polymorphable form. is a human. is an overlord to its kind. is male. is normally generated hostile. can follow you to other levels. is nasty. is strong. likes gold. likes gems. can pick up weapons and food. can pick up magical items. wants the Amulet of Yendor. wants the Book of the Dead. wants the Amulet of Yendor, the Bell of Opening, the Book of the Dead, the Candelabrum of Invocation, and your quest artifact. can be seen through infravision. never leaves a corpse. cannot be tamed.

In notdNetHack, Dantalion, @, also appears as a monster that can be summoned by an Illithanachronounbinder. He is a strong human that can see invisible, can be seen via infravision, and can follow a character to other levels if adjacent. Dantalion is covetous and desires the character's quest artifact, the invocation items and the Amulet of Yendor - he will also seek out and pick up gold, gems, magical items, and other objects.

Dantalion has a single strong weapon attack.

Like many summoned spirits, Dantalion cannot be tamed.

Generation

Dantalion is first generated when summoned from his seal by an Illithanachronounbinder. He is always created hostile, and is not a valid form for normal polymorph.

Dantalion is generated with a pair of gloves, high boots, a helm of telepathy, uncursed +1 plate mail, and the uncursed +3 Dread of Dantalion - as a prince to his kind, the non-plate mail armor that he generates with will be at least +0. The Dread of Dantalion is a lawful intelligent artifact whose base item is a two-handed sword: it has a +1d10 damage bonus and will act as a scroll of scare monster against cross-aligned monsters when dropped.

Dantalion 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.

• Strategy
• Role spoiler

Dantaion moves fast at 15 speed and hits hard in melee similar to Croesus, with the added bonus of warping to the up stair to heal - his armor will also make him resistant to an Illithanachronounbinder's brain-eating attacks.

If Dantalion 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. Dantalion 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.

Encyclopedia entry

The Seventy-first Spirit is Dantalion. He is a Duke Great and Mighty, appearing in the Form of a Man with many Countenances, all Men's and Women's Faces; and he hath a Book in his right hand. His Office is to teach all Arts and Sciences unto any; and to declare the Secret Counsel of any one; for he knoweth the Thoughts of all Men and Women, and can change them at his Will.

[ The Lesser Key of Solomon ]