Drow (monster attribute)

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Drow is a monster attribute in some variants of NetHack that indicates when a monster should be considered dark elven. As drow are related to elves, they are also considered elven.

In the variants that it appears in, the drow attribute generally determines the appropriate racial equipment for drow monsters and drow characters, as well as what constitutes cannibalism and same-race sacrifice for drow characters.

SLASH'EM

In SLASH'EM, only the drow monster and drow heroes are considered to be drow - drow characters are always chaotic, since elves in SLASH'EM can be lawful or neutral. Unlike later variants, drow lack distinct undead forms.

All the information in this section also applies to SlashTHEM.

SLASH'EM racial equipment

The following objects are considered dark elven items:

dNetHack

In dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, drow monsters are denoted with the MA_DROW flag, and have far more detailed attributes than in other variants.

Drow monsters have a +2 bonus to hit dice size and gain sleep resistance at experience level or monster level 4. Drow monsters that are not mindless can invoke the darkness to cover the area around them, which darkens rooms and otherwise creates unlit squares in a 5-square radius around the user - a drow hero can use this ability via the #monster extended command for 10 power.

Nearly all drow monsters, including heroes but excluding any of the Changed, are generated as belonging to a particular "house" - this can usually be determined by the house symbols engraved on any signet rings and heavy droven armor that they generate with. Drow from houses that are aligned against each other will be mutually hostile, and will be hostile towards a drow hero of an opposing faction - conversely, drow of the same house, or of different houses that are aligned with each other, will be peaceful towards each other and towards drow heroes of allied factions.

Drow monsters gain a +1 bonus to multishot when throwing Sickle Moon, and gain a +1 bonus to the precision damage multiplier for firing projectiles from droven crossbows. Drow monsters cannot cast directed spells at a character that is either non-drow and standing on an Elbereth engraving, or else is a drow and standing on a Lolth engraving with the conditions for its use met. Drow spellcasters that cast the summon insects monster spell will instead use a variation of the spell that summons spiders.

List of dNetHack monsters

The monsters listed below are considered to be drow:

dNetHack racial equipment

The items non-exhaustively listed below are considered to be droven items:

Droven weapons except for the droven crossbow have a base material of obsidian, which is lighter in weight than most metallic materials, but is fragile and shatters if thrown or fired unless it is fixed. Droven heavy armor has a base material of shadowsteel, which is even lighter and quite durable as armor material, but slowly evaporates upon exposure to light - this can be slowed by magic cancellation, while invisibility prevents degrading or repairing; fixed shadowsteel armor repairs itself while its wearer is in a dark square.

SpliceHack

In SpliceHack, only the drow monster and drow heroes are considered to be drow, as in SLASH'EM and SlashTHEM - similarly, drow characters in SpliceHack are always chaotic and lack distinct undead forms, though elven characters in SpliceHack are also chaotic. Male drow are known as "hedrow".

SpliceHack racial equipment

The dark elven items that appear in SpliceHack are all derived from SLASH'EM with the exception of the dark elven ring mail, which has notable similarities to the dark elven mithril-coat.

EvilHack

In EvilHack, drow monsters are denoted with the MH_DROW flag, and have their own undead forms. Drow are considered the same race as elves like in other variants, and have the same allergy to iron objects as elves do: drow take extra damage from contact with iron, and wearing iron incurs a penalty to luck and stops normal HP regeneration. Drow are acclimated to life in complete darkness, and many drow monsters have ultravision and the ability to darken their surroundings; drow heroes likewise possess ultravision, and can use the #monster extended command to surround themselves in darkness for 10 power. Shops and temples attended by a drow shopkeeper or aligned priest will be dark.

Drow characters that are in a darkened square gain a to-hit bonus of (XL/3 + 2) when attacking using drow weapons, bare-handed combat (including thievery & martial arts) or the artifact Shadowblade; drow characters in lit squares have a -4 to-hit penalty for the same weapons, and normal HP regeneration is slowed while in a lit area. Non-player drow gain a to-hit bonus of (ML/3 + 2) with all weapons in dark squares, and have a -3 to-hit penalty in lit squares.

List of EvilHack monsters

The monsters non-exhaustively listed below are considered drow:

Drow can also generate as the following racial monsters:

EvilHack racial equipment

The items non-exhaustively listed below are considered to be dark elven items:

Dark elven armor grants a +1 AC bonus to drow characters and other drow monsters that wear them, and drow characters can also safely enchant dark elven armor to +7. All dark elven items that are made of adamantine (i.e. weapons and heavy armor) have a chance of becoming brittle or even dissolving in lit squares: weapons may break when used against or thrown at monsters, while armor will become more and more brittle as take absorb hits.

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