Elf (starting race)
- This article is about the playable race in NetHack and its variants. For other uses of the term, see elf.
Elves are one of the five playable races available to a hero in NetHack. An elven hero will appear as @ if the showrace option is set on, and is part of the human or elf monster class. According to the guidebook:
Elves are agile, quick, and perceptive; very little of what goes on will escape an Elf. The quality of Elven craftsmanship often gives them an advantage in arms and armor.
Elves are always chaotic, and can be played as Priests, Rangers or Wizards.[1][2][3][4]
Racial benefits and restrictions
Elven heroes have intrinsic infravision, and they gain sleep resistance at experience level 4. Elves are proficient bow-users, and elven heroes gain a +1 to-hit bonus for shooting from any type of bow, as well as a +1 to-hit bonus for shooting from an elven bow.[5][6] Orcs hate elves, and gain +1 a to-hit bonus when throwing or shooting at an elven hero.[7] Their attribute caps heavily favor mental stats much more than those of other races, while their physical attributes range from average to poor.[8]
All monsters with the elf monster attribute are considered the same race as an elven hero for purposes such as cannibalism and same-race sacrifice. Other elves that are not undead will always generate as peaceful for an elven hero, while orcs that are not undead will always generate as hostile.[9] Elven heroes that die and leave bones where they arise from the dead will resurrect as elf mummies and elf zombies, depending on their killer[10]—in practice, there is no means of killing any hero that causes them to rise as a zombie.
The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that the information below is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate it.
Per commit aeb0ea65, if the hero is killed by a zombie or a lich, they will rise from the grave as a zombie of their race's type, and will be present as a zombie if a bones file is created. Per commit 3c421da7, the zombie will have the same intrinsics as the former hero.Attributes
| Attribute | Strength | Dexterity | Constitution | Intelligence | Wisdom | Charisma |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum[11] | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Maximum[8] | 18 | 18 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 18 |
| Level bonuses[12] | Starting | Pre-cutoff | Post-cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| HP gain[13][14][15] | 1 | d1 | 1 |
| Energy gain[16][17][18] | 2 | 3 | 3 |
Elven heroes have the highest intelligence and wisdom caps of all races at 20 each, allowing them to excel in actions such as spellcasting that require them. However, their strength and constitution caps are the lowest of all races at 18 and 16 respectively, which also significantly lowers their natural carrying capacity. Despite being described as "agile" by the guidebook, the elven hero's dexterity cap of 18 is shared with all other races except for dwarves, who outperform their peers with a dexterity cap of 20.
Elven heroes have HP gains that are lower than those of humans and dwarves, but better than those of gnomes and orcs: they gain +1 to the starting HP for their role, a +1 bonus to HP for each experience level gained while they are below their role's "cutoff" level, and +1 to HP for each level gained while at or above the "cutoff".[13] Elven heroes have the best energy growth of the playable races, with +2 to their role's starting energy, +3 for each level gained while below their role's "cutoff" level, and +3 for each level gained while at or above the "cutoff" level.[16]
The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that the information below is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate it.
As part of resolving issue #679 regarding congruence between non-player monsters and their player counterparts, commit b6a3d4b9 makes it so that a hero polymorphed into an elven monster is capped at 18 strength as elven heroes are.Racial items
Elven heroes start the game with knowledge of all elven items.[19] Elven items are usually made of wood and are among the best in terms of quality, often competing with dwarven items in terms of base damage and AC—their armor can also be safely enchanted from +5, as opposed to +3 for most non-elven armor. Elves have the highest-quality cloaks, bows, arrows, short swords, and daggers.
Elven Priests and Wizards start with a non-magical instrument, chosen from one of the following with an equal probability of each:[20] a wooden flute, a tooled horn, a wooden harp, a bell, a bugle, or a leather drum.
The following racial substitutions apply to elven heroes, though they currently only apply to a single role:[21]
| Regular item | Substitute | Affected roles |
|---|---|---|
| dagger | elven dagger | Ranger |
| spear | elven spear | none |
| short sword | elven short sword | |
| bow | elven bow | Ranger |
| arrow | elven arrow | |
| helmet | elven leather helm | none |
| cloak of displacement | elven cloak[21] | Ranger |
| cram ration | lembas wafer |
Elven heroes gain a +1 multishot bonus and a +1 damage bonus when firing elven arrows from an elven bow.[22][23]
Strategy
Elves have stellar mental stats that make them a prime choice for chaotic spellcasting heroes, and can buoy their chances of successfully casting spells that use restricted or less-trained skills. However, their poor strength and constitution along with their physical frailty limits both their maximum HP and damage output—it also means that elven heroes must use gauntlets of power if they want to increase carrying capacity beyond their natural maximum of 900 aum (which is 100 below the maximum that any hero can reach). Fortunately, bags of holding and methods such as quaffing potions of full healing and nurse dancing can help counterbalance these drawbacks—other races can utilize these as well, though they may not feel as necessary as they do for elves.
Elven Priests and Wizards are easily the best spellcasters of their respective roles, to the point that elven Wizards in particular are usually the most recommended race to play the role as. Elven Rangers boast the greatest firepower of their role due to their multishot bonuses and can deal with rust monsters and other hostile monsters that can erode metallic projectiles—in return, they do not start with a displacement source like other Rangers, must be more careful around gelatinous cubes, fire elementals and similar monsters, and lose a point of multishot if they elect to switch to The Longbow of Diana. Elven heroes can also supplement their ranged casting prowess with artifact weapons such as Stormbringer and Magicbane (for Wizards), and Priests and Rangers can even force Stormbringer by naming Sting and Orcrist. Elven Priests and Wizards also have a good chance of starting with a tonal instrument that can be used to scare monsters (via bugle, tooled horn or leather drum) or play the passtune at the Castle (via bugle, tooled horn, wooden harp, or wooden flute).
The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that the information below is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate it.
Per commit 55ec68ef, Rangers gain a +1 multishot bonus while wielding the Longbow of Diana and shooting any type of arrows from it.
Per commit d87cadaf and commit c2c797fa, artifact balance is substantially reworked: artifacts have 2 additional internal stats—the minimum sacrifice value required to obtain them by sacrificing (which is usually just the difficulty rating of the monster sacrificed), and a flat number added to the weapon's enchantment when it is either randomly generated or gifted. This means that forcing Stormbringer is no longer possible for elven Priests, as Demonbane is their first sacrifice gift per commit b1a5a9c3, though Elven Rangers can still reliably force Stormbringer as a first gift.History
The elf starting race is introduced along with the other playable races in NetHack 3.3.0.
Prior to this, the Elf existed as its own role, which is playable from NetHack 1.3d to NetHack 3.2.3. From NetHack 3.1.0 to NetHack 3.2.3, Elves also had their own quest: their leader is either Earendil or Elwing, their quest guardians are High-elves, and the quest sees them fighting the Goblin King for The Palantir of Westernesse, an artifact crystal ball. The role is deferred in NetHack 3.3.0 along with much of its data: Elves are made into a playable race, while their role is given a spiritual successor in the Ranger, which has a similar focus on superiority through ranged combat as the former role.
Variants
Elves are retained as a playable race in every variant of NetHack, typically with access to all valid role and alignment combinations, and some variants add playable offshoots of elves as well—the drow is typically the most common elf variation made playable in these variants, and drow and 'normal' elves regard each other as sworn enemies, usually to the point of holding grudges.
Variants of NetHack may also implement a form of iron "allergy" or other material hatred for elves, including the hero.
This section will focus only on any changes that make elves substantially different from other playable races, or from their presentation in NetHack.
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, elves from NetHack are made lawful, and elven heroes can be lawful or neutral, with the drow taking up the position of "chaotic elven race" for heroes and monsters. An elven hero can be played as an Archeologist, Barbarian, Flame Mage, Healer, Ice Mage, Necromancer, Priest, Ranger, Undead Slayer, Wizard, or Yeoman.
UnNetHack
In UnNetHack, elves retain their base traits and roles from NetHack.
Elven heroes gain +1 AC for each piece of worn elven armor. They will also have HP regeneration blocked while they are touching iron with their bare skin: this means that an elven hero cannot safely put on rings with randomized appearances made of iron, but can use iron weapons if they are wielded while wearing gloves, and can safely put on amulets (which are all made of iron) if they are also wearing a shirt or a suit of armor.
dNetHack
In dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, elven heroes have significant differences from NetHack. Drow are also available as a playable race, behaving as "dark" counterparts to the already-chaotic elves.
Elven heroes remain chaotic, and can be played as Anachrononauts, Binders, Convicts, Madpeople, Nobles, Pirates, Priests, Rogues, Rangers, Troubadours (Bards), and Wizards. Elves can also be played as neutral Healers, which are the only "cross-aligned" role available for them in this manner.
Elven heroes exchange their infravision from NetHack for third-level low-light vision, and are the only race that can utilize the full protection of an engraved Elbereth. Elves also have an iron allergy that renders it harmful to the touch for them as it does for other elves (and drow), causing iron items to deal extra damage against them. Elves that are not Troubadours can reach Expert in the musicalize spell skill (as Troubadours themselves can always reach Expert in this skill). Their special spell is remove curse.
Elven heroes have 80 points to distribute among their starting attributes, which is lowered to 70 if they have an inheritance; elven Binders have slightly more points to distribute among starting attributes, with 60 compared to 55 for other Binders. Elven heroes have their dexterity cap raised to 20, while their other attribute caps are unchanged from NetHack, and their HP and energy bonuses from character generation and gaining experience levels are increased:
| Attribute | Strength | Dexterity | Constitution | Intelligence | Wisdom | Charisma |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Maximum | 18 | 20 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 18 |
| Level bonuses | Starting | Pre-cutoff | Post-cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| HP gain | 7 | 3 | d3 |
| Energy gain | 7 | 3 | 3 |
Elves in dNetHack have the best HP growth of all playable races, which compensates somewhat for their lower constitution, and also have the third-best energy growth after gnomes and incantifiers (who use magic energy as a form of "nutrition", necessitating that they have far more energy than other races).
Elven heroes that are not Madpeople start with knowledge of all elven items from NetHack, along with some that are new to dNetHack: the elven mace, the elven lance, the elven helm (distinct from the elven leather helm of NetHack), and the elven toga. There are several racial substitutions made for elven heroes:
| Standard item(s) | Replacement item(s) | Affected roles |
|---|---|---|
| athame | elven dagger | Wizard |
| dagger | Noble, Ranger, Rogue | |
| knife | Pirate | |
| spear | elven spear | none |
| rapier | Noble | |
| short sword | elven short sword | Rogue |
| bow | elven bow | Ranger |
| arrow | elven arrow | |
| helmet | elven helm | none |
| buckler | elven shield | Priest |
| kite shield | none | |
| Victorian underwear | Noble | |
| ruffled shirt | ||
| cloak of displacement | elven cloak | Ranger |
| cloak | Troubadour, Noble | |
| cram ration | lembas wafer | Ranger |
| food ration | Noble | |
| gentlewoman's dress | elven toga | |
| gentleman's suit | ||
| pair of stilettos | elven boots |
Elven Nobles, Priests, Rangers, and Wizards all have a separate quest from those normally given to their roles: the Elvish Racial Quest, which is a retool of the Elf Quest from older versions of NetHack, and sees them fighting the Necromancer for The Palantir of Westernesse. Conversely, Elven Madpeople share the Madman quest with other Madpeople, but start their quest with a Gevurah sephirah counter of 4 (implying that they cheated death previously), and will also encounter additional items and monsters on the quest, the Elemental Planes and the Astral Plane.
xNetHack
In xNetHack, elves are moved to the Quendi monster class in order to make them more visibly distinct from humans—an elven hero will appear as Q if the showrace option is turned on.
Elven heroes remain chaotic, and can be played as the same roles as in NetHack. They retain their racial properties and abilities, gain +1 AC for each piece of worn elven armor, and have an iron allergy that renders the material deadly to the touch: elves of all types take an extra die of damage when hit with iron weapons or objects. Elven heroes in roles that start with iron items have them replaced with copper equivalents.
The iron allergy, low physical stats and HP growth make the early game a challenge to survive for most elven heroes.
SpliceHack
In SpliceHack, drow are available as a playable race, behaving as "dark" counterparts to the already-chaotic elves.
Elves of all types take extra damage from iron weapons and objects, including elven heroes, as in xNetHack.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, elves gain automatic searching at experience level 9. Elves of all types take extra damage from iron weapons and objects, including elven heroes (as in xNetHack), and cannot regenerate HP while iron touches their bare skin as in UnNetHack.
Drow are available as a playable race, behaving as "dark" counterparts to the already-chaotic elves as in some other variants.
Encyclopedia entry
The Elves sat round the fire upon the grass or upon the sawn
rings of old trunks. Some went to and fro bearing cups and
pouring drinks; others brought food on heaped plates and
dishes.
"This is poor fare," they said to the hobbits; "for we are
lodging in the greenwood far from our halls. If ever you are
our guests at home, we will treat you better."
"It seems to me good enough for a birthday-party," said Frodo.
Pippin afterwards recalled little of either food or drink, for
his mind was filled with the light upon the elf-faces, and the
sound of voices so various and so beautiful that he felt in a
waking dream. [...]
Sam could never describe in words, nor picture clearly to
himself, what he felt or thought that night, though it remained
in his memory as one of the chief events of his life. The
nearest he ever got was to say: "Well, sir, if I could grow
apples like that, I would call myself a gardener. But it was
the singing that went to my heart, if you know what I mean."
References
- ↑ src/role.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 303
- ↑ src/role.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 402
- ↑ src/role.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 567
- ↑ src/role.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 628
- ↑ src/dothrow.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1659
- ↑ src/dothrow.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1663
- ↑ src/dothrow.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1587
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 src/role.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 656
- ↑ src/role.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 652
- ↑ src/role.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 648
- ↑ src/role.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 655
- ↑ include/you.h in NetHack 3.6.7, line 23: RoleAdvance defines HP/Pw gains
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 src/role.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 658
- ↑ src/attrib.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 985
- ↑ src/attrib.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 998
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 src/role.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 659
- ↑ src/exper.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 51
- ↑ src/exper.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 57
- ↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 821
- ↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 814
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 204: Elven substitutions for initial inventory—elven cloak is noted in a comment above as an intentional downgrade
- ↑ src/dothrow.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 167: multishot bonus
- ↑ src/uhitm.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 848: damage bonus
