NetHack Fourk

NetHack Fourk is a NetHack variant built on the NetHack 4 codebase, with a more experimental approach to gameplay changes that is still conservative compared to heavily modified variants like SLASH'EM and dNetHack.

Public server

NetHack Fourk can be played at hardfought.org.

Changes

In addition to the NetHack 4 interface and AI enhancements, Fourk has made a number of gameplay changes. These fall into four major categories:

• Balance adjustments, intended to improve the overall balance and difficulty curve of the game. Things like alignment record, to-hit calculations, experience requirements, etc. have had the shape of their curve adjusted, and some game features have been buffed or gently nerfed so that they fit better into the overall scheme of the game's balance, as the variant creator envisions it. Some of these changes have been more successful and well-received by players than others; some of the less successful ones have been backed out.
• Monster and class reorganization. Some classes with very few monsters have been combined and thus freed up, and some heavily overloaded monster classes have been split. Some monsters have switched from one symbol class to another one where they fit better. Additionally, some monsters that were formerly represented by punctuation marks are now represented by actual letters. For example, leprechauns are now i, and everything that was formerly : is now l (for lizard).
• Differentiation and variety. Some monsters, items, or special levels that were practically identical have been tweaked slightly so that they are no longer quite so closely the same. Some special levels have entirely new versions as well.
• Consolidation. Some things have been removed on the grounds that they didn't really add that much to the game. (For example, there are fewer types of polearms than in vanilla.)

For a detailed list of changes, see the changelog (under § External links, below).

Skill tables

Gnomes have increased skill caps for club and crossbow, orcs have increased skill caps for scimitar, and dwarves have increased skill caps for pick-axe.

Skill	Role
	Arc	Bar	Cav	Hea	Kni	Mon	Pri	Rog	Ran	Sam	Tou	Val	Wiz
bare hands	E	M	M	b	E	-	b	b	b	-	S	E	b
martial arts	-	-	-	-	-	GM	-	-	-	M	-	-	-
two-weapon	b	E	-	-	b	-	-	b	-	S	S	S	-
shield	b	S	b	b	E	b	E	S	S	S	S	M	S
wandss	S	-	b	E	S	E	E	S	S	S	E	S	E
riding	b	b	-	-	E	-	-	b	b	S	b	S	b
stealth	E	-	S	b	-	S	E	M	E	b	S	b	S

Skill	Role
	Arc	Bar	Cav	Hea	Kni	Mon	Pri	Rog	Ran	Sam	Tou	Val	Wiz
dagger	b	b	b	b	b	-	-	E	E	b	b	E	b
knife	b	-	S	E	b	-	-	E	S	S	S	-	S
axe	-	M	S	-	S	-	-	-	S	-	b	S	b
pick-axe	E	S	b	-	b	-	-	-	b	-	b	S	-
short sword	b	E	-	S	S	-	-	E	b	E	E	S	b
broadsword	-	E	-	-	S	-	-	S	-	S	b	E	-
long sword	-	E	-	-	E	-	-	S	-	S	b	S	-
two-handed sword	-	E	-	-	S	-	-	b	-	S	b	b	-
scimitar	S	E	-	b	b	-	-	S	-	b	E	S	-
saber	E	S	-	b	S	-	-	S	-	b	S	b	-
club	S	E	E	S	b	-	E	S	-	-	-	-	b
mace	-	E	E	b	S	-	E	S	-	-	b	-	b
morning star	-	E	b	-	S	-	E	b	b	-	b	-	-
flail	-	S	S	-	b	-	E	b	S	S	b	-	-
hammer	-	S	S	-	b	-	E	b	b	-	b	E	-
quarterstaff	S	b	E	E	-	b	E	-	b	b	b	b	E
spear	-	S	E	b	S	b	S	b	S	b	b	E	b
javelin	-	-	S	b	S	b	S	-	E	b	b	E	b
trident	-	S	S	b	b	-	S	-	b	-	b	b	b
whip	E	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	b	-	b	-	-
unicorn horn	S	-	b	E	-	-	S	-	-	-	S	-	-

Skill	Role
	Arc	Bar	Cav	Hea	Kni	Mon	Pri	Rog	Ran	Sam	Tou	Val	Wiz
polearm (and lance)	-	-	S	b	E	-	S	b	S	S	b	S	b
bow	-	b	b	-	b	-	b	-	E	E	b	-	-
sling	E	-	E	S	-	-	b	-	S	-	b	b	b
crossbow	-	-	-	-	E	b	b	E	E	-	b	-	-
dart	b	-	-	E	-	-	b	E	E	-	E	-	b
shuriken	-	-	-	S	-	E	b	S	S	E	b	-	b
boomerang	E	-	E	-	-	-	b	-	E	-	S	-	-

Skill	Role
	Arc	Bar	Cav	Hea	Kni	Mon	Pri	Rog	Ran	Sam	Tou	Val	Wiz
attack	b	-	-	-	S	S	-	-	-	S	-	S	E
healing	b	-	-	E	S	E	E	-	b	-	-	-	S
divination	E	-	-	-	-	b	E	S	E	-	b	-	E
enchantment	-	-	-	-	-	b	-	-	-	-	b	-	S
clerical	-	-	-	-	S	S	E	-	-	S	-	-	S
escape	-	-	-	-	-	b	-	S	b	-	S	b	E
matter	b	-	-	-	-	b	-	S	-	-	-	-	E

See also

• Wands Balance Patch

External links

• Source repository
• Spoilers (automatically generated)
• Changelog (master)
• Changelog (bleeding-edge)