Fox
d fox 
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 1 |
| Attacks | |
| Base level | 0 |
| Base experience | 4 |
| Speed | 15 |
| Base AC | 7 |
| Base MR | 0 |
| Alignment | 0 (neutral) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 1 (Very rare) |
| Genocidable | Yes |
| Weight | 300 |
| Nutritional value | 250 |
| Size | Small |
| Resistances | None |
| Resistances conveyed | None |
|
A fox:
| |
| Reference | NetHack 5.0.0 - include/monsters.h, line 206 |
A fox, d, is a type of monster that appears in NetHack. The fox is a small and carnivorous canine animal that can be seen via infravision, and is one of the earliest canines that a hero can encounter.
A fox has a single bite attack.
Eating foxes is considered cannibalism for a hero that has lycanthropy from a werejackal.[1][2]
Contents
Generation
Randomly-generated foxes are always created hostile.
Werejackals that call for help and summon hostile monsters have a 1⁄21 chance of generating a fox per summoned monster[3]—a hero that contracts lycanthropy from a werejackal can spend 10 power to summon tame foxes with the same odds by using the #monster extended command.
Foxes can appear among the random d that are part of the first quest monster class for Samurai and make up 24⁄175 of the monsters randomly generated on the Samurai quest.
Strategy
The fox is one of the more difficult early monsters for a starting hero: while it does not appear in groups like jackals or sewer rats, it is faster than them at 15 speed and can potentially overwhelm a weak character. Those that start with either strong melee capabilities or good AC and defenses should have less trouble with a fox attack. Like the jackal, a fresh fox corpse also makes an adequate meal, especially for heroes that lack starting food or are not observing vegetarian conduct.
History
The fox first appears in SLASH 6, and makes its vanilla NetHack debut in NetHack 3.3.0.
The ability of werejackals to summon allied foxes is introduced in NetHack 3.6.1 via commit 1f4574b6, which also makes it cannibalism to eat those animals while the hero has lycanthropy from a werejackal.[4][5][6]
Origin
Foxes are omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae, and are small to medium in size with a flattened skull shape, upright triangular ears, a pointed and slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species belong to the "true fox" group of genus Vulpes—the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the most common and widespread species of fox, with about 47 recognized subspecies. Approximately 25 current or extinct species are either part of the South American foxes, or are part of the outlying group consisting of the bat-eared fox, gray fox, and island fox.
Foxes live on every continent except Antarctica, and their global distribution, together with their widespread reputation for cunning, has contributed to their prominence in popular culture and folklore within many societies around the world. The hunting of foxes with packs of hounds is a long-established pursuit in Europe and especially in the British Isles, and was exported by European settlers to various parts of the New World—the practice is still alive as a form of recreation in several countries, though the United Kingdom bans the use of dogs in fox hunting.
Many foxes adapt well in human environments to the point that several species of fox are classified as "resident urban carnivores" for their ability to sustain populations entirely within urban boundaries, where they can live longer and can have smaller litter sizes. Urban foxes are ubiquitous in Europe, where they show altered behaviors compared to non-urban foxes, including increased population density, smaller territory, and pack foraging; however, they have been identified as threats to cats and small dogs, often resulting in pressure to exclude them from these environments. Foxes have been introduced in numerous locations, with varying effects on indigenous flora and fauna: in some countries, foxes are major predators of rabbits and hens, and they are also often considered pests for their opportunistic attacks on poultry and other small livestock. There are many records of domesticated red foxes and other species, but evidence of sustained domestication is rare.
The fox's role in folklore is often that of a trickster figure similar to the jackal or coyote, serving as either a nuisance to the story, a misunderstood hero or a devious villain. Foxes in Western and Persian folklore being symbols of cunning based on their reputed ability to evade hunters; foxes in East Asian folklore are depicted as familiar spirits possessing magic powers that they use to trick other people, with the ability to disguise as an attractive female human, or else as mystical, sacred creatures who can bring wonder and/or ruin. Nine-tailed foxes appear in Chinese folklore, literature and mythology, where they can be a good or bad omen depending on the tale, with the motif also spreading to Japanese and Korean cultures.
Messages
Variants
Some NetHack variants may not include the ability to summon allied foxes for werejackals or count eating them as cannibalism for heroes given lycanthropy by a werejackal.
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, foxes cannot be summoned by werejackals, and eating them is not considered cannibalism for a hero with lycanthropy from a werejackal.
Foxes can appear among the random d that are part of the second quest monster class for Yeomen and make up 6⁄175 of the monsters randomly generated on the Yeoman quest.
GruntHack
In GruntHack, foxes cannot be summoned by werejackals. Eating foxes is not considered cannibalism for a hero with lycanthropy from a werejackal.
UnNetHack
In UnNetHack, foxes can be summoned by werejackals as in NetHack—eating them also counts as cannibalism for a hero that has lycanthropy from a werejackal.
dNetHack
In dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, foxes cannot be summoned by werejackals, but are summonable by werefoxes (including their kitsune forms): werefoxes that call for help and summon hostile monsters have a 5⁄6 chance of generating a fox per summoned monster—a hero that contracts lycanthropy from a werefox will both transform into a fox randmoly, and can spend 10 power to summon tame foxes with the same odds by using the #monster extended command. Eating foxes is not considered cannibalism for a hero with lycanthropy from either werefoxes or werejackals.
Foxes can be warded by a Toustefna stave that is carved into a wooden weapon and placed on the hero's square, and that weapon will also warn of foxes and other canines while wielded.
Foxes can appear among the d that make up 1⁄10 of monsters randomly generated in the Windowless Tower branch.
The fox is the first quest monster for all Kensei other than elven Kensei, and makes up 96⁄175 of the monsters randomly generated on corresponding versions of the Kensei quest.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, hero and monster werejackals have a 1⁄42 chance of generating a tame or hostile fox per monster when calling for help. Eating foxes is considered cannibalism for a hero with lycanthropy from werejackals.
Foxes can appear among the random d that are part of the first quest monster class for Infidels and make up 24⁄175 of the monsters randomly generated on the Infidel quest.
SlashTHEM
In SlashTHEM, in addition to SLASH'EM details, foxes appear among the random d that are part of the first quest monster class for Ninjas and make up 24⁄175 of the monsters randomly generated on the Ninja quest.
A fox is randomly placed in the village level of the Town branch during level creation.
Hack'EM
In Hack'EM, foxes cannot be summoned by werejackals, but eating foxes is considered cannibalism for a hero with lycanthropy from werejackals.
Foxes can appear among the random d that are part of the second quest monster class for Yeomen and make up 6⁄175 of the monsters randomly generated on the Yeoman quest, as they do in SLASH'EM. Similarly, foxes can also appear among the random d that are part of the first quest monster class for Infidels and make up 24⁄175 of the monsters randomly generated on the Infidel quest, as in EvilHack.
A fox is randomly placed in the village area of the Town branch during level creation, as in SlashTHEM.
Encyclopedia entry
One hot summer's day a Fox was strolling through an orchard till he came to a bunch of Grapes just ripening on a vine which had been trained over a lofty branch. "Just the thing to quench my thirst," quoth he. Drawing back a few paces, he took a run and a jump, and just missed the bunch. Turning round again with a One, Two, Three, he jumped up, but with no greater success. Again and again he tried after the tempting morsel, but at last had to give it up, and walked away with his nose in the air, saying: "I am sure they are sour."
