Knight/dNetHack

In dNetHack, the Knight is one of the roles from NetHack that is available to the hero.

Knights are always lawful, and can be humans, clockwork automatons or half-dragons.

Dwarf Knights are treated as radically different from their counterparts, with their own article in the provided link.

Starting equipment

Each Knight starts with the following equipment:

• a +1 long sword (wielded)
• a +1 lance (alternate weapon)
• +1 chain mail
• a +0 helmet
• a +0 kite shield
• a +0 pair of gloves
• a +0 pair of high boots
• 10-20 uncursed apples
• 10-20 uncursed carrots

Half-dragon Knights receive 6-14 total tripe rations instead of apples and carrots.

Knights start with knowledge of all non-magical weapons and armor, in addition to any applicable racial equipment.

The Knight's default starting pet is a saddled pony - half-dragon Knights start with a saddled riding pseudodragon.

Intrinsics

Knights gain the following intrinsic properties upon reaching the given experience levels:

• Level 7: Speed

Attributes

The Knight's starting attributes are distributed as follows:

Attributes	Strength	Dexterity	Constitution	Intelligence	Wisdom	Charisma	Remaining
Minimum attributes	13	8	10	7	14	17	6
Distribution percentages	30%	10%	20%	15%	15%	10%
Mean w/ standard deviation	14.95±1.24	8.66±0.89	11.27±1.10	7.97±1.01	14.96±0.97	17.43±0.53

Skills

Knights have the following skills available to them before racial adjustments:

Knight skills
Max	Skills
Basic	Weapons: dagger, knife, pick-axe, scimitar, club, flail, hammer, trident, bow Combat: two weapon combat
Skilled	Weapons: axe, short sword, broadsword, two-handed sword, saber, mace, morning star, spear, crossbow Spells: attack, healing, clerical Combat: beast mastery
Expert	Weapons: long sword, polearms, lance, shields Combat: riding, bare-handed combat, knightly styles

Knights start with Basic skill in longsword, lance, and riding before racial adjustments. They use the wisdom stat to cast spells, and their special spell is turn undead.

Special rules

Knights have an inherent ability to jump like the knight piece in chess - this ability is restricted to destinations two squares horizontally and one square vertically away, or vice versa. Jumping from other sources (i.e. jumping boots or the jumping spell) function as normal.

Knights do not reduce the tameness of a steed when mounting it.

Knights have access to specialized styles of combat, such as more active shield usage to inflict damage, two-handed thrusting strikes with long swords, and even the ability to imbue weapons with elemental damage.

Knightly conduct

Knights follow a code of conduct, which is enforced more stringently than in NetHack: whenever they perform certain actions that break this code of conduct, they both take a penalty to current alignment record and a permanent penalty to maximum alignment record - the latter penalties are known as "sins". Violations of personal conduct are also the domain of the Hod Sephirah, and each such violation makes it possible for them to appear via random monster generation.

The following actions are considered a violation of the Knight code of conduct:

• Attacking a sleeping, paralyzed or fleeing monster in melee, even if the monster continues to attack while fleeing - this does not apply to monsters that flee after stealing items from the hero. Monsters putting on armor or items (e.g., "the soldier puts on a crested helmet") are considered paralyzed for this purpose. Projectiles, wands and spells do not incur a penalty.

You caitiff!

• Attacking with a poisoned weapon is considered dishonorable as in NetHack, but this is penalized specifically for lawful Knights (and Valkyries) rather than all lawful characters.
• Eating while satiated.

You feel like a glutton!

• Digging down in a shop, if the shopkeeper is alive.

You feel like a common thief.

Rank titles

The status line displays one of the following ranks for the corresponding experience levels:

• XL 1–2: Gallant
• XL 3–5: Esquire
• XL 6–9: Bachelor
• XL 10–13: Sergeant
• XL 14–17: Knight
• XL 18–21: Banneret
• XL 22–25: Chevalier/Chevaliere
• XL 26–29: Seignieur/Dame
• XL 30: Paladin

Gods

The Knight pantheon is based on the mythology of Celtic peoples.

• Lawful: Lugh
• Neutral: Brigit
• Chaotic: Manannan Mac Lir

Quest

The Knight's quest sees them fighting Nimune for The Magic Mirror of Merlin, an artifact mirror - Ixoth, the quest nemesis in NetHack, is encountered as part of the forces attacking the castle on the quest's home level.

As in NetHack, The Magic Mirror of Merlin grants magic resistance and telepathy while carried, and a Knight carrying it also deals doubled damage to their enemies with offensive magic (i.e. some wands and most spells). Applying or wielding the Mirror causes it to speak a random rumor that is true if the Mirror is blessed, false if it is cursed and either if it is uncursed.

Strategy

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