Leash
( 
| |
|---|---|
| Name | leash |
| Appearance | leash |
| Base price | 20 zm |
| Weight | 12 |
| Material | leather |
| Monster use | Will not be used by monsters. |
A leash is a type of tool that appears in NetHack. It is made of leather.
Contents
Generation
Tourists have a 1⁄25 chance of starting with a leash.[1]
Leashes make up 13⁄200 of all randomly-generated tools. General stores and hardware shops can stock leashes.
The following information pertains to an upcoming version (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 9e666b75, rope golems that are killed can leave behind 2-3 items that each have a 1⁄2 chance of being a leash as a special death drop.Description
Leashes are used by applying them and selecting the direction of an adjacent square that a pet monster occupies:[2] this will have the hero tie the leash around their hand and attach the leash to that pet, waking them up if they are asleep, or else removes the leash if it was already attached to that pet.[3][4] Attempting to apply a leash at a non-pet monster will print a message and use up that action.[2] Applying a leash at the hero's square will leash any steed they are currently riding, and otherwise the game prints YAFM and no effect or use of actions occurs.[5]
A hero can apply one leash per pet, and up to two such pets can be leashed at a time.[6] A pet cannot be leashed if it already has a leash attached, or else if it is a monster that is a long worm, unsolid or lacks any extremities to attach the leash to[7][8][9][10]—a leashed pet that polymorphs into an unleashable form will have its leash fall off. Attempting to leash a pet that is not currently visible to the hero will fail and mark their location, and if the pet is still at that location when applying the leash again, they will be successfully leashed.[11]
While leashed, a pet's movement and combat behaviors are changed significantly: the pet becomes more passive and will not move more than two squares away from the hero, and will also not attack monsters unless they are within that range. A leashed pet will whine or make other appropriate nervous sounds if possible when it is around a trap.[12][13] An applied leash remains connected to a pet even if there is a solid wall between the hero and their pet, as long as the direct distance between hero and pet is not enough that the leash will snap off. A pet's leash can come off under various conditions: this is usually the result of there being too much distance between the pet and the hero, though it can also occur if the hero is engulfed'[14] if a pet is about to die or become untame, or else is subjected to conflict, they will pull free of the leash themselves.[15]
A hero that teleports while their leashed pet is not adjacent causes that pet to jump to an adjacent square before teleportation happens, thus teleporting them along with the hero even if they are currently eating; if the hero is riding a pet while they have a leash attached to another pet, that leashed pet must be adjacent to the hero to teleport with them. Similarly, a leashed pet that is not adjacent to the hero will also jump adjacent to them when the hero changes levels—however, if this occurs while the leashed pet is eating, trapped or carrying the Amulet of Yendor, or else if the hero is ejected from the Quest branch and the leashed pet is not adjacent, the leash is harmlessly removed even if it is cursed.[16][17][18][19]
A hero that gets more than 3 squares away from a leashed pet while moving will pull on the leash to try and keep their pet close, which may pull it several squares unless it is stuck behind a door or around a corner[20]—the leashed pet will also vocalize their displeasure if possible, which can wake up other nearby monsters.[21][22][23][13] If the hero moves and ends up more than 5 squares away from a leashed pet, the leash will snap loose and remove itself from that pet.[24] A leashed pet that becomes unleashed by a trap which takes them to another dungeon level, such as a level teleporter, trap door or hole, will lose one point of tameness.
A cursed leash cannot be removed from a pet by applying it:[25] attempting to do so will fail and identify that leash as cursed. A hero that gets gets 3 squares or more away from a pet with a cursed leash applied and will choke and strangle them if they pull on it, and the leash will not snap loose—this deals d2 damage if they are not unbreathing and has a chance of reducing tameness by 1 to a minimum of 1, with a 1-in-tameness chance of the reduction not occurring.[26] A pet killed by a cursed leash this way is considered the hero's responsibility, which breaks pacifist conduct and carries all the usual penalties of killing a pet directly.[27][28]
A user has suggested improving this page or section as follows:
"A cursed leash will keep you from falling through holes if your pet cannot "leap" adjacent. What other effects does a cursed leash have on player movement?"
Strategy
Leashes can be useful for keeping your pets close to you, especially when using stairs or magic portals: while it can also be useful for curse-testing items and detecting traps, this is not always trustworthy—leashed pets will not reliably move reluctantly over cursed items, and is also more likely to stumble on that trap while trying to avoid it. Leashes are fairly decent at preventing a pet from wandering off to attack peaceful monsters as well if you are worried about its welfare, or else for that of the other monsters (e.g. a shopkeeper or temple priest).
The diagram below illustrates ranges where a leashed pet is capable of attacking monsters:
------- ------- ------- -------
|...... |...... |...... |kkkkk.
|.....| |.....| |.....| |kkkkk|
|..k..| |.....| |..f..| |kkfkk|
|.kfk.| |..kk.| |.kkk.| |k...k|
|.k@k.| |..@fk| |..@..| |kk@kk|
|.....| |..kk.| |.....| |kkkkk|
-.----- -.----- -.----- -.-----
The first three examples show where a monster could be attacked by your kitten. The fourth example shows where your kitten will not attack the kobold.
A leash can be used to encourage stealing from shops by dragging a pet out of the shop while they are still holding an item, and can make it easier to drag, whistle or displace your pet into a polymorph trap. Protection runners often use a leash to keep pets close while they dig down in order to bypass dark Gnomish Mines levels: If you have only one pet, you can dig two squares' length of corridor into rock, displace your pet into the end, and dig down—this will cause your pet to stay adjacent to you and fall down with you when you fall through the hole. A hero planning to keep a pet(s) through the ascension run may consider utilizing a leash for the Elemental Planes, since it is more reliable at ensuring that those pets will travel through the magic portal with you.
Pay attention to when your pet is eating and where it is while you are going through doorways or around corners, so that you do not pull on the leash and cause monsters to wake up from the pet's yowling. A hero that moves at a much faster speed than their leashed pet(s) will have to stop and wait more often in order to give them a chance to catch up, or make use of a magic whistle or blessed eucalyptus leaf to keep them close enough.
History
The leash first appears in NetHack 1.3d.
Messages
- You slip the leash around <your pet>.
- You applied a leash to a pet that did not have one.[3]
- The leash would just fall off.
- You tried to apply a leash to an unsolid monster.[8]
- <Your pet> has no extremities the leash would fit.
- You tried to apply a leash to a monster with no head and no limbs.[9]
- The leash won't fit onto <your pet>.
- You tried to apply a leash to a monster that cannot be leashed for other reasons, e.g. a long worm.[10]
- This <creature> is already leashed.
- You tried to attach a leash to a pet that has a different leash attached.[29]
- You fail to <un>leash something.
- You tried to attach or remove a leash, and selected the square of a monster you cannot see.[30]
- <The monster> <is not/cannot be> leashed!
- You tried to attach or remove a leash, and selected a non-tame monster's square.[2]
- Leash yourself? Very funny...
- You tried to attach or remove a leash and selected your square, and you are not riding.[31]
- You cannot leash any more pets.
- You attempted to leash a third pet while two were already leashed.
- This leash is not attached to that creature.
- You tried to remove a leash from a pet that does not have it attached to them.[32]
- The leash would not come off!
- You tried to remove a cursed leash from a pet it is attached to.[25]
- You remove the leash from <your pet>.
- You successfully removed a leash from the pet it was attached to.[4]
- Your leash goes slack.
- Your leashed pet died of starvation while you were not riding it.[33]
- The <leash> <snaps> loose.
- You were engulfed by a monster, and your leash(es) was removed from your pet(s).
- <pet> pulls free of his leash!
- A leashed pet is just about to die or become untame.
- Your leash falls slack.
- As above, but they are out of your sight.
- <Its/His/Her> leash suddenly comes loose.
- You moved to another level while a leashed pet was unable to follow. "Its" is replaced with "His" or "Her" if your pet is humanoid.
- <Your pet>'s leash goes slack.
- As above, but you were ejected from the quest.
- <Your pet> <whimper>s.
- Your leashed pet is near a trap.
- You pull on the leash.
- You pulled on a non-cursed leash.
- <Your pet>'s leash snaps loose!
- You got far enough away from a leashed pet to snap it loose.
- <Your pet> is choked by the leash!
- As above, but the leash is cursed and choked your pet.
- Your leash chokes <the pet> to death!
- A pet was killed from being choked by a cursed leash.
Variants
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, Archeologists have a 1⁄4 chance of starting with a leash.[34]
Pet stores can stock and sell leashes. Upgrading a leash will produce a saddle, and vice versa.
Minions given as sacrifice gifts cannot be leashed.
xNetHack
In xNetHack, rope golems may drop leashes upon death.
SpliceHack
In SpliceHack, Dragon Riders start each game with a leash.
SlashTHEM
In SlashTHEM, in addition to SLASH'EM detals, Zookeepers start each game with three leashes.
Encyclopedia entry
They had splendid heads, fine shoulders, strong legs, and
straight tails. The spots on their bodies were jet-black and
mostly the size of a two-shilling piece; they had smaller
spots on their heads, legs, and tails. Their noses and eye-
rims were black. Missis had a most winning expression.
Pongo, though a dog born to command, had a twinkle in his
eye. They walked side by side with great dignity, only
putting the Dearlys on the leash to lead them over crossings.
References
- Jump up ↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 773
- ↑ Jump up to: 2.0 2.1 2.2 src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 668
- ↑ Jump up to: 3.0 3.1 src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 684
- ↑ Jump up to: 4.0 4.1 src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 698
- Jump up ↑ src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 638
- Jump up ↑ src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 630
- Jump up ↑ src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 673
- ↑ Jump up to: 8.0 8.1 src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 676
- ↑ Jump up to: 9.0 9.1 src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 678
- ↑ Jump up to: 10.0 10.1 src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 681
- Jump up ↑ src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 661
- Jump up ↑ src/dogmove.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1063
- ↑ Jump up to: 13.0 13.1 src/sounds.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 419: whimper function
- Jump up ↑ src/mhitu.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1832
- Jump up ↑ src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 562: m_untame function
- Jump up ↑ src/dog.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 609
- Jump up ↑ src/dog.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 614
- Jump up ↑ src/dog.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 620
- Jump up ↑ src/dog.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 666
- Jump up ↑ src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 805
- Jump up ↑ src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 807: calls growl, yelp or whimper with equal probability
- Jump up ↑ src/sounds.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 353: growl function
- Jump up ↑ src/sounds.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 376: yelp function
- Jump up ↑ src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 802
- ↑ Jump up to: 25.0 25.1 src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 695
- Jump up ↑ src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 798
- Jump up ↑ src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 781
- Jump up ↑ src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 791
- Jump up ↑ src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 674
- Jump up ↑ src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 664
- Jump up ↑ src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 644
- Jump up ↑ src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 694
- Jump up ↑ src/dogmove.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 385
- Jump up ↑ u_init.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 1028
