Madwoman (player monster)

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A madwoman, @, is a type of monster that appears in dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack. The madwoman is a neutral human player monster corresponding to a Madwoman hero: she will have the role's appropriate rank title for their monster level, and can reach level 30 like heroes can. Though madwomen are practically identical to player monster madmen in every aspect besides gender, both monsters are utilized somewhat differently and are also given different kits, as detailed in the text below.

A madwoman has two weapon attacks, with the second attack using any offhand weapons they have available, and they also have a kick attack—madwomen that are level 20 or higher will also attempt to cast one psionic spell during each of their turns. Like Madwoman heroes and other 'madwoman' monsters, they are created with telepathy and gain automatic searching at a minimum of level 7. They boast basic prowess in martial combat and have a halved base attack bonus of +0.5 to-hit per monster level.

Generation

Madwomen are not generated randomly, and are normally created as peaceful towards neutral heroes before specific adjustments are made. They are only a valid form for doppelgangers to polymorph into, and can only be targeted for genocide if a Madwoman hero reads a scroll of genocide—such a hero reading a cursed scroll while confused will instead create several madwoman monsters adjacent to themselves.

Madwoman corpses can generate in graveyards, including ones within the Valley of the Dead. Madwoman statues can generate in cockatrice nests and on Medusa's Island. A Madwoman hero killed by HP damage from a cockatrice or chickatrice, or else killed by any form of stoning, will leave a named madwoman statue behind containing their inventory rather than a named ghost and named corpse if a bones file is created. Statues and figurines of madwomen cannot be wished for by any means.

Crystal skulls generated in the main dungeon or in the future (i.e. the Anachrononaut quest or Android quest) may contain a madwoman player monster within.

Live locations

Madwomen can appear among the default pool of random prisoners (i.e. before ruler-specific rules are applied) that are kept in throne rooms. They can also appear among the prisoners of the throne room on the Neutral Quest branch level, and may also appear among the prisoners of a throne room ruled by a deepest one, Aurumach Rilmani, vampire lady, or vampire lord—for deepest ones, madwomen have twice the chance of appearing compared to other prisoners in those groups.

Up to four hostile zombified madwomen can be generated on the locate level of the lawful human Kensei's quest branch, with each one having a 12 chance of being placed during level creation.

Madwomen may be generated occupying the bedrolls on the starting level and upper filler levels of the Madperson quest during level creation.

Three madwomen are generated in bedrolls within specific rooms on the Undead Hunter quest home level during level creation.

A fulvous madwoman is one of the "yellow nasties" that can be generated by the Stranger's harassment.

Hostile madwomen can appear among the various player monsters placed on the Astral Plane during level creation.

Names

Named madwomen that are placed outside of the Astral Plane are given various names derived from the works of the Cthulhu Mythos by H. P. Lovecraft and other authors.

  • The family names that can be chosen from are listed as follows: "Akeley", "Allen", "Angell", "Armitage", "Atwood", "Bowen", "Carter", "Curwen", "Derby", "Dyer", "Gilman", "Johansen", "Legrasse", "Marsh", "Mason", "Peaslee", "Prinn", "Waite", "Ward", "West", or "Whateley".
  • The feminine names that can be chosen from are listed as follows: "Zee-liah", "Keziah", "Abigail", "Asenath", "Lavinia", "Lilith", "Mary Emily", "Marie Anne", "Helena", or "Kassandra".

Inventory

A madwoman is generated with a straitjacket and a weapon that has a 34 chance of being a knife, a 16 chance of being an axe, and will otherwise be a bullwhip.

Madwomen generated as prisoners in the Castle will have the following "good" items among their belongings that are placed in the chest near the throne: a gentlewoman's dress, Victorian underwear, an alchemy smock, a pair of gloves, a pair of stilettos, and an unlatched pair of "trick weapons" that has a 14 chance of being a rakuyo-saber and a rakuyo-dagger and will otherwise be a blade of grace and a blade of pity.

Madwomen generated on the Astral Plane are subject to the same armor and weapon replacement odds as other player monsters.

Messages

Encyclopedia entry

"In that direction," the Cat said, waving its right paw round,
"lives a Hatter: and in that direction," waving the other paw,
"lives a March Hare. Visit either you like: they're both mad."

"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.

"Oh, you ca'n't help that," said the Cat: "we're all mad here.
I'm mad. You're mad."

"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.

"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here."

[ Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll ]