Master of Thieves
@ Master of Thieves 
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 24 |
| Attacks |
Weapon 2d6 physical, weapon 2d6 physical, claw 2d4 quest-artifact-stealing |
| Base level | 20 |
| Base experience | 588 |
| Speed | 12 |
| Base AC | 0 |
| Base MR | 30 |
| Alignment | −20 (chaotic) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | Unique |
| Genocidable | No |
| Weight | 1450 |
| Nutritional value | 400 |
| Size | Medium |
| Resistances | stoning |
| Resistances conveyed | None |
|
The Master of Thieves:
To a Rogue player, the Master of Thieves also:
To a Tourist player, the Master of Thieves also:
| |
| Reference | monst.c#line3141 |
The Master of Thieves, @, is the Rogue quest leader. He is a strong, omnivorous human that can be seen via infravision, and will pick up gold, gems, magical items and other objects he comes across.
Additionally, the Master of Thieves, @, is the Tourist quest nemesis. In this role, he guards the Bell of Opening and the Platinum Yendorian Express Card, the Tourist quest artifact.
The Master of Thieves has two weapon attacks and a 'claw' attack that can steal quest artifacts, and possesses stoning resistance due to pulling double duty as quest nemesis and quest leader.
The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 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 20cbadcf, killing quest leaders no longer makes the game unwinnable, and the Master of Thieves and other quest leaders are given stat buffs and additional equipment to compensate, also buffing the Master of Thieves as the Tourist nemesis. The Master of Thieves has his speed increased to 15, his MR score becomes 90, and the first weapon attack becomes 4d10.Contents
Generation
For Rogues, the Master of Thieves is always generated peaceful at the center-most room of the Rogue quest home level, with a chest placed on his square.
For Tourists, the Master of Thieves is always generated as hostile and awaits meditating in the northwestern-most room of the Tourist quest goal level, with the Bell of Opening in his inventory and the Platinum Yendorian Express Card on his square.
The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 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.
As part of commit 20cbadcf, The Master of Thieves always generates with a +5 leather armor, a +4 silver dagger, and 2-8 non-cursed +2 daggers when generated as the Rogue quest leader.Strategy
As the Tourist quest nemesis, the Master of Thieves is little trouble at all for a player who is strong enough to fight through the crowds of soldiers that defend his lair. The most important note is that he will pick up the Platinum Yendorian Express Card as soon as he is awakened from his meditation, granting him magic resistance - otherwise, he possesses no resistances outside of the standard stoning resistance that all nemeses have.
The Master of Thieves is relatively unimpressive in melee and lacks special abilities outside of being able to steal quest artifacts from you, including the Platinum Yendorian Express Card if you manage to obtain it without killing him. If you have any darts (e.g. your starting stack of +2 darts) or other poison-compatible projectiles on hand, dip them into a potion of sickness: a flurry of poisoned projectiles fired with sufficient skill level will bring him down quickly and possibly even instakill him.
Of note is that as both the Rogue quest leader and Tourist quest nemesis, he can steal the Master Key of Thievery or any other quest artifact from a Rogue, though this will not occur in a normal game. The only way to even set up such a scenario would be to kill him in one hit (e.g. with a wand of death), preventing him from immediately expelling you from the quest branch - if he then leaves a corpse, you can move it to a different area and revive it.
History
The Master of Thieves is introduced with most other quest leaders and nemeses in NetHack 3.1.0.
Origin
The Master of Thieves may be based on the head of the Thieves' Guild that appears in Swords Against Death, a Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser short story collection by American writer Fritz Leiber that was first published in 1970. The Thieves' Guild of Lankhmar appears throughout several of the duo's stories, including some in the collection: they were former members of the Thieves' Guild at one point, and their wives were killed by Guild members. In one story within Swords Against Death, the Master of Thieves' Guild recruits the Gray Mouser and Fafhrd to repossess treasures that were stolen from him, but dies before the duo return, and the pair avenge themselves against the Thieves' Guild in a later story.
The Thieves' Guild is also present in Sir Terry Pratchett's Discworld, which also pays direct homage to Fritz Leiber's stories and characters at various points - this is most likely the reason that the Master of Thieves appears in both the Rogue and Tourist quests.
Variants
Some variants make the Master of Thieves and other quest leaders stronger to accommodate changes to the Quest and its entry mechanics, and these changes may be incorporated into upcoming versions of NetHack or else be borrowed from them. Said changes may also be applied to him as a quest nemesis.
SporkHack
In SporkHack, the Master of Thieves has his speed increased to 15, his MR score becomes 90, and the first weapon attack becomes 4d10. He also gains flight, sleep resistance, poison resistance, and stoning resistance.
dNetHack
In dNetHack, the Master of Thieves has stealth and automatic searching similar to player Rogues, and has an effective AC of 6, with all 4 points in the dodge category.
The Master of Thieves always generates with a blessed +4 stiletto, 10 blessed +4 daggers, blessed +5 gauntlets of dexterity, blessed +5 leather armor, and a blessed +5 pair of high boots.
xNetHack
In xNetHack, the stats of the Master of Thieves are improved as in SporkHack, minus the flight and resistances.
SpliceHack
In SpliceHack, the stats of the Master of Thieves are improved as in xNetHack.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, the stats and resistances of the Master of Thieves are improved as in SporkHack, minus the flight.
As the Rogue quest leader, the Master of Thieves always generates with +5 light armor and a +5 dagger. If the Master Key of Thievery is successfully wished for by a character that is not a Rogue or a Tourist, there is a x⁄x+1 chance (where x is the amount of previous artifact wishes) of a hostile Master of Thieves generating adjacent to the character with the artifact in his possession. Tourists that successfully wish for the artifact and generate its owner will instead face a hostile rogue player monster with the artifact, as the Master of Thieves is their quest nemesis and cannot be generated this way.
All of the above information also applies to Hack'EM.
Encyclopedia entry
There was a flutter of wings at the window. Ymor shifted his bulk out of the chair and crossed the room, coming back with a large raven. After he'd unfastened the message capsule from its leg it flew up to join its fellows lurking among the rafters. Withel regarded it without love. Ymor's ravens were notoriously loyal to their master, to the extent that Withel's one attempt to promote himself to the rank of greatest thief in Ankh-Morpork had cost their master's right hand man his left eye. But not his life, however. Ymor never grudged a man his ambitions.
[ The Colour of Magic, by Terry Pratchett ]
