Mephistopheles (dNetHack)
& Mephistopheles 
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 50 |
| Attacks |
Weapon 9d1 physical, Butt 9d1 stunning, Cast 8d8 fire, explode 88d1 elemental fire |
| Base level | 90 |
| Base experience | 10018 |
| Speed | 14 |
| Base AC | -16 |
| Base MR | 100 |
| Alignment | 20 (lawful) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 0 (Not randomly generated) |
| Genocidable | No |
| Weight | 3000 |
| Nutritional value | 500 |
| Size | large |
| Resistances | fire, cold, poison, petrification
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Mephistopheles:
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- For the monster as he appears in EvilHack and Hack'EM, see Mephistopheles (EvilHack).
Mephistopheles, &, is a unique monster that appears in dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack. Mephistopheles is a strong humanoid devil lord that is capable of flight, can be seen via infravision, can see invisible, will pick up items that he happens across, and can follow the hero to other levels if he is adjacent. Like all devil lords, Mephistopheles will ask the hero for a bribe when they first encounter him. He cannot be tamed, and will turn traitor if somehow tamed.
Mephistopheles is covetous and capable of warping, and desires the Amulet of Yendor, the invocation items, and the quest artifact of the hero's role.
Mephistopheles has a 9-base damage weapon attack, a 9-base damage headbutt attack that can stun targets, and the ability to cast a powerful fireball monster spell - on death, he will explode in a blast of elemental fire that deals massive damage.
Mephistopheles is poisonous to consume, which primarily comes up if he is digested by another monster or subjected to Ahazu.
Generation
Mephistopheles is not a valid form for polymorph.
Mephistopheles is one of the four devil lords whose lair can appear as the Lower Hell level, where he is generated on the top of the two thrones with Baalphegor occupying the other.
Mephistopheles is always generated with a helm of brilliance, a robe, a ruffled shirt, a gentleman's suit, a pair of high boots, a pair of gloves, and the cursed and erosion-proof +8 Cold Soul: Cold Soul is a lawful intelligent artifact whose base item is a large ranseur that can cause cold, fiery and shocking explosions on hit that are centered on the struck target, and each explosion has a 1⁄4 chance of occurring.
Mephistopheles does not leave a corpse upon death.
Strategy
Mephistopheles and Baalphegor form a fire-and-ice tag team of powerful adversaries that can quickly kill hero characters who lack one or both resistances for those elements.
Origin
Mephistopheles, also known as Mephisto, is a demon featured in German folklore that originally appears in the legend of Faust, a character based on the historical Johann Georg Faust (c. 1480–1540): the legendary Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroads and exchange his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures, with Mephistopheles acting in the capacity of the devil's agent. Later renditions of the story frequently feature Mephistopheles as a title character, and he has since become a stock character appearing in other works of arts and popular culture.
One such appearance is the Dungeons & Dragons franchise, where he makes his debut in the 1983 Monster Manual II for the 1st Advanced edition. Known as the Lord of Hellfire, the Cold Lord and the Archdevil of Contradictions among other monikers, Mephistopheles is the lord of the eighth layer of the Nine Hells and the second-most powerful archdevil; the most powerful was none other than his superior Asmodeus, to whom Mephistopheles was the most dangerous enemy and most capable ally, fitting his contradictory nature. Mephistopheles intentionally appears as the classic archetype of a diabolical devil, with a height of 9 feet and a striking appearance. His handsome visage, sleek black hair and charming yet unnerving smile of self-superiority are deliberately contrasted by his fiendish traits: sharp claws, bright crimson-red skin, dead-white eyes, large bat-like wings, impressively-curling ram horns, and a dramatic, flowing cape as dark as the deepest void.
Also like the classic diabolical devil, Mephistopheles possesses a cool and pleasant exterior, a razor-sharp instinct, a cunning and prodigious brilliance, and an unmatched understanding of Hell's political atmospheres dangers - but beneath this facade is a fiery, vicious being with an outrageous temper, whose quick wit burns away when met with the underlying hate and frustrations that ultimately drive him. Despite this and his open desires for Asmodeus's position, the Prince of Evil still trusts Mephisto's counsel: this may be because he spends as much time conspiring against other archdevils below Asmodeus (such as his greatest rival, Baalzebul) as he does against his master, or perhaps it is because of Mephisto's unrivaled mastery of hellfire. Mephistopheles is potentially the only individual archdevil that Asmodeus may fear, even if Mephisto cannot yet properly oppose him, and his knowledge of ancient secrets and duty as guard of Asmodeus's realm likely makes the archdevil a deadly and great enough asset to tolerate.
Encyclopedia entry
This diabolical fiend has crimson skin, massive red leathery
wings, curling horns, white eyes, and long, straight black
hair. Swathed in a flowing black cape, he is the vision of
evil.
[ Tyrants of the Nine Hells,
by Robin Laws and Robert Schwalb ]
