Monadic Deva (dNetHack)
| 9 Monadic Deva (No tile) | |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 15 |
| Attacks |
Weapon 2d8 physical, Weapon 2d8 physical, Single-target (active) gaze attack 4d8 random element |
| Base level | 10 |
| Base experience | 369 |
| Speed | 14 |
| Base AC | -4 |
| Base MR | 30 |
| Alignment | 0 (neutral) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 1 (Very rare) |
| Genocidable | No |
| Weight | 1450 |
| Nutritional value | 400 |
| Size | medium |
| Resistances | fire, cold, sleep, disintegration, shock, poison, acid, petrification, level drain, disease
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A Monadic Deva:
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A Monadic Deva, 9, is a type of monster that appears in dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack. The Monadic Deva is a type of deva, a humanoid neutral angel, that is ranked above the Movanic Deva. Monadic Devas are strong, capable of flight, can see invisible, can be seen via infravision, and can follow a hero to other levels if they are adjacent.
A Monadic Deva has two weapon attacks and a single-target active gaze attack that randomly deals fire, cold or shock damage with an equal probability of each. Monadic Devas possess almost every form of intrinsic resistance, including immunity to sickness and drain resistance, but not magic resistance.
Generation
Randomly-generated Monadic Devas can generate in small groups, and may be created peaceful towards neutral heroes with a non-negative alignment record.
Monadic Devas can be generated as minions of Ishtar, Apollon, Pan, and Garl Glittergold, and are included among the standard neutral angels and minions that can serve as minions of Raijin, The Lady, and Lobon.
Monadic Devas can appear among the prisoners of a throne room ruled by any of the following: an orc of the ages of stars, a titan, an Aurumach Rilmani, an ogre king, the Avatar of Lolth, or the Necromancer.
Monadic Devas can be generated among the plague victims that are imprisoned by the Cyclops and carried in sacks by hill giants in the Healer quest, as well as those that lay on bedrolls in the Drow Healer quest.
Monadic Devas may appear among the crazed angels whose statues are placed within the iron bars throughout the lair of Dispater at level creation, if his dwelling is generated as the first Hell level.
Two Monadic Devas are randomly generated within the lair of Lamashtu at level creation if her dwelling appears as the third Abyss level.
Monadic Devas are always generated with a two-handed sword whose enchantment is chosen from the higher of two values: the weapon's initially-generated enchantment, and a random enchantment rolled from +0 to +3. This weapon has a 1⁄20 chance of being given the flaming object property, and will always have the flaming property if it is generated in the following circumstances:
- The Monadic Deva is a prisoner in a throne room ruled by an orc of the ages of stars, a titan, or the Avatar of Lolth.
- The Monadic Deva is generated on the Elemental Planes or Astral Planes, and the hero's insight is more than the output of rn2(7), meaning that it is guaranteed at 7 insight or more.
If the weapon is not given the flaming property, it has a 1⁄4 chance of being given the red-hot property.
Monadic Devas do not leave a corpse upon death.
Origin
Devas are derived from Dungeons & Dragons, where they debut in the AD&D Monster Manual II for the 1st Edition and were previewed in issue #63 of Dragon Magazine. These devas are named for the heavenly deities or deity-like figures of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, which were later adopted as nature spirits in New Age belief: though they share some traits of all three types, they also draw on common portrayals of angels from Western tradition and Abrahamic religions. The word deva (masculine, feminine form devi) is from Sanskrit, and is translated as "deity", "god", "exalted one", or "shining one".
The devas of Dungeons & Dragons, are human-like beings of extraordinary beauty with two magnificent feathered wings emerging from their backs. From their debut up to the 3rd edition, there are three orders of deva, with the monadic deva being the "middle" of the three orders that serve as stewards of the gods and oversee the Elemental Planes and the Ethereal Plane; the devas of the 5th edition are not tied to any particular order. Unlike the lithe movanic devas, monadic devas are built for strength and appear muscular or even bulky in build, with dark brown skin, jet black hair and green piercing eyes; they do share a similar height, standing at around 72 to 78 inches (1.8-1.98 meters) tall, with particularly mighty ones growing to much larger size. All devas are averse to clothing and don simple loincloths or other coverings in humanoid form. Monadic devas possess all the powers, protections and traits common to devas and other angels, along with many more of their own.
Monadic devas are the most patient and stoic of devas, with a firm appreciation for balance, and make up the majority of neutral good devas; however, they also love battle the most of the devas, seeing it as a much-needed and much-enjoyed diversion from their watches, and are strong-willed and fearless like the rest of their kin. Similarly, while they sometimes dealt with neutral beings, no deva would knowingly deal with evil beings in a peaceful manner. Favoring their great strength much more than agility or speed, monadic devas cannot be surprised in battle and are hard to flank—they prefer to charm elemental opponents before rushing in to overpower any remaining foes with powerful swings of their weapons. The monadic deva's weapon is one of a long and sturdy +2 metal rod, a +3 rod of smiting or a +3 mace of smiting: it can strike or pierce a foe up to 10 feet (3 meters) away, and deals greater impact damage to foes that are armored in or made of solid materials such as stone or metal; it also functions only for its owner, and never runs out of power.
Encyclopedia entry
Devas are the descendants of plane-touched aasimon. They have
feathery wings that may be vestigial or functional.
Movanic devas are the most frequently seen by mortals. Their
milky skin and slender build distinguishes them from the
dark and muscular monadic devas. The latter are rarely encountered
except in the inner planes. It is said they are able to breathe
elements other than air.
[ adapted from Aasimar, by David Roberts and Brynn ]
