Nighthorn (dNetHack)
| ) Nighthorn (No tile) | |
|---|---|
| Base item | unicorn horn |
| Damage vs. small | 1d12 +1d24 fire |
| Damage vs. large | 1d12 +1d24 fire |
| To-hit bonus | +1d12 |
| Bonus versus | non-fire resistant |
| Weapon skill | unicorn horn |
| Size | one-handed |
| Affiliation | |
| When carried |
|
| When wielded |
|
| When invoked | |
| Base price | 5000 zm |
| Weight | 20 |
| Material | bone |
Nighthorn is an artifact that appears in dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack. It is chaotic-aligned, and its base item is the unicorn horn of Nightmare.
Generation
Nighthorn is only generated upon killing the Nightmare in a way that would normally leave a corpse (i.e. any method minus disintegration or digesting) - Nighthorn will always be generated cursed and at an enchantment from +0 to -3. Since Nightmare is always generated in the Chaos Temple Quest, Nighthorn cannot be wished for and will always revert to its base item if left in bones.
Description
Nighthorn is intelligent and will always subject the hero to an artifact blast - it will also evade their grasp if they are lawful. Nighthorn acts as a luckstone while carried, and grants fire resistance while wielded. As a weapon it has +1d12 to-hit, and deals +1d24 fire damage against monsters without fire resistance, also creating a 3x3 fiery explosion centered on the target.
If a chaotic hero stands on a square where Nighthorn is on the floor, non-chaotic monsters will flee from them, similar to standing a scroll of scare monster. Invoking Nighthorn toggles levitation on or off.
Strategy
As dNetHack unicorn horns are one-handed weapons, Nighthorn is a viable and possibly valuable artifact: the fire resistance it provides will protect your hero and their inventory from fire damage, though it does poorly against major demons and fire-resistant monsters; you will also want to avoid catching peaceful and tame monsters in the blast. Since the Nightmare is treated as a unicorn, it may generate as peaceful for chaotic heroes: in such a case, a hero that desires Nighthorn may have to risk a −5 penalty to luck and alignment record if they cannot get a pet to do the dirty work for them.
