Olog-hai
T Olog-hai 
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 16 |
| Attacks |
Weapon 3d6, claw 2d8, bite 2d6 |
| Base level | 13 |
| Base experience | 325 |
| Speed | 12 |
| Base AC | −4 |
| Base MR | 0 |
| Alignment | −7 (chaotic) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 1 (Very rare) |
| Genocidable | Yes |
| Weight | 1500 |
| Nutritional value | 400 |
| Size | Large |
| Resistances | None |
| Resistances conveyed | None |
|
Olog-hai:
| |
| Reference | monst.c, line 1826 |
An Olog-hai, T, is a type of monster that appears in NetHack. It is the strongest type of troll in the game, with attacks as strong as those of the rock troll, and can often revive from its corpse when killed like all trolls.
An Olog-hai has a weapon attack, a claw attack and a bite attack.
Contents
Generation
Randomly generated Olog-hai are always generated hostile. Hostile Olog-hai can be generated by the summon nasties monster spell.
Olog-hai may appear among the hostile T that generate in throne rooms, as well the monsters randomly generated by looting a throne while confused and carrying gold (provided there is no chest on the level).[1]
Olog-hai can generate among the random T that are part of the second quest monster class for Barbarians, and make up 6⁄175 of the monsters that randomly generate on the Barbarian quest.
Olog-hai have a 1⁄2 chance of being generated with a ranseur, partisan, glaive, or spetum, with an equal probability of each polearm.[2]
Strategy
Olog-hai hit just as hard as rock trolls, but have much better AC and move just as fast. However, they lack elemental resistances like their weaker brethren and have no MR score to speak of: magi such as sleep or slowing can work well against them. The same strategies for disposing of troll corpses apply to Olog-hai as well - the more reliable methods such as stoning, feeding them to a carnivorous pet, or locking them in a chest or large box may be preferable, as fighting an Olog-hai repeatedly can wear down all but the most physically adept characters.
History
The Olog-hai first appears in NetHack 3.0.0.
Origin
The Olog-hai are a type of troll that originate from the works of J.R.R. Tolkien set in Middle-earth.
A troll is a being that appears in Norse mythology and later Scandinavian folklore. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rock, mountains, or caves, living together in small family units, and were rarely helpful to human beings - the Old Norse nouns troll and trǫll are variously used to mean "fiend", "demon", "werewolf", and "jötunn". The trolls of NetHack are derived from Dungeons & Dragons, whose portrayal of them is partly inspired by Poul Anderson novel Three Hearts and Three Lions.
Dungeons & Dragons trolls are typically nine feet tall on average, with rubbery green or gray hide, gaunt and deceptively-thin builds, and long arms that drag across the ground and dangle when running. A troll's hunched posture and uneven gait masks great physical strength and agility: they are fearless fighters that attack relentlessly with their claws and teeth, rarely using weapons, and have the ability to rapidly heal wounds and even animate disembodied parts of themselves, as well as a weakness to fire. Trolls hunt most other living creatures for prey and have no natural predators, though they respect groups that are known to wield fire - both fire and acid were the only ways of counteracting a troll's regenerative abilities.
In Tolkien's Middle-earth setting, the Olog-hai (a Black Speech term that means "troll folk") were bred by Sauron and Melkor for higher intelligence (by troll standards) and the ability to withstand sunlight, unlike most other trolls in the setting. Sometimes known as "black trolls" (not to be confused with black troll of Dungeons & Dragons), Olog-hai served the Witch-King while he ruled in Angmar. They were also among the armies of Sauron's trolls that fought during the War of the Ring, with most of the trolls being killed after the destruction of Sauron's ring and the collapse of Mordor. Some Olog-hai were described as giant and orc-like, surpassing even the Uruk-hai in size and power, and covered in horny scales; they carried hammers and bucklers in their claws.
Variants
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, Olog-hai hit as a +2 weapon, and tame Olog-hai may turn traitor. They also cannot generate in Gehennom.
dNetHack
In dNetHack, Olog-hai may appear in the court of a throne room ruled by an orc of the ages of stars.
Encyclopedia entry
But at the end of the Third Age a troll-race not before seen
appeared in southern Mirkwood and in the mountain borders of
Mordor. Olog-hai they were called in the Black Speech. That
Sauron bred them none doubted, though from what stock was not
known. Some held that they were not Trolls but giant Orcs;
but the Olog-hai were in fashion of body and mind quite unlike
even the largest of Orc-kind, whom they far surpassed in size
and power. Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will
of their master: a fell race, strong, agile, fierce and
cunning, but harder than stone. Unlike the older race of the
Twilight they could endure the Sun.... They spoke little,
and the only tongue they knew was the Black Speech of Barad-dur.
