Parrot (Hack'EM)
c parrot 
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 4 |
| Attacks | |
| Base level | 2 |
| Base experience | ? |
| Speed | 20 |
| Base AC | 6 |
| Base MR | 0 |
| Alignment | 0 (neutral) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 2 (Quite rare) |
| Genocidable | Yes |
| Weight | 40 |
| Nutritional value | 20 |
| Size | Small |
| Resistances | none |
| Resistances conveyed | none |
|
A parrot:
| |
- This article is about the monster in Hack'EM. For the monster in other variants, see parrot.
A parrot, c, is a type of monster that appears in Hack'EM. The parrot is a small herbivorous animal that is part of the cockatrice monster class as with its appearance in SLASH'EM, with the traits of its appearance in the Pirate role patches and SpliceHack: it is capable of flight, can be seen via infravision, and has a tendency to wander while moving. Pirates are capable of taming parrots domestically using thrown vegan food such as apples.
A parrot has a bite attack and a claw attack.
As in SLASH'EM, chatting to a parrot causes it to give one of eight responses, a trait shared with the cockatoo.
Generation
Randomly generated parrots are always created hostile.
Pirates have a 1⁄2 chance of starting the game with a tame parrot as their default pet.
Four parrots are randomly placed on the upper filler levels of the Pirate quest at level creation.
Strategy
As in SLASH'EM and SlashTHEM, parrots are not especially strong, but their high movement speed of 20 can make hostile ones annoyances for early heroes. A pet parrot is typically of little use to a Pirate beyond the early stages, especially as it cannot grow up and heroes do not have a means to domestically tame more—they are usually more of a novelty than anything, but a Pirate hero that manages to keep a starting parrot long enough or tames a parrot later on can try to polymorph it into something stronger. Be very attentive and try not to confuse a parrot with the similarly-colored glyph of a basilisk (c)!
Origin
Parrots (Psittaciformes), also known as "psittacines", are birds with a strong curved beak, an upright stance and clawed feet—. They are classified in four families that contain roughly 410 species in 101 genera, found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions: Psittaculidae (Old World parrots), Psittacidae (African and New World parrots), Cacatuidae (cockatoos), and Strigopidae (New Zealand parrots). Parrots have a generally pantropical distribution, with several species inhabiting temperate regions as well; the greatest diversity of parrots is in South America and Australasia.
Parrots are among the most intelligent birds alongside others such as ravens, crows, jays, and magpies, and the ability of some parrot species to learn and imitate human speech enhances their popularity as pets. They form the most variably-sized bird order in terms of length, and many are vividly coloured with some also being multi-colored. Most parrots' diets are composed primarily of seeds, nuts, fruit, buds, and other plant material; lories and lorikeets are specialised for feeding on floral nectar and soft fruits, while more than a few species of parrots sometimes eat grubs, insects, carrion, or even other birds. Almost all parrots nest in tree hollows (or nest boxes in captivity), and lay white eggs that hatch into helpless young. Parrots are the only creatures to display true tripedalism, walking with a rolling gait and using their necks and beaks as limbs when climbing.
Due to trapping, hunting, habitat loss, and competition from invasive species, one-third of all parrot species are threatened by extinction, with a higher aggregate extinction risk than any other comparable bird group. As of 2021, about 50 million parrots (half of all parrots) live in captivity, with the vast majority of these living as pets in people's homes—measures taken to conserve the habitats of some high-profile charismatic species have also protected many of the less charismatic species living in the same ecosystems.
Fictional depictions of pirates in media frequently depict captains and other higher-ranking pirates with pet parrots that often loudly repeat things they've overhead, or else talk of their own accord. One likely basis for this trope is the 1883 novel Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, which features "Captain Flint" as the talking parrot companion of Long John Silver: she is named for a notorious deceased pirate captain, and her habitual refrain is "Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight!"
Messages
- <The parrot> squaarks louldly!
- <The parrot> says 'Polly want a lembas wafer!'
- <The parrot> says 'Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!'
- <The parrot> says 'Who's a good boy, then?'
- <The parrot> says 'Show us yer knickers!'
- <The parrot> says 'You'll never make it!'
- <The parrot> whistles suggestively!
- <The parrot> says 'What sort of a sword do you call that!'
- You chatted to a parrot—the first message listed is reproduced as printed.
Encyclopedia entry
Hack'EM shares its encyclopedia entry with SpliceHack:
Polly desires a compressed edible concoction of wheat!
