Philosophies

For the comestible found in the Law Quest, see Philosopher's Jelly.

In the context of dNetHack, notdNetHack, and notnotdNetHack, philosophy refers to both the three types of research Undead Hunters can perform and the Undead Hunter "pantheon", which is the set of three "deities" they follow, each associated with a type of research. An Undead Hunter's philosophy is very distinct from a god, and cannot be interacted with directly in any manner. An Undead Hunter isn't considered to be a believer in their philosophy so much as a researcher thereof, and will inevitably follow an atheist conduct for most, if not all, of the game's course.

What philosophy and philosophy-deity an Undead Hunter is devoted to is determined by their starting alignment: lawful Undead Hunters are students of the philosophy of the college, and research the renimation of corpses and the strange electric currents; neutral Undead Hunters are students of the philosophy of the choir, and research the brains of sapient creatures and cultivate brain parasites. Chaotic characters are students of the philosophy of defilement, which is subdivided into three strands of research: the study of the conservation of one's own body and practice exsanguination, the refinement of vampiric blood mastery arts, and the study of the cycle of rot and renewal. An Undead Hunter who has deeply advanced the research of their philosophy can then achieve a great breakthrough, measured by whether or not they have claimed at least 6 upgrades from their research tree. This is a requirement for full-scoring ascensions, and attempting to ascend at your philosophy's high altar without a great breakthrough results in instant death, not in celestial disgrace.

Philosophy-deities

The Undead Hunter pantheon is based on Bloodborne's major factions:

• the college, followed by students of reanimation
• the choir, followed by students of parasitology
• defilement (god), followed by students of defilement

Origins

The philosophies of Undead Hunters, who are themselves inspired by Bloodborne's Hunters, are a reinterpretation of the splinter group of the healing church, the main scientific and religious organization in the world of Bloodborne. While none of the philosophies seen in dNetHack have an exact counterpart in Bloodborne, many draw inspirations from well-known groups: the college is inspired by the school of mensis, who created the Nightmare of Mensis and sought to transcend the hunt by communing with the Great Ones through their dreams and also integrate many aspects from archibald's research, a secondary figure not directly encountered in the game. The choir, another of the upper eschelons of the healing church, are a group with an aspiration to reach the cosmos, seeking communion with celestial Great Ones. Defilement is a philosophy with strong ties to two groups: the pthumerians, a civilization said to have built the endless chalice dungeons that hunters may enter to scavange for treasure, and the vilebloods, a group that split off from byrgenwerth's teachings. Both groups are closely tied to the power of blood and the corruption thereof, vilebloods in particular being renowned for their blood magic, and serve Queen Annalise, who is foretold to bear a child of blood.