Defilement

For the "god" named defilement, see defilement (god).

In dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, defilement is a research path available to characters that have the defilement thought slotted and at least 27 insight necessary to activate the thought. Chaotic Undead Hunters start each game with the thought already slotted. It is also referred to as the philosophy of defilement. There are three distinct types of defilement research: preservation, vampiric and rot defilement.

Description

When the hero researches corpses of monsters that are less than 50 turns old and that aren't bloodless, either at a workbench or with a dissection kit, their research counter increases. After sufficient research has been performed, they are allowed to claim an upgrade from either the preservation upgrade tree or, if they qualify for it, from the vampiric upgrade tree by applying a phlebotomy kit with a dissection kit in open inventory or at a workbench to defilement. Rot upgrades are solely dependent on the hero obtaining chrysalises and do not require research directly. For non-Undead Hunters, following the defilement research path requires wishing for the thought and dissection kit, since workbenches only generate for Undead Hunters.

When claiming a preservation or vampiric upgrade, the hero's intelligence and wisdom attributes are reduced by 1, while rot upgrades drain constitution and intelligence instead. This reduction is treated similarly to abuse, isn't prevented by a source of sustain ability, and cannot be reversed with sources of restore ability. Additionally, for every third upgrade claimed, be it from the same defilement research tree or even from other philosophies, the hero's intelligence and wisdom stats have their racial maximum reduced by 1.

Normally, a character's absolute maximum for any one of their attribute scores is 25. However, for every third preservation or parasitology research upgrade claimed, the hero's intelligence and wisdom maximums are reduced by 1. As a result of fully advancing along the preservation research path, their limits are reduced by a total of 2 points, resulting in maximum intelligence and wisdom scores of 23, compared to the normal 25. This cutoff effect is only noticeable for races which could already naturally reach maximum intelligence or wisdom, or when using a sufficiently highly enchanted helm of brilliance. The spirit Huginn and Muninn supersedes this limitation while it is bound.

Upgrades from any path count toward making a "great breakthrough" and meeting the conditions for a full-scoring ascension. Undead Hunters that wish to ascend under Defilement must have claimed at least 6 total upgrades from any of the three defilement research paths to achieve a full-scoring ascension and may do so regardless of their starting alignment. Other roles can obtain defilement upgrades, but cannot ascend under an Undead Hunter ascension.

Preservation

A total of 6 preservation upgrades can be claimed with sufficient defilement research. The preservation research path is also linear, with upgrades being claimed in the following order:

• Reduce hunger: Halve the rate at which nutrition is lost. Also halves the amount of nutrition lost from casting and maintaining spells.
• Prevent abuse: Attributes cannot be reduced permanently by effects, such as by the weaken monster spell or abuse.
• Gain DR: Grants 3 base DR to all slots, and allows chrysalises to start generating.
• Cold resistance: Grants permanent intrinsic cold resistance.
• Sleep resistance: Grants permanent intrinsic sleep resistance.
• Gain DR: Grants another 3 base DR to all slots, and increases the chances of chrysalises generating.
• Dead truce: All undead monsters will start to be generated peaceful.

Normally, a character's absolute maximum for any one of their attribute scores is 25. However, for every third preservation upgrade claimed, the hero's intelligence and wisdom stats have their maximum reduced by 1. This effect is cumulative with reductions from parasitology research. As a result of fully advancing along the preservation research path, their limits are reduced by a total of 2 points, resulting in maximum intelligence and wisdom scores of 23, compared to the normal 25.

Vampiric

A total of 7 vampire defilement upgrades can be claimed with sufficient research. The vampiric research path is non-linear, and upgrades can be claimed in any order:

• Better control your spawn: Dominated pets cannot be made untame and only count as ¹⁄₂ towards the pet amount limit. Pets classified as traitors do not turn traitor below half maximum hp.
• Improve your spawns' attacks: Increases the AC by 1–5, follow distance, rate at which they grow up, and grants a +5 bonus to both to-hit and damage for pet vampires.
• Manipulate the blood of your victims: Hemargyos weapons and vampiric bite attacks have a ¹⁄₁₀ chance of dealing the greater of +400 damage and 30% of the target's maximum hp.
• Improve your blood-bullets: Applying a nightmare's bullet mold now produces blood-spears instead of blood-bullets.
• Hypnotic gaze: Grants a paralysis gaze attack of a duration of 1–4 turns. Can only be used through the "ability" extended command.
• Partake of the blood of Shub-Nugganoth: Requires the hero to have made contact with the Black Mother and to have claimed the "her drooling Hunger" major boon for the first time. With this upgrade, an Undead Hunter can reapply the drooling boon any number of times without lifetime credit restrictions. Interchangeable with the rot defilement "rot of Shub-Nugganoth" upgrade, but if one or the other has already been obtained, the other will be unavailable.

Obtaining a vampiric defilement upgrade produces no message.

Rot

A total of 9 rot upgrades can be claimed with sufficient chrysalises. The rot research path is non-linear, and upgrades can be claimed in any order:

• Vomit rot: On ¹⁄₁₀ of melee attacks, or at will, make vomit attack with a range of 2 squares. On hit, afflict the target with caterpillars.
• Rot wings: Grants intrinsic flying
  • Send forth a phantom duplicate: Only available after the rot wings upgrade has been claimed. Creates a butterfly swarm copy of yourself, equipped with your wielded weapons. Costs 45 power and 45 nutrition
• Become followed by the kindred of rot: Rot monsters will start to generate. All mindless monsters and animals generate as swollen, silvergrubs generate from rotting corpses of intelligent monsters, and all eggs hatch as man-flies. All rot monsters are hostile to all other monsters, except for other rot kin.
  • Become uninteresting to beings of rot: Only available after the rot kin upgrade has been claimed. Monsters that are rot kin will be generated peaceful
• Feast on injury and destruction: Heal by 1.6% of max HP after every melee hit.
• Seek sapivorous immortality: Grants intrinsic life saving and adds a passive centipede-head disease bite attack to the hero's attack routine. When the life saving is triggered, the hero will temporarily polymorph into a centipede.
• Rot stinger: Adds a passive scorpion stinger attack and a scorpion stinger disease attack to the hero's melee attack routine. Both attacks will be made poisoned and disease-inflicting.
• Rot spores: Adds a retaliatory 1d1 disease-inflicting attack.
• Rot of Shub-Nugganoth: Requires the hero to have made contact with the Black Mother and to have claimed the "her drooling Hunger" major boon for the first time. With this upgrade, an Undead Hunter can reapply the drooling boon any number of times without lifetime credit restrictions. Interchangeable with the vampire "blood of Shub-Nugganoth" upgrade, but if one or the other has already been obtained, the other will be unavailable.

Messages

Preservation

Your metabolism slows.

You gained the reduce hunger upgrade.

Your body becomes resistant to decay.

You gained the prevent abuse upgrade.

Your skin becomes tough.

You gained the first DR increase upgrade, making chrysalises start generating.

You no longer feel cold.

You gained the cold resistance upgrade, obtaining permanent intrinsic cold resistance.

You no longer feel sleepy.

You gained the sleep resistance upgrade, obtaining permanent intrinsic sleep resistance.

Your skin becomes tougher.

You gained the second DR increase upgrade, increasing the odds of chrysalises generating.

You become uninteresting to the undead.

You gained the undead truce upgrade, making undead start generating as peaceful towards you.

Rot

You feel a little nauseated.

Wings of rot grow from your back!

You gained the rot wings upgrade.

Your wings rot!

You gained the rot wings upgrade as a half-dragon.

Strange butterflies hatch from your wings and dance overhead.

You gained the phantom duplicate upgrade.

You become uninteresting to the beings of rot.

You gained the rot truce upgrade, making rot monsters start generating as peaceful towards you.

You are followed by the kin of rot.

You gained the kindred of rot upgrade, allowing rot monsters to start being generated.

You("feast on injury and destruction.

You gained the injury and destruction upgrade.

A monstrous centipede bores out of your body.

You gained the life saving upgrade, achieving saprovorous immortality.

A monstrous scorpion stinger tears loose from your flesh.

You gained the rot stinger upgrade.

Puffball mushrooms errupt from your skin.

You gained the rot spores upgrade.

Strange spores take root in your flesh.

You gained the rot of Shub-Nugganoth upgrade.