Priest (player monster)

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A priest or priestess, @, is a type of monster that appears in NetHack. The priest and priestesses are neutral player monsters corresponding to each gender of a Priest hero, and will have the role's appropriate rank title for their monster level.

Priests and priestesses have a single weapon attack.

The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that the information below is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate it.

Per commit 0c3b9642, the player monster is referred to as a "cleric", with "priest" and "priestess" being gendered titles.

Generation

Priests and priestesses are not generated randomly, and are normally created as peaceful towards neutral heroes before specific adjustments are made. They are only valid forms for doppelgangers to normally polymorph into, and can only be targeted for genocide if a Priest or Priestess hero reads a scroll of genocide.[1]

An acolyte can grow up into a priest or priestess.[2]

Priest and priestess corpses can generate in graveyards, but are excluded from the additional corpses randomly placed in the Valley of the Dead.[3][4][5] Priest and priestess statues can generate in cockatrice nests and on Medusa's Island.[3][6][7] A Priest or Priestess hero killed by HP damage from a cockatrice or chickatrice, or else killed by any form of stoning, will leave a named player monster statue of the appropriate gender behind instead of a named ghost and named corpse if a bones file is created.

Inventory

A priest or priestess is always generated with 1-3 random offensive items, 1-3 random defensive items, and 1-3 random miscellaneous items, and is eligible for the normal chance of an item of each type.[8][9][10] If generated on the Astral Plane, they are also given a cheap plastic imitation of the Amulet of Yendor, 0-999 gold pieces, 0-9 random items, a 115 chance of a luckstone, a 130 chance of a loadstone if they are not given a luckstone, and some valuable gems.[11][12][13][14][15][16]

Priests and priestesses always generate with a weapon, which can be a mace (12 chance), a long sword (14 chance) or a randomly chosen melee weapon (14 chance):[18][19] the enchantment ranges from a random value between +4 and +8 if the monster is generated on the Astral Plane, and otherwise ranges from a random value between +0 and +3;[20] if generated on the Astral Plane, the weapon has a 12 chance of being made into any applicable artifact;[21] and finally, there is a 13 chance of the weapon(s) being erosion-proofed, and a 12 chance (effectively 13 total) of the weapon(s) being greased if they are not erosion-proofed.[22][23]

Priests and priestesses generated on the Astral Plane will have the following armor:

Armor generated this way has a 13 chance of being erosion-proofed, a separate 13 chance of being blessed, and a separate 13 chance of being cursed.[44] The armor's enchantment has a 35 chance of ranging from +0 to +4, a 310 chance of ranging +4 to +7, and will otherwise range from -1 to -3.[45]

Strategy

Like other player monsters on the Astral Plane, priests and priestesses have a chance of generating with a long sword that is turned into Vorpal Blade if it has not yet generated, which can result in an unexpected and unceremonious end to your run.

History

The priest and priestess player monsters are introduced in NetHack 3.0.0.

Messages

Variants

SLASH'EM

In SLASH'EM, The Guild of Disgruntled Adventurers generates a hostile priest and priestess in the main room at level creation.

References

  1. Jump up src/mon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 3493: select_newcham_form function governs random polymorph for shapechangers
  2. Jump up src/mondata.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1012
  3. Jump up to: 3.0 3.1 src/mkobj.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1667: mk_tt_object function
  4. Jump up src/mkroom.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 366
  5. Jump up dat/gehennom.des in NetHack 3.6.7, line 75: the comment implies Moloch has a special fate in store for servants of the other gods
  6. Jump up src/mkroom.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 385
  7. Jump up src/sp_lev.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1985: The code is very cryptic but fortunately has comments
  8. Jump up src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 309
  9. Jump up src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 312
  10. Jump up src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 315
  11. Jump up src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 149: per a comment above this line: "that's why they are "stuck" in the endgame :-)"
  12. Jump up src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 282: special boolean is true for Astral Plane generation
  13. Jump up src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 283
  14. Jump up src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 299: 13 chance of 0-15 gems or 0-2 gems otherwise
  15. Jump up src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 304
  16. Jump up src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 305
  17. Jump up src/objects.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 138-L292
  18. Jump up src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 155: Default weapons are chosen from range of spear to bullwhip, using standard random generation probabilities[17]
  19. Jump up src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 165
  20. Jump up src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 265
  21. Jump up src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 270
  22. Jump up src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 266
  23. Jump up src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 268
  24. Jump up src/objects.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 378-L389
  25. Jump up src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 156: DSM is chosen from all available colors with equal probability of each[24]
  26. Jump up src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 285
  27. Jump up src/objects.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 407-L422
  28. Jump up src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 215: chosen from range of plate mail to chain mail, using standard random generation probabilities[27]
  29. Jump up src/objects.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 454-L474
  30. Jump up src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 157: chosen from range of oilskin cloak to cloak of displacement, using standard random generation probabilities[29]
  31. Jump up src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 217
  32. Jump up src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 286
  33. Jump up src/objects.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 339-L363
  34. Jump up src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 159: chosen from range of elven leather helm to helm of telepathy, using the standard random generation probabilities[33]
  35. Jump up src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 219
  36. Jump up src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 287
  37. Jump up src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 161: chosen from range of elven shield to shield of reflection, using the standard random generation probabilities
  38. Jump up src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 221
  39. Jump up src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 288
  40. Jump up src/objects.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 497-L504
  41. Jump up src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 289: chosen from range of leather gloves to gauntlets of dexterity, using the standard random generation probabilities[40]
  42. Jump up src/objects.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 507-L528
  43. Jump up src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 294: chosen from range of low boots to levitation boots, using the standard random generation probabilities[42]
  44. Jump up src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 105
  45. Jump up src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 115: enchantment is independent of beatitude; as the comment above in the code clarifies, cursed positively enchanted armor can occur from run ins with other monsters