Punisher
| ` Punisher (No tile) | |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | ? |
| Attacks |
Spellcasting 0d0 punisher |
| Base level | 24 |
| Base experience | ? |
| Speed | 25 |
| Base AC | -15 |
| Base MR | 95 |
| Alignment | 15 (lawful) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 1 (Very rare) |
| Genocidable | No |
| Weight | 1500 |
| Nutritional value | 500 |
| Size | Large |
| Resistances | poison, fire, cold, shock, sleep, disintegration, petrification |
| Resistances conveyed | None |
|
A Punisher:
| |
The Punisher is a type of monster that appears in UnNetHack. Punishers are the only members of the "statue" monster class, `, which uses the same glyph as ordinary statues and boulders.
Punishers are stationary, but can cast powerful monster spell from a unique spell set that contains a selection of mage and clerical spells, with weighting to avoid repeated casting of summon nasties[1] Punishers can also cast a unique melee-range spell that attaches an iron ball to the player as with a scroll of punishment. [2][3] A Punisher possesses all forms of elemental resistance, except for acid resistance.
Generation
Punishers only appear in Sheol: upon level creation for each non-fixed floor in the branch, there is a 1⁄2 chance of a Punisher being created. A Punisher can also be created by reading a cursed or uncursed scroll of punishment while confused.
A Punisher will always generate as hostile, and is not a valid form for polymorph.
Strategy
Despite being stationary, a Punisher possesses a speed of 25, allowing it to cast spells quickly and often. Though a Punisher cannot regenerate HP, they possess a stellar AC of -15 and a staggering MR score of 95, rendering them near-immune to a majority of spells and effects. Punishers also cannot be killed with most instadeath attacks, and are overall troublesome to kill in straight-up combat - all but the most adventurous and daring of players are better off avoiding Punishers where possible.
You can blind yourself if you have telepathy and scan the level for a Punisher, then dig or melt the ice to craft an ideal path around its position. A source of levitation or flying is advisable in the event a fire-breathing dragon or a monster with a wand of fire is summoned, which could lead to an unceremonious death if ice is melted from under you.
Encyclopedia entry
Former wizards of the dark pits, the Punishers are immortal
statues of great magical abilities. Their most feared
ability is to conjure up a big, ugly and rusty iron ball
that is chained around adventurers; adding to the heaviness
of their duties.
