Quickling (SLASH'EM)
n quickling 
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 5 (SpliceHack) 8 (other variants) |
| Attacks |
Weapon 1d2 physical, claw 0d0 item theft |
| Base level | 3 |
| Base experience | 59 |
| Speed | 30 |
| Base AC | 10 |
| Base MR | 20 |
| Alignment | −10 (chaotic) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 1 (Very rare) |
| Genocidable | Yes |
| Weight | 60 |
| Nutritional value | 30 |
| Size | Tiny |
| Resistances | None |
| Resistances conveyed | None |
|
A quickling:
In Hack'EM, a quickling also:
| |
| Reference | SLASH'EM_0.0.7E7F2/monst.c#line1122 |
- For the monster in dNetHack and its derivatives, see quickling (dNetHack).
A quickling, n, is a type of monster that appears in SLASH'EM, SlashTHEM and Hack'EM. The quickling, n, also appears in SpliceHack, where its monster difficulty is lowered from 8 to 5. The quickling is a chaotic and tiny nymph that can be seen via infravision and will seek out gold to pick up, and they share a glyph with the water nymph. In variants other than SpliceHack, tame quicklings can turn traitor.
Quicklings have a weapon attack that does physical damage and a claw attack that performs item theft, and in SLASH'EM and SlashTHEM they hit as +1 weapons.
A hero polymorphed into a quickling has their carrying capacity set to the maximum, and can use the monster extended command to remove a heavy iron ball that is chained to them.[1]
Generation
Randomly-generated quicklings are only created in Gehennom, and normally-created ones are always hostile.
Quicklings are generated asleep 4⁄5 of the time unless the hero has the Amulet of Yendor, in which case they will always be generated awake.[2]
Two quicklings are generated in the Lawful Quest, where they are placed in a specific area within the forest of Nightmare during level creation, and two more quicklings each have a 3⁄5 of being placed as well.
Quicklings have a 1⁄2 chance of being generated with a mirror, and an independent 1⁄2 chance of generating with a potion of object detection.[3]
Strategy
True to their name, quicklings are extremely fast with a movement speed of 30 (surpassed only by air elementals), and they can both close in on heroes very rapidly and flee just as swiftly after robbing them—however, quicklings only have a single item theft attack and cannot initiate seduction theft like other nymphs can, and they lack any real defenses or resistance properties. Quicklings are too small to wear any armor on torso slots, and while they can utilize weapons, their damage will be relatively low—this does not mean they should be underestimated, especially if they find or more likely steal a dangerous wand or a a weapon with strong base damage (such as an artifact).
In general, players should remain alert around quicklings even if they are only an annoyance at worst—use the far look command to double-check if that n is a quickling or a water nymph, and remember that the latter are not normally seen in Gehennom. Most heroes that encounter quicklings in Gehennom or the Lawful Quest will be more than prepared to handle them: stealth will generally prevent you from awakening quicklings prematurely, although pets will still attract their attention, and most ranged attacks including multishot projectiles can hammer through their low HP with enough accuracy. A quickling's MR score of 20 can make some magic approaches (e.g. spells and wands) less reliable compared to weapons.
A user has suggested improving this page or section as follows:
"Double check if quicklings can actually use weapons properly."
As a polymorph form
The quickling's base speed makes them an attractive polymorph form for a doppelganger hero in the early stages of the game, who can reliably transform into them at experience level 3: they are more easily accessed than air elementals and are not blind, but lack the air elemental's flight, higher speed and offensive potential. They have very low HP, and their size both makes most armor too cumbersome and prevents the use of doors, though as nymphs they also have maximum carrying capacity. Quickling polyforms are often used for quick travel through areas such as the Gnomish Mines, and can also be used to shrink out of any cursed armor you may be wearing; more daring players can use their attacks to steal especially nasty items from monsters.
History
The quickling first appears in SLASH 6, where it is part of the leprechaun monster class (l)—SLASH'EM moves the quickling to the nymph monster class.
Origin
The quickling is a type of small, humanoid fey creature that originates in Dungeons & Dragons, where they debut in the 1st Edition Monster Manual II. Quicklings are at most 2 feet tall, with pale blue or blue-white skin, hair that is often snow white, and elfin features that are sharper and more feral than those of usual elves. They often live in forests where the Unseelie hold sway, living near poisoned or cursed springs as well as areas where the presence of powerful chaotic beings linger. As their name indicates, quicklings possess blindingly high speed that make them indistinct blurs whose words cannot be properly heard or understood unless they actively speak more slowly. They are cruel, devious and capricious on top of being hyperactive, preferring not to slow down and constantly pacing and shifting in place whenever they are forced to be "stationary."
Over the game's various editions, quicklings are generally inclined towards evil (if not specifically chaotic evil): they spend most of their vexing slower beings, and generally delight in causing mischief and suffering, especially when the blame falls on others and causes further discord. The quickling's size and speed are said to be the result of their being transformed from a taller race that was lazy and egotistical, causing them to be late constantly when answering summons from the Queen of Air and Darkness. Quicklings typically fight with daggers and short swords, and some are also natural casters that utilize spells such as "forget", "levitate" and "ventriloquism"—they often rely upon their speed to ambush and outwit foes, focusing their attacks on weaker targets while evading tougher ones. Quicklings are known to serve as spies, assassins and saboteurs for fomorian rulers.
