Research (dNetHack)

In the context of dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, research refers to the measure of progress along one of the three reasearch paths, mainly associated with Undead Hunters, who need it to ascend with a full score. There are three research paths a character may follow: renimation, parasitology and defilement—which in turn is divided into preservation, vampiric, and rot defilement—corresponding to three starting alignments, and each is tied to a glyph that is necessary to access it. There are no restrictions on who may perform research aside from the thought and the necessary insight for it to become active, though Undead Hunters of the corresponding alignment start each game with said thought, while other roles will need to wish for it (and for a dissection kit). However, each strain of research has differing prerequisites for which material is suitable for research and will require a specific tool to gain access to the unique upgrades afforded by them.

Description

All research requires dissecting corpses of specific monsters, which cannot be older than 50 turns or have been partially eaten. Research can either be performed at a workbench of the correct alignment or by applying a dissection kit over a corpse, with both methods advancing research at the same rate. For Undead Hunters, attempting to perform research at a workbench of a different philosophy as your starting one will attempt to repurpose it, converting it to your philosophy, with higher chances of success the higher your current experience level. To research the corpse, it can either be offered or researched with the #research (research) extended command (which results in the same effects as offering would whenever applicable). Altars cannot substitute for a workbench for the purposes of researching or recharging a dissection kit. A workbench may be left behind on a bones level but cannot be created through any other means in a non-Undead Hunter game.

All research requires touching the corpse, which will be fatal if performed without worn gloves and if the corpse is of a monster that has stoning properties. For characters that aren't chaotic or unaligned and that aren't in the form of a major demon, dissecting corpses of their own race or of pets that died tame reduces sanity on a failed sanity save by 1–10 and abuses wisdom. For Undead Hunters, researching the Amulet of Yendor at the high altar of the same alignment as their philosophy-god after having made a "breakthrough" in their philosophy is required to ascend.

Each philosophy has a research counter, incremented every time a suitable corpse is researched, with upgrades becoming available at specific thresholds signaled by a message indicating a new experiment can be conducted. Claiming an upgrade increases the amount of research required for the next, generally compounding according to the following formula: 16(x)² + 4(x)2 where x is the sum of all claimed upgrades of that research path +1. Exactly how much a given corpse contributes to a philosophy's research is determined by its difficulty and varies by philosophy.

Claiming upgrades damages attributes by 1 each—the specific attributes affected depending on the philosophy—and cannot be cured through magical means such as restore ability and good health. Sources of attribute gain, such as potions of gain ability, philosopher's and priestess's jelly, and exercise, nonetheless still increase attributes. However, every 3rd upgrade of the same philosophy that has been claimed also permanently reduces racial attribute maximums by 1 each: a human character, which has normal intelligence and wisdom attribute maximums of 18, can only achieve 17 after a 3rd upgrade of the same philosophy has been claimed, 16 after the 6th, and so forth. These reductions can still be superseded through magical means, such as helms of brilliance, The Shard from Morgoth's Crown, and having read the Words of Creation or Word of Knowledge.

However, the 3rd and 6th parasitology and defilement (all 3 defilement specializations count) upgrades also reduce the attribute's absolute maximum by 1 each. For example, after their third parasitology upgrade, a human character will only be able to achieve 17 intelligence and wisdom through non-magical means and at most 24, even with magical means. After their 6th, their racial maximum is further reduced to 16, and their absolute maximum to 23. These reductions stack for an effective maximum attribute cap of 21 if both of the philosophies' 6th upgrades have been claimed. The spirit Huginn and Munnin supersedes these reductions for the duration of the binding.

All philosophies require that a character have at least 6 of their relevant attributes (which will be reduced by 1) to obtain an upgrade and cannot be claimed otherwise. Claiming an upgrade is never lethal but may leave a character vulnerable to brainlessness.

Reanimation

The philosophy of reanimation concerns the study of eyes and the means of reanimating the recently deceased with electric currents. As such, for a corpse to be considered suitable for reanimation research, it must have eyes, cannot be from a monster that is considered mindless, and, unlike with both other research paths, corpses must be at most 4 turns old. Dissecting a type of monster for the first time increases a character's reanimation research counter by that monster's difficulty. After the first, subsequent dissections of the same type of monster increase reanimation research by a value between 1 and the monster's difficulty -1 (range from 1 to x-1 where x is the monster's difficulty).

Its special tool is the portable electrode, which can be applied at a workbench to the college or while carrying a dissection kit to obtain reanimation upgrades. At least 10 insight are required to claim their first upgrade, with subsequent upgrades requiring another 10 per claimed upgrade. It can also be applied to perform reanimation research if it is used to reanimate corpses of monsters: reanimating a type of monster that also hasn't been dissected before for the first time increases a character's reanimation research counter by that monster's difficulty and a random value ranging from 1 to the monster's difficulty (x + 1 to x). After the first, subsequent reanimations of the same type of monster increase reanimation research by a value between 1 and the monster's difficulty (1 to x). Reanimation upgrades damage intelligence and wisdom and permanently reduce racial attribute maximums for every 3rd upgrade claimed.

Parasitology

The philosophy of parasitology concerns the study of brains from intelligent creatures and their brain parasites. As such, for a corpse to be considered suitable for parasitology research, it must be of a monster that isn't considered mindless or of an animal. Dissecting a monster increases a character's parasitology research counter by a value between 1 and the monster's difficulty -1 (1 to x -1), with a ¹⁄₁₀ of finding 1–2 parasites in their brain, further increasing parasitology research by a value between 0 and the monster's difficulty -1 (0 to x -1).While holding parasites in open inventory, its special tool, the trephination kit, can be applied at a workbench to the choir or while carrying a dissection kit to implant parasites in your brain as parasitology upgrades. Reanimation upgrades damage intelligence and wisdom and permanently reduce racial attribute maximums for every 3rd upgrade claimed.

Defilement

The philosophy of defilement concerns the study of blood. Unlike both other research paths, defilement is split into three distinct strands:

• Preservation defilement, which studies the effects of draining blood from your body,
• Vampiric defilement, which improves a Vampire's natural control over blood,
• Rot defilement, which studies the mutating effects of chrysalises and decay, and is unlocked after sufficient preservation upgrades have been claimed.

Rot upgrades are available to preservation researchers who have claimed their 3rd upgrade and do not involve research or the use of tools of any kind. Advancement along rot research is exclusively linked to the chrysalises left behind after a corpse decays. Vampiric defilement, however, is only available to characters whose starting race is a Vampire, and is otherwise completely unavailable. Dissecting a monster increases a character's defilement research counter by a value between 1 and that monster's difficulty (1 to x).

Its special tool is the phlebotomy kit, which can be applied at a workbench to defilement or while carrying a dissection kit to obtain preservation and vampiric upgrades. Preservation and vampiric defilement upgrades damage intelligence and wisdom, while rot defilement damages intelligence and constitution. Racial attribute maximums are reduced by 1 for every 3rd upgrade claimed.

Messages

The corpse of a mindless creature is unsuitable for your research.

You are a student of reanimation or parasitology and tried to dissect the corpse of a mindless monster.

This corpse has decayed past the point of usefulness.

You attempted to research a corpse older than 50 turns.

You need a workbench.
Your fellows disguse them as holy altars, to obscure the true nature of the Work.

You attempted to perform research while not standing over a workbench.

You attempt to adapt the workbench's hidden tools to better suit your own line of research.
You succeed in repurposing the workbench.

You attempted to research at a workbench of a philosophy you are not a student of, converting it in the process.

This is an actual holy altar and thus unsuitable for your use.

You attempted to perform research or apply a dissection kit at a real altar.

Reanimation

You dissect the subject's brain and optical pathways.

You dissect the subject's brain and optical pathways. The effects of necrosis have already largely spoiled the sample.

You are a student of reanimation and gained no research from dissecting the corpse of a monster that died more than 4 turns ago.

The corpse of an eyeless creature is unsuitable for your research.

You have devised a new experiment into the great animating thoughts.

Parasitology

You discover <a> parasites in the subject's brain.

You dissect the subject's brain, looking for parasites.

You dissect the subject's rudimentary brain, fruitlessly searching for parasites.

You are a student of parasitology and gained no research from dissecting the corpse of a mindless monster.

You have devised a new experiment into the parasite choir.

Defilement

You drain and fractionate the corpse's blood, studying its impurities.

The corpse of a bloodless creature is unsuitable for your research.

You have devised a new experiment into the nature of defilement.