Randomized appearance/dNetHack
In dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, the unidentified appearances of potions, rings, amulets, wands, most spellbooks, most scrolls, and some types of armor are randomly shuffled at the start of each game, as in vanilla NetHack: each item has a "default" starting appearance prior to them being shuffled, all of which can be seen in objects.c within the source code, and some item types have more randomized appearances than randomized items.
This page lists the possible randomized appearances of each item that the hero can discover in dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, as well as any special abilities and other gameplay effects tied to those item appearances. All of these variants are based on NetHack 3.4.3, with some additional object appearances included from SLASH'EM. Compared to NetHack 3.4.3, dNetHack and its "sub-variants" place somewhat more emphasis on utilizing items with particular randomized appearances, and the object materials system can have further significant impact on such strategies.
A user has suggested improving this page or section as follows:
"Consider strategy section, and double check for any additions from (n)ndnh."
Scrolls
dNetHack retains the list of scroll appearances from NetHack 3.4.3, and adds six scroll types with associated randomized appearances.
Scrolls of mail and blank paper are the only random scrolls to always have fixed appearances ("stamped scroll" and "unlabeled scroll", respectively)—the Gold Scrolls of Law always appear as "golden scrolls" and are the only scroll type to be made of a material other than paper (naturally being golden). All other scrolls that appear randomly may have one of the following labels that are shuffled into use at the start of a game, with new additions given an asterisk (*):
ZELGO MER JUYED AWK YACC NR 9 XIXAXA XOXAXA XUXAXA PRATYAVAYAH DAIYEN FOOELS LEP GEX VEN ZEA PRIRUTSENIE ELBIB YLOH VERR YED HORRE VENZAR BORGAVVE THARR YUM YUM KERNOD WEL ELAM EBOW DUAM XNAHT ANDOVA BEGARIN KIRJE VE FORBRYDERNE HACKEM MUCHE VELOX NEB TLASFO SENIL* RW NW PRT M HRW* KARSUS* DESREVER TSEPMET* HLY HLS* SKADOOSH* FOOBIE BLETCH TEMOV GARVEN DEH READ ME
For the meanings and origins of some of these names, see the appropriate section in the article on scroll origins.
Potions
dNetHack retains the list of potion appearances from NetHack 3.4.3 and adds several potion types that have fixed appearances, including some that overlap with the former retained set of appearances:
- potion of amnesia ("sparkling potion")
- potion of goat's milk ("black potion")
- potion of primordial waters ("clear potion")
- potion of space mead ("golden potion")
- potion of starlight ("dimly-shining potion")
- potion of midas ("aureate potion")
- potion of monster blood ("blood-red potion")
All other potions may have one of the following appearances, which are shuffled into use at the start of a game:
ruby pink orange yellow emerald dark green cyan sky blue brilliant blue magenta purple-red puce milky swirly bubbly smoky cloudy effervescent black golden brown fizzy dark white murky
The smoky potion and milky potion are potion appearances that have special effects regardless of their actual identity: a hero or monster that quaffs a smoky potion may release a djinni, which may grant a wish if they appear for the hero, while quaffing a milky potion may release a ghost that frightens the would-be drinker into immobility for three turns (which ignores free action) unless they are blind. The odds of a monster generating in each case depend on the amount of djinn or ghosts that have already been created in the current game, and generating a monster this way replaces the normal effects of the potion.
Spellbooks
dNetHack retains the list of spellbook appearances from NetHack 3.4.3, including the fixed appearances of the spellbook of blank paper, the novel and the unique item known as the Book of the Dead ("plain spellbook", "paperback spellbook" and "papryus spellbook", respectively). One of the new spellbooks added, the spellbook of secrets, is given the fixed appearance of a "ragged leather spellbook".
The covers of all other regular spellbooks will appear as one of the following, with new additions given an asterisk (*):
parchment vellum ragged dog eared mottled stained storm-hued* snakeskin* acid green* cloth flame-red* snow-white* leather white ocean blue* pink red orange yellow velvet light green dark green copper cyan light blue dark blue indigo fuchsia* magenta purple violet tan plaid spiralbound* light brown dark brown gray wrinkled dusty bronze turquoise silver gold glittering shining dull ebony* thin thick
The source code also contains appearances for the deferred spellbooks of of flame sphere and freeze sphere, which are "canvas" and "hardcover" respectively.
Rings
dNetHack retains the list of ring appearances from NetHack 3.4.3, changing the associated material for some of those appearances. It also adds two fixed ring appearances with set materials:
- ring of wishes ("black ring", firmament)
- ring of nothing ("boring ring", iron)
Other rings will randomly take one of the following appearances, with new additions given an asterisk (*):
pearl iron twisted steel wire engagement shiny bronze brass copper silver gold wooden granite opal clay coral black onyx moonstone tiger eye jade agate topaz sapphire ruby diamond ivory emerald black signet*
Each ring's randomized appearance determines their material as well as their additional effects in a given game, and also has an associated Mohs scale value, which determines the type of engraving that the ring can be used to make on the floor—see the appropriate section in the ring article for more information on each ring's hardness. The appearance of rings determines what monsters can eat them and thus what polymorph forms the hero can use to do the same, and also influences golem creation when polypiling.
The materials of each ring appearance are listed in the table below, with the effects of those materials and any changes from NetHack 3.4.3 noted where appropriate:
| = | Appearance | Ring Type | Material | Edible (metallivore) | Edible (Gelatinous cube) | Hardness (mohs) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
= |
agate | Gemstone | 7 | ||||
= |
black onyx | Gemstone | 7 | Was made of mineral in 3.4.3 | |||
| black | Ring of wishes | Firmament | 4 | ||||
= |
black signet | Mithril | Yes | 5 | |||
| boring | Ring of nothing | Iron | Yes | 0 | Does not randomly generate. Sears iron haters | ||
= |
brass | Copper | Yes | 4 | |||
= |
bronze | Copper | Yes | 6 | |||
= |
clay | Mineral | 4 | Turns into a meat ring with the flesh to stone spell | |||
= |
copper | Copper | Yes | 3 | |||
= |
coral | Mineral | 4 | Turns into a meat ring with the flesh to stone spell | |||
= |
diamond | Gemstone | 10 (Hard) | ||||
= |
emerald | Gemstone | 8 (Hard) | ||||
= |
engagement | Gold | Yes | Protects from seduction attacks. Was made of iron in 3.4.3 | |||
= |
gold | Gold | Yes | 3 | |||
= |
granite | Mineral | 7 | Turns into a meat ring with the flesh to stone spell | |||
= |
iron | Iron | Yes | 5 | Sears iron haters | ||
= |
ivory | Bone | Yes | 4 | |||
= |
jade | Gemstone | 6 | Sears silver haters | |||
= |
moonstone | Mineral | 6 | Turns into a meat ring with the flesh to stone spell | |||
= |
opal | Gemstone | 7 | Was made of mineral in 3.4.3 | |||
= |
pearl | Mineral | 4 | Turns into a meat ring with the flesh to stone spell. Was made of iron in 3.4.3 | |||
= |
ruby | Gemstone | 9 (Hard) | ||||
= |
sapphire | Gemstone | 9 (Hard) | ||||
= |
shiny | Metal | Yes | 5 | Was made of iron in 3.4.3 | ||
= |
silver | Silver | Yes | 3 | Sears silver haters | ||
= |
steel | Iron | Yes | 8 (Hard) | Sears iron haters | ||
= |
tiger eye | Gemstone | 6 | ||||
= |
topaz | Gemstone | 8 (Hard) | ||||
= |
twisted | Iron | Yes | 6 | Sears iron haters | ||
= |
wire | Iron | Yes | 5 | Sears iron haters | ||
= |
wooden | Wood | Yes | 2 |
An elven hero will always know the appearance of a ring of nothing (or "boring ring"), and are the only type of hero that can wish for or reshape the artifacts Fire Brand and Frost Brand into the shape of this ring—the process of reshaping involves dipping the artifact of choice into a forge or fountain (respectively), and it does not affect the material of the reshaped artifact (which will always remain obsidian or glass, respectively).
A black signet ring will never be the randomized appearance for a ring of levitation, aggravate monster, hunger, polymorph, or polymorph control.
Remember that a ring of slow digestion cannot be eaten by any monster or hero, even if it has a randomized appearance that is normally edible for them.
A user has suggested improving this page or section as follows:
"Check thoroughly for what other ring mechanics differ from 3.4.3."
Artifact rings
Certain artifact rings that can be found or wished for are each tied to one or two specific randomized appearances:
- Ring of Thror (granite or gold)
- Narya (ruby or gold)
- Nenya (diamond or silver)
- Vilya (sapphire or brass)
- Lomya (black signet)
- The Shard from Morgoth's Crown (iron or twisted)
The default appearance is listed first in each set of parenthesis, and if that default appearance is randomized to a ring of polymorph in that game, then the backup appearance is used—this means that only one of either Narya or the Ring of Thror will be a gold ring in a given game. Lomya is always a black signet ring and the exception to this rule, but black signet rings already have similar rules in place to avoid randomizing them into an undesirable ring (including a ring of polymorph) due to its affiliation with the drow. The Shard from Morgoth's Crown can be invoked to transform it into a ring of nothing, which can be useful if the ring that its appearance randomizes to is a less-desirable type.
Amulets
dNetHack adds six new amulet types with matching appearances. The Amulet of Yendor and its cheap plastic imitation both appear as "the Amulet of Yendor" when unidentified, as they do in NetHack—the real Amulet is made of mithril, while the fake Amulet is naturally made of plastic. All other amulets have a base object material of iron and will randomly take one of the following appearances, with new additions given an asterisk (*):
warped* circular spherical oval triangular pyramidal teardrop* square convex* concave pentagonal* hexagonal octagonal cardioid* oblong*
None of the randomized appearances for amulets have any effects.
Wands
dNetHack adds two new wands–the wand of darkness and the wand of draining–and gives fixed appearances to some of the wands:
- The wand of light is always a "glass wand" that is naturally made of glass.
- The wand of darkness is an "obsidian wand" that is naturally made of obsidian.
- The wand of wishing is a "dragon-bone wand" that is naturally made of dragonbone. It is also removed from normal generation, and can only be accessed in wizard mode—the ring of wishes effectivelytakes its place in normal gameplay.
All other wands will randomly take one of the following appearances, with the new addition given an asterisk (*):
aluminum balsa brass copper crystal curved ebony forked glass hexagonal iridium iron jeweled long maple ceramic* marble oak pine platinum runed short silver spiked steel tin uranium zinc
Each wand's randomized appearance determines their material as well as their additional effects in a given game, and also influences what golems can be created when polypiling and what golems can leave them behind as a death drop. While the appearance of a wand also determines what monsters can eat them (and thus what polymorph forms the hero can use to do the same), eating a wand has no effect for the hero besides granting a small amount of nutrition.
The "balsa wand" has a minimum of 5 strength required in order to apply and break the wand, where all other wands require at least 10 strength.
Armor
Various types of armor that the hero encounters can have varied appearances, and unlike the other object types listed above, this does not apply to all types of armor or even an overwhelming majority of them—furthermore, the possible object materials for a particular piece of armor are not determined by that armor's appearance.
dNetHack adds many new types of armor that qualifies for randomized appearances and also adds a new object type in the belt, which functions somewhat similarly to armor. Four sub-classes of armor–helms, cloaks, gloves and boots–have items with randomized appearances as they do in NetHack 3.4.3.
Helms
dNetHack adds one new helm with a randomized appearance, the helm of drain resistance, to the existing four randomized helms from NetHack 3.4.3—these are the helmet, helm of brilliance, helm of opposite alignment, and helm of telepathy. These randomized helms will each have one of the following randomized appearances, with the sole new addition given an asterisk (*):
plumed helmet etched helmet crested helmet visored helmet band*
The "band" in turn has a set of appearances tied to each helm type that it can be randomized into, which corresponds to the helms as they are listed at the top of the section:
circlet crown of cognizance tiara of treachery tiara of telepathy diadem of drain resistance
Bands have a base material of gold and give halved AC and DR while worn–which is calculated after accounting for the band's material and erosion–but they will also add their enchantment to the hero's charisma.
The "visored helmet" appearance has a +1 DR bonus, and while worn it protects against attacks that target the eyes, such as the blinding claw attacks of ravens and the blinding venom-spitting attack of cobras, in addition to its other effects.
Cloaks
dNetHack adds several new cloak types, but does not add or change any of the randomized cloaks from NetHack 3.4.3—these are the cloak of displacement, cloak of invisibility, cloak of magic resistance and cloak of protection. They each have one of the following randomized appearances:
tattered cape ornamental cope opera cloak piece of cloth
A hero wearing an "opera cloak" gains a +1 bonus to charisma if they are a vampire or polymorphed into any vampiric monster.
Of note is that all cloak types other than the cloak of magic resistance can be auto-identified under certain circumstances.
Two artifact cloaks are always generated as cloaks of a particular appearance:
- The Mantle of Heaven is the quest artifact for human and incantifier Nobles, and always appears as whichever cloak is randomized to an ornamental cope.
- The Vestment of Hell is the quest artifact for vampire Nobles, and always appears as whichever cloak is randomized to an opera cloak (thus granting a +1 charisma bonus to a vampire that wears it).
Belts
dNetHack has six belts, each with its own associated randomized appearance that is shuffled at the start of each game:
segmented belt articulated belt braced belt bumpy belt lumpy belt wide belt
None of the randomized appearances for belts have any effects.
Gloves
While dNetHack adds several new types of gloves, only the orihalcyon gauntlets have an associated randomized appearance. As with NetHack 3.4.3, the randomized appearance of a pair of gloves can affect their glyph color but not their possible materials.
Gloves with randomized each have use one of the following descriptions, with the sole new addition given an asterisk (*):
old gloves padded gloves riding gloves fighting gloves fencing gloves
These appearances each have the following effects associated with them.
- A worn pair of "fighting gloves" grants a +1 damage bonus to bare-handed combat, or a +3 damage bonus if the wearer is using martial arts.
- A worn pair of "old gloves" is immune to erosion beyond the level that they are already generated with.
- A worn pair of "padded gloves" grants +1 DR.
- A worn pair of "riding gloves" will increase the chance of successfully applying a saddle to a steed by 10 in addition to its other effects, unless the hero is currently fumbling (including from wearing riding gloves that are gauntlets of fumbling). They also increase the chances of mounting a steed successfully by 10, which is applied separately from penalties for fumbling.
- A worn pair of "fencing gloves" grants a +2 to-hit bonus when fighting with a free offhand.
Boots
Similar to gloves, dNetHack also adds several new types of boots, but only one of them is given randomized appearances: the flying boots replace the levitation boots from NetHack, and use the same random appearance of "snow boots" normally associated with them by default. Likewise, the randomized appearances of boots can affect their glyph color, but not their possible materials.
All seven types of magical boots each have one of the following randomized appearances, which are unchanged from NetHack 3.4.3:
mud boots snow boots riding boots buckled boots hiking boots combat boots jungle boots
All appearances except for "buckled boots" have the following effects:
- A worn pair of "snow boots" prevents the hero from fumbling while walking across ice in addition to its other effects (meaning that snow boots will not prevent their own fumbling effects if they are fumble boots).
- A worn pair of "combat boots" grants a +1 to-hit bonus.
- A worn pair of "hiking boots" grants a +100 bonus to carrying capacity if they are not cursed and the hero is not currently levitating or weightless.
- A worn pair of "mud boots" grants immunity to drowning attacks.
- A worn pair of "riding boots" will increase the chance of successfully applying a saddle to a steed by 10 in addition to its other effects, unless the hero is currently fumbling (including from wearing riding boots that are fumble boots)—unlike NetHack 3.4.3, this bonus is cumulative with the bonus given by worn riding gloves. They also increase the chances of mounting a steed successfully by 10, which also stacks with the bonus from worn riding gloves and is applied separately from penalties for fumbling.
- A worn pair of "jungle boots" grants immunity to wounded legs from the sting attack of xans or from stepping into a beartrap. The damage taken from being forced out of a bear trap by a thrown iron ball or similar means is lessened if the hero is wearing jungle boots at the time, but the boots will also be damaged in the process.
