Saddle

(
Name	saddle
Appearance	saddle
Base price	150 zm
Weight	200
Material	leather
Monster use	Will not be used by monsters.

A saddle is a type of tool that appears in NetHack. It is used to ride tamed monsters, and is made of leather.

Generation

The Knight starts each game with a saddled pony.

Like all tools, saddles are generated uncursed with the exception of those found in bones or "fake bones" traps.

In addition to random generation, general shops and hardware shops can sell saddles.

Horses, ponies and warhorses each have a ¹⁄₁₀₀ chance of generating with a worn saddle.

The following information pertains to an upcoming version (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 a1d5464, the Knight quest home level will generate some saddled warhorses at level creation.

Description

Applying the saddle to a monster that is eligible for use as a steed adds the saddle to that monster's inventory and allows the hero to ride it—doing so requires at least one free hand. While it is possible to saddle a non-tame monster, this is more difficult and the hero cannot ride the monster until it is tamed. Riding boots give a bonus to successfully saddling a monster while worn.

The following monsters can be saddled:

• All ​q quadrupeds
• All u unicorns and horses
• A Ki-rin and A couatls
• All ​C centaurs
• All ​D dragons except D Ixoth and the D Chromatic Dragon
• All ​J jabberwocks

Attempting to saddle a minion will always fail, regardless of if that monster is otherwise eligible. Attempting to saddle a footrice will always fail, and if the hero is not wearing gloves, they are either turned to stone or, if they are in the form of a golem, are turned into a stone golem. Attempting to saddle a foocubus will always fail, producing a unique message, and Abuse wisdom.

If a hero or their steed has reflection, the saddle will be protected from disintegration rays (though the steed may not be).

Removing a saddle

To remove a saddle from a monster while not riding it, use the #loot command, a knock spell, or a wand of opening - using magic to remove the saddle from a steed will not dismount the hero if they are riding it at that time. If the saddled monster is polymorphed into a form ineligible to be a steed, the saddle will fall off and safely dismount the hero if they were riding - this includes the temporary polymorph into an item from eating a mimic, though the saddle does not fall off in that case.

Theft attacks from monsters such as nymphs and foocubi that hit a saddled steed can steal the saddle off their backs, forcibly dismounting a hero that is riding. Cursed saddles cannot be removed via looting, and a hero cannot mount a monster equipped with a cursed saddle; if the saddle is cursed while they are riding, it will also prevent manual dismounting.

The following information pertains to an upcoming version (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.

As of commit 0cca010, using opening magic to remove a saddle from a steed while riding it will cause the hero to fall off that saddle, inflicting wounded legs.

Strategy

It is recommended to bless a saddle before applying it to a steed, especially if pursuing atheist or polymorphless conduct. A spell or scroll of remove curse cannot uncurse a saddle, nor will cancellation, and the saddle cannot be dipped in holy water, as it is part of the saddled monster's inventory. However, throwing a potion of holy water down at the steed has a Luck-dependent chance that it will hit the saddle and uncurse it.

For players dealing with a cursed saddle that do not want to risk polymorphing their steed, praying to their god can uncurse the saddle, and they can force themselves to fall off through the following methods:

• Feed your steed a mimic corpse, or eat a mimic corpse or tin yourself - the temporary transformation will forcibly dismount the hero in either case.
• If riding on a steed that is not flying:
  • Moving over ice has a chance of causing the character to slip off the saddle.
  • Riding down stairs while burdened, or else removing the saddle while the character is on it (i.e. via the knock spell or wand of opening), will always cause them to fall off - both cases will leave them with wounded legs.
  • Have a monster steal the saddle from the horse.
  • Being engulfed by an animal will forcibly dismount the character from their steed if they are riding.

Nymphs, foocubi and other monsters with theft attacks are especially dangerous if riding a steed over water or lava, usually by means of the steed's flight: being forcibly dismounted can lead to instadeath by drowning in the water or being dissolved in the lava. However, this can also be used to remove a steed's cursed saddle and uncurse it normally once it is retrieved.

The following information pertains to an upcoming version (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 cf626876, the spell and scroll of remove curse can uncurse a cursed saddle that the character is stuck on, since a steed's saddle is considered part of the character's inventory while riding. Per commit 0cca010f, a character will not take damage or suffer wounded legs if thrown from a saddle while they have levitation or flying.

History

The saddle is first introduced in SLASH'EM, and makes its vanilla debut in NetHack 3.3.0. The ability to remove a saddle from a steed is introduced in NetHack 3.3.1.

In NetHack 3.4.3 and previous versions, including some variants based on it, the saddle is subject to many bugs that have since been fixed, including some listed on the article for 3.4.3 bugs:

• Attempting to saddle a cockatrice would immediately petrify the player even if they were wearing gloves. This was fixed in September 2003 via commit 8a4816f.
• Disintegration breath hitting equipment carried by monsters, including saddles, was not handled properly, and such cases were exacerbated if the monster has its life saved. Saddles in particular were especially troublesome—in one instance, a saddled ki-rin that had been life-saved after being hit by a black dragon's disintegration breath weapon would (correctly) no longer possess the saddle, but is still described in the game's text output as "saddled". This is bug C343-176, and was fixed in April 2006 via commit a506c32.
• If magical removal of a steed's saddle results in a character's death and leaves a bones file, the saddle may still be on the steed when the bones are loaded. This is bug C343-289, and was fixed in April 2007 via commit 933c184.
• A bug caused a shopkeeper to not take possession of the saddle if a saddled steed died while in their shop; this was fixed via commit 6a53009 so that the shopkeeper will do so, but only if the character is not also in the shop at the time of the steed's death.

Horses first begin generating with saddles in NetHack 3.6.1. The interaction between a saddle and a steed that polymorphs while wearing it is introduced in NetHack 3.6.4.

Messages

<foo> doesn't need another one.

You attempted to apply a saddle to a saddled monster.

Saddle yourself? Very funny...

You attempted to apply a saddle on your own square.

Shame on you!

You attempted to apply a saddle to a foocubus.

I think <foo> would mind.

You attempted to apply a saddle to an "always peaceful" human, a minion or the Wizard of Yendor.

You can't saddle such a creature.

You attempted to apply a saddle to an ineligible type of monster.

Variants

SLASH'EM

In SLASH'EM, Yeomen start each game with a saddled pony.

Pet shops will sell saddles among their wares. Upgrading a saddle will produce a leash, and vice versa.

Minions given as sacrifice gifts cannot be saddled.

dNetHack

In dNetHack, human, vampire, incantifier, and drow Nobles start with saddled pets.

FIQHack

In FIQHack, random saddles are generated twice as often compared to vanilla.

A character that is gifted the artifact lance Dragonbane is also given a saddle, and the riding skill is unrestricted.

SpliceHack

In SpliceHack, Dragonmasters start with a pre-saddled baby dragon. SpliceHack also has a higher frequency of riding monsters, and thus more chances in general to obtain a saddle from one.

EvilHack

In EvilHack, monsters that generate with mounts have a higher chance of the mount being saddled, making them more frequent—e.g., Knight player monsters can generate riding saddled steeds.

Several monsters can only be saddled by characters of certain races:

• Orcs are the only characters that can saddle and ride wargs.
• Drow are the only characters that can saddle and ride any type of cave lizard, giant spiders or gargantuan spiders.

If a character reaches the Astral Plane with a good enough alignment record, they are given the saddled Red Horse as a steed.

SlashTHEM

In SlashTHEM, in addition to SLASH'EM details, several roles start with a saddle in some manner:

• The Paladin always starts with a blessed saddle.
• Human, vampire and incantifier Nobles start with a pre-saddled pony.
• The Warrior role starts with a pre-saddled pony.

Encyclopedia entry

The horseman serves the horse,
The neat-herd serves the neat,
The merchant serves the purse,
The eater serves his meat;
'Tis the day of the chattel,
Web to weave, and corn to grind,
Things are in the saddle,
And ride mankind.

[ Ode, by Ralph Waldo Emerson ]