Sliming
Sliming is a serious status affliction in NetHack that occurs if the hero or a monster is hit by the touch attack of a green slime, uses a biting or brain-sucking attack against it, digests it, or eats a glob of green slime. It is shown as Slime in the status line.
Description
The sliming process is a delayed instadeath that will irreversibly transform a hero in nine turns - this is shortened to four turns if the hero has digested it. A hero that "dies" as a result of sliming and creates a bones file will leave behind a green slime rather than a ghost. If an amulet of life saving activates after fatal sliming, the hero will also survive as a green slime unless they have been genocided: this is treated as a polymorph that will wear off as normal.
Other monsters that suffer from sliming will immediately turn into green slimes, unless they are fiery monsters or have a fire breath weapon.
Curing
There are more than a few methods for a hero to cure sliming, all of which are listed below:
- Burn away the slime using any source of fire damage: zapping yourself with a wand of fire, reading a scroll of fire, being caught in an explosion from a lit potion of oil, stepping on a fire trap, or throwing a weapon that inflicts fire damage, such as Fire Brand, upwards via <. Drinking a burning potion of oil will not cure sliming. Monsters afflicted by sliming that can breathe fire will do so at themselves to burn away the slime.[1]
- Controlled polymorphing into either a green slime or a fiery monster (i.e. a fire vortex, flaming sphere, fire elemental, or salamander).[2][3]
- Casting cure sickness successfully causes the slime to disappear.
- The Staff of Aesculapius cures sliming among other status effects when invoked.
- Prayer is also effective at removing slime outside of Gehennom (where green slimes randomly generate).
- An amulet of life saving will allow the hero to survive as a green slime, provided they have not been genocided, and they will eventually return to normal.
- An amulet of unchanging will immediately abort the sliming process if worn during it.
There is no specific, intrinsic resistance to sliming, and the only ways to gain resistance are to wear an amulet of unchanging or else polymorph into a green slime or a fiery monster.
The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 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.
Drinking a burning potion of oil will cure sliming; monsters can also use this method.Strategy
If you have controlled polymorph, it is generally preferable to polymorph into a fiery monster - this renders you immune to subsequent sliming attacks, and most fiery monsters are solid fighting forms. The salamander is likely the best one to choose, as it is the only fiery monster with eyes and can wear all armor except boots. Fire vortices are also a good option - although they are blind, they are extremely fast and can pick up items.
As sliming lacks a formal resistance, various late-game foes up to and including the Wizard of Yendor are not immune to sliming.
A user has suggested improving this page or section as follows:
"Expand on offensive uses of sliming."
History
Sliming is first introduced along with green slimes in NetHack 3.3.0. From this version to NetHack 3.6.0, as well as some variants based on these versions, surviving via life saving would leave you in your current form instead of turning you into a green slime.
Messages
| Message | Turns to live |
|---|---|
| "You don't feel very well." | 9 |
| "You are turning a little green." | 8 |
| "Your limbs are getting oozy." | 6 |
| "Your skin begins to peel away." | 4 |
| "You are turning into a green slime." | 2 |
| "You have become a green slime." | 0 |
