Steal gold
Steal gold, also referred to as gold-stealing, is a damage type that occurs in NetHack, and uses the AD_SGLD damage type flag.
The only monster in NetHack that uses the damage type is the leprechaun, which has a claw attack that steals gold.
Contents
Description
If a hero or monster is hit with an attack that steals gold and the attacker is not cancelled, the attack will inflict damage and attempt to find gold in the target's open inventory:[1][2][3][4][5][6] if gold is present, the attack will take some or all of that gold and add it to the attacker's inventory.[7][8][9] If the attack targets the hero while there is gold on their square, there is a 1⁄5 chance of the attack stealing all of that gold on the floor, which will always occur if the amount of gold on the floor is more than the gold in the hero's open inventory.[10] Gold in containers within the target's inventory cannot be stolen by a gold-stealing attack.
If the attacker is a monster that successfully steals gold using this attack, they will then teleport randomly to another part of the level if possible.[11][12] When stealing gold from the hero's square, the attacker will teleport with a 1⁄5 chance, and will always teleport if the hero also has no gold in their inventory.[13] In either case, if gold was stolen from the hero (either directly or off their square), the attacker will also begin fleeing from the hero temporarily.[14][15]
A hero that polymorphs into a leprechaun and steals gold from another monster exercises dexterity, but will not automatically teleport afterward and will drop the stolen gold if it is too heavy for them to carry or there is no room in the inventory.[16][17][18] A hero in the form of a leprechaun also cannot have their gold stolen by a leprechaun attack.[19]
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.
Per commit 2591a21c, leprechauns that steal a hero's gold with their attack have a chance of burying it in the ground after teleporting if their destination is in a non-shop room out of the hero's sight.Strategy
A hero polymorphed into a leprechaun, usually through severe misfortune or a deliberate attempt at nabbing gold, must consider the trade-off between making a theft-teleport and escaping or staying with their inventory: polymorph into a leprechaun will force the hero to drop a mass majority of their inventory, apart from one or two choice items, due to the form's incredibly low carrying capacity.
Messages
- Your purse feels lighter.
- A leprechaun hit you and stole gold from your open inventory.
- <The leprechaun> quickly snatches some gold from <between/beneath> your <feet>!
- A leprechaun hit you and stole gold from your square.
- Your purse feels heavier.
- You stole some gold from a monster while polymorphed into a leprechaun.
Variants
Variants of NetHack often introduce additional monsters with gold theft attacks, and variants featuring an object materials system may expand the theft ability to include items made of gold as well as gold coins.
A user has suggested improving this page or section as follows:
"Elaborate on who has gold stealing attacks."
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, leprechaun wizards have the same gold theft attack as normal leprechauns.
xNetHack
In xNetHack, attacks that steal gold are capable of stealing gold items as well as gold pieces.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, attacks that steal gold are capable of stealing gold items as well as gold pieces.
Leprechauns and some shambling horrors have gold theft attacks.
Hack'EM
In Hack'EM, attacks that steal gold are capable of stealing gold items as well as gold pieces.
Leprechauns, leprechaun wizards and some shambling horrors have gold theft attacks.
References
- Jump up ↑ src/mhitu.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1320-L1326
- Jump up ↑ src/mhitm.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1274-L1277
- Jump up ↑ src/steal.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 69
- Jump up ↑ src/steal.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 81
- Jump up ↑ src/steal.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 95
- Jump up ↑ src/uhitm.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1780
- Jump up ↑ src/steal.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 123
- Jump up ↑ src/mhitm.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1286
- Jump up ↑ src/uhitm.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1783
- Jump up ↑ src/steal.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 97
- Jump up ↑ src/steal.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 135
- Jump up ↑ src/mhitm.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1294
- Jump up ↑ src/steal.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 118
- Jump up ↑ src/steal.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 121
- Jump up ↑ src/steal.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 137
- Jump up ↑ src/uhitm.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1786
- Jump up ↑ src/uhitm.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1789
- Jump up ↑ src/uhitm.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1795
- Jump up ↑ src/mhitu.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1322: checks if hero uses the same glyph as the attacker
