User:Chris/dNetHack/dNethack Neutral Quest Monsters

Argentum Golems

': Weapon +4d8, 1d4 silver arrows.

Argentum golems are potentially a very useful source of silver weaponry, particularly silver arrows. Each of the 8 argentum golems are generated with a random silver weapon and a small stack of silver arrows. Their arrow shooting attack consumes these arrows, meaning the character will have to kill the golem quickly to claim them.

To paraphrase a particularly wise prime, the rilmani are an
enigma cloaked in a riddle, wrapped in a mystery. Who can
question their motives or their actions? They keep their own
counsel. They’re sworn never to come when called, but always
to be there when needed; never to answer questions put to
them, but always to provide what information is necessary; to
aid and abet good, evil, law, and chaos alike in order to maintain
the Balance, regardless of the cost or repercussions.

[ Planescape Monstrous Compendium II, by Rich Baker ]

Center of All

': Weapon +4d6, throws cursed loadstones. Permanently invisible.

Guardian of the First Key of Neutrality, Center of All is generated randomly as part of normal monster generation, rather than in a guaranteed lair. Entering the golem level (Sum of All) in the neutral quest does, however, greatly increase the odds of Center of All appearing, so he will often appear in the neutral quest

His loadstone attack is a grave threat. Thrown loadstones deal 1d30 damage and have a 1/3 chance of adding themselves to the target's inventory instead of dropping to the floor. In this way, Center of All can quickly immobilize his opponents.

Compass all the planes,
and yet you will never find
creation's heart
[ riff on a Planescape Haiku, originally by Ecco-Mono ]

Priest of an unknown god

&

Though marked as hostile, the priests of the unknown god can't move and don't attack. If struck by an artifact, they will "tug gently" on it, and you will be asked whether you wish to release your grip on the artifact. If you let go, the priest will disappear and the relinquished artifact will be removed from the game; it no longer counts against the total number of artifacts generated for wishing purposes, and will not be re-generated.

Relinquishing an artifact that was given as a gift by a god will anger that god.

There are 5 priests of the unknown god in the game. The first is on the island in the headwaters of the lethe, immediately below the golem city Sum of All. The second is in the water south of the statue of the forgotten god, in the center of the temple complex level (6 levels below Sum of All). The third is located in the ruined temple on the third level of the Gulf on N'kai. The fourth and fifth are found in the temple complex at R'lyeh, on random altars.

"To the Gods of Asia and Europe and Africa,
to the unknown and strange gods."
[ Inscription found on an altar at Athens, ~60AD ]

Alhoon

L: cold touch 3d6, int-draining tentacles (1d4, 1d2, 1d2), casts mage spells.

The guardians of the Second and Third Keys of Neutrality, Alhoons are master mind flayers that have risen as master liches.

There are two alhoons in the game. The first lives on the second level of N'kai, the second lives in the temple complex at R'lyeh.

Alhoons superficially resemble their living kin; however,
their skin is dry and wrinkled, free of the ubiquitous
mucous that covers living mind flayers.
[ The Illithidae, Bruce R Cordell ]

Great Cthulhu

&: 400 damage claw attack, 1d10 wisdom draining passive gaze attack, 8d8 retaliatory poison attack.

Great Cthulhu is the second or third most dangerous creature in dnethack, and as such should be avoided rather than confronted. Great Cthulhu is generated asleep on one of the altars in R'lyeh, and plan A should always be to keep him that way. Great Cthulhu can be sensed from a distance as "an unknown monster causing you dread" regardless of whether or not you have warning.

Should the character need to approach Great Cthulhu, it is vitally important to avoid looking at him. Extinguish light sources and remain at least two squares away or blind yourself. Great Cthulhu's gaze attack permanently reduces wisdom by 1d10 points, though not below 3. In this case, the character's wisdom is reduced to 3 and the character then takes 10 damage for each point of wisdom drain remaining.

It is vitally important to remain at least 2 squares away from Great Cthulhu if at all possible, as his melee attack deals 400 damage and is essentially guaranteed to hit.

Should combat become unavoidable, Great Cthulhu is actually decently easy to take down, thanks to his slow effective speed (Speed 3, despite the listed speed of 15) and lack of a ranged attack. Should he be stricken down, however, he will revive at full strength after only a few rounds.

"The Thing cannot be described -- there is no language for such
abysms of shrieking and immemorial lunacy, such eldritch
contradictions of all matter, force, and cosmic order. A
mountain walked or stumbled. God!... the Thing of the idols,
the green, sticky spawn of the stars, had awakened to claim
his own. The stars were right again... great Cthulhu was
loose again, and ravening for delight."
[ The Call of Cthulhu, by H.P. Lovecraft ]

The exact origins of Cthulhu are lost to time, but it is
known that in aeons long past a race of space faring
beings came to this world and Cthulhu was amongst their
number as the high priest who interceded between them
and the dark gods they worshipped. Whether Cthulhu is
a long lived individual or a title of office, is not
known, but a creature bearing this name lives on,
trapped in eternal slumber in the ruins of his great
city.

I shall never sleep calmly again when I think of the
horrors that lurk ceaselessly behind life in time and in
space, and of those unhallowed blasphemies from elder
stars which dream beneath the sea....
[ The Call of Cthulhu, by H.P. Lovecraft ]