Aggravate monster
- This article is about the property. For the monster spell and effect, see aggravation.
Aggravate monster is a property in NetHack that makes it easier for monsters to notice and track the hero.
Contents
Description
While you have the aggravate monster property, any sleeping monsters nearby have a higher chance of waking up if you move while in their line of sight.[1] Monsters are also able to track you even if they cannot see you. Additionally, pets have their tameness halved when you abuse them while you have the property, instead of being reduced by one.
There are multiple sources of the aggravate monster property, and almost all of them are intrinsic: the sole extrinsic source is to put on or wear a ring of aggravate monster. The intrinsic is typically permanent, and is obtained from the following actions:
- Eating the corpse or tin of any domestic feline or canine. Orcish heroes and Cavepeople are exempt from this.
- Eating the corpse or tin of a monster of your race. Orcs and Cavepeople are also exempt.
- Eating a ring of aggravate monster.
- Sacrificing a former pet that died while it was still tame - a pet that went feral before dying is fine to sacrifice.
Excalibur allows monsters to track you while wielded, and the Amulet of Yendor causes monsters that are often generated sleeping to be created awake - this is not the same as the aggravate monster property.
Strategy
As an intrinsic, the aggravate monster property is very difficult to get rid of, with the only methods of doing so being unreliable: the intrinsic can only be removed if a gremlin steals it from you at night, or you eat a disenchanter corpse or tin - you are likely to lose a number of good intrinsics before losing the intended one. In most cases, it is better to just finish the game with the intrinsic, especially if you also have stealth (which almost completely nullifies the property's effects).
Variants
NetHack brass
In NetHack brass, male heroes that wear the following armor will gain the aggravate monster property:
The armor in question is primarily based on fanservice tropes.
GruntHack
In GruntHack, "aggravation" is an object property that can occur on any item, and causes the item to confer aggravate monster while worn or wielded.
dNetHack
In dNetHack, The Arkenstone and The Mantle of Wrath confer aggravate monster while carried; The Mantle of Wrath blocks all sources of aggravate monster while worn.
FIQHack
In FIQHack, aggravate monster is one of the intrinsic properties a non-cursed potion of wonder can confer when quaffed; dipping an appropriate item in a non-cursed potion also has a chance of randomly bestowing aggravate monster as an object property.
SpliceHack
In older versions of SpliceHack, angel heroes start with the aggravate monster intrinsic.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, giant heroes start with the aggravate monster intrinsic, and most sources of stealth will not grant the property to counteract it, though they can gain the intrinsic as normal through some other means (e.g. as a boon from successful prayer on a co-aligned altar).
SlashTHEM
In SlashTHEM, ogre heroes start with the aggravate monster intrinsic.
