(Guidebook for NetHack)
- Original version ‐ Eric S. Raymond
+ Original version - Eric S. Raymond
(Edited and expanded for 3.6 by Mike Stephenson and others)
- Preface ‐ Version 3.6
+ Preface - Version 3.6
This version of the game is special in a particular way.
Near the end of the development of 3.6, one of the significant
Recently, you have begun to find yourself unfulfilled and
distant in your daily occupation. Strange dreams of prospecting,
stealing, crusading, and combat have haunted you in your sleep
- for many months, but you aren’t sure of the reason. You wonder
+ for many months, but you aren't sure of the reason. You wonder
whether you have in fact been having those dreams all your life,
and somehow managed to forget about them until now. Some nights
- you awaken suddenly and cry out, terrified at the vivid recollec‐
- tion of the strange and powerful creatures that seem to be lurk‐
+ you awaken suddenly and cry out, terrified at the vivid recollec-
+ tion of the strange and powerful creatures that seem to be lurk-
ing behind every corner of the dungeon in your dream. Could
- these details haunting your dreams be real? As each night pass‐
+ these details haunting your dreams be real? As each night pass-
es, you feel the desire to enter the mysterious caverns near the
ruins grow stronger. Each morning, however, you quickly put the
- idea out of your head as you recall the tales of those who en‐
+ idea out of your head as you recall the tales of those who en-
tered the caverns before you and did not return. Eventually you
can resist the yearning to seek out the fantastic place in your
dreams no longer. After all, when other adventurers came back
deep within the Mazes of Menace. Upon hearing the legends, you
immediately realize that there is some profound and undiscovered
reason that you are to descend into the caverns and seek out that
- amulet of which they spoke. Even if the rumors of the amulet’s
+ amulet of which they spoke. Even if the rumors of the amulet's
NetHack Guidebook 1
magical creatures of your dreams along the way. You spend one
last night fortifying yourself at the local inn, becoming more
and more depressed as you watch the odds of your success being
- posted on the inn’s walls getting lower and lower.
+ posted on the inn's walls getting lower and lower.
In the morning you awake, collect your belongings, and set
off for the dungeon. After several days of uneventful travel,
you see the ancient ruins that mark the entrance to the Mazes of
Menace. It is late at night, so you make camp at the entrance
- and spend the night sleeping under the open skies. In the morn‐
- ing, you gather your gear, eat what may be your last meal out‐
+ and spend the night sleeping under the open skies. In the morn-
+ ing, you gather your gear, eat what may be your last meal out-
side, and enter the dungeon...
them to move quickly and sneak up on the local nasties. They
start equipped with the tools for a proper scientific expedition.
- Barbarians are warriors out of the hinterland, hardened to
+ Barbarians are warriors out of the hinterland, hardened to
battle. They begin their quests with naught but uncommon
- strength, a trusty hauberk, and a great two‐handed sword.
+ strength, a trusty hauberk, and a great two-handed sword.
- Cavemen and Cavewomen start with exceptional strength but,
+ Cavemen and Cavewomen start with exceptional strength but,
unfortunately, with neolithic weapons.
- Healers are wise in medicine and apothecary. They know the
- herbs and simples that can restore vitality, ease pain, anes‐
+ Healers are wise in medicine and apothecary. They know the
+ herbs and simples that can restore vitality, ease pain, anes-
thetize, and neutralize poisons; and with their instruments, they
- can divine a being’s state of health or sickness. Their medical
+ can divine a being's state of health or sickness. Their medical
practice earns them quite reasonable amounts of money, with which
they enter the dungeon.
- Knights are distinguished from the common skirmisher by
- their devotion to the ideals of chivalry and by the surpassing
+ Knights are distinguished from the common skirmisher by
+ their devotion to the ideals of chivalry and by the surpassing
excellence of their armor.
Monks are ascetics, who by rigorous practice of physical and
mental disciplines have become capable of fighting as effectively
- without weapons as with. They wear no armor but make up for it
+ without weapons as with. They wear no armor but make up for it
with increased mobility.
- Priests and Priestesses are clerics militant, crusaders ad‐
- vancing the cause of righteousness with arms, armor, and arts
- thaumaturgic. Their ability to commune with deities via prayer
+ Priests and Priestesses are clerics militant, crusaders ad-
+ vancing the cause of righteousness with arms, armor, and arts
+ thaumaturgic. Their ability to commune with deities via prayer
occasionally extricates them from peril, but can also put them in
it.
out of place in a dungeon. They are, however, experts in archery
as well as tracking and stealthy movement.
- Rogues are agile and stealthy thieves, with knowledge of
- locks, traps, and poisons. Their advantage lies in surprise,
+ Rogues are agile and stealthy thieves, with knowledge of
+ locks, traps, and poisons. Their advantage lies in surprise,
which they employ to great advantage.
- Samurai are the elite warriors of feudal Nippon. They are
- lightly armored and quick, and wear the dai‐sho, two swords of
+ Samurai are the elite warriors of feudal Nippon. They are
+ lightly armored and quick, and wear the dai-sho, two swords of
the deadliest keenness.
- Tourists start out with lots of gold (suitable for shopping
- with), a credit card, lots of food, some maps, and an expensive
- camera. Most monsters don’t like being photographed.
+ Tourists start out with lots of gold (suitable for shopping
+ with), a credit card, lots of food, some maps, and an expensive
+ camera. Most monsters don't like being photographed.
- Valkyries are hardy warrior women. Their upbringing in the
- harsh Northlands makes them strong, inures them to extremes of
+ Valkyries are hardy warrior women. Their upbringing in the
+ harsh Northlands makes them strong, inures them to extremes of
cold, and instills in them stealth and cunning.
- Wizards start out with a knowledge of magic, a selection of
- magical items, and a particular affinity for dweomercraft. Al‐
- though seemingly weak and easy to overcome at first sight, an ex‐
+ Wizards start out with a knowledge of magic, a selection of
+ magical items, and a particular affinity for dweomercraft. Al-
+ though seemingly weak and easy to overcome at first sight, an ex-
perienced Wizard is a deadly foe.
You may also choose the race of your character:
Dwarves are smaller than humans or elves, but are stocky and
- solid individuals. Dwarves’ most notable trait is their great
- expertise in mining and metalwork. Dwarvish armor is said to be
+ solid individuals. Dwarves' most notable trait is their great
+ expertise in mining and metalwork. Dwarvish armor is said to be
second in quality not even to the mithril armor of the Elves.
- Elves are agile, quick, and perceptive; very little of what
- goes on will escape an Elf. The quality of Elven craftsmanship
+ Elves are agile, quick, and perceptive; very little of what
+ goes on will escape an Elf. The quality of Elven craftsmanship
often gives them an advantage in arms and armor.
- Gnomes are smaller than but generally similar to dwarves.
- Gnomes are known to be expert miners, and it is known that a se‐
- cret underground mine complex built by this race exists within
+ Gnomes are smaller than but generally similar to dwarves.
+ Gnomes are known to be expert miners, and it is known that a se-
+ cret underground mine complex built by this race exists within
the Mazes of Menace, filled with both riches and danger.
Humans are by far the most common race of the surface world,
- and are thus the norm to which other races are often compared.
- Although they have no special abilities, they can succeed in any
+ and are thus the norm to which other races are often compared.
+ Although they have no special abilities, they can succeed in any
role.
- Orcs are a cruel and barbaric race that hate every living
- thing (including other orcs). Above all others, Orcs hate Elves
+ Orcs are a cruel and barbaric race that hate every living
+ thing (including other orcs). Above all others, Orcs hate Elves
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
- with a passion unequalled, and will go out of their way to kill
- one at any opportunity. The armor and weapons fashioned by the
+ with a passion unequalled, and will go out of their way to kill
+ one at any opportunity. The armor and weapons fashioned by the
Orcs are typically of inferior quality.
3. What do all those things on the screen mean?
- On the screen is kept a map of where you have been and what
- you have seen on the current dungeon level; as you explore more
+ On the screen is kept a map of where you have been and what
+ you have seen on the current dungeon level; as you explore more
of the level, it appears on the screen in front of you.
- When NetHack’s ancestor rogue first appeared, its screen
- orientation was almost unique among computer fantasy games.
- Since then, screen orientation has become the norm rather than
- the exception; NetHack continues this fine tradition. Unlike
- text adventure games that accept commands in pseudo‐English sen‐
+ When NetHack's ancestor rogue first appeared, its screen
+ orientation was almost unique among computer fantasy games.
+ Since then, screen orientation has become the norm rather than
+ the exception; NetHack continues this fine tradition. Unlike
+ text adventure games that accept commands in pseudo-English sen-
tences and explain the results in words, NetHack commands are all
- one or two keystrokes and the results are displayed graphically
- on the screen. A minimum screen size of 24 lines by 80 columns
- is recommended; if the screen is larger, only a 21x80 section
+ one or two keystrokes and the results are displayed graphically
+ on the screen. A minimum screen size of 24 lines by 80 columns
+ is recommended; if the screen is larger, only a 21x80 section
will be used for the map.
- NetHack can even be played by blind players, with the assis‐
- tance of Braille readers or speech synthesisers. Instructions
- for configuring NetHack for the blind are included later in this
+ NetHack can even be played by blind players, with the assis-
+ tance of Braille readers or speech synthesisers. Instructions
+ for configuring NetHack for the blind are included later in this
document.
NetHack generates a new dungeon every time you play it; even
- the authors still find it an entertaining and exciting game de‐
+ the authors still find it an entertaining and exciting game de-
spite having won several times.
- NetHack offers a variety of display options. The options
- available to you will vary from port to port, depending on the
- capabilities of your hardware and software, and whether various
- compile‐time options were enabled when your executable was creat‐
- ed. The three possible display options are: a monochrome charac‐
- ter interface, a color character interface, and a graphical in‐
- terface using small pictures called tiles. The two character in‐
+ NetHack offers a variety of display options. The options
+ available to you will vary from port to port, depending on the
+ capabilities of your hardware and software, and whether various
+ compile-time options were enabled when your executable was creat-
+ ed. The three possible display options are: a monochrome charac-
+ ter interface, a color character interface, and a graphical in-
+ terface using small pictures called tiles. The two character in-
terfaces allow fonts with other characters to be substituted, but
- the default assignments use standard ASCII characters to repre‐
- sent everything. There is no difference between the various dis‐
- play options with respect to game play. Because we cannot repro‐
- duce the tiles or colors in the Guidebook, and because it is com‐
- mon to all ports, we will use the default ASCII characters from
- the monochrome character display when referring to things you
+ the default assignments use standard ASCII characters to repre-
+ sent everything. There is no difference between the various dis-
+ play options with respect to game play. Because we cannot repro-
+ duce the tiles or colors in the Guidebook, and because it is com-
+ mon to all ports, we will use the default ASCII characters from
+ the monochrome character display when referring to things you
might see on the screen during your game.
- In order to understand what is going on in NetHack, first
- you must understand what NetHack is doing with the screen. The
- NetHack screen replaces the ‘‘You see ...’’ descriptions of text
- adventure games. Figure 1 is a sample of what a NetHack screen
- might look like. The way the screen looks for you depends on
+ In order to understand what is going on in NetHack, first
+ you must understand what NetHack is doing with the screen. The
+ NetHack screen replaces the ``You see ...'' descriptions of text
+ adventure games. Figure 1 is a sample of what a NetHack screen
+ might look like. The way the screen looks for you depends on
your platform.
- ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+ --------------------------------------------------------------------
The bat bites!
- ‐‐‐‐‐‐
- |....| ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
+ ------
+ |....| ----------
|.<..|####...@...$.|
- |....‐# |...B....+
+ |....-# |...B....+
|....| |.d......|
- ‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐|‐‐
+ ------ -------|--
Player the Rambler St:12 Dx:7 Co:18 In:11 Wi:9 Ch:15 Neutral
Dlvl:1 $:0 HP:9(12) Pw:3(3) AC:10 Exp:1/19 T:257 Weak
- ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+ --------------------------------------------------------------------
Figure 1
3.1. The status lines (bottom)
- The bottom two lines of the screen contain several cryptic
- pieces of information describing your current status. If either
- status line becomes longer than the width of the screen, you
- might not see all of it. Here are explanations of what the vari‐
+ The bottom two lines of the screen contain several cryptic
+ pieces of information describing your current status. If either
+ status line becomes longer than the width of the screen, you
+ might not see all of it. Here are explanations of what the vari-
ous status items mean (though your configuration may not have all
the status items listed below):
Rank
- Your character’s name and professional ranking (based on the
+ Your character's name and professional ranking (based on the
experience level, see below).
Strength
- A measure of your character’s strength; one of your six ba‐
- sic attributes. A human character’s attributes can range
- from 3 to 18 inclusive; non‐humans may exceed these limits
- (occasionally you may get super‐strengths of the form 18/xx,
- and magic can also cause attributes to exceed the normal
- limits). The higher your strength, the stronger you are.
+ A measure of your character's strength; one of your six ba-
+ sic attributes. A human character's attributes can range
+ from 3 to 18 inclusive; non-humans may exceed these limits
+ (occasionally you may get super-strengths of the form 18/xx,
+ and magic can also cause attributes to exceed the normal
+ limits). The higher your strength, the stronger you are.
Strength affects how successfully you perform physical
- tasks, how much damage you do in combat, and how much loot
+ tasks, how much damage you do in combat, and how much loot
you can carry.
Dexterity
- Dexterity affects your chances to hit in combat, to avoid
- traps, and do other tasks requiring agility or manipulation
+ Dexterity affects your chances to hit in combat, to avoid
+ traps, and do other tasks requiring agility or manipulation
of objects.
Constitution
- Constitution affects your ability to recover from injuries
+ Constitution affects your ability to recover from injuries
and other strains on your stamina.
Intelligence
- Intelligence affects your ability to cast spells and read
+ Intelligence affects your ability to cast spells and read
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
Charisma
Charisma affects how certain creatures react toward you. In
- particular, it can affect the prices shopkeepers offer you.
+ particular, it can affect the prices shopkeepers offer you.
Alignment
Lawful, Neutral, or Chaotic. Often, Lawful is taken as good
- and Chaotic as evil, but legal and ethical do not always co‐
+ and Chaotic as evil, but legal and ethical do not always co-
incide. Your alignment influences how other monsters react
toward you. Monsters of a like alignment are more likely to
- be non‐aggressive, while those of an opposing alignment are
+ be non-aggressive, while those of an opposing alignment are
more likely to be seriously offended at your presence.
Dungeon Level
How deep you are in the dungeon. You start at level one and
the number increases as you go deeper into the dungeon.
Some levels are special, and are identified by a name and
- not a number. The Amulet of Yendor is reputed to be some‐
+ not a number. The Amulet of Yendor is reputed to be some-
where beneath the twentieth level.
Gold
regenerate the amount available.
Armor Class
- A measure of how effectively your armor stops blows from un‐
- friendly creatures. The lower this number is, the more ef‐
- fective the armor; it is quite possible to have negative ar‐
+ A measure of how effectively your armor stops blows from un-
+ friendly creatures. The lower this number is, the more ef-
+ fective the armor; it is quite possible to have negative ar-
mor class.
Experience
Your current experience level and experience points. As you
- adventure, you gain experience points. At certain experi‐
+ adventure, you gain experience points. At certain experi-
ence point totals, you gain an experience level. The more
- experienced you are, the better you fight and withstand mag‐
+ experienced you are, the better you fight and withstand mag-
ical attacks. Many dungeons show only your experience level
Hunger status
Your current hunger status, ranging from Satiated down to
- Fainting. If your hunger status is normal, it is not dis‐
+ Fainting. If your hunger status is normal, it is not dis-
played.
Additional status flags may appear after the hunger status:
- Conf when you’re confused, FoodPois or Ill when sick, Blind when
- you can’t see, Stun when stunned, and Hallu when hallucinating.
+ Conf when you're confused, FoodPois or Ill when sick, Blind when
+ you can't see, Stun when stunned, and Hallu when hallucinating.
3.2. The message line (top)
- The top line of the screen is reserved for messages that de‐
+ The top line of the screen is reserved for messages that de-
scribe things that are impossible to represent visually. If you
- see a ‘‘‐‐More‐‐’’ on the top line, this means that NetHack has
+ see a ``--More--'' on the top line, this means that NetHack has
another message to display on the screen, but it wants to make
- certain that you’ve read the one that is there first. To read
+ certain that you've read the one that is there first. To read
the next message, just press the space bar.
To change how and what messages are shown on the message
- line, see ‘‘Configuring Message Types‘‘ and the verbose option.
+ line, see ``Configuring Message Types`` and the verbose option.
3.3. The map (rest of the screen)
The rest of the screen is the map of the level as you have
- explored it so far. Each symbol on the screen represents some‐
+ explored it so far. Each symbol on the screen represents some-
thing. You can set various graphics options to change some of
the symbols the game uses; otherwise, the game will use default
symbols. Here is a list of what the default symbols mean:
- ‐ and |
+ - and |
The walls of a room, or an open door. Or a grave (|).
. The floor of a room, ice, or a doorless doorway.
! A potion.
- ( A useful item (pick‐axe, key, lamp...).
+ ( A useful item (pick-axe, key, lamp...).
" An amulet or a spider web.
* A gem or rock (possibly valuable, possibly worthless).
- ‘ A boulder or statue.
+ ` A boulder or statue.
0 An iron ball.
\ An opulent throne.
- a‐zA‐Z and other symbols
- Letters and certain other symbols represent the various in‐
+ a-zA-Z and other symbols
+ Letters and certain other symbols represent the various in-
habitants of the Mazes of Menace. Watch out, they can be
nasty and vicious. Sometimes, however, they can be helpful.
- I This marks the last known location of an invisible or other‐
- wise unseen monster. Note that the monster could have
- moved. The ’F’ and ’m’ commands may be useful here.
+ I This marks the last known location of an invisible or other-
+ wise unseen monster. Note that the monster could have
+ moved. The 'F' and 'm' commands may be useful here.
- You need not memorize all these symbols; you can ask the
- game what any symbol represents with the ‘/’ command (see the
+ You need not memorize all these symbols; you can ask the
+ game what any symbol represents with the `/' command (see the
next section for more info).
4. Commands
- Commands are initiated by typing one or two characters.
- Some commands, like ‘‘search’’, do not require that any more in‐
- formation be collected by NetHack. Other commands might require
- additional information, for example a direction, or an object to
+ Commands are initiated by typing one or two characters.
+ Some commands, like ``search'', do not require that any more in-
+ formation be collected by NetHack. Other commands might require
+ additional information, for example a direction, or an object to
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
be used. For those commands that require additional information,
- NetHack will present you with either a menu of choices or with a
- command line prompt requesting information. Which you are pre‐
+ NetHack will present you with either a menu of choices or with a
+ command line prompt requesting information. Which you are pre-
sented with will depend chiefly on how you have set the menustyle
option.
- For example, a common question, in the form ‘‘What do you
- want to use? [a‐zA‐Z ?*]’’, asks you to choose an object you are
- carrying. Here, ‘‘a‐zA‐Z’’ are the inventory letters of your
- possible choices. Typing ‘?’ gives you an inventory list of
- these items, so you can see what each letter refers to. In this
- example, there is also a ‘*’ indicating that you may choose an
- object not on the list, if you wanted to use something unexpect‐
- ed. Typing a ‘*’ lists your entire inventory, so you can see the
- inventory letters of every object you’re carrying. Finally, if
- you change your mind and decide you don’t want to do this command
+ For example, a common question, in the form ``What do you
+ want to use? [a-zA-Z ?*]'', asks you to choose an object you are
+ carrying. Here, ``a-zA-Z'' are the inventory letters of your
+ possible choices. Typing `?' gives you an inventory list of
+ these items, so you can see what each letter refers to. In this
+ example, there is also a `*' indicating that you may choose an
+ object not on the list, if you wanted to use something unexpect-
+ ed. Typing a `*' lists your entire inventory, so you can see the
+ inventory letters of every object you're carrying. Finally, if
+ you change your mind and decide you don't want to do this command
after all, you can press the ESC key to abort the command.
- You can put a number before some commands to repeat them
- that many times; for example, ‘‘10s’’ will search ten times. If
- you have the number_pad option set, you must type ‘n’ to prefix a
- count, so the example above would be typed ‘‘n10s’’ instead.
- Commands for which counts make no sense ignore them. In addi‐
- tion, movement commands can be prefixed for greater control (see
+ You can put a number before some commands to repeat them
+ that many times; for example, ``10s'' will search ten times. If
+ you have the number_pad option set, you must type `n' to prefix a
+ count, so the example above would be typed ``n10s'' instead.
+ Commands for which counts make no sense ignore them. In addi-
+ tion, movement commands can be prefixed for greater control (see
below). To cancel a count or a prefix, press the ESC key.
- The list of commands is rather long, but it can be read at
- any time during the game through the ‘?’ command, which accesses
- a menu of helpful texts. Here are the commands for your refer‐
+ The list of commands is rather long, but it can be read at
+ any time during the game through the `?' command, which accesses
+ a menu of helpful texts. Here are the commands for your refer-
ence:
? Help menu: display one of several help texts available.
- / Tell what a symbol represents. You may choose to specify a
+ / Tell what a symbol represents. You may choose to specify a
location or type a symbol (or even a whole word) to explain.
- Specifying a location is done by moving the cursor to a par‐
- ticular spot on the map and then pressing one of ‘.’, ‘,’,
- ‘;’, or ‘:’. ‘.’ will explain the symbol at the chosen lo‐
- cation, conditionally check for ‘‘More info?’’ depending up‐
+ Specifying a location is done by moving the cursor to a par-
+ ticular spot on the map and then pressing one of `.', `,',
+ `;', or `:'. `.' will explain the symbol at the chosen lo-
+ cation, conditionally check for ``More info?'' depending up-
on whether the help option is on, and then you will be asked
- to pick another location; ‘,’ will explain the symbol but
- skip any additional information; ‘;’ will skip additional
- info and also not bother asking you to choose another loca‐
- tion to examine; ‘:’ will show additional info, if any,
- without asking for confirmation. When picking a location,
- pressing the ESC key will terminate this command, or press‐
- ing ‘?’ will give a brief reminder about how it works.
-
- Specifying a name rather than a location always gives any
+ to pick another location; `,' will explain the symbol but
+ skip any additional information; `;' will skip additional
+ info and also not bother asking you to choose another loca-
+ tion to examine; `:' will show additional info, if any,
+ without asking for confirmation. When picking a location,
+ pressing the ESC key will terminate this command, or press-
+ ing `?' will give a brief reminder about how it works.
+
+ Specifying a name rather than a location always gives any
additional information available about that name.
& Tell what a command does.
- < Go up to the previous level (if you are on a staircase or
+ < Go up to the previous level (if you are on a staircase or
ladder).
- > Go down to the next level (if you are on a staircase or lad‐
+ > Go down to the next level (if you are on a staircase or lad-
der).
[yuhjklbn]
- Go one step in the direction indicated (see Figure 2). If
- you sense or remember a monster there, you will fight the
- monster instead. Only these one‐step movement commands
- cause you to fight monsters; the others (below) are
- ‘‘safe.’’
+ Go one step in the direction indicated (see Figure 2). If
+ you sense or remember a monster there, you will fight the
+ monster instead. Only these one-step movement commands
+ cause you to fight monsters; the others (below) are
+ ``safe.''
y k u 7 8 9
\ | / \ | /
- h‐ . ‐l 4‐ . ‐6
+ h- . -l 4- . -6
/ | \ / | \
b j n 1 2 3
(if number_pad is set)
[YUHJKLBN]
- Go in that direction until you hit a wall or run into some‐
+ Go in that direction until you hit a wall or run into some-
thing.
m[yuhjklbn]
- Prefix: move without picking up objects or fighting (even
+ Prefix: move without picking up objects or fighting (even
if you remember a monster there)
F[yuhjklbn]
- Prefix: fight a monster (even if you only guess one is
+ Prefix: fight a monster (even if you only guess one is
there)
M[yuhjklbn]
g[yuhjklbn]
Prefix: move until something interesting is found.
- G[yuhjklbn] or <CONTROL‐>[yuhjklbn]
- Prefix: same as ‘g’, but forking of corridors is not con‐
+ G[yuhjklbn] or <CONTROL->[yuhjklbn]
+ Prefix: same as `g', but forking of corridors is not con-
sidered interesting.
- _ Travel to a map location via a shortest‐path algorithm.
+ _ Travel to a map location via a shortest-path algorithm.
- The shortest path is computed over map locations the hero
- knows about (e.g. seen or previously traversed). If there
+ The shortest path is computed over map locations the hero
+ knows about (e.g. seen or previously traversed). If there
is no known path, a guess is made instead. Stops on most of
- the same conditions as the ‘G’ command, but without picking
- up objects, similar to the ‘M’ command. For ports with
- mouse support, the command is also invoked when a mouse‐
- click takes place on a location other than the current
+ the same conditions as the `G' command, but without picking
+ up objects, similar to the `M' command. For ports with
+ mouse support, the command is also invoked when a mouse-
+ click takes place on a location other than the current
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
. Rest, do nothing for one turn.
- a Apply (use) a tool (pick‐axe, key, lamp...).
+ a Apply (use) a tool (pick-axe, key, lamp...).
A Remove one or more worn items, such as armor.
- Use ‘T’ (take off) to take off only one piece of armor or
- ‘R’ (remove) to take off only one accessory.
+ Use `T' (take off) to take off only one piece of armor or
+ `R' (remove) to take off only one accessory.
^A Redo the previous command.
c Close a door.
- C Call (name) a monster, an individual object, or a type of
+ C Call (name) a monster, an individual object, or a type of
object.
- Same as extended command ‘‘#name’’.
+ Same as extended command ``#name''.
^C Panic button. Quit the game.
d Drop something.
- Ex. ‘‘d7a’’ means drop seven items of object a.
+ Ex. ``d7a'' means drop seven items of object a.
D Drop several things.
In answer to the question
- ‘‘What kinds of things do you want to drop? [!%= BUCXaium]’’
+ ``What kinds of things do you want to drop? [!%= BUCXaium]''
- you should type zero or more object symbols possibly fol‐
- lowed by ‘a’ and/or ‘i’ and/or ‘u’ and/or ‘m’. In addition,
+ you should type zero or more object symbols possibly fol-
+ lowed by `a' and/or `i' and/or `u' and/or `m'. In addition,
one or more of the blessed/uncursed/cursed groups may be
typed.
- DB ‐ drop all objects known to be blessed.
- DU ‐ drop all objects known to be uncursed.
- DC ‐ drop all objects known to be cursed.
- DX ‐ drop all objects of unknown B/U/C status.
- Da ‐ drop all objects, without asking for confirmation.
- Di ‐ examine your inventory before dropping anything.
- Du ‐ drop only unpaid objects (when in a shop).
- Dm ‐ use a menu to pick which object(s) to drop.
- D%u ‐ drop only unpaid food.
+ DB - drop all objects known to be blessed.
+ DU - drop all objects known to be uncursed.
+ DC - drop all objects known to be cursed.
+ DX - drop all objects of unknown B/U/C status.
+ Da - drop all objects, without asking for confirmation.
+ Di - examine your inventory before dropping anything.
+ Du - drop only unpaid objects (when in a shop).
+ Dm - use a menu to pick which object(s) to drop.
+ D%u - drop only unpaid food.
^D Kick something (usually a door).
E Engrave a message on the floor.
- E‐ ‐ write in the dust with your fingers.
+ E- - write in the dust with your fingers.
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
- Engraving the word ‘‘Elbereth’’ will cause most monsters to
- not attack you hand‐to‐hand (but if you attack, you will rub
+ Engraving the word ``Elbereth'' will cause most monsters to
+ not attack you hand-to-hand (but if you attack, you will rub
it out); this is often useful to give yourself a breather.
- (This feature may be compiled out of the game, so your ver‐
+ (This feature may be compiled out of the game, so your ver-
sion might not have it.)
f Fire one of the objects placed in your quiver (or quiver
- sack, or that you have at the ready). You may select ammu‐
- nition with a previous ‘Q’ command, or let the computer pick
+ sack, or that you have at the ready). You may select ammu-
+ nition with a previous `Q' command, or let the computer pick
something appropriate if autoquiver is true.
- i List your inventory (everything you’re carrying).
+ i List your inventory (everything you're carrying).
I List selected parts of your inventory, usually be specifying
- the character for a particular set of objects, like ‘[’ for
- armor or ‘!’ for potions.
-
- I* ‐ list all gems in inventory;
- Iu ‐ list all unpaid items;
- Ix ‐ list all used up items that are on your shopping bill;
- IB ‐ list all items known to be blessed;
- IU ‐ list all items known to be uncursed;
- IC ‐ list all items known to be cursed;
- IX ‐ list all items whose bless/curse status is known;
- I$ ‐ count your money.
+ the character for a particular set of objects, like `[' for
+ armor or `!' for potions.
+
+ I* - list all gems in inventory;
+ Iu - list all unpaid items;
+ Ix - list all used up items that are on your shopping bill;
+ IB - list all items known to be blessed;
+ IU - list all items known to be uncursed;
+ IC - list all items known to be cursed;
+ IX - list all items whose bless/curse status is known;
+ I$ - count your money.
o Open a door.
O Set options.
A menu showing the current option values will be displayed.
- You can change most values simply by selecting the menu en‐
- try for the given option (ie, by typing its letter or click‐
+ You can change most values simply by selecting the menu en-
+ try for the given option (ie, by typing its letter or click-
ing upon it, depending on your user interface). For the
- non‐boolean choices, a further menu or prompt will appear
- once you’ve closed this menu. The available options are
- listed later in this Guidebook. Options are usually set be‐
- fore the game rather than with the ‘O’ command; see the sec‐
+ non-boolean choices, a further menu or prompt will appear
+ once you've closed this menu. The available options are
+ listed later in this Guidebook. Options are usually set be-
+ fore the game rather than with the `O' command; see the sec-
tion on options below.
p Pay your shopping bill.
This command may also be used to wear armor. The prompt for
which inventory item to use will only list accessories, but
choosing an unlisted item of armor will attempt to wear it.
- (See the ‘W’ command below. It lists armor as the inventory
+ (See the `W' command below. It lists armor as the inventory
choices but will accept an accessory and attempt to put that
on.)
- Subsequent ^P’s repeat earlier messages. The behavior can
+ Subsequent ^P's repeat earlier messages. The behavior can
be varied via the msg_window option.
q Quaff (drink) something (potion, water, etc).
- Q Select an object for your quiver, quiver sack, or just gen‐
+ Q Select an object for your quiver, quiver sack, or just gen-
erally at the ready (only one of these is available at a
time). You can then throw this (or one of these) using the
- ‘f’ command.
+ `f' command.
(In versions prior to 3.3 this was the command to quit the
- game, which has been moved to ‘‘#quit’’.)
+ game, which has been moved to ``#quit''.)
r Read a scroll or spellbook.
R Remove a worn accessory (ring, amulet, or blindfold).
- If you’re wearing more than one, you’ll be prompted for
- which one to remove. When you’re only wearing one, then by
+ If you're wearing more than one, you'll be prompted for
+ which one to remove. When you're only wearing one, then by
default it will be removed without asking, but you can set
the paranoid_confirmation option to require a prompt.
This command may also be used to take off armor. The prompt
- for which inventory item to remove only lists worn acces‐
+ for which inventory item to remove only lists worn acces-
sories, but an item of worn armor can be chosen. (See the
- ‘T’ command below. It lists armor as the inventory choices
+ `T' command below. It lists armor as the inventory choices
but will accept an accessory and attempt to remove it.)
^R Redraw the screen.
s Search for secret doors and traps around you. It usually
takes several tries to find something.
- S Save (and suspend) the game. The game will be restored au‐
+ S Save (and suspend) the game. The game will be restored au-
tomatically the next time you play.
t Throw an object or shoot a projectile.
T Take off armor.
- If you’re wearing more than one piece, you’ll be prompted
+ If you're wearing more than one piece, you'll be prompted
for which one to take off. (Note that this treats a cloak
covering a suit and/or a shirt, or a suit covering a shirt,
- as if the underlying items weren’t there.) When you’re only
+ as if the underlying items weren't there.) When you're only
wearing one, then by default it will be taken off without
asking, but you can set the paranoid_confirmation option to
require a prompt.
This command may also be used to remove accessories. The
prompt for which inventory item to take off only lists worn
- armor, but a worn accessory can be chosen. (See the ‘R’
- command above. It lists accessories as the inventory choic‐
+ armor, but a worn accessory can be chosen. (See the `R'
+ command above. It lists accessories as the inventory choic-
es but will accept an item of armor and attempt to take it
off.)
w Wield weapon.
- w‐ ‐ wield nothing, use your bare hands.
+ w- - wield nothing, use your bare hands.
- Some characters can wield two weapons at once; use the ‘X’
- command (or the ‘‘#twoweapon’’ extended command) to do so.
+ Some characters can wield two weapons at once; use the `X'
+ command (or the ``#twoweapon'' extended command) to do so.
W Wear armor.
This command may also be used to put on an accessory (ring,
amulet, or blindfold). The prompt for which inventory item
- to use will only list armor, but choosing an unlisted acces‐
- sory will attempt to put it on. (See the ‘P’ command above.
- It lists accessories as the inventory choices but will ac‐
+ to use will only list armor, but choosing an unlisted acces-
+ sory will attempt to put it on. (See the `P' command above.
+ It lists accessories as the inventory choices but will ac-
cept an item of armor and attempt to wear it.)
x Exchange your wielded weapon with the item in your alternate
weapon slot.
The latter is used as your secondary weapon when engaging in
- two‐weapon combat. Note that if one of these slots is emp‐
+ two-weapon combat. Note that if one of these slots is emp-
ty, the exchange still takes place.
- X Toggle two‐weapon combat, if your character can do it. Also
- available via the ‘‘#twoweapon’’ extended command.
+ X Toggle two-weapon combat, if your character can do it. Also
+ available via the ``#twoweapon'' extended command.
(In versions prior to 3.6 this was the command to switch
from normal play to "explore mode", also known as "discovery
- mode", which has now been moved to ‘‘#explore’’.)
+ mode", which has now been moved to ``#explore''.)
^X Display basic information about your character.
Displays name, role, race, gender (unless role name makes
- that redundant, such as Caveman or Priestess), and align‐
- ment, along with your patron deity and his or her opposi‐
- tion. It also shows most of the various items of informa‐
+ that redundant, such as Caveman or Priestess), and align-
+ ment, along with your patron deity and his or her opposi-
+ tion. It also shows most of the various items of informa-
tion from the status line(s) in a less terse form, including
- several additional things which don’t appear in the normal
+ several additional things which don't appear in the normal
status display due to space considerations.
z Zap a wand.
- z. ‐ to aim at yourself, use ‘.’ for the direction.
+ z. - to aim at yourself, use `.' for the direction.
Z Zap (cast) a spell.
- Z. ‐ to cast at yourself, use ‘.’ for the direction.
+ Z. - to cast at yourself, use `.' for the direction.
, Pick up some things from the floor beneath you.
- May be preceded by ‘m’ to force a selection menu.
+ May be preceded by `m' to force a selection menu.
@ Toggle the autopickup option on and off.
* Tell what equipment you are using.
- Combines the preceding five type‐specific commands into one.
+ Combines the preceding five type-specific commands into one.
$ Count your gold pieces.
+ List the spells you know.
- Using this command, you can also rearrange the order in
- which your spells are listed, either by sorting the entire
- list or by picking one spell from the menu then picking an‐
- other to swap places with it. Swapping pairs of spells
+ Using this command, you can also rearrange the order in
+ which your spells are listed, either by sorting the entire
+ list or by picking one spell from the menu then picking an-
+ other to swap places with it. Swapping pairs of spells
changes their casting letters, so the change lasts after the
- current ‘+’ command finishes. Sorting the whole list is
- temporary. To make the most recent sort order persist be‐
- yond the current ‘+’ command, choose the sort option again
- and then pick "reassign casting letters". (Any spells
- learned after that will be added to the end of the list
+ current `+' command finishes. Sorting the whole list is
+ temporary. To make the most recent sort order persist be-
+ yond the current `+' command, choose the sort option again
+ and then pick "reassign casting letters". (Any spells
+ learned after that will be added to the end of the list
rather than be inserted into the sorted ordering.)
\ Show what types of objects have been discovered.
- ‘ Show discovered types for one class of objects.
+ ` Show discovered types for one class of objects.
! Escape to a shell.
# Perform an extended command.
- As you can see, the authors of NetHack used up all the let‐
+ As you can see, the authors of NetHack used up all the let-
ters, so this is a way to introduce the less frequently used
- commands. What extended commands are available depends on
+ commands. What extended commands are available depends on
what features the game was compiled with.
#adjust
Adjust inventory letters (most useful when the fixinv option
- is ‘‘on’’).
-
- This command allows you to move an item from one particular
- inventory slot to another so that it has a letter which is
- more meaningful for you or that it will appear in a particu‐
- lar location when inventory listings are displayed. ‘‘#ad‐
- just’’ can also be used to split a stack of objects; when
- choosing the item to adjust, enter a count prior to its let‐
+ is ``on'').
+
+ This command allows you to move an item from one particular
+ inventory slot to another so that it has a letter which is
+ more meaningful for you or that it will appear in a particu-
+ lar location when inventory listings are displayed. ``#ad-
+ just'' can also be used to split a stack of objects; when
+ choosing the item to adjust, enter a count prior to its let-
ter.
#chat
#conduct
List voluntary challenges you have maintained.
- See the section below entitled ‘‘Conduct’’ for details.
+ See the section below entitled ``Conduct'' for details.
#dip
Dip an object into something.
Force a lock.
#invoke
- Invoke an object’s special powers.
+ Invoke an object's special powers.
#jump
Jump to another location.
#loot
- Loot a box or bag on the floor beneath you, or the saddle
+ Loot a box or bag on the floor beneath you, or the saddle
from a steed standing next to you.
#monster
- Use a monster’s special ability (when polymorphed into mon‐
+ Use a monster's special ability (when polymorphed into mon-
ster form).
#name
- Name a monster, an individual object, or a type of object.
- Same as ‘C’.
+ Name a monster, an individual object, or a type of object.
+ Same as `C'.
#offer
Offer a sacrifice to the gods.
- You’ll need to find an altar to have any chance at success.
- Corpses of recently killed monsters are the fodder of
+ You'll need to find an altar to have any chance at success.
+ Corpses of recently killed monsters are the fodder of
choice.
#pray
Pray to the gods for help.
- Praying too soon after receiving prior help is a bad idea.
- (Hint: entering the dungeon alive is treated as having re‐
- ceived help. You probably shouldn’t start off a new game by
- praying right away.) Since using this command by accident
- can cause trouble, there is an option to make you confirm
- your intent before praying. It is enabled by default, and
- you can reset the paranoid_confirmation option to disable
+ Praying too soon after receiving prior help is a bad idea.
+ (Hint: entering the dungeon alive is treated as having re-
+ ceived help. You probably shouldn't start off a new game by
+ praying right away.) Since using this command by accident
+ can cause trouble, there is an option to make you confirm
+ your intent before praying. It is enabled by default, and
+ you can reset the paranoid_confirmation option to disable
it.
#quit
Quit the program without saving your game.
- Since using this command by accident would throw away the
- current game, you are asked to confirm your intent before
- quitting. By default a response of ’y’ acknowledges that
- intent. You can set the paranoid_confirmation option to re‐
+ Since using this command by accident would throw away the
+ current game, you are asked to confirm your intent before
+ quitting. By default a response of 'y' acknowledges that
+ intent. You can set the paranoid_confirmation option to re-
quire a response of "yes" instead.
#ride
Sit down.
#terrain
- Show bare map without displaying monsters, objects, or
+ Show bare map without displaying monsters, objects, or
traps.
#tip
- Tip over a container (bag or box) to pour out its contents.
+ Tip over a container (bag or box) to pour out its contents.
#turn
Turn undead.
#twoweapon
- Toggle two‐weapon combat on or off.
+ Toggle two-weapon combat on or off.
Note that you must use suitable weapons for this type of
combat, or it will be automatically turned off.
#?
Help menu: get the list of available extended commands.
- If your keyboard has a meta key (which, when pressed in com‐
- bination with another key, modifies it by setting the ‘meta’
- [8th, or ‘high’] bit), you can invoke many extended commands by
- meta‐ing the first letter of the command. In NT, OS/2, PC and ST
- NetHack, the ‘Alt’ key can be used in this fashion; on the Amiga,
+ If your keyboard has a meta key (which, when pressed in com-
+ bination with another key, modifies it by setting the `meta'
+ [8th, or `high'] bit), you can invoke many extended commands by
+ meta-ing the first letter of the command. In NT, OS/2, PC and ST
+ NetHack, the `Alt' key can be used in this fashion; on the Amiga,
set the altmeta option to get this behavior. On other systems,
- if typing ‘Alt’ plus another key transmits a two character se‐
+ if typing `Alt' plus another key transmits a two character se-
quence consisting of an Escape followed by the other key, you may
set the altmeta option to have nethack combine them into
meta+key.
- M‐? #? (not supported by all platforms)
+ M-? #? (not supported by all platforms)
- M‐2 #twoweapon (unless the number_pad option is enabled)
+ M-2 #twoweapon (unless the number_pad option is enabled)
- M‐a #adjust
+ M-a #adjust
- M‐A #annotate (if supported)
+ M-A #annotate (if supported)
- M‐c #chat
+ M-c #chat
- M‐C #conduct
+ M-C #conduct
- M‐d #dip
+ M-d #dip
- M‐e #enhance
+ M-e #enhance
- M‐f #force
+ M-f #force
- M‐i #invoke
+ M-i #invoke
- M‐j #jump
+ M-j #jump
- M‐l #loot
+ M-l #loot
- M‐m #monster
+ M-m #monster
- M‐n #name
+ M-n #name
- M‐o #offer
+ M-o #offer
- M‐O #overview (if supported)
+ M-O #overview (if supported)
- M‐p #pray
+ M-p #pray
- M‐q #quit
+ M-q #quit
- M‐r #rub
+ M-r #rub
- M‐R #ride (if supported)
+ M-R #ride (if supported)
- M‐s #sit
+ M-s #sit
- M‐t #turn
+ M-t #turn
- M‐T #tip
+ M-T #tip
- M‐u #untrap
+ M-u #untrap
- M‐v #version
+ M-v #version
- M‐w #wipe
+ M-w #wipe
- If the number_pad option is on, some additional letter com‐
+ If the number_pad option is on, some additional letter com-
mands are available:
h Help menu: display one of several help texts available,
- like ‘‘?’’.
+ like ``?''.
- j Jump to another location. Same as ‘‘#jump’’ or ‘‘M‐j’’.
+ j Jump to another location. Same as ``#jump'' or ``M-j''.
- k Kick something (usually a door). Same as ‘^D’.
+ k Kick something (usually a door). Same as `^D'.
l Loot a box or bag on the floor beneath you, or the saddle
- from a steed standing next to you. Same as ‘‘#loot’’ or
- ‘‘M‐l’’.
+ from a steed standing next to you. Same as ``#loot'' or
+ ``M-l''.
N Name a monster, an individual object, or a type of object.
- Same as ‘‘#name’’ (or ‘‘M‐n’’) which is the same as the ‘C’
+ Same as ``#name'' (or ``M-n'') which is the same as the `C'
command.
- u Untrap a trap, door, or chest. Same as ‘‘#untrap’’ or ‘‘M‐
- u’’.
+ u Untrap a trap, door, or chest. Same as ``#untrap'' or ``M-
+ u''.
5. Rooms and corridors
- Secret corridors are hidden. You can find them with the ‘s’
+ Secret corridors are hidden. You can find them with the `s'
(search) command.
5.1. Doorways
Doorways connect rooms and corridors. Some doorways have no
doors; you can walk right through. Others have doors in them,
which may be open, closed, or locked. To open a closed door, use
- the ‘o’ (open) command; to close it again, use the ‘c’ (close)
+ the `o' (open) command; to close it again, use the `c' (close)
command.
You can get through a locked door by using a tool to pick
- the lock with the ‘a’ (apply) command, or by kicking it open with
- the ‘^D’ (kick) command.
+ the lock with the `a' (apply) command, or by kicking it open with
+ the `^D' (kick) command.
Open doors cannot be entered diagonally; you must approach
them straight on, horizontally or vertically. Doorways without
doors are not restricted in this fashion.
- Doors can be useful for shutting out monsters. Most mon‐
- sters cannot open doors, although a few don’t need to (ex. ghosts
+ Doors can be useful for shutting out monsters. Most mon-
+ sters cannot open doors, although a few don't need to (ex. ghosts
can walk through doors).
- Secret doors are hidden. You can find them with the ‘s’
+ Secret doors are hidden. You can find them with the `s'
(search) command. Once found they are in all ways equivalent to
normal doors.
- 5.2. Traps (‘^’)
+ 5.2. Traps (`^')
There are traps throughout the dungeon to snare the unwary
delver. For example, you may suddenly fall into a pit and be
- stuck for a few turns trying to climb out. Traps don’t appear on
- your map until you see one triggered by moving onto it, see some‐
- thing fall into it, or you discover it with the ‘s’ (search) com‐
+ stuck for a few turns trying to climb out. Traps don't appear on
+ your map until you see one triggered by moving onto it, see some-
+ thing fall into it, or you discover it with the `s' (search) com-
mand. Monsters can fall prey to traps, too, which can be a very
useful defensive strategy.
- There is a special pre‐mapped branch of the dungeon based on
- the classic computer game ‘‘Sokoban.’’ The goal is to push the
+ There is a special pre-mapped branch of the dungeon based on
+ the classic computer game ``Sokoban.'' The goal is to push the
boulders into the pits or holes. With careful foresight, it is
- possible to complete all of the levels according to the tradi‐
+ possible to complete all of the levels according to the tradi-
tional rules of Sokoban. Some allowances are permitted in case
the player gets stuck; however, they will lower your luck.
- 5.3. Stairs (‘<’, ‘>’)
+ 5.3. Stairs (`<', `>')
In general, each level in the dungeon will have a staircase
- going up (‘<’) to the previous level and another going down (‘>’)
- to the next level. There are some exceptions though. For in‐
+ going up (`<') to the previous level and another going down (`>')
+ to the next level. There are some exceptions though. For in-
stance, fairly early in the dungeon you will find a level with
- two down staircases, one continuing into the dungeon and the oth‐
+ two down staircases, one continuing into the dungeon and the oth-
er branching into an area known as the Gnomish Mines. Those
mines eventually hit a dead end, so after exploring them (if you
- choose to do so), you’ll need to climb back up to the main
+ choose to do so), you'll need to climb back up to the main
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
dungeon.
When you traverse a set of stairs, or trigger a trap which
- sends you to another level, the level you’re leaving will be de‐
- activated and stored in a file on disk. If you’re moving to a
+ sends you to another level, the level you're leaving will be de-
+ activated and stored in a file on disk. If you're moving to a
previously visited level, it will be loaded from its file on disk
- and reactivated. If you’re moving to a level which has not yet
+ and reactivated. If you're moving to a level which has not yet
been visited, it will be created (from scratch for most random
- levels, from a template for some ‘‘special’’ levels, or loaded
- from the remains of an earlier game for a ‘‘bones’’ level as
- briefly described below). Monsters are only active on the cur‐
+ levels, from a template for some ``special'' levels, or loaded
+ from the remains of an earlier game for a ``bones'' level as
+ briefly described below). Monsters are only active on the cur-
rent level; those on other levels are essentially placed into
stasis.
Ordinarily when you climb a set of stairs, you will arrive
on the corresponding staircase at your destination. However,
pets (see below) and some other monsters will follow along if
- they’re close enough when you travel up or down stairs, and occa‐
+ they're close enough when you travel up or down stairs, and occa-
sionally one of these creatures will displace you during the
climb. When that occurs, the pet or other monster will arrive on
the staircase and you will end up nearby.
- 5.4. Ladders (‘<’, ‘>’)
+ 5.4. Ladders (`<', `>')
Ladders serve the same purpose as staircases, and the two
- types of inter‐level connections are nearly indistinguishable
+ types of inter-level connections are nearly indistinguishable
during game play.
5.5. Shops and shopping
Occasionally you will run across a room with a shopkeeper
near the door and many items lying on the floor. You can buy
- items by picking them up and then using the ‘p’ command. You can
- inquire about the price of an item prior to picking it up by us‐
- ing the ‘‘#chat’’ command while standing on it. Using an item
+ items by picking them up and then using the `p' command. You can
+ inquire about the price of an item prior to picking it up by us-
+ ing the ``#chat'' command while standing on it. Using an item
prior to paying for it will incur a charge, and the shopkeeper
- won’t allow you to leave the shop until you have paid any debt
+ won't allow you to leave the shop until you have paid any debt
you owe.
You can sell items to a shopkeeper by dropping them to the
floor while inside a shop. You will either be offered an amount
- of gold and asked whether you’re willing to sell, or you’ll be
- told that the shopkeeper isn’t interested (generally, your item
+ of gold and asked whether you're willing to sell, or you'll be
+ told that the shopkeeper isn't interested (generally, your item
needs to be compatible with the type of merchandise carried by
the shop).
If you drop something in a shop by accident, the shopkeeper
will usually claim ownership without offering any compensation.
- You’ll have to buy it back if you want to reclaim it.
+ You'll have to buy it back if you want to reclaim it.
Shopkeepers sometimes run out of money. When that happens,
- you’ll be offered credit instead of gold when you try to sell
+ you'll be offered credit instead of gold when you try to sell
something. Credit can be used to pay for purchases, but it is
only good in the shop where it was obtained; other shopkeepers
- won’t honor it. (If you happen to find a "credit card" in the
- dungeon, don’t bother trying to use it in shops; shopkeepers will
+ won't honor it. (If you happen to find a "credit card" in the
+ dungeon, don't bother trying to use it in shops; shopkeepers will
not accept it.)
- The ‘$’ command, which reports the amount of gold you are
+ The `$' command, which reports the amount of gold you are
carrying (in inventory, not inside bags or boxes), will also show
- current shop debt or credit, if any. The ‘Iu’ command lists un‐
- paid items (those which still belong to the shop) if you are car‐
- rying any. The ‘Ix’ command shows an inventory‐like display of
+ current shop debt or credit, if any. The `Iu' command lists un-
+ paid items (those which still belong to the shop) if you are car-
+ rying any. The `Ix' command shows an inventory-like display of
any unpaid items which have been used up, along with other shop
fees, if any.
* The price of a given item can vary due to a variety of factors.
- * A shopkeeper treats the spot immediately inside the door as if
+ * A shopkeeper treats the spot immediately inside the door as if
it were outside the shop.
* While the shopkeeper watches you like a hawk, he will generally
ignore any other customers.
- * If a shop is "closed for inventory", it will not open of its
+ * If a shop is "closed for inventory", it will not open of its
own accord.
- * Shops do not get restocked with new items, regardless of inven‐
+ * Shops do not get restocked with new items, regardless of inven-
tory depletion.
6. Monsters
- Monsters you cannot see are not displayed on the screen.
- Beware! You may suddenly come upon one in a dark place. Some
- magic items can help you locate them before they locate you
+ Monsters you cannot see are not displayed on the screen.
+ Beware! You may suddenly come upon one in a dark place. Some
+ magic items can help you locate them before they locate you
(which some monsters can do very well).
- The commands ‘/’ and ‘;’ may be used to obtain information
- about those monsters who are displayed on the screen. The com‐
- mand ‘‘#name’’, or its synonym ‘C’, allows you to assign a name
- to a monster, which may be useful to help distinguish one from
- another when multiple monsters are present. Assigning a name
+ The commands `/' and `;' may be used to obtain information
+ about those monsters who are displayed on the screen. The com-
+ mand ``#name'', or its synonym `C', allows you to assign a name
+ to a monster, which may be useful to help distinguish one from
+ another when multiple monsters are present. Assigning a name
which is just a space will remove any prior name.
- The extended command ‘‘#chat’’ can be used to interact with
- an adjacent monster. There is no actual dialog (in other words,
- you don’t get to choose what you’ll say), but chatting with some
+ The extended command ``#chat'' can be used to interact with
+ an adjacent monster. There is no actual dialog (in other words,
+ you don't get to choose what you'll say), but chatting with some
monsters such as a shopkeeper or the Oracle of Delphi can produce
useful results.
6.1. Fighting
- If you see a monster and you wish to fight it, just attempt
- to walk into it. Many monsters you find will mind their own
+ If you see a monster and you wish to fight it, just attempt
+ to walk into it. Many monsters you find will mind their own
business unless you attack them. Some of them are very dangerous
when angered. Remember: discretion is the better part of valor.
In most circumstances, if you attempt to attack a peaceful
- monster by moving into its location, you’ll be asked to confirm
- your intent. By default an answer of ’y’ acknowledges that in‐
- tent, which can be error prone if you’re using ’y’ to move. You
+ monster by moving into its location, you'll be asked to confirm
+ your intent. By default an answer of 'y' acknowledges that in-
+ tent, which can be error prone if you're using 'y' to move. You
can set the paranoid_confirmation option to require a response of
"yes" instead.
- If you can’t see a monster (if it is invisible, or if you
- are blinded), the symbol ‘I’ will be shown when you learn of its
+ If you can't see a monster (if it is invisible, or if you
+ are blinded), the symbol `I' will be shown when you learn of its
presence. If you attempt to walk into it, you will try to fight
- it just like a monster that you can see; of course, if the mon‐
+ it just like a monster that you can see; of course, if the mon-
ster has moved, you will attack empty air. If you guess that the
- monster has moved and you don’t wish to fight, you can use the
- ‘m’ command to move without fighting; likewise, if you don’t re‐
+ monster has moved and you don't wish to fight, you can use the
+ `m' command to move without fighting; likewise, if you don't re-
member a monster but want to try fighting anyway, you can use the
- ‘F’ command.
+ `F' command.
6.2. Your pet
- You start the game with a little dog (‘d’), cat (‘f’), or
- pony (‘u’), which follows you about the dungeon and fights mon‐
+ You start the game with a little dog (`d'), cat (`f'), or
+ pony (`u'), which follows you about the dungeon and fights mon-
sters with you. Like you, your pet needs food to survive. It
- usually feeds itself on fresh carrion and other meats. If you’re
+ usually feeds itself on fresh carrion and other meats. If you're
worried about it or want to train it, you can feed it, too, by
- throwing it food. A properly trained pet can be very useful un‐
+ throwing it food. A properly trained pet can be very useful un-
der certain circumstances.
Your pet also gains experience from killing monsters, and
can grow over time, gaining hit points and doing more damage.
Initially, your pet may even be better at killing things than
- you, which makes pets useful for low‐level characters.
+ you, which makes pets useful for low-level characters.
Your pet will follow you up and down staircases if it is
next to you when you move. Otherwise your pet will be stranded
and may become wild. Similarly, when you trigger certain types
of traps which alter your location (for instance, a trap door
which drops you to a lower dungeon level), any adjacent pet will
- accompany you and any non‐adjacent pet will be left behind. Your
+ accompany you and any non-adjacent pet will be left behind. Your
pet may trigger such traps itself; you will not be carried along
with it even if adjacent at the time.
6.3. Steeds
- Some types of creatures in the dungeon can actually be rid‐
+ Some types of creatures in the dungeon can actually be rid-
den if you have the right equipment and skill. Convincing a wild
beast to let you saddle it up is difficult to say the least.
Many a dungeoneer has had to resort to magic and wizardry in
order to forge the alliance. Once you do have the beast under
- your control however, you can easily climb in and out of the sad‐
- dle with the ‘#ride’ command. Lead the beast around the dungeon
+ your control however, you can easily climb in and out of the sad-
+ dle with the `#ride' command. Lead the beast around the dungeon
when riding, in the same manner as you would move yourself. It
is the beast that you will see displayed on the map.
- Riding skill is managed by the ‘#enhance’ command. See the
+ Riding skill is managed by the `#enhance' command. See the
section on Weapon proficiency for more information about that.
6.4. Bones levels
- You may encounter the shades and corpses of other adventur‐
+ You may encounter the shades and corpses of other adventur-
ers (or even former incarnations of yourself!) and their personal
effects. Ghosts are hard to kill, but easy to avoid, since
- they’re slow and do little damage. You can plunder the deceased
- adventurer’s possessions; however, they are likely to be cursed.
+ they're slow and do little damage. You can plunder the deceased
+ adventurer's possessions; however, they are likely to be cursed.
Beware of whatever killed the former player; it is probably still
lurking around, gloating over its last victory.
When you find something in the dungeon, it is common to want
to pick it up. In NetHack, this is accomplished automatically by
- walking over the object (unless you turn off the autopickup op‐
- tion (see below), or move with the ‘m’ prefix (see above)), or
- manually by using the ‘,’ command.
+ walking over the object (unless you turn off the autopickup op-
+ tion (see below), or move with the `m' prefix (see above)), or
+ manually by using the `,' command.
- If you’re carrying too many items, NetHack will tell you so
- and you won’t be able to pick up anything more. Otherwise, it
+ If you're carrying too many items, NetHack will tell you so
+ and you won't be able to pick up anything more. Otherwise, it
will add the object(s) to your pack and tell you what you just
picked up.
As you add items to your inventory, you also add the weight
- of that object to your load. The amount that you can carry de‐
+ of that object to your load. The amount that you can carry de-
pends on your strength and your constitution. The stronger you
are, the less the additional load will affect you. There comes a
- point, though, when the weight of all of that stuff you are car‐
+ point, though, when the weight of all of that stuff you are car-
rying around with you through the dungeon will encumber you.
- Your reactions will get slower and you’ll burn calories faster,
+ Your reactions will get slower and you'll burn calories faster,
requiring food more frequently to cope with it. Eventually,
- you’ll be so overloaded that you’ll either have to discard some
- of what you’re carrying or collapse under its weight.
+ you'll be so overloaded that you'll either have to discard some
+ of what you're carrying or collapse under its weight.
NetHack will tell you how badly you have loaded yourself.
- The symbols ‘Burdened’, ‘Stressed’, ‘Strained’, ‘Overtaxed’ and
- ‘Overloaded’ are displayed on the bottom line display to indicate
+ The symbols `Burdened', `Stressed', `Strained', `Overtaxed' and
+ `Overloaded' are displayed on the bottom line display to indicate
your condition.
- When you pick up an object, it is assigned an inventory let‐
+ When you pick up an object, it is assigned an inventory let-
ter. Many commands that operate on objects must ask you to find
out which object you want to use. When NetHack asks you to
- choose a particular object you are carrying, you are usually pre‐
+ choose a particular object you are carrying, you are usually pre-
sented with a list of inventory letters to choose from (see
will vary from game to game.
When you use one of these objects, if its effect is obvious,
- NetHack will remember what it is for you. If its effect isn’t
+ NetHack will remember what it is for you. If its effect isn't
extremely obvious, you will be asked what you want to call this
type of object so you will recognize it later. You can also use
- the ‘‘#name’’ command, or its synonym ‘C’, for the same purpose
+ the ``#name'' command, or its synonym `C', for the same purpose
at any time, to name all objects of a particular type or just an
- individual object. When you use ‘‘#name’’ on an object which has
+ individual object. When you use ``#name'' on an object which has
already been named, specifying a space as the value will remove
the prior name instead of assigning a new one.
stuck with (and to) the item. Cursed weapons weld themselves to
your hand when wielded, so you cannot unwield them. Any cursed
item you wear is not removable by ordinary means. In addition,
- cursed arms and armor usually, but not always, bear negative en‐
+ cursed arms and armor usually, but not always, bear negative en-
chantments that make them less effective in combat. Other cursed
objects may act poorly or detrimentally in other ways.
Objects can also be blessed. Blessed items usually work
- better or more beneficially than normal uncursed items. For ex‐
+ better or more beneficially than normal uncursed items. For ex-
ample, a blessed weapon will do more damage against demons.
Objects which are neither cursed nor blessed are referred to
as uncursed. They could just as easily have been described as
unblessed, but the uncursed designation is what you will see
- within the game. A ‘‘glass half full versus glass half empty’’
+ within the game. A ``glass half full versus glass half empty''
situation; make of that what you will.
There are magical means of bestowing or removing curses upon
they can more easily avoid cursed objects than other character
roles.
- An item with unknown status will be reported in your inven‐
+ An item with unknown status will be reported in your inven-
tory with no prefix. An item which you know the state of will be
distinguished in your inventory by the presence of the word
- ‘‘cursed’’, ‘‘uncursed’’ or ‘‘blessed’’ in the description of the
- item. In some cases ‘‘uncursed’’ will be omitted as being redun‐
+ ``cursed'', ``uncursed'' or ``blessed'' in the description of the
+ item. In some cases ``uncursed'' will be omitted as being redun-
dant when enough other information is displayed.
- 7.2. Weapons (‘)’)
+ 7.2. Weapons (`)')
Given a chance, most monsters in the Mazes of Menace will
- gratuitously try to kill you. You need weapons for self‐defense
- (killing them first). Without a weapon, you do only 1‐2 hit
+ gratuitously try to kill you. You need weapons for self-defense
+ (killing them first). Without a weapon, you do only 1-2 hit
points of damage (plus bonuses, if any). Monk characters are an
exception; they normally do much more damage with bare hands than
they do with weapons.
weapons, like arrows and spears. To hit monsters with a weapon,
you must wield it and attack them, or throw it at them. You can
simply elect to throw a spear. To shoot an arrow, you should
- first wield a bow, then throw the arrow. Crossbows shoot cross‐
+ first wield a bow, then throw the arrow. Crossbows shoot cross-
bow bolts. Slings hurl rocks and (other) stones (like gems).
- Enchanted weapons have a ‘‘plus’’ (or ‘‘to hit enhancement’’
+ Enchanted weapons have a ``plus'' (or ``to hit enhancement''
which can be either positive or negative) that adds to your
chance to hit and the damage you do to a monster. The only way
- to determine a weapon’s enchantment is to have it magically iden‐
+ to determine a weapon's enchantment is to have it magically iden-
tified somehow. Most weapons are subject to some type of damage
- like rust. Such ‘‘erosion’’ damage can be repaired.
+ like rust. Such ``erosion'' damage can be repaired.
The chance that an attack will successfully hit a monster,
and the amount of damage such a hit will do, depends upon many
- factors. Among them are: type of weapon, quality of weapon (en‐
+ factors. Among them are: type of weapon, quality of weapon (en-
chantment and/or erosion), experience level, strength, dexterity,
- encumbrance, and proficiency (see below). The monster’s armor
- class ‐ a general defense rating, not necessarily due to wearing
- of armor ‐ is a factor too; also, some monsters are particularly
+ encumbrance, and proficiency (see below). The monster's armor
+ class - a general defense rating, not necessarily due to wearing
+ of armor - is a factor too; also, some monsters are particularly
vulnerable to certain types of weapons.
Many weapons can be wielded in one hand; some require both
- hands. When wielding a two‐handed weapon, you can not wear a
- shield, and vice versa. When wielding a one‐handed weapon, you
+ hands. When wielding a two-handed weapon, you can not wear a
+ shield, and vice versa. When wielding a one-handed weapon, you
can have another weapon ready to use by setting things up with
- the ‘x’ command, which exchanges your primary (the one being
+ the `x' command, which exchanges your primary (the one being
wielded) and alternate weapons. And if you have proficiency in
- the ‘‘two weapon combat’’ skill, you may wield both weapons si‐
- multaneously as primary and secondary; use the ‘#twoweapon’ ex‐
+ the ``two weapon combat'' skill, you may wield both weapons si-
+ multaneously as primary and secondary; use the `#twoweapon' ex-
tended command to engage or disengage that. Only some types of
characters (barbarians, for instance) have the necessary skill
- available. Even with that skill, using two weapons at once in‐
+ available. Even with that skill, using two weapons at once in-
curs a penalty in the chance to hit your target compared to using
just one weapon at a time.
- There might be times when you’d rather not wield any weapon
- at all. To accomplish that, wield ‘‐’, or else use the ‘A’ com‐
+ There might be times when you'd rather not wield any weapon
+ at all. To accomplish that, wield `-', or else use the `A' com-
mand which allows you to unwield the current weapon in addition
to taking off other worn items.
Those of you in the audience who are AD&D players, be aware
- that each weapon which existed in AD&D does roughly the same dam‐
+ that each weapon which existed in AD&D does roughly the same dam-
age to monsters in NetHack. Some of the more obscure weapons
- (such as the aklys, lucern hammer, and bec‐de‐corbin) are defined
+ (such as the aklys, lucern hammer, and bec-de-corbin) are defined
in an appendix to Unearthed Arcana, an AD&D supplement.
- The commands to use weapons are ‘w’ (wield), ‘t’ (throw),
- ‘f’ (fire, an alternative way of throwing), ‘Q’ (quiver), ‘x’
- (exchange), ‘#twoweapon’, and ‘#enhance’ (see below).
+ The commands to use weapons are `w' (wield), `t' (throw),
+ `f' (fire, an alternative way of throwing), `Q' (quiver), `x'
+ (exchange), `#twoweapon', and `#enhance' (see below).
7.2.1. Throwing and shooting
- You can throw just about anything via the ‘t’ command. It
- will prompt for the item to throw; picking ‘?’ will list things
+ You can throw just about anything via the `t' command. It
+ will prompt for the item to throw; picking `?' will list things
in your inventory which are considered likely to be thrown, or
- picking ‘*’ will list your entire inventory. After you’ve chosen
+ picking `*' will list your entire inventory. After you've chosen
what to throw, you will be prompted for a direction rather than
- for a specific target. The distance something can be thrown de‐
+ for a specific target. The distance something can be thrown de-
pends mainly on the type of object and your strength. Arrows can
be thrown by hand, but can be thrown much farther and will be
more likely to hit when thrown while you are wielding a bow.
- You can simplify the throwing operation by using the ‘Q’
- command to select your preferred ‘‘missile’’, then using the ‘f’
- command to throw it. You’ll be prompted for a direction as
- above, but you don’t have to specify which item to throw each
- time you use ‘f’. There is also an option, autoquiver, which has
+ You can simplify the throwing operation by using the `Q'
+ command to select your preferred ``missile'', then using the `f'
+ command to throw it. You'll be prompted for a direction as
+ above, but you don't have to specify which item to throw each
+ time you use `f'. There is also an option, autoquiver, which has
NetHack choose another item to automatically fill your quiver (or
quiver sack, or have at the ready) when the inventory slot used
- for ‘Q’ runs out.
+ for `Q' runs out.
- Some characters have the ability to fire a volley of multi‐
+ Some characters have the ability to fire a volley of multi-
ple items in a single turn. Knowing how to load several rounds
- of ammunition at once ‐‐ or hold several missiles in your hand ‐‐
+ of ammunition at once -- or hold several missiles in your hand --
and still hit a target is not an easy task. Rangers are among
those who are adept at this task, as are those with a high level
of proficiency in the relevant weapon skill (in bow skill if
- you’re wielding one to shoot arrows, in crossbow skill if you’re
- wielding one to shoot bolts, or in sling skill if you’re wielding
+ you're wielding one to shoot arrows, in crossbow skill if you're
+ wielding one to shoot bolts, or in sling skill if you're wielding
one to shoot stones). The number of items that the character has
a chance to fire varies from turn to turn. You can explicitly
limit the number of shots by using a numeric prefix before the
- ‘t’ or ‘f’ command. For example, ‘‘2f’’ (or ‘‘n2f’’ if using
+ `t' or `f' command. For example, ``2f'' (or ``n2f'' if using
number_pad mode) would ensure that at most 2 arrows are shot even
if you could have fired 3. If you specify a larger number than
- would have been shot (‘‘4f’’ in this example), you’ll just end up
- shooting the same number (3, here) as if no limit had been speci‐
+ would have been shot (``4f'' in this example), you'll just end up
+ shooting the same number (3, here) as if no limit had been speci-
fied. Once the volley is in motion, all of the items will travel
- in the same direction; if the first ones kill a monster, the oth‐
+ in the same direction; if the first ones kill a monster, the oth-
ers can still continue beyond that spot.
7.2.2. Weapon proficiency
- You will have varying degrees of skill in the weapons avail‐
+ You will have varying degrees of skill in the weapons avail-
able. Weapon proficiency, or weapon skills, affect how well you
- can use particular types of weapons, and you’ll be able to im‐
+ can use particular types of weapons, and you'll be able to im-
prove your skills as you progress through a game, depending on
become highly skilled in daggers or staves but not in swords or
bows.
- The ‘#enhance’ extended command is used to review current
+ The `#enhance' extended command is used to review current
weapons proficiency (also spell proficiency) and to choose which
- skill(s) to improve when you’ve used one or more skills enough to
- become eligible to do so. The skill rankings are ‘‘none’’ (some‐
- times also referred to as ‘‘restricted’’, because you won’t be
- able to advance), ‘‘unskilled’’, ‘‘basic’’, ‘‘skilled’’, and
- ‘‘expert’’. Restricted skills simply will not appear in the list
- shown by ‘#enhance’. (Divine intervention might unrestrict a
+ skill(s) to improve when you've used one or more skills enough to
+ become eligible to do so. The skill rankings are ``none'' (some-
+ times also referred to as ``restricted'', because you won't be
+ able to advance), ``unskilled'', ``basic'', ``skilled'', and
+ ``expert''. Restricted skills simply will not appear in the list
+ shown by `#enhance'. (Divine intervention might unrestrict a
particular skill, in which case it will start at unskilled and be
limited to basic.) Some characters can enhance their barehanded
- combat or martial arts skill beyond expert to ‘‘master’’ or
- ‘‘grand master’’.
+ combat or martial arts skill beyond expert to ``master'' or
+ ``grand master''.
- Use of a weapon in which you’re restricted or unskilled will
+ Use of a weapon in which you're restricted or unskilled will
incur a modest penalty in the chance to hit a monster and also in
the amount of damage done when you do hit; at basic level, there
is no penalty or bonus; at skilled level, you receive a modest
bonus in the chance to hit and amount of damage done; at expert
level, the bonus is higher. A successful hit has a chance to
- boost your training towards the next skill level (unless you’ve
+ boost your training towards the next skill level (unless you've
already reached the limit for this skill). Once such training
- reaches the threshold for that next level, you’ll be told that
+ reaches the threshold for that next level, you'll be told that
you feel more confident in your skills. At that point you can
- use ‘#enhance’ to increase one or more skills. Such skills are
- not increased automatically because there is a limit to your to‐
+ use `#enhance' to increase one or more skills. Such skills are
+ not increased automatically because there is a limit to your to-
tal overall skills, so you need to actively choose which skills
to enhance and which to ignore.
- 7.2.3. Two‐Weapon combat
+ 7.2.3. Two-Weapon combat
Some characters can use two weapons at once. Setting things
up to do so can seem cumbersome but becomes second nature with
- use. To wield two weapons, you need to use the ‘‘#twoweapon’’
+ use. To wield two weapons, you need to use the ``#twoweapon''
command. But first you need to have a weapon in each hand.
(Note that your two weapons are not fully equal; the one in the
hand you normally wield with is considered primary and the other
one is considered secondary. The most noticeable difference is
- after you stop‐‐or before you begin, for that matter‐‐wielding
+ after you stop--or before you begin, for that matter--wielding
two weapons at once. The primary is your wielded weapon and the
- secondary is just an item in your inventory that’s been designat‐
+ secondary is just an item in your inventory that's been designat-
ed as alternate weapon.)
If your primary weapon is wielded but your off hand is empty
- or has the wrong weapon, use the sequence ’x’, ’w’, ’x’ to first
+ or has the wrong weapon, use the sequence 'x', 'w', 'x' to first
swap your primary into your off hand, wield whatever you want as
secondary weapon, then swap them both back into the intended
hands. If your secondary or alternate weapon is correct but your
- primary one is not, simply use ’w’ to wield the primary. Lastly,
- if neither hand holds the correct weapon, use ’w’, ’x’, ’w’ to
+ primary one is not, simply use 'w' to wield the primary. Lastly,
+ if neither hand holds the correct weapon, use 'w', 'x', 'w' to
first wield the intended secondary, swap it to off hand, and then
wield the primary.
- The whole process can be simplified via use of the push‐
- weapon option. When it is enabled, then using ’w’ to wield some‐
- thing causes the currently wielded weapon to become your alter‐
- nate weapon. So the sequence ’w’, ’w’ can be used to first wield
+ The whole process can be simplified via use of the push-
+ weapon option. When it is enabled, then using 'w' to wield some-
+ thing causes the currently wielded weapon to become your alter-
+ nate weapon. So the sequence 'w', 'w' can be used to first wield
the weapon you intend to be secondary, and then wield the one you
- want as primary which will push the first into secondary posi‐
+ want as primary which will push the first into secondary posi-
tion.
- When in two‐weapon combat mode, using the ‘‘#twoweapon’’
- command toggles back to single‐weapon mode. Throwing or dropping
- either of the weapons or having one of them be stolen or de‐
- stroyed will also make you revert to single‐weapon combat.
+ When in two-weapon combat mode, using the ``#twoweapon''
+ command toggles back to single-weapon mode. Throwing or dropping
+ either of the weapons or having one of them be stolen or de-
+ stroyed will also make you revert to single-weapon combat.
- 7.3. Armor (‘[’)
+ 7.3. Armor (`[')
- Lots of unfriendly things lurk about; you need armor to pro‐
+ Lots of unfriendly things lurk about; you need armor to pro-
tect yourself from their blows. Some types of armor offer better
protection than others. Your armor class is a measure of this
- protection. Armor class (AC) is measured as in AD&D, with 10 be‐
+ protection. Armor class (AC) is measured as in AD&D, with 10 be-
ing the equivalent of no armor, and lower numbers meaning better
armor. Each suit of armor which exists in AD&D gives the same
protection in NetHack. Here is an (incomplete) list of the armor
bronze plate mail 4
splint mail 4
banded mail 4
- dwarvish mithril‐coat 4
- elven mithril‐coat 5
+ dwarvish mithril-coat 4
+ elven mithril-coat 5
chain mail 5
orcish chain mail 6
scale mail 6
If a piece of armor is enchanted, its armor protection will
- be better (or worse) than normal, and its ‘‘plus’’ (or minus)
+ be better (or worse) than normal, and its ``plus'' (or minus)
will subtract from your armor class. For example, a +1 chain
mail would give you better protection than normal chain mail,
lowering your armor class one unit further to 4. When you put on
a piece of armor, you immediately find out the armor class and
- any ‘‘plusses’’ it provides. Cursed pieces of armor usually have
+ any ``plusses'' it provides. Cursed pieces of armor usually have
negative enchantments (minuses) in addition to being unremovable.
- Many types of armor are subject to some kind of damage like
- rust. Such damage can be repaired. Some types of armor may in‐
+ Many types of armor are subject to some kind of damage like
+ rust. Such damage can be repaired. Some types of armor may in-
hibit spell casting.
- The commands to use armor are ‘W’ (wear) and ‘T’ (take off).
- The ‘A’ command can also be used to take off armor as well as
+ The commands to use armor are `W' (wear) and `T' (take off).
+ The `A' command can also be used to take off armor as well as
other worn items.
- 7.4. Food (‘%’)
+ 7.4. Food (`%')
- Food is necessary to survive. If you go too long without
- eating you will faint, and eventually die of starvation. Some
- types of food will spoil, and become unhealthy to eat, if not
- protected. Food stored in ice boxes or tins (‘‘cans’’) will usu‐
- ally stay fresh, but ice boxes are heavy, and tins take a while
+ Food is necessary to survive. If you go too long without
+ eating you will faint, and eventually die of starvation. Some
+ types of food will spoil, and become unhealthy to eat, if not
+ protected. Food stored in ice boxes or tins (``cans'') will usu-
+ ally stay fresh, but ice boxes are heavy, and tins take a while
to open.
When you kill monsters, they usually leave corpses which are
- also ‘‘food.’’ Many, but not all, of these are edible; some also
- give you special powers when you eat them. A good rule of thumb
- is ‘‘you are what you eat.’’
+ also ``food.'' Many, but not all, of these are edible; some also
+ give you special powers when you eat them. A good rule of thumb
+ is ``you are what you eat.''
- Some character roles and some monsters are vegetarian. Veg‐
- etarian monsters will typically never eat animal corpses, while
- vegetarian players can, but with some rather unpleasant side‐ef‐
+ Some character roles and some monsters are vegetarian. Veg-
+ etarian monsters will typically never eat animal corpses, while
+ vegetarian players can, but with some rather unpleasant side-ef-
fects.
- You can name one food item after something you like to eat
+ You can name one food item after something you like to eat
with the fruit option.
- The command to eat food is ‘e’.
+ The command to eat food is `e'.
- 7.5. Scrolls (‘?’)
+ 7.5. Scrolls (`?')
- Scrolls are labeled with various titles, probably chosen by
- ancient wizards for their amusement value (ex. ‘‘READ ME,’’ or
- ‘‘THANX MAUD’’ backwards). Scrolls disappear after you read them
+ Scrolls are labeled with various titles, probably chosen by
+ ancient wizards for their amusement value (ex. ``READ ME,'' or
+ ``THANX MAUD'' backwards). Scrolls disappear after you read them
(except for blank ones, without magic spells on them).
- One of the most useful of these is the scroll of identify,
+ One of the most useful of these is the scroll of identify,
which can be used to determine what another object is, whether it
- is cursed or blessed, and how many uses it has left. Some ob‐
- jects of subtle enchantment are difficult to identify without
+ is cursed or blessed, and how many uses it has left. Some ob-
+ jects of subtle enchantment are difficult to identify without
these.
A mail daemon may run up and deliver mail to you as a scroll
- of mail (on versions compiled with this feature). To use this
- feature on versions where NetHack mail delivery is triggered by
- electronic mail appearing in your system mailbox, you must let
- NetHack know where to look for new mail by setting the ‘‘MAIL’’
- environment variable to the file name of your mailbox. You may
- also want to set the ‘‘MAILREADER’’ environment variable to the
- file name of your favorite reader, so NetHack can shell to it
- when you read the scroll. On versions of NetHack where mail is
- randomly generated internal to the game, these environment vari‐
- ables are ignored. You can disable the mail daemon by turning
+ of mail (on versions compiled with this feature). To use this
+ feature on versions where NetHack mail delivery is triggered by
+ electronic mail appearing in your system mailbox, you must let
+ NetHack know where to look for new mail by setting the ``MAIL''
+ environment variable to the file name of your mailbox. You may
+ also want to set the ``MAILREADER'' environment variable to the
+ file name of your favorite reader, so NetHack can shell to it
+ when you read the scroll. On versions of NetHack where mail is
+ randomly generated internal to the game, these environment vari-
+ ables are ignored. You can disable the mail daemon by turning
off the mail option.
- The command to read a scroll is ‘r’.
+ The command to read a scroll is `r'.
- 7.6. Potions (‘!’)
+ 7.6. Potions (`!')
- Potions are distinguished by the color of the liquid inside
+ Potions are distinguished by the color of the liquid inside
the flask. They disappear after you quaff them.
- Clear potions are potions of water. Sometimes these are
+ Clear potions are potions of water. Sometimes these are
blessed or cursed, resulting in holy or unholy water. Holy water
- is the bane of the undead, so potions of holy water are good
- things to throw (‘t’) at them. It is also sometimes very useful
- to dip (‘‘#dip’’) an object into a potion.
+ is the bane of the undead, so potions of holy water are good
+ things to throw (`t') at them. It is also sometimes very useful
+ to dip (``#dip'') an object into a potion.
- The command to drink a potion is ‘q’ (quaff).
+ The command to drink a potion is `q' (quaff).
- 7.7. Wands (‘/’)
+ 7.7. Wands (`/')
- Magic wands usually have multiple magical charges. Some
- wands are directional—you must give a direction in which to zap
- them. You can also zap them at yourself (just give a ‘.’ or ‘s’
+ Magic wands usually have multiple magical charges. Some
+ wands are directional--you must give a direction in which to zap
+ them. You can also zap them at yourself (just give a `.' or `s'
for the direction). Be warned, however, for this is often unwise.
- Other wands are nondirectional—they don’t require a direction.
- The number of charges in a wand is random and decreases by one
+ Other wands are nondirectional--they don't require a direction.
+ The number of charges in a wand is random and decreases by one
whenever you use it.
- When the number of charges left in a wand becomes zero, at‐
- tempts to use the wand will usually result in nothing happening.
+ When the number of charges left in a wand becomes zero, at-
+ tempts to use the wand will usually result in nothing happening.
Occasionally, however, it may be possible to squeeze the last few
- mana points from an otherwise spent wand, destroying it in the
- process. A wand may be recharged by using suitable magic, but
- doing so runs the risk of causing it to explode. The chance for
- such an explosion starts out very small and increases each time
+ mana points from an otherwise spent wand, destroying it in the
+ process. A wand may be recharged by using suitable magic, but
+ doing so runs the risk of causing it to explode. The chance for
+ such an explosion starts out very small and increases each time
the wand is recharged.
In a truly desperate situation, when your back is up against
- the wall, you might decide to go for broke and break your wand.
- This is not for the faint of heart. Doing so will almost cer‐
+ the wall, you might decide to go for broke and break your wand.
+ This is not for the faint of heart. Doing so will almost cer-
tainly cause a catastrophic release of magical energies.
- When you have fully identified a particular wand, inventory
- display will include additional information in parentheses: the
+ When you have fully identified a particular wand, inventory
+ display will include additional information in parentheses: the
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
- number of times it has been recharged followed by a colon and
+ number of times it has been recharged followed by a colon and
then by its current number of charges. A current charge count of
- ‐1 is a special case indicating that the wand has been cancelled.
+ -1 is a special case indicating that the wand has been cancelled.
- The command to use a wand is ‘z’ (zap). To break one, use
- the ‘a’ (apply) command.
+ The command to use a wand is `z' (zap). To break one, use
+ the `a' (apply) command.
- 7.8. Rings (‘=’)
+ 7.8. Rings (`=')
- Rings are very useful items, since they are relatively per‐
+ Rings are very useful items, since they are relatively per-
manent magic, unlike the usually fleeting effects of potions,
scrolls, and wands.
Most rings also cause you to grow hungry more rapidly, the
rate varying with the type of ring.
- The commands to use rings are ‘P’ (put on) and ‘R’ (remove).
+ The commands to use rings are `P' (put on) and `R' (remove).
- 7.9. Spellbooks (‘+’)
+ 7.9. Spellbooks (`+')
Spellbooks are tomes of mighty magic. When studied with the
- ‘r’ (read) command, they transfer to the reader the knowledge of
- a spell (and therefore eventually become unreadable) — unless the
- attempt backfires. Reading a cursed spellbook or one with mystic
- runes beyond your ken can be harmful to your health!
-
- A spell (even when learned) can also backfire when you cast
- it. If you attempt to cast a spell well above your experience
- level, or if you have little skill with the appropriate spell
- type, or cast it at a time when your luck is particularly bad,
- you can end up wasting both the energy and the time required in
+ `r' (read) command, they transfer to the reader the knowledge of
+ a spell (and therefore eventually become unreadable) -- unless
+ the attempt backfires. Reading a cursed spellbook or one with
+ mystic runes beyond your ken can be harmful to your health!
+
+ A spell (even when learned) can also backfire when you cast
+ it. If you attempt to cast a spell well above your experience
+ level, or if you have little skill with the appropriate spell
+ type, or cast it at a time when your luck is particularly bad,
+ you can end up wasting both the energy and the time required in
casting.
- Casting a spell calls forth magical energies and focuses
- them with your naked mind. Some of the magical energy released
- comes from within you, and casting several spells in a row may
- tire you. Casting of spells also requires practice. With prac‐
- tice, your skill in each category of spell casting will improve.
- Over time, however, your memory of each spell will dim, and you
+ Casting a spell calls forth magical energies and focuses
+ them with your naked mind. Some of the magical energy released
+ comes from within you, and casting several spells in a row may
+ tire you. Casting of spells also requires practice. With prac-
+ tice, your skill in each category of spell casting will improve.
+ Over time, however, your memory of each spell will dim, and you
will need to relearn it.
- Some spells are directional—you must give a direction in
- which to cast them. You can also cast them at yourself (just
- give a ‘.’ or ‘s’ for the direction). Be warned, however, for
- this is often unwise. Other spells are nondirectional—they don’t
- require a direction.
+ Some spells are directional--you must give a direction in
+ which to cast them. You can also cast them at yourself (just
+ give a `.' or `s' for the direction). Be warned, however, for
+ this is often unwise. Other spells are nondirectional--they
+ don't require a direction.
Just as weapons are divided into groups in which a character
- can become proficient (to varying degrees), spells are similarly
+ can become proficient (to varying degrees), spells are similarly
grouped. Successfully casting a spell exercises its skill group;
- using the ‘#enhance’ command to advance a sufficiently exercised
+ using the `#enhance' command to advance a sufficiently exercised
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
- skill will affect all spells within the group. Advanced skill
- may increase the potency of spells, reduce their risk of failure
+ skill will affect all spells within the group. Advanced skill
+ may increase the potency of spells, reduce their risk of failure
during casting attempts, and improve the accuracy of the estimate
- for how much longer they will be retained in your memory. Skill
- slots are shared with weapons skills. (See also the section on
- ‘‘Weapon proficiency’’.)
+ for how much longer they will be retained in your memory. Skill
+ slots are shared with weapons skills. (See also the section on
+ ``Weapon proficiency''.)
Casting a spell also requires flexible movement, and wearing
various types of armor may interfere with that.
- The command to read a spellbook is the same as for scrolls,
- ‘r’ (read). The ‘+’ command lists each spell you know along with
+ The command to read a spellbook is the same as for scrolls,
+ `r' (read). The `+' command lists each spell you know along with
its level, skill category, chance of failure when casting, and an
- estimate of how strongly it is remembered. The ‘Z’ (cast) com‐
+ estimate of how strongly it is remembered. The `Z' (cast) com-
mand casts a spell.
- 7.10. Tools (‘(’)
+ 7.10. Tools (`(')
Tools are miscellaneous objects with various purposes. Some
- tools have a limited number of uses, akin to wand charges. For
- example, lamps burn out after a while. Other tools are contain‐
+ tools have a limited number of uses, akin to wand charges. For
+ example, lamps burn out after a while. Other tools are contain-
ers, which objects can be placed into or taken out of.
- The command to use tools is ‘a’ (apply).
+ The command to use tools is `a' (apply).
7.10.1. Containers
- You may encounter bags, boxes, and chests in your travels.
- A tool of this sort can be opened with the ‘‘#loot’’ extended
- command when you are standing on top of it (that is, on the same
- floor spot), or with the ‘a’ (apply) command when you are carry‐
- ing it. However, chests are often locked, and are in any case
- unwieldy objects. You must set one down before unlocking it by
- using a key or lock‐picking tool with the ‘a’ (apply) command, by
- kicking it with the ‘^D’ command, or by using a weapon to force
- the lock with the ‘‘#force’’ extended command.
+ You may encounter bags, boxes, and chests in your travels.
+ A tool of this sort can be opened with the ``#loot'' extended
+ command when you are standing on top of it (that is, on the same
+ floor spot), or with the `a' (apply) command when you are carry-
+ ing it. However, chests are often locked, and are in any case
+ unwieldy objects. You must set one down before unlocking it by
+ using a key or lock-picking tool with the `a' (apply) command, by
+ kicking it with the `^D' command, or by using a weapon to force
+ the lock with the ``#force'' extended command.
Some chests are trapped, causing nasty things to happen when
you unlock or open them. You can check for and try to deactivate
- traps with the ‘‘#untrap’’ extended command.
+ traps with the ``#untrap'' extended command.
- 7.11. Amulets (‘"’)
+ 7.11. Amulets (`"')
- Amulets are very similar to rings, and often more powerful.
- Like rings, amulets have various magical properties, some benefi‐
+ Amulets are very similar to rings, and often more powerful.
+ Like rings, amulets have various magical properties, some benefi-
cial, some harmful, which are activated by putting them on.
Only one amulet may be worn at a time, around your neck.
- The commands to use amulets are the same as for rings, ‘P’
- (put on) and ‘R’ (remove).
+ The commands to use amulets are the same as for rings, `P'
+ (put on) and `R' (remove).
- 7.12. Gems (‘*’)
+ 7.12. Gems (`*')
- Some gems are valuable, and can be sold for a lot of gold.
- They are also a far more efficient way of carrying your riches.
+ Some gems are valuable, and can be sold for a lot of gold.
+ They are also a far more efficient way of carrying your riches.
Valuable gems increase your score if you bring them with you when
you exit.
Other small rocks are also categorized as gems, but they are
- much less valuable. All rocks, however, can be used as projec‐
- tile weapons (if you have a sling). In the most desperate of
+ much less valuable. All rocks, however, can be used as projec-
+ tile weapons (if you have a sling). In the most desperate of
cases, you can still throw them by hand.
- 7.13. Large rocks (‘`’)
+ 7.13. Large rocks (``')
- Statues and boulders are not particularly useful, and are
- generally heavy. It is rumored that some statues are not what
+ Statues and boulders are not particularly useful, and are
+ generally heavy. It is rumored that some statues are not what
they seem.
- Very large humanoids (giants and their ilk) have been known
+ Very large humanoids (giants and their ilk) have been known
to use boulders as weapons.
- 7.14. Gold (‘$’)
+ 7.14. Gold (`$')
- Gold adds to your score, and you can buy things in shops
- with it. There are a number of monsters in the dungeon that may
+ Gold adds to your score, and you can buy things in shops
+ with it. There are a number of monsters in the dungeon that may
be influenced by the amount of gold you are carrying (shopkeepers
aside).
8. Conduct
- As if winning NetHack were not difficult enough, certain
- players seek to challenge themselves by imposing restrictions on
- the way they play the game. The game automatically tracks some
- of these challenges, which can be checked at any time with the
- #conduct command or at the end of the game. When you perform an
- action which breaks a challenge, it will no longer be listed.
- This gives players extra ‘‘bragging rights’’ for winning the game
- with these challenges. Note that it is perfectly acceptable to
- win the game without resorting to these restrictions and that it
- is unusual for players to adhere to challenges the first time
+ As if winning NetHack were not difficult enough, certain
+ players seek to challenge themselves by imposing restrictions on
+ the way they play the game. The game automatically tracks some
+ of these challenges, which can be checked at any time with the
+ #conduct command or at the end of the game. When you perform an
+ action which breaks a challenge, it will no longer be listed.
+ This gives players extra ``bragging rights'' for winning the game
+ with these challenges. Note that it is perfectly acceptable to
+ win the game without resorting to these restrictions and that it
+ is unusual for players to adhere to challenges the first time
they win the game.
- Several of the challenges are related to eating behavior.
- The most difficult of these is the foodless challenge. Although
+ Several of the challenges are related to eating behavior.
+ The most difficult of these is the foodless challenge. Although
creatures can survive long periods of time without food, there is
- a physiological need for water; thus there is no restriction on
- drinking beverages, even if they provide some minor food bene‐
- fits. Calling upon your god for help with starvation does not
+ a physiological need for water; thus there is no restriction on
+ drinking beverages, even if they provide some minor food bene-
+ fits. Calling upon your god for help with starvation does not
violate any food challenges either.
- A strict vegan diet is one which avoids any food derived
- from animals. The primary source of nutrition is fruits and veg‐
- etables. The corpses and tins of blobs (‘b’), jellies (‘j’), and
+ A strict vegan diet is one which avoids any food derived
+ from animals. The primary source of nutrition is fruits and veg-
+ etables. The corpses and tins of blobs (`b'), jellies (`j'), and
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
- fungi (‘F’) are also considered to be vegetable matter. Certain
- human food is prepared without animal products; namely, lembas
- wafers, cram rations, food rations (gunyoki), K‐rations, and C‐
- rations. Metal or another normally indigestible material eaten
- while polymorphed into a creature that can digest it is also con‐
- sidered vegan food. Note however that eating such items still
+ fungi (`F') are also considered to be vegetable matter. Certain
+ human food is prepared without animal products; namely, lembas
+ wafers, cram rations, food rations (gunyoki), K-rations, and C-
+ rations. Metal or another normally indigestible material eaten
+ while polymorphed into a creature that can digest it is also con-
+ sidered vegan food. Note however that eating such items still
counts against foodless conduct.
- Vegetarians do not eat animals; however, they are less se‐
- lective about eating animal byproducts than vegans. In addition
+ Vegetarians do not eat animals; however, they are less se-
+ lective about eating animal byproducts than vegans. In addition
to the vegan items listed above, they may eat any kind of pudding
- (‘P’) other than the black puddings, eggs and food made from eggs
- (fortune cookies and pancakes), food made with milk (cream pies
+ (`P') other than the black puddings, eggs and food made from eggs
+ (fortune cookies and pancakes), food made with milk (cream pies
and candy bars), and lumps of royal jelly. Monks are expected to
observe a vegetarian diet.
- Eating any kind of meat violates the vegetarian, vegan, and
- foodless conducts. This includes tripe rations, the corpses or
- tins of any monsters not mentioned above, and the various other
- chunks of meat found in the dungeon. Swallowing and digesting a
- monster while polymorphed is treated as if you ate the creature’s
- corpse. Eating leather, dragon hide, or bone items while poly‐
- morphed into a creature that can digest it, or eating monster
+ Eating any kind of meat violates the vegetarian, vegan, and
+ foodless conducts. This includes tripe rations, the corpses or
+ tins of any monsters not mentioned above, and the various other
+ chunks of meat found in the dungeon. Swallowing and digesting a
+ monster while polymorphed is treated as if you ate the creature's
+ corpse. Eating leather, dragon hide, or bone items while poly-
+ morphed into a creature that can digest it, or eating monster
brains while polymorphed into a mind flayer, is considered eating
an animal, although wax is only an animal byproduct.
- Regardless of conduct, there will be some items which are
- indigestible, and others which are hazardous to eat. Using a
- swallow‐and‐digest attack against a monster is equivalent to eat‐
- ing the monster’s corpse. Please note that the term ‘‘vegan’’ is
- used here only in the context of diet. You are still free to
- choose not to use or wear items derived from animals (e.g.
- leather, dragon hide, bone, horns, coral), but the game will not
- keep track of this for you. Also note that ‘‘milky’’ potions may
+ Regardless of conduct, there will be some items which are
+ indigestible, and others which are hazardous to eat. Using a
+ swallow-and-digest attack against a monster is equivalent to eat-
+ ing the monster's corpse. Please note that the term ``vegan'' is
+ used here only in the context of diet. You are still free to
+ choose not to use or wear items derived from animals (e.g.
+ leather, dragon hide, bone, horns, coral), but the game will not
+ keep track of this for you. Also note that ``milky'' potions may
be a translucent white, but they do not contain milk, so they are
- compatible with a vegan diet. Slime molds or player‐defined
- ‘‘fruits’’, although they could be anything from ‘‘cherries’’ to
- ‘‘pork chops’’, are also assumed to be vegan.
+ compatible with a vegan diet. Slime molds or player-defined
+ ``fruits'', although they could be anything from ``cherries'' to
+ ``pork chops'', are also assumed to be vegan.
An atheist is one who rejects religion. This means that you
- cannot #pray, #offer sacrifices to any god, #turn undead, or
- #chat with a priest. Particularly selective readers may argue
- that playing Monk or Priest characters should violate this con‐
- duct; that is a choice left to the player. Offering the Amulet
- of Yendor to your god is necessary to win the game and is not
- counted against this conduct. You are also not penalized for be‐
- ing spoken to by an angry god, priest(ess), or other religious
+ cannot #pray, #offer sacrifices to any god, #turn undead, or
+ #chat with a priest. Particularly selective readers may argue
+ that playing Monk or Priest characters should violate this con-
+ duct; that is a choice left to the player. Offering the Amulet
+ of Yendor to your god is necessary to win the game and is not
+ counted against this conduct. You are also not penalized for be-
+ ing spoken to by an angry god, priest(ess), or other religious
figure; a true atheist would hear the words but attach no special
meaning to them.
- Most players fight with a wielded weapon (or tool intended
+ Most players fight with a wielded weapon (or tool intended
to be wielded as a weapon). Another challenge is to win the game
- without using such a wielded weapon. You are still permitted to
- throw, fire, and kick weapons; use a wand, spell, or other type
+ without using such a wielded weapon. You are still permitted to
+ throw, fire, and kick weapons; use a wand, spell, or other type
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
of item; or fight with your hands and feet.
- In NetHack, a pacifist refuses to cause the death of any
- other monster (i.e. if you would get experience for the death).
- This is a particularly difficult challenge, although it is still
+ In NetHack, a pacifist refuses to cause the death of any
+ other monster (i.e. if you would get experience for the death).
+ This is a particularly difficult challenge, although it is still
possible to gain experience by other means.
An illiterate character cannot read or write. This includes
- reading a scroll, spellbook, fortune cookie message, or t‐shirt;
+ reading a scroll, spellbook, fortune cookie message, or t-shirt;
writing a scroll; or making an engraving of anything other than a
- single ‘‘x’’ (the traditional signature of an illiterate person).
+ single ``x'' (the traditional signature of an illiterate person).
Reading an engraving, or any item that is absolutely necessary to
- win the game, is not counted against this conduct. The identity
- of scrolls and spellbooks (and knowledge of spells) in your
- starting inventory is assumed to be learned from your teachers
- prior to the start of the game and isn’t counted.
-
- There are several other challenges tracked by the game. It
- is possible to eliminate one or more species of monsters by geno‐
- cide; playing without this feature is considered a challenge.
+ win the game, is not counted against this conduct. The identity
+ of scrolls and spellbooks (and knowledge of spells) in your
+ starting inventory is assumed to be learned from your teachers
+ prior to the start of the game and isn't counted.
+
+ There are several other challenges tracked by the game. It
+ is possible to eliminate one or more species of monsters by geno-
+ cide; playing without this feature is considered a challenge.
When the game offers you an opportunity to genocide monsters, you
- may respond with the monster type ‘‘none’’ if you want to de‐
- cline. You can change the form of an item into another item of
- the same type (‘‘polypiling’’) or the form of your own body into
- another creature (‘‘polyself’’) by wand, spell, or potion of
+ may respond with the monster type ``none'' if you want to de-
+ cline. You can change the form of an item into another item of
+ the same type (``polypiling'') or the form of your own body into
+ another creature (``polyself'') by wand, spell, or potion of
polymorph; avoiding these effects are each considered challenges.
- Polymorphing monsters, including pets, does not break either of
- these challenges. Finally, you may sometimes receive wishes; a
- game without an attempt to wish for any items is a challenge, as
- is a game without wishing for an artifact (even if the artifact
+ Polymorphing monsters, including pets, does not break either of
+ these challenges. Finally, you may sometimes receive wishes; a
+ game without an attempt to wish for any items is a challenge, as
+ is a game without wishing for an artifact (even if the artifact
immediately disappears). When the game offers you an opportunity
- to make a wish for an item, you may choose ‘‘nothing’’ if you
+ to make a wish for an item, you may choose ``nothing'' if you
want to decline.
9. Options
- Due to variations in personal tastes and conceptions of how
+ Due to variations in personal tastes and conceptions of how
NetHack should do things, there are options you can set to change
how NetHack behaves.
9.1. Setting the options
- Options may be set in a number of ways. Within the game,
- the ‘O’ command allows you to view all options and change most of
- them. You can also set options automatically by placing them in
- the NETHACKOPTIONS environment variable or in a configuration
- file. Some versions of NetHack also have front‐end programs that
- allow you to set options before starting the game or a global
+ Options may be set in a number of ways. Within the game,
+ the `O' command allows you to view all options and change most of
+ them. You can also set options automatically by placing them in
+ the NETHACKOPTIONS environment variable or in a configuration
+ file. Some versions of NetHack also have front-end programs that
+ allow you to set options before starting the game or a global
configuration for system administrators.
9.2. Using the NETHACKOPTIONS environment variable
- The NETHACKOPTIONS variable is a comma‐separated list of
- initial values for the various options. Some can only be turned
- on or off. You turn one of these on by adding the name of the
- option to the list, and turn it off by typing a ‘!’ or ‘‘no’’ be‐
- fore the name. Others take a character string as a value. You
- can set string options by typing the option name, a colon or
- equals sign, and then the value of the string. The value is ter‐
+ The NETHACKOPTIONS variable is a comma-separated list of
+ initial values for the various options. Some can only be turned
+ on or off. You turn one of these on by adding the name of the
+ option to the list, and turn it off by typing a `!' or ``no'' be-
+ fore the name. Others take a character string as a value. You
+ can set string options by typing the option name, a colon or
+ equals sign, and then the value of the string. The value is ter-
minated by the next comma or the end of string.
- For example, to set up an environment variable so that ‘‘au‐
- toquiver’’ is on, ‘‘autopickup’’ is off, the name is set to
- ‘‘Blue Meanie’’, and the fruit is set to ‘‘papaya’’, you would
+ For example, to set up an environment variable so that ``au-
+ toquiver'' is on, ``autopickup'' is off, the name is set to
+ ``Blue Meanie'', and the fruit is set to ``papaya'', you would
enter the command
% setenv NETHACKOPTIONS "autoquiver,\!autopickup,name:Blue Meanie,fruit:papaya"
- in csh (note the need to escape the ! since it’s special to the
+ in csh (note the need to escape the ! since it's special to the
shell), or
$ NETHACKOPTIONS="autoquiver,!autopickup,name:Blue Meanie,fruit:papaya"
9.3. Using a configuration file
- Any line in the configuration file starting with ‘#’ is
- treated as a comment. Any line in the configuration file start‐
- ing with ‘‘OPTIONS=’’ may be filled out with options in the same
- syntax as in NETHACKOPTIONS. Any line starting with ‘‘SYMBOLS=’’
- is taken as defining the corresponding symbol in a different syn‐
- tax, a sequence of decimal numbers giving the character position
- in the current font to be used in displaying each entry. Such a
- sequence can be continued to multiple lines by putting a ‘\’ at
+ Any line in the configuration file starting with `#' is
+ treated as a comment. Any line in the configuration file start-
+ ing with ``OPTIONS='' may be filled out with options in the same
+ syntax as in NETHACKOPTIONS. Any line starting with ``SYMBOLS=''
+ is taken as defining the corresponding symbol in a different syn-
+ tax, a sequence of decimal numbers giving the character position
+ in the current font to be used in displaying each entry. Such a
+ sequence can be continued to multiple lines by putting a `\' at
the end of each line to be continued.
- Any line starting with ‘‘AUTOPICKUP_EXCEPTION=’’ is taken as
- defining an exception to the pickup_types option. There is a
+ Any line starting with ``AUTOPICKUP_EXCEPTION='' is taken as
+ defining an exception to the pickup_types option. There is a
section of this Guidebook that discusses that.
- The default name of the configuration file varies on differ‐
- ent operating systems, but NETHACKOPTIONS can also be set to the
- full name of a file you want to use (possibly preceded by an
- ‘@’).
+ The default name of the configuration file varies on differ-
+ ent operating systems, but NETHACKOPTIONS can also be set to the
+ full name of a file you want to use (possibly preceded by an
+ `@').
9.4. Customization options
- Here are explanations of what the various options do. Char‐
- acter strings that are too long may be truncated. Some of the
+ Here are explanations of what the various options do. Char-
+ acter strings that are too long may be truncated. Some of the
options listed may be inactive in your dungeon.
- Some options are persistent, and are saved and reloaded
- along with the game. Changing a persistent option in the config‐
+ Some options are persistent, and are saved and reloaded
+ along with the game. Changing a persistent option in the config-
uration file applies only to new games.
acoustics
- Enable messages about what your character hears (default on).
- Note that this has nothing to do with your computer’s audio ca‐
+ Enable messages about what your character hears (default on).
+ Note that this has nothing to do with your computer's audio ca-
pabilities. Persistent.
align
- Your starting alignment (align:lawful, align:neutral, or
- align:chaotic). You may specify just the first letter. The
- default is to randomly pick an appropriate alignment. If you
- prefix a ‘!’ or ‘‘no’’ to the value, you can exclude that
- alignment from being picked randomly. Cannot be set with the
- ‘O’ command. Persistent.
+ Your starting alignment (align:lawful, align:neutral, or
+ align:chaotic). You may specify just the first letter. The
+ default is to randomly pick an appropriate alignment. If you
+ prefix a `!' or ``no'' to the value, you can exclude that
+ alignment from being picked randomly. Cannot be set with the
+ `O' command. Persistent.
autodig
Automatically dig if you are wielding a digging tool and moving
into a place that can be dug (default false). Persistent.
autoopen
- Walking into a door attempts to open it (default true). Persis‐
+ Walking into a door attempts to open it (default true). Persis-
tent.
autopickup
- Automatically pick up things onto which you move (default on).
+ Automatically pick up things onto which you move (default on).
Persistent. See pickup_types to refine the behavior.
autoquiver
- This option controls what happens when you attempt the ‘f’
- (fire) command with an empty quiver (or quiver sack or have
- nothing at the ready). When true, the computer will fill your
+ This option controls what happens when you attempt the `f'
+ (fire) command with an empty quiver (or quiver sack or have
+ nothing at the ready). When true, the computer will fill your
quiver or quiver sack or make ready some suitable weapon. Note
- that it will not take into account the blessed/cursed status,
- enchantment, damage, or quality of the weapon; you are free to
+ that it will not take into account the blessed/cursed status,
+ enchantment, damage, or quality of the weapon; you are free to
manually fill your quiver or quiver sack or make ready with the
- ‘Q’ command instead. If no weapon is found or the option is
- false, the ‘t’ (throw) command is executed instead. Persis‐
+ `Q' command instead. If no weapon is found or the option is
+ false, the `t' (throw) command is executed instead. Persis-
tent. (default false)
blind
- Start the character permanently blind. Persistent. (default
+ Start the character permanently blind. Persistent. (default
false)
bones
- Allow saving and loading bones files. Persistent. (default
+ Allow saving and loading bones files. Persistent. (default
true)
boulder
- Set the character used to display boulders (default is rock
+ Set the character used to display boulders (default is rock
class symbol).
catname
- Name your starting cat (ex. ‘‘catname:Morris’’). Cannot be set
- with the ‘O’ command.
+ Name your starting cat (ex. ``catname:Morris''). Cannot be set
+ with the `O' command.
character
- Pick your type of character (ex. ‘‘character:Monk’’); synonym
- for ‘‘role’’. See ‘‘name’’ for an alternate method of specify‐
- ing your role. Normally only the first letter of the value is
- examined; the string ‘‘random’’ is an exception.
+ Pick your type of character (ex. ``character:Monk''); synonym
+ for ``role''. See ``name'' for an alternate method of specify-
+ ing your role. Normally only the first letter of the value is
+ examined; the string ``random'' is an exception.
checkpoint
- Save game state after each level change, for possible recovery
+ Save game state after each level change, for possible recovery
after program crash (default on). Persistent.
checkspace
- Check free disk space before writing files to disk (default
- on). You may have to turn this off if you have more than 2 GB
+ Check free disk space before writing files to disk (default
+ on). You may have to turn this off if you have more than 2 GB
free space on the partition used for your save and level files.
Only applies when MFLOPPY was defined during compilation.
clicklook
- Allows looking at things on the screen by navigating the mouse
+ Allows looking at things on the screen by navigating the mouse
over them and clicking the right mouse button (default off).
cmdassist
- Have the game provide some additional command assistance for
- new players if it detects some anticipated mistakes (default
+ Have the game provide some additional command assistance for
+ new players if it detects some anticipated mistakes (default
on).
confirm
- Have user confirm attacks on pets, shopkeepers, and other
+ Have user confirm attacks on pets, shopkeepers, and other
peaceable creatures (default on). Persistent.
dark_room
- Show out‐of‐sight areas of lit rooms (default off). Persis‐
+ Show out-of-sight areas of lit rooms (default off). Persis-
tent.
disclose
- Controls what information the program reveals when the game
- ends. Value is a space separated list of prompting/category
- pairs (default is ‘ni na nv ng nc no’, prompt with default re‐
- sponse of ‘n’ for each candidate). Persistent. The possibili‐
+ Controls what information the program reveals when the game
+ ends. Value is a space separated list of prompting/category
+ pairs (default is `ni na nv ng nc no', prompt with default re-
+ sponse of `n' for each candidate). Persistent. The possibili-
ties are:
- i ‐ disclose your inventory;
- a ‐ disclose your attributes;
- v ‐ summarize monsters that have been vanquished;
- g ‐ list monster species that have been genocided;
- c ‐ display your conduct;
- o ‐ display dungeon overview.
+ i - disclose your inventory;
+ a - disclose your attributes;
+ v - summarize monsters that have been vanquished;
+ g - list monster species that have been genocided;
+ c - display your conduct;
+ o - display dungeon overview.
- Each disclosure possibility can optionally be preceded by a
- prefix which lets you refine how it behaves. Here are the
+ Each disclosure possibility can optionally be preceded by a
+ prefix which lets you refine how it behaves. Here are the
valid prefixes:
- y ‐ prompt you and default to yes on the prompt;
- n ‐ prompt you and default to no on the prompt;
- + ‐ disclose it without prompting;
- ‐ ‐ do not disclose it and do not prompt.
+ y - prompt you and default to yes on the prompt;
+ n - prompt you and default to no on the prompt;
+ + - disclose it without prompting;
+ - - do not disclose it and do not prompt.
- Omitted categories are implicitly added with ‘n’ prefix. Spec‐
- ified categories with omitted prefix implicitly use ‘+’ prefix.
- Order of the disclosure categories does not matter, program
- display for end‐of‐game disclosure follows a set sequence.
+ Omitted categories are implicitly added with `n' prefix. Spec-
+ ified categories with omitted prefix implicitly use `+' prefix.
+ Order of the disclosure categories does not matter, program
+ display for end-of-game disclosure follows a set sequence.
- (ex. ‘‘disclose:yi na +v ‐g o’’) The example sets inventory to
- prompt and default to yes, attributes to prompt and default to
- no, vanquished to disclose without prompting, genocided to not
- disclose and not prompt, conduct to implicitly prompt and de‐
+ (ex. ``disclose:yi na +v -g o'') The example sets inventory to
+ prompt and default to yes, attributes to prompt and default to
+ no, vanquished to disclose without prompting, genocided to not
+ disclose and not prompt, conduct to implicitly prompt and de-
fault to no, and overview to disclose without prompting.
- Note that the vanquished monsters list includes all monsters
- killed by traps and each other as well as by you. And the dun‐
- geon overview shows all levels you had visited but does not re‐
- veal things about them that you hadn’t discovered.
+ Note that the vanquished monsters list includes all monsters
+ killed by traps and each other as well as by you. And the dun-
+ geon overview shows all levels you had visited but does not re-
+ veal things about them that you hadn't discovered.
dogname
- Name your starting dog (ex. ‘‘dogname:Fang’’). Cannot be set
- with the ‘O’ command.
+ Name your starting dog (ex. ``dogname:Fang''). Cannot be set
+ with the `O' command.
extmenu
- Changes the extended commands interface to pop‐up a menu of
- available commands. It is keystroke compatible with the tradi‐
- tional interface except that it does not require that you hit
- Enter. It is implemented only by the tty port (default off),
+ Changes the extended commands interface to pop-up a menu of
+ available commands. It is keystroke compatible with the tradi-
+ tional interface except that it does not require that you hit
+ Enter. It is implemented only by the tty port (default off),
when the game has been compiled to support tty graphics.
female
- An obsolete synonym for ‘‘gender:female’’. Cannot be set with
- the ‘O’ command.
+ An obsolete synonym for ``gender:female''. Cannot be set with
+ the `O' command.
fixinv
- An object’s inventory letter sticks to it when it’s dropped
- (default on). If this is off, dropping an object shifts all
+ An object's inventory letter sticks to it when it's dropped
+ (default on). If this is off, dropping an object shifts all
the remaining inventory letters. Persistent.
fruit
- Name a fruit after something you enjoy eating (ex. ‘‘fruit:man‐
- go’’) (default ‘‘slime mold’’). Basically a nostalgic whimsy
- that NetHack uses from time to time. You should set this to
- something you find more appetizing than slime mold. Apples,
- oranges, pears, bananas, and melons already exist in NetHack,
- so don’t use those.
+ Name a fruit after something you enjoy eating (ex. ``fruit:man-
+ go'') (default ``slime mold''). Basically a nostalgic whimsy
+ that NetHack uses from time to time. You should set this to
+ something you find more appetizing than slime mold. Apples,
+ oranges, pears, bananas, and melons already exist in NetHack,
+ so don't use those.
gender
- Your starting gender (gender:male or gender:female). You may
- specify just the first letter. Although you can still denote
- your gender using the ‘‘male’’ and ‘‘female’’ options, the
- ‘‘gender’’ option will take precedence. The default is to
+ Your starting gender (gender:male or gender:female). You may
+ specify just the first letter. Although you can still denote
+ your gender using the ``male'' and ``female'' options, the
+ ``gender'' option will take precedence. The default is to
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
- randomly pick an appropriate gender. If you prefix a ‘!’ or
- ‘‘no’’ to the value, you can exclude that gender from being
- picked randomly. Cannot be set with the ‘O’ command. Persis‐
+ randomly pick an appropriate gender. If you prefix a `!' or
+ ``no'' to the value, you can exclude that gender from being
+ picked randomly. Cannot be set with the `O' command. Persis-
tent.
help
- If more information is available for an object looked at with
- the ‘/’ command, ask if you want to see it (default on). Turn‐
- ing help off makes just looking at things faster, since you
- aren’t interrupted with the ‘‘More info?’’ prompt, but it also
- means that you might miss some interesting and/or important in‐
+ If more information is available for an object looked at with
+ the `/' command, ask if you want to see it (default on). Turn-
+ ing help off makes just looking at things faster, since you
+ aren't interrupted with the ``More info?'' prompt, but it also
+ means that you might miss some interesting and/or important in-
formation. Persistent.
hilite_pet
- Visually distinguish pets from similar animals (default off).
- The behavior of this option depends on the type of windowing
+ Visually distinguish pets from similar animals (default off).
+ The behavior of this option depends on the type of windowing
you use. In text windowing, text highlighting or inverse video
- is often used; with tiles, generally displays a heart symbol
+ is often used; with tiles, generally displays a heart symbol
near pets.
hilite_pile
- Visually distinguish piles of objects from individual objects
+ Visually distinguish piles of objects from individual objects
(default off). The behavior of this option depends on the type
- of windowing you use. In text windowing, text highlighting or
- inverse video is often used; with tiles, generally displays a
- small plus‐symbol beside the object on the top of the pile.
+ of windowing you use. In text windowing, text highlighting or
+ inverse video is often used; with tiles, generally displays a
+ small plus-symbol beside the object on the top of the pile.
horsename
- Name your starting horse (ex. ‘‘horsename:Trigger’’). Cannot
- be set with the ‘O’ command.
+ Name your starting horse (ex. ``horsename:Trigger''). Cannot
+ be set with the `O' command.
ignintr
- Ignore interrupt signals, including breaks (default off). Per‐
+ Ignore interrupt signals, including breaks (default off). Per-
sistent.
implicit_uncursed
held by your character as lit (default off). Persistent.
lootabc
- Use the old ‘a’, ‘b’, and ‘c’ keyboard shortcuts when looting,
- rather than the mnemonics ‘o’, ‘i’, and ‘b’ (default off).
+ Use the old `a', `b', and `c' keyboard shortcuts when looting,
+ rather than the mnemonics `o', `i', and `b' (default off).
Persistent.
mail
male
- An obsolete synonym for ‘‘gender:male’’. Cannot be set with
- the ‘O’ command.
+ An obsolete synonym for ``gender:male''. Cannot be set with
+ the `O' command.
mention_walls
Give feedback when walking against a wall (default off).
menucolors
- Enable coloring menu lines (default off). See ‘‘Configuring
- Menu Colors’’ on how to configure the colors.
+ Enable coloring menu lines (default off). See ``Configuring
+ Menu Colors'' on how to configure the colors.
menustyle
- Controls the interface used when you need to choose various ob‐
- jects (in response to the Drop command, for instance). The
- value specified should be the first letter of one of the fol‐
- lowing: traditional, combination, full, or partial. Tradi‐
- tional was the only interface available for early versions; it
- consists of a prompt for object class characters, followed by
- an object‐by‐object prompt for all items matching the selected
- object class(es). Combination starts with a prompt for object
- class(es) of interest, but then displays a menu of matching ob‐
- jects rather than prompting one‐by‐one. Full displays a menu
- of object classes rather than a character prompt, and then a
- menu of matching objects for selection. Partial skips the ob‐
- ject class filtering and immediately displays a menu of all ob‐
+ Controls the interface used when you need to choose various ob-
+ jects (in response to the Drop command, for instance). The
+ value specified should be the first letter of one of the fol-
+ lowing: traditional, combination, full, or partial. Tradi-
+ tional was the only interface available for early versions; it
+ consists of a prompt for object class characters, followed by
+ an object-by-object prompt for all items matching the selected
+ object class(es). Combination starts with a prompt for object
+ class(es) of interest, but then displays a menu of matching ob-
+ jects rather than prompting one-by-one. Full displays a menu
+ of object classes rather than a character prompt, and then a
+ menu of matching objects for selection. Partial skips the ob-
+ ject class filtering and immediately displays a menu of all ob-
jects. Persistent.
menu_deselect_all
- Menu character accelerator to deselect all items in a menu.
- Implemented by the Amiga, Gem, X11 and tty ports. Default ’‐’.
+ Menu character accelerator to deselect all items in a menu.
+ Implemented by the Amiga, Gem, X11 and tty ports. Default '-'.
menu_deselect_page
Menu character accelerator to deselect all items on this page
- of a menu. Implemented by the Amiga, Gem and tty ports. De‐
- fault ’\’.
+ of a menu. Implemented by the Amiga, Gem and tty ports. De-
+ fault '\'.
menu_first_page
Menu character accelerator to jump to the first page in a menu.
- Implemented by the Amiga, Gem and tty ports. Default ’^’.
+ Implemented by the Amiga, Gem and tty ports. Default '^'.
menu_headings
Controls how the headings in a menu are highlighted. Values
- are ’none’, ’bold’, ’dim’, ’underline’, ’blink’, or ’inverse’.
+ are 'none', 'bold', 'dim', 'underline', 'blink', or 'inverse'.
Not all ports can actually display all types.
menu_invert_all
- Menu character accelerator to invert all items in a menu. Im‐
- plemented by the Amiga, Gem, X11 and tty ports. Default ’@’.
+ Menu character accelerator to invert all items in a menu. Im-
+ plemented by the Amiga, Gem, X11 and tty ports. Default '@'.
menu_invert_page
Menu character accelerator to invert all items on this page of
a menu. Implemented by the Amiga, Gem and tty ports. Default
- ’~’.
+ '~'.
menu_last_page
Menu character accelerator to jump to the last page in a menu.
- Implemented by the Amiga, Gem and tty ports. Default ’|’.
+ Implemented by the Amiga, Gem and tty ports. Default '|'.
menu_next_page
- Menu character accelerator to goto the next menu page. Imple‐
- mented by the Amiga, Gem and tty ports. Default ’>’.
+ Menu character accelerator to goto the next menu page. Imple-
+ mented by the Amiga, Gem and tty ports. Default '>'.
menu_objsyms
Show object symbols in menu headings in menus where the object
symbols act as menu accelerators (default off).
menu_previous_page
- Menu character accelerator to goto the previous menu page. Im‐
- plemented by the Amiga, Gem and tty ports. Default ’<’.
+ Menu character accelerator to goto the previous menu page. Im-
+ plemented by the Amiga, Gem and tty ports. Default '<'.
menu_search
- Menu character accelerator to search for a menu item. Imple‐
- mented by the Amiga, Gem, X11 and tty ports. Default ’:’.
+ Menu character accelerator to search for a menu item. Imple-
+ mented by the Amiga, Gem, X11 and tty ports. Default ':'.
menu_select_all
- Menu character accelerator to select all items in a menu. Im‐
- plemented by the Amiga, Gem, X11 and tty ports. Default ’.’.
+ Menu character accelerator to select all items in a menu. Im-
+ plemented by the Amiga, Gem, X11 and tty ports. Default '.'.
menu_select_page
Menu character accelerator to select all items on this page of
a menu. Implemented by the Amiga, Gem and tty ports. Default
- ’,’.
+ ','.
msghistory
The number of top line messages to save (and recall with ^P)
- (default 20). Cannot be set with the ‘O’ command.
+ (default 20). Cannot be set with the `O' command.
msg_window
Allows you to change the way recalled messages are displayed.
- (It is currently implemented for tty only.) The possible val‐
+ (It is currently implemented for tty only.) The possible val-
ues are:
- s ‐ single message (default; only choice prior to 3.4.0);
- c ‐ combination, two messages as ‘single’, then as ‘full’;
- f ‐ full window, oldest message first;
- r ‐ full window reversed, newest message first.
+ s - single message (default; only choice prior to 3.4.0);
+ c - combination, two messages as `single', then as `full';
+ f - full window, oldest message first;
+ r - full window reversed, newest message first.
For backward compatibility, no value needs to be specified
- (which defaults to ‘full’), or it can be negated (which de‐
- faults to ‘single’).
+ (which defaults to `full'), or it can be negated (which de-
+ faults to `single').
name
- Set your character’s name (defaults to your user name). You
- can also set your character’s role by appending a dash and one
- or more letters of the role (that is, by suffixing one of ‐A ‐B
- ‐C ‐H ‐K ‐M ‐P ‐Ra ‐Ro ‐S ‐T ‐V ‐W). If ‐@ is used for the
+ Set your character's name (defaults to your user name). You
+ can also set your character's role by appending a dash and one
+ or more letters of the role (that is, by suffixing one of -A -B
+ -C -H -K -M -P -Ra -Ro -S -T -V -W). If -@ is used for the
role, then a random one will be automatically chosen. Cannot
- be set with the ‘O’ command.
+ be set with the `O' command.
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
news
Read the NetHack news file, if present (default on). Since the
- news is shown at the beginning of the game, there’s no point in
- setting this with the ‘O’ command.
+ news is shown at the beginning of the game, there's no point in
+ setting this with the `O' command.
nudist
Start the character with no armor (default false). Persistent.
Send padding nulls to the terminal (default on). Persistent.
number_pad
- Use digit keys instead of letters to move (default 0 or off).
+ Use digit keys instead of letters to move (default 0 or off).
Valid settings are:
- 0 ‐ move by letters; ‘yuhjklbn’
- 1 ‐ move by numbers; digit ‘5’ acts as ‘G’ movement prefix
- 2 ‐ like 1 but ‘5’ works as ‘g’ prefix instead of as ‘G’
- 3 ‐ by numbers using phone key layout; 123 above, 789 below
- 4 ‐ combines 3 with 2; phone layout plus MSDOS compatibility
- ‐1 ‐ by letters but use ‘z’ to go northwest, ‘y’ to zap wands
-
- For backward compatibility, omitting a value is the same as
- specifying 1 and negating number_pad is the same as specifying
- 0. (Settings 2 and 4 are for compatibility with MSDOS or old
- PC Hack; in addition to the different behavior for ‘5’, ‘Alt‐5’
- acts as ‘G’ and ‘Alt‐0’ acts as ‘I’. Setting ‐1 is to accommo‐
- date some German keyboards which have the location of the ‘y’
- and ‘z’ keys swapped.) When moving by numbers, to enter a
- count prefix for those commands which accept one (such as
- ‘‘12s’’ to search twelve times), precede it with the letter ‘n’
- (‘‘n12s’’).
+ 0 - move by letters; `yuhjklbn'
+ 1 - move by numbers; digit `5' acts as `G' movement prefix
+ 2 - like 1 but `5' works as `g' prefix instead of as `G'
+ 3 - by numbers using phone key layout; 123 above, 789 below
+ 4 - combines 3 with 2; phone layout plus MSDOS compatibility
+ -1 - by letters but use `z' to go northwest, `y' to zap wands
+
+ For backward compatibility, omitting a value is the same as
+ specifying 1 and negating number_pad is the same as specifying
+ 0. (Settings 2 and 4 are for compatibility with MSDOS or old
+ PC Hack; in addition to the different behavior for `5', `Alt-5'
+ acts as `G' and `Alt-0' acts as `I'. Setting -1 is to accommo-
+ date some German keyboards which have the location of the `y'
+ and `z' keys swapped.) When moving by numbers, to enter a
+ count prefix for those commands which accept one (such as
+ ``12s'' to search twelve times), precede it with the letter `n'
+ (``n12s'').
packorder
- Specify the order to list object types in (default
- ‘‘")[%?+!=/(*‘0_’’). The value of this option should be a
- string containing the symbols for the various object types.
- Any omitted types are filled in at the end from the previous
+ Specify the order to list object types in (default
+ ``")[%?+!=/(*`0_''). The value of this option should be a
+ string containing the symbols for the various object types.
+ Any omitted types are filled in at the end from the previous
order.
paranoid_confirmation
- A space separated list of specific situations where alternate
- prompting is desired. The default is paranoid_confirma‐
+ A space separated list of specific situations where alternate
+ prompting is desired. The default is paranoid_confirma-
tion:pray.
- Confirm ‐ for any prompts which are set to require "yes" rather
- than ’y’, also require "no" to reject instead of ac‐
- cepting any non‐yes response as no
- quit ‐ require "yes" rather than ’y’ to confirm quitting the
- game or switching into non‐scoring explore mode;
- die ‐ require "yes" rather than ’y’ to confirm dying (not
+ Confirm - for any prompts which are set to require "yes" rather
+ than 'y', also require "no" to reject instead of ac-
+ cepting any non-yes response as no
+ quit - require "yes" rather than 'y' to confirm quitting the
+ game or switching into non-scoring explore mode;
+ die - require "yes" rather than 'y' to confirm dying (not
useful in normal play; applies to explore mode);
- bones ‐ require "yes" rather than ’y’ to confirm saving bones
+ bones - require "yes" rather than 'y' to confirm saving bones
data when dying in debug mode;
- attack ‐ require "yes" rather than ’y’ to confirm attacking a
+ attack - require "yes" rather than 'y' to confirm attacking a
peaceful monster;
- pray ‐ require ’y’ to confirm an attempt to pray rather than
+ pray - require 'y' to confirm an attempt to pray rather than
immediately praying; on by default;
- wand ‐ require "yes" rather than ’y’ to confirm breaking a
+ wand - require "yes" rather than 'y' to confirm breaking a
wand;
- Remove ‐ require selection from inventory for ’R’ and ’T’ com‐
+ Remove - require selection from inventory for 'R' and 'T' com-
mands even when wearing just one applicable item.
- By default, the pray choice is enabled, the others disabled.
- To disable it without setting any of the other choices, use
- ‘‘paranoid_confirmation:none’’. To keep it enabled while set‐
- ting any of the others, include it in the list, such as ‘‘para‐
- noid_confirmation:attack pray Remove’’.
+ By default, the pray choice is enabled, the others disabled.
+ To disable it without setting any of the other choices, use
+ ``paranoid_confirmation:none''. To keep it enabled while set-
+ ting any of the others, include it in the list, such as ``para-
+ noid_confirmation:attack pray Remove''.
perm_invent
- If true, always display your current inventory in a window.
- This only makes sense for windowing system interfaces that im‐
+ If true, always display your current inventory in a window.
+ This only makes sense for windowing system interfaces that im-
plement this feature. Persistent.
pettype
- Specify the type of your initial pet, if you are playing a
- character class that uses multiple types of pets; or choose to
- have no initial pet at all. Possible values are ‘‘cat’’,
- ‘‘dog’’, ‘‘horse’’, and ‘‘none’’. If the choice is not allowed
- for the role you are currently playing, it will be silently ig‐
- nored. For example, ‘‘horse’’ will only be honored when play‐
- ing a knight. Cannot be set with the ‘O’ command.
+ Specify the type of your initial pet, if you are playing a
+ character class that uses multiple types of pets; or choose to
+ have no initial pet at all. Possible values are ``cat'',
+ ``dog'', ``horse'', and ``none''. If the choice is not allowed
+ for the role you are currently playing, it will be silently ig-
+ nored. For example, ``horse'' will only be honored when play-
+ ing a knight. Cannot be set with the `O' command.
pickup_burden
- When you pick up an item that would exceed this encumbrance
- level (Unencumbered, Burdened, streSsed, straiNed, overTaxed,
- or overLoaded), you will be asked if you want to continue.
- (Default ‘S’). Persistent.
+ When you pick up an item that would exceed this encumbrance
+ level (Unencumbered, Burdened, streSsed, straiNed, overTaxed,
+ or overLoaded), you will be asked if you want to continue.
+ (Default `S'). Persistent.
pickup_thrown
- If this option is on and autopickup is also on, try to pick up
- things that you threw, even if they aren’t in pickup_types or
+ If this option is on and autopickup is also on, try to pick up
+ things that you threw, even if they aren't in pickup_types or
match an autopickup exception. Default is on. Persistent.
pickup_types
Specify the object types to be picked up when autopickup is on.
- Default is all types. You can use autopickup_exception config‐
- uration file lines to further refine autopickup behavior. Per‐
+ Default is all types. You can use autopickup_exception config-
+ uration file lines to further refine autopickup behavior. Per-
sistent.
pile_limit
- When walking across a pile of objects on the floor, threshold
- at which the message "there are few/several/many objects here"
- is given instead of showing a popup list of those objects. A
- value of 0 means "no limit" (always list the objects); a value
- of 1 effectively means "never show the objects" since the pile
- size will always be at least that big; default value is 5.
+ When walking across a pile of objects on the floor, threshold
+ at which the message "there are few/several/many objects here"
+ is given instead of showing a popup list of those objects. A
+ value of 0 means "no limit" (always list the objects); a value
+ of 1 effectively means "never show the objects" since the pile
+ size will always be at least that big; default value is 5.
Persistent.
playmode
- Values are ‘normal’, ‘explore’, or ‘debug’. Allows selection
- of explore mode (also known as discovery mode) or debug mode
+ Values are `normal', `explore', or `debug'. Allows selection
+ of explore mode (also known as discovery mode) or debug mode
(also known as wizard mode) instead of normal play. Debug mode
- might only be allowed for someone logged in under a particular
- user name (on multi‐user systems) or specifying a particular
- character name (on single‐user systems) or it might be disabled
- entirely. Requesting it when not allowed or not possible re‐
+ might only be allowed for someone logged in under a particular
+ user name (on multi-user systems) or specifying a particular
+ character name (on single-user systems) or it might be disabled
+ entirely. Requesting it when not allowed or not possible re-
sults in explore mode instead. Default is normal play.
pushweapon
- Using the ‘w’ (wield) command when already wielding something
- pushes the old item into your alternate weapon slot (default
- off). Likewise for the ‘a’ (apply) command if it causes the
+ Using the `w' (wield) command when already wielding something
+ pushes the old item into your alternate weapon slot (default
+ off). Likewise for the `a' (apply) command if it causes the
applied item to become wielded. Persistent.
race
- Selects your race (for example, ‘‘race:human’’). Default is
- random. If you prefix a ‘!’ or ‘‘no’’ to the value, you can
- exclude that race from being picked randomly. Cannot be set
- with the ‘O’ command. Persistent.
+ Selects your race (for example, ``race:human''). Default is
+ random. If you prefix a `!' or ``no'' to the value, you can
+ exclude that race from being picked randomly. Cannot be set
+ with the `O' command. Persistent.
rest_on_space
- Make the space bar a synonym for the ‘.’ (rest) command (de‐
+ Make the space bar a synonym for the `.' (rest) command (de-
fault off). Persistent.
role
- Pick your type of character (ex. ‘‘role:Samurai’’); synonym for
- ‘‘character’’. See ‘‘name’’ for an alternate method of speci‐
- fying your role. Normally only the first letter of the value
- is examined; ‘r’ is an exception with ‘‘Rogue’’, ‘‘Ranger’’,
- and ‘‘random’’ values. If you prefix a ‘!’ or ‘‘no’’ to the
- value, you can exclude that role from being picked randomly.
+ Pick your type of character (ex. ``role:Samurai''); synonym for
+ ``character''. See ``name'' for an alternate method of speci-
+ fying your role. Normally only the first letter of the value
+ is examined; `r' is an exception with ``Rogue'', ``Ranger'',
+ and ``random'' values. If you prefix a `!' or ``no'' to the
+ value, you can exclude that role from being picked randomly.
Persistent.
roguesymset
- This option may be used to select one of the named symbol sets
- found within ‘‘symbols’’ to alter the symbols displayed on the
+ This option may be used to select one of the named symbol sets
+ found within ``symbols'' to alter the symbols displayed on the
screen on the rogue level.
rlecomp
When writing out a save file, perform run length compression of
- the map. Not all ports support run length compression. It has
+ the map. Not all ports support run length compression. It has
no effect on reading an existing save file.
runmode
- Controls the amount of screen updating for the map window when
- engaged in multi‐turn movement (running via shift+direction or
- control+direction and so forth, or via the travel command or
+ Controls the amount of screen updating for the map window when
+ engaged in multi-turn movement (running via shift+direction or
+ control+direction and so forth, or via the travel command or
mouse click). The possible values are:
- teleport ‐ update the map after movement has finished;
- run ‐ update the map after every seven or so steps;
- walk ‐ update the map after each step;
+ teleport - update the map after movement has finished;
+ run - update the map after every seven or so steps;
+ walk - update the map after each step;
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
- crawl ‐ like walk, but pause briefly after each step.
+ crawl - like walk, but pause briefly after each step.
- This option only affects the game’s screen display, not the ac‐
- tual results of moving. The default is ‘run’; versions prior
- to 3.4.1 used ‘teleport’ only. Whether or not the effect is
+ This option only affects the game's screen display, not the ac-
+ tual results of moving. The default is `run'; versions prior
+ to 3.4.1 used `teleport' only. Whether or not the effect is
noticeable will depend upon the window port used or on the type
of terminal. Persistent.
safe_pet
- Prevent you from (knowingly) attacking your pets (default on).
+ Prevent you from (knowingly) attacking your pets (default on).
Persistent.
scores
- Control what parts of the score list you are shown at the end
- (ex. ‘‘scores:5 top scores/4 around my score/own scores’’).
- Only the first letter of each category (‘t’, ‘a’, or ‘o’) is
+ Control what parts of the score list you are shown at the end
+ (ex. ``scores:5 top scores/4 around my score/own scores'').
+ Only the first letter of each category (`t', `a', or `o') is
necessary. Persistent.
showexp
off). Persistent.
showrace
- Display yourself as the glyph for your race, rather than the
- glyph for your role (default off). Note that this setting af‐
- fects only the appearance of the display, not the way the game
+ Display yourself as the glyph for your race, rather than the
+ glyph for your role (default off). Note that this setting af-
+ fects only the appearance of the display, not the way the game
treats you. Persistent.
showscore
sortloot
Controls the sorting behavior of the pickup lists for inventory
- and #loot commands and some others. Persistent. The possible
+ and #loot commands and some others. Persistent. The possible
values are:
- full ‐ always sort the lists;
- loot ‐ only sort the lists that don’t use inventory letters,
+ full - always sort the lists;
+ loot - only sort the lists that don't use inventory letters,
like with the #loot and pickup commands;
- none ‐ show lists the traditional way without sorting.
+ none - show lists the traditional way without sorting.
sortpack
- Sort the pack contents by type when displaying inventory (de‐
+ Sort the pack contents by type when displaying inventory (de-
fault on). Persistent.
sparkle
Display a sparkly effect when a monster (including yourself) is
- hit by an attack to which it is resistant (default on). Per‐
+ hit by an attack to which it is resistant (default on). Per-
sistent.
standout
- Boldface monsters and ‘‘‐‐More‐‐’’ (default off). Persistent.
+ Boldface monsters and ``--More--'' (default off). Persistent.
statushilites
- Enable coloring of status fields (default off). See ‘‘Config‐
- uring Status Hilites’’ for futher information.
+ Enable coloring of status fields (default off). See ``Config-
+ uring Status Hilites'' for futher information.
suppress_alert
This option may be set to a NetHack version level to suppress
alert notification messages about feature changes for that and
- prior versions (ex. ‘‘suppress_alert:3.3.1’’).
+ prior versions (ex. ``suppress_alert:3.3.1'').
symset
This option may be used to select one of the named symbol sets
- found within ‘‘symbols’’ to alter the symbols displayed on the
+ found within ``symbols'' to alter the symbols displayed on the
screen.
time
off). Persistent.
timed_delay
- When pausing momentarily for display effect, such as with ex‐
+ When pausing momentarily for display effect, such as with ex-
plosions and moving objects, use a timer rather than sending
- extra characters to the screen. (Applies to ‘‘tty’’ interface
- only; ‘‘X11’’ interface always uses a timer based delay. The
+ extra characters to the screen. (Applies to ``tty'' interface
+ only; ``X11'' interface always uses a timer based delay. The
default is on if configured into the program.) Persistent.
tombstone
- Draw a tombstone graphic upon your death (default on). Persis‐
+ Draw a tombstone graphic upon your death (default on). Persis-
tent.
toptenwin
Put the ending display in a NetHack window instead of on stdout
- (default off). Setting this option makes the score list visi‐
+ (default off). Setting this option makes the score list visi-
ble when a windowing version of NetHack is started without a
parent window, but it no longer leaves the score list around
after game end on a terminal or emulating window.
make inadvertent mouse clicks on the map window. Persistent.
verbose
- Provide more commentary during the game (default on). Persis‐
+ Provide more commentary during the game (default on). Persis-
tent.
windowtype
- Select which windowing system to use, such as ‘‘tty’’ or
- ‘‘X11’’ (default depends on version). Cannot be set with the
- ‘O’ command.
+ Select which windowing system to use, such as ``tty'' or
+ ``X11'' (default depends on version). Cannot be set with the
+ `O' command.
zerocomp
- When writing out a save file, perform zero‐comp compression of
- the contents. Not all ports support zero‐comp compression. It
+ When writing out a save file, perform zero-comp compression of
+ the contents. Not all ports support zero-comp compression. It
has no effect on reading an existing save file.
9.5. Window Port Customization options
truncated. Not all window ports will adjust for all settings
listed here. You can safely add any of these options to your
config file, and if the window port is capable of adjusting to
- suit your preferences, it will attempt to do so. If it can’t it
- will silently ignore it. You can find out if an option is sup‐
- ported by the window port that you are currently using by check‐
+ suit your preferences, it will attempt to do so. If it can't it
+ will silently ignore it. You can find out if an option is sup-
+ ported by the window port that you are currently using by check-
ing to see if it shows up in the Options list. Some options are
- dynamic and can be specified during the game with the ‘O’ com‐
+ dynamic and can be specified during the game with the `O' com-
mand.
align_message
objects, and dungeon features
eight_bit_tty
- NetHack should pass eight‐bit character values (for example,
- specified with the traps option) straight through to your ter‐
+ NetHack should pass eight-bit character values (for example,
+ specified with the traps option) straight through to your ter-
minal (default off).
font_map
- NetHack should use a font by the chosen name for the map win‐
+ NetHack should use a font by the chosen name for the map win-
dow.
font_menu
- NetHack should use a font by the chosen name for menu windows.
+ NetHack should use a font by the chosen name for menu windows.
font_message
- NetHack should use a font by the chosen name for the message
+ NetHack should use a font by the chosen name for the message
window.
font_status
- NetHack should use a font by the chosen name for the status
+ NetHack should use a font by the chosen name for the status
window.
font_text
- NetHack should use a font by the chosen name for text windows.
+ NetHack should use a font by the chosen name for text windows.
font_size_map
NetHack should use this size font for the map window.
Allow use of the mouse for input and travel.
player_selection
- NetHack should pop up dialog boxes, or use prompts for charac‐
+ NetHack should pop up dialog boxes, or use prompts for charac-
ter selection.
popup_dialog
preload_tiles
NetHack should preload tiles into memory. For example, in the
- protected mode MSDOS version, control whether tiles get pre‐
+ protected mode MSDOS version, control whether tiles get pre-
loaded into RAM at the start of the game. Doing so enhances
- performance of the tile graphics, but uses more memory. (de‐
- fault on). Cannot be set with the ‘O’ command.
+ performance of the tile graphics, but uses more memory. (de-
+ fault on). Cannot be set with the `O' command.
scroll_amount
NetHack should scroll the display by this number of cells when
message window.
windowcolors
- NetHack should display windows with the specified fore‐
+ NetHack should display windows with the specified fore-
ground/background colors if it can.
wraptext
- NetHack port should wrap long lines of text if they don’t fit
+ NetHack port should wrap long lines of text if they don't fit
in the visible area of the window.
- 9.6. Platform‐specific Customization options
+ 9.6. Platform-specific Customization options
- Here are explanations of options that are used by specific
+ Here are explanations of options that are used by specific
platforms or ports to customize and change the port behavior.
altkeyhandler
- Select an alternate keystroke handler dll to load (Win32 tty
- NetHack only). The name of the handler is specified without
+ Select an alternate keystroke handler dll to load (Win32 tty
+ NetHack only). The name of the handler is specified without
the .dll extension and without any path information. Cannot be
- set with the ‘O’ command.
+ set with the `O' command.
altmeta
- On Amiga, this option controls whether typing ‘Alt’ plus anoth‐
- er key functions as a meta‐shift for that key (default on).
+ On Amiga, this option controls whether typing `Alt' plus anoth-
+ er key functions as a meta-shift for that key (default on).
altmeta
- On other (non‐Amiga) systems where this option is available, it
- can be set to tell nethack to convert a two character sequence
- beginning with ESC into a meta‐shifted version of the second
+ On other (non-Amiga) systems where this option is available, it
+ can be set to tell nethack to convert a two character sequence
+ beginning with ESC into a meta-shifted version of the second
character (default off).
- This conversion is only done for commands, not for other input
+ This conversion is only done for commands, not for other input
prompts. Note that typing one or more digits as a count prefix
- prior to a command‐‐preceded by n if the number_pad option is
- set‐‐is also subject to this conversion, so attempting to abort
- the count by typing ESC will leave nethack waiting for another
- character to complete the two character sequence. Type a sec‐
- ond ESC to finish cancelling such a count. At other prompts a
+ prior to a command--preceded by n if the number_pad option is
+ set--is also subject to this conversion, so attempting to abort
+ the count by typing ESC will leave nethack waiting for another
+ character to complete the two character sequence. Type a sec-
+ ond ESC to finish cancelling such a count. At other prompts a
single ESC suffices.
BIOS
Use BIOS calls to update the screen display quickly and to read
- the keyboard (allowing the use of arrow keys to move) on ma‐
- chines with an IBM PC compatible BIOS ROM (default off, OS/2,
+ the keyboard (allowing the use of arrow keys to move) on ma-
+ chines with an IBM PC compatible BIOS ROM (default off, OS/2,
PC, and ST NetHack only).
flush
(default on, Mac NetHack only).
rawio
- Force raw (non‐cbreak) mode for faster output and more bullet‐
- proof input (MS‐DOS sometimes treats ‘^P’ as a printer toggle
- without it) (default off, OS/2, PC, and ST NetHack only).
- Note: DEC Rainbows hang if this is turned on. Cannot be set
- with the ‘O’ command.
+ Force raw (non-cbreak) mode for faster output and more bullet-
+ proof input (MS-DOS sometimes treats `^P' as a printer toggle
+ without it) (default off, OS/2, PC, and ST NetHack only).
+ Note: DEC Rainbows hang if this is turned on. Cannot be set
+ with the `O' command.
soundcard
- (default on, PC NetHack only). Cannot be set with the ‘O’ com‐
+ (default on, PC NetHack only). Cannot be set with the `O' com-
mand.
subkeyvalue
- (Win32 tty NetHack only). May be used to alter the value of
+ (Win32 tty NetHack only). May be used to alter the value of
keystrokes that the operating system returns to NetHack to help
- compensate for international keyboard issues. OPTIONS=subkey‐
- value:171/92 will return 92 to NetHack, if 171 was originally
- going to be returned. You can use multiple subkeyvalue state‐
- ments in the config file if needed. Cannot be set with the ‘O’
+ compensate for international keyboard issues. OPTIONS=subkey-
+ value:171/92 will return 92 to NetHack, if 171 was originally
+ going to be returned. You can use multiple subkeyvalue state-
+ ments in the config file if needed. Cannot be set with the `O'
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
command.
video
- Set the video mode used (PC NetHack only). Values are ‘autode‐
- tect’, ‘default’, or ‘vga’. Setting ‘vga’ (or ‘autodetect’
- with vga hardware present) will cause the game to display
- tiles. Cannot be set with the ‘O’ command.
+ Set the video mode used (PC NetHack only). Values are `autode-
+ tect', `default', or `vga'. Setting `vga' (or `autodetect'
+ with vga hardware present) will cause the game to display
+ tiles. Cannot be set with the `O' command.
videocolors
- Set the color palette for PC systems using NO_TERMS (default
- 4‐2‐6‐1‐5‐3‐15‐12‐10‐14‐9‐13‐11, (PC NetHack only). The order
- of colors is red, green, brown, blue, magenta, cyan,
- bright.white, bright.red, bright.green, yellow, bright.blue,
- bright.magenta, and bright.cyan. Cannot be set with the ‘O’
+ Set the color palette for PC systems using NO_TERMS (default
+ 4-2-6-1-5-3-15-12-10-14-9-13-11, (PC NetHack only). The order
+ of colors is red, green, brown, blue, magenta, cyan,
+ bright.white, bright.red, bright.green, yellow, bright.blue,
+ bright.magenta, and bright.cyan. Cannot be set with the `O'
command.
videoshades
- Set the intensity level of the three gray scales available (de‐
+ Set the intensity level of the three gray scales available (de-
fault dark normal light, PC NetHack only). If the game display
- is difficult to read, try adjusting these scales; if this does
- not correct the problem, try !color. Cannot be set with the
- ‘O’ command.
+ is difficult to read, try adjusting these scales; if this does
+ not correct the problem, try !color. Cannot be set with the
+ `O' command.
9.7. Regular Expressions
- Regular expressions are normally POSIX extended regular ex‐
- pressions. It is possible to compile NetHack without regular ex‐
- pression support on a platform where there is no regular expres‐
- sion library. While this is not true of any modern platform, if
- your NetHack was built this way, patterns are instead glob pat‐
+ Regular expressions are normally POSIX extended regular ex-
+ pressions. It is possible to compile NetHack without regular ex-
+ pression support on a platform where there is no regular expres-
+ sion library. While this is not true of any modern platform, if
+ your NetHack was built this way, patterns are instead glob pat-
terns.
9.8. Configuring Autopickup Exceptions
You can further refine the behavior of the autopickup option
beyond what is available through the pickup_types option.
- By placing autopickup_exception lines in your configuration
- file, you can define patterns to be checked when the game is
+ By placing autopickup_exception lines in your configuration
+ file, you can define patterns to be checked when the game is
about to autopickup something.
autopickup_exception
- Sets an exception to the pickup_types option. The autopick‐
- up_exception option should be followed by a regular expression
- to be used as a pattern to match against the singular form of
+ Sets an exception to the pickup_types option. The autopick-
+ up_exception option should be followed by a regular expression
+ to be used as a pattern to match against the singular form of
the description of an object at your location.
- In addition, some characters are treated specially if they oc‐
+ In addition, some characters are treated specially if they oc-
cur as the first character in the pattern, specifically:
- < ‐ always pickup an object that matches rest of pattern;
- > ‐ never pickup an object that matches rest of pattern.
+ < - always pickup an object that matches rest of pattern;
+ > - never pickup an object that matches rest of pattern.
- A ‘never pickup’ rule takes precedence over an ‘always pickup’
+ A `never pickup' rule takes precedence over an `always pickup'
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
rule if both match.
- Exceptions can be set with the ‘O’ command, but ones set that
+ Exceptions can be set with the `O' command, but ones set that
way will not be preserved across saves and restores.
Here are some examples:
autopickup_exception=">*corpse"
autopickup_exception=">* cursed*"
- The first example above will result in autopickup of any
- type of arrow. The second example results in the exclusion of
- any corpse from autopickup. The last example results in the ex‐
+ The first example above will result in autopickup of any
+ type of arrow. The second example results in the exclusion of
+ any corpse from autopickup. The last example results in the ex-
clusion of items known to be cursed from autopickup.
9.9. Configuring Message Types
You can change the way the messages are shown in the message
- area, when the message matches a user‐defined pattern.
+ area, when the message matches a user-defined pattern.
In general, the config file entries to configure the message
types look like this: MSGTYPE=type "pattern"
- type ‐ how the message should be shown;
- pattern ‐ the pattern to match.
+ type - how the message should be shown;
+ pattern - the pattern to match.
The pattern should be a regular expression.
Allowed types are:
- show ‐ show message normally.
- hide ‐ never show the message.
- stop ‐ wait for user with more‐prompt.
- norep ‐ show the message once, but not again if no other message is shown in between.
+ show - show message normally.
+ hide - never show the message.
+ stop - wait for user with more-prompt.
+ norep - show the message once, but not again if no other message is shown in between.
- Here’s an example of message types using NetHack’s internal
+ Here's an example of message types using NetHack's internal
pattern matching facility:
MSGTYPE=stop "You feel hungry."
MSGTYPE=hide "You displaced *."
- specifies that whenever a message "You feel hungry" is shown,
- the user is prompted with more‐prompt, and a message matching
+ specifies that whenever a message "You feel hungry" is shown,
+ the user is prompted with more-prompt, and a message matching
"You displaced <something>." is not shown at all.
- The order of the defined MSGTYPE‐lines is important; the last
- matching rule is used. Put the general case first, exceptions
+ The order of the defined MSGTYPE-lines is important; the last
+ matching rule is used. Put the general case first, exceptions
below them.
9.10. Configuring Menu Colors
Some platforms allow you to define colors used in menu lines
- when the line matches a user‐defined pattern. At this time the
+ when the line matches a user-defined pattern. At this time the
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
tty, win32tty and win32gui support this.
- In general, the config file entries to configure the menu
+ In general, the config file entries to configure the menu
color mappings look like this:
MENUCOLOR="pattern"=color&attribute
- pattern ‐ the pattern to match;
- color ‐ the color to use for lines matching the pat‐
+ pattern - the pattern to match;
+ color - the color to use for lines matching the pat-
tern;
- attribute ‐ the attribute to use for lines matching the
- pattern. The attribute is optional, and if
- left out, you must also leave out the preced‐
- ing ampersand. If no attribute is defined,
+ attribute - the attribute to use for lines matching the
+ pattern. The attribute is optional, and if
+ left out, you must also leave out the preced-
+ ing ampersand. If no attribute is defined,
no attribute is used.
The pattern should be a regular expression.
- Allowed colors are black, red, green, brown, blue, magenta,
- cyan, gray, orange, lightgreen, yellow, lightblue, lightmagen‐
+ Allowed colors are black, red, green, brown, blue, magenta,
+ cyan, gray, orange, lightgreen, yellow, lightblue, lightmagen-
ta, lightcyan, and white.
- Allowed attributes are none, bold, dim, underline, blink, and
- inverse. Note that the platform used may interpret the at‐
+ Allowed attributes are none, bold, dim, underline, blink, and
+ inverse. Note that the platform used may interpret the at-
tributes any way it wants.
- Here’s an example of menu colors using NetHack’s internal pat‐
+ Here's an example of menu colors using NetHack's internal pat-
tern matching facility:
MENUCOLOR="* blessed *"=green
MENUCOLOR="* cursed *"=red
MENUCOLOR="* cursed *(being worn)"=red&underline
- specifies that any menu line with " blessed " contained in it
- will be shown in green color, lines with " cursed " will be
- shown in red, and lines with " cursed " followed by "(being
- worn)" on the same line will be shown in red color and under‐
- lined. You can have multiple MENUCOLOR entries in your config
- file, and the last MENUCOLOR‐line in your config file that
+ specifies that any menu line with " blessed " contained in it
+ will be shown in green color, lines with " cursed " will be
+ shown in red, and lines with " cursed " followed by "(being
+ worn)" on the same line will be shown in red color and under-
+ lined. You can have multiple MENUCOLOR entries in your config
+ file, and the last MENUCOLOR-line in your config file that
matches a menu line will be used for the line.
9.11. Configuring User Sounds
- Some platforms allow you to define sound files to be played
- when a message that matches a user‐defined pattern is delivered
+ Some platforms allow you to define sound files to be played
+ when a message that matches a user-defined pattern is delivered
to the message window. At this time the Qt port and the win32tty
and win32gui ports support the use of user sounds.
- The following config file entries are relevant to mapping
+ The following config file entries are relevant to mapping
user sounds to messages:
SOUNDDIR
SOUND
- An entry that maps a sound file to a user‐specified message
- pattern. Each SOUND entry is broken down into the following
+ An entry that maps a sound file to a user-specified message
+ pattern. Each SOUND entry is broken down into the following
parts:
- MESG ‐ message window mapping (the only one supported in
+ MESG - message window mapping (the only one supported in
3.6);
- pattern ‐ the pattern to match;
- sound file ‐ the sound file to play;
- volume ‐ the volume to be set while playing the sound file.
+ pattern - the pattern to match;
+ sound file - the sound file to play;
+ volume - the volume to be set while playing the sound file.
The pattern should be a POSIX extended regular expression.
9.12. Configuring Status Hilites
Your copy of NetHack may have been compiled with support for
- ‘‘Status Hilites’’. If so, you can customize your game display
+ ``Status Hilites''. If so, you can customize your game display
by setting thresholds to change the color or appearance of fields
in the status display.
title strength dexterity
constitution intelligence wisdom
charisma alignment score
- carrying‐capacity gold power
- power‐max experience‐level armor‐class
+ carrying-capacity gold power
+ power-max experience-level armor-class
HD time hunger
- hitpoints hitpoints‐max dungeon‐level
+ hitpoints hitpoints-max dungeon-level
experience condition
Allowed colors are black, red, green, brown, blue, magenta,
- cyan, gray, orange, lightgreen, yellow, lightblue, lightmagen‐
+ cyan, gray, orange, lightgreen, yellow, lightblue, lightmagen-
ta, lightcyan, and white.
Allowed attributes are bold, inverse, normal. Note that the
platform used may interpret the attributes any way it wants.
Behaviours can occur based on percentage thresholds, updown, or
- absolute values. The in‐game options menu can help you deter‐
+ absolute values. The in-game options menu can help you deter-
mine the correct syntax for a config file.
- The whole feature can be disabled by setting option sta‐
+ The whole feature can be disabled by setting option sta-
tushilites off.
9.13. Modifying NetHack Symbols
Set the name of the symbol set that you want to load.
roguesymset
- Set the name of the symbol set that you want to load for dis‐
+ Set the name of the symbol set that you want to load for dis-
play on the rogue level.
You can also override one or more symbols using the SYMBOLS
config file option. Symbols are specified as name:value pairs.
- Note that NetHack escape‐processes the value string in conven‐
- tional C fashion. This means that \ is a prefix to take the fol‐
+ Note that NetHack escape-processes the value string in conven-
+ tional C fashion. This means that \ is a prefix to take the fol-
lowing character literally. Thus \ needs to be represented as \\.
The special escape form \m switches on the meta bit in the symbol
value, and the \^ prefix causes the following character to be
NetHack Symbols
Default Symbol Name Description
- ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+ ------------------------------------------------------------------------
S_air (air)
_ S_altar (altar)
" S_amulet (amulet)
A S_angel (angelic being)
a S_ant (ant or other insect)
- ^ S_anti_magic_trap (anti‐magic field)
+ ^ S_anti_magic_trap (anti-magic field)
[ S_armor (suit or piece of armor)
[ S_armour (suit or piece of armor)
^ S_arrow_trap (arrow trap)
# S_bars (iron bars)
B S_bat (bat or bird)
^ S_bear_trap (bear trap)
- ‐ S_blcorn (bottom left corner)
+ - S_blcorn (bottom left corner)
b S_blob (blob)
+ S_book (spellbook)
) S_boomleft (boomerang open left)
( S_boomright (boomerang open right)
- ‘ S_boulder (boulder)
- ‐ S_brcorn (bottom right corner)
+ ` S_boulder (boulder)
+ - S_brcorn (bottom right corner)
C S_centaur (centaur)
_ S_chain (iron chain)
# S_cloud (cloud)
$ S_coin (pile of coins)
# S_corr (corridor)
- ‐ S_crwall (wall)
+ - S_crwall (wall)
^ S_dart_trap (dart trap)
& S_demon (major demon)
* S_digbeam (dig beam)
; S_eel (sea monster)
E S_elemental (elemental)
/ S_explode1 (explosion top left)
- ‐ S_explode2 (explosion top center)
- ‘\’ S_explode3 (explosion top right)
+ - S_explode2 (explosion top center)
+ `\' S_explode3 (explosion top right)
| S_explode4 (explosion middle left)
S_explode5 (explosion middle center)
| S_explode6 (explosion middle right)
- ‘\’ S_explode7 (explosion bottom left)
- ‐ S_explode8 (explosion bottom center)
+ `\' S_explode7 (explosion bottom left)
+ - S_explode8 (explosion bottom center)
/ S_explode9 (explosion bottom right)
e S_eye (eye or sphere)
^ S_falling_rock_trap (falling rock trap)
S_ghost (ghost)
H S_giant (giant humanoid)
G S_gnome (gnome)
- ’ S_golem (golem)
+ ' S_golem (golem)
| S_grave (grave)
g S_gremlin (gremlin)
- ‐ S_hbeam (wall)
+ - S_hbeam (wall)
# S_hcdbridge (horizontal raised drawbridge)
+ S_hcdoor (closed door)
| S_hodoor (open door)
^ S_hole (hole)
@ S_human (human or elf)
h S_humanoid (humanoid)
- ‐ S_hwall (horizontal wall)
+ - S_hwall (horizontal wall)
i S_imp (imp or minor demon)
J S_jabberwock (jabberwock)
j S_jelly (jelly)
y S_light (light)
# S_litcorr (lit corridor)
: S_lizard (lizard)
- ‘\’ S_lslant (wall)
+ `\' S_lslant (wall)
^ S_magic_portal (magic portal)
^ S_magic_trap (magic trap)
m S_mimic (mimic)
q S_quadruped (quadruped)
Q S_quantmech (quantum mechanic)
= S_ring (ring)
- ‘ S_rock (boulder or statue)
+ ` S_rock (boulder or statue)
r S_rodent (rodent)
^ S_rolling_boulder_trap (rolling boulder trap)
/ S_rslant (wall)
* S_ss4 (magic shield 4 of 4)
^ S_statue_trap (statue trap)
S_stone (dark part of a room)
- ‐ S_sw_bc (swallow bottom center)
- ‘\’ S_sw_bl (swallow bottom left)
+ - S_sw_bc (swallow bottom center)
+ `\' S_sw_bl (swallow bottom left)
/ S_sw_br (swallow bottom right)
| S_sw_ml (swallow middle left)
| S_sw_mr (swallow middle right)
- ‐ S_sw_tc (swallow top center)
+ - S_sw_tc (swallow top center)
/ S_sw_tl (swallow top left)
- ‘\’ S_sw_tr (swallow top right)
- ‐ S_tdwall (wall)
+ `\' S_sw_tr (swallow top right)
+ - S_tdwall (wall)
^ S_teleportation_trap (teleportation trap)
S_throne (opulent throne)
- ‐ S_tlcorn (top left corner)
+ - S_tlcorn (top left corner)
| S_tlwall (wall)
- ( S_tool (useful item (pick‐axe key lamp...))
+ ( S_tool (useful item (pick-axe key lamp...))
^ S_trap_door (trap door)
t S_trapper (trapper or lurker above)
- ‐ S_trcorn (top right corner)
+ - S_trcorn (top right corner)
# S_tree (tree)
T S_troll (troll)
| S_trwall (wall)
- ‐ S_tuwall (wall)
+ - S_tuwall (wall)
U S_umber (umber hulk)
u S_unicorn (unicorn or horse)
< S_upladder (ladder up)
# S_vcdbridge (vertical raised drawbridge)
+ S_vcdoor (closed door)
^ S_vibrating_square (vibrating square)
- ‐ S_vodoor (open door)
+ - S_vodoor (open door)
v S_vortex (vortex)
| S_vwall (vertical wall)
/ S_wand (wand)
9.14. Configuring NetHack for Play by the Blind
NetHack can be set up to use only standard ASCII characters
- for making maps of the dungeons. This makes the MS‐DOS versions
+ for making maps of the dungeons. This makes the MS-DOS versions
of NetHack completely accessible to the blind who use speech
and/or Braille access technologies. Players will require a good
- working knowledge of their screen‐reader’s review features, and
+ working knowledge of their screen-reader's review features, and
will have to know how to navigate horizontally and vertically
- character by character. They will also find the search capabili‐
- ties of their screen‐readers to be quite valuable. Be certain to
+ character by character. They will also find the search capabili-
+ ties of their screen-readers to be quite valuable. Be certain to
examine this Guidebook before playing so you have an idea what
- the screen layout is like. You’ll also need to be able to locate
+ the screen layout is like. You'll also need to be able to locate
the PC cursor. It is always where your character is located.
- Merely searching for an @‐sign will not always find your charac‐
+ Merely searching for an @-sign will not always find your charac-
ter since there are other humanoids represented by the same sign.
- Your screen‐reader should also have a function which gives you
+ Your screen-reader should also have a function which gives you
the row and column of your review cursor and the PC cursor.
- These co‐ordinates are often useful in giving players a better
+ These co-ordinates are often useful in giving players a better
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
While it is not difficult for experienced users to edit the
defaults.nh file to accomplish this, novices may find this task
- somewhat daunting. Included within the ‘‘symbols’’ file of all
+ somewhat daunting. Included within the ``symbols'' file of all
official distributions of NetHack is a symset called NHAccess.
Selecting that symset in your configuration file will cause the
game to run in a manner accessible to the blind. After you have
This will assist in the interface to speech synthesizers.
number_pad
- A lot of speech access programs use the number‐pad to review
+ A lot of speech access programs use the number-pad to review
the screen. If this is the case, disable the number_pad option
- and use the traditional Rogue‐like commands.
+ and use the traditional Rogue-like commands.
9.15. Global Configuration for System Administrators
- If NetHack is compiled with the SYSCF option, a system ad‐
+ If NetHack is compiled with the SYSCF option, a system ad-
ministrator should set up a global configuration; this is a file
- in the same format as the traditional per‐user configuration file
+ in the same format as the traditional per-user configuration file
(see above). This file should be named sysconf and placed in the
same directory as the other NetHack support files. The options
- recognized in this file are listed below. Any option not set us‐
- es a compiled‐in default (which may not be appropriate for your
+ recognized in this file are listed below. Any option not set us-
+ es a compiled-in default (which may not be appropriate for your
system).
- WIZARDS A space‐separated list of user names who are allowed to
- play in wizard mode (the debugging mode, not the magic‐using
+ WIZARDS A space-separated list of user names who are allowed to
+ play in wizard mode (the debugging mode, not the magic-using
role). A value of a single asterisk (*) allows anyone to start
a game in wizard mode.
- SHELLERS A list of users who are allowed to use the shell es‐
+ SHELLERS A list of users who are allowed to use the shell es-
cape command (!). The syntax is the same as WIZARDS.
EXPLORERS A list of users who are allowed to use the explore
mode. The syntax is the same as WIZARDS.
- MAXPLAYERS Limit the maximum number of games that can be run‐
+ MAXPLAYERS Limit the maximum number of games that can be run-
ning at the same time.
- SUPPORT A string explaining how to get local support (no de‐
+ SUPPORT A string explaining how to get local support (no de-
fault value).
- RECOVER A string explaining how to recover a game on this sys‐
+ RECOVER A string explaining how to recover a game on this sys-
tem (no default value).
SEDUCE 0 or 1 to disable or enable, respectively, the SEDUCE
POINTSMIN Minimum number of points to get an entry in the score
file.
- PERS_IS_UID 0 or 1 to use user names or numeric userids, re‐
+ PERS_IS_UID 0 or 1 to use user names or numeric userids, re-
spectively, to identify unique people for the score file.
MAX_STATUENAME_RANK Maximum number of score file entries to use
NetHack maintains a list of the top scores or scorers on
your machine, depending on how it is set up. In the latter case,
- each account on the machine can post only one non‐winning score
+ each account on the machine can post only one non-winning score
on this list. If you score higher than someone else on this
list, or better your previous score, you will be inserted in the
proper place under your current name. How many scores are kept
your gold intact. If, however, you get killed in the Mazes of
Menace, the guild will only hear about 90% of your gold when your
corpse is discovered (adventurers have been known to collect
- finder’s fees). So, consider whether you want to take one last
+ finder's fees). So, consider whether you want to take one last
hit at that monster and possibly live, or quit and stop with
whatever you have. If you quit, you keep all your gold, but if
you swing and live, you might find more.
If you just want to see what the current top players/games
- list is, you can type nethack ‐s all on most versions.
+ list is, you can type nethack -s all on most versions.
NetHack is an intricate and difficult game. Novices might
falter in fear, aware of their ignorance of the means to survive.
- Well, fear not. Your dungeon comes equipped with an ‘‘explore’’
- or ‘‘discovery’’ mode that enables you to keep old save files and
+ Well, fear not. Your dungeon comes equipped with an ``explore''
+ or ``discovery'' mode that enables you to keep old save files and
cheat death, at the paltry cost of not getting on the high score
list.
There are two ways of enabling explore mode. One is to
- start the game with the ‐X command‐line switch or with the play‐
- mode:explore option. The other is to issue the ‘‘#exploremode’’
+ start the game with the -X command-line switch or with the play-
+ mode:explore option. The other is to issue the ``#exploremode''
extended command while already playing the game. Starting a new
- game in explore mode provides your character with a wand of wish‐
+ game in explore mode provides your character with a wand of wish-
ing in initial inventory; switching during play does not. The
other benefits of explore mode are left for the trepid reader to
discover.
Debug mode, also known as wizard mode, is undocumented aside
from this brief description. It is intended for tracking down
- problems within the program rather than to provide god‐like pow‐
- ers to your character, and players who attempt debugging are ex‐
+ problems within the program rather than to provide god-like pow-
+ ers to your character, and players who attempt debugging are ex-
pected to figure out how to use it themselves. It is initiated
- by starting the game with the ‐D command‐line switch or with the
+ by starting the game with the -D command-line switch or with the
playmode:debug option.
- For some systems, the player must be logged in under a par‐
+ For some systems, the player must be logged in under a par-
ticular user name to be allowed to use debug mode; for others,
the hero must be given a particular character name (but may be
- any role; there’s no connection between ‘‘wizard mode’’ and the
+ any role; there's no connection between ``wizard mode'' and the
Wizard role). And on any system, the program might have been
configured to omit debug mode entirely. Attempting to start a
game in debug mode when not allowed or not available will result
and Kenneth C. R. C. Arnold. Small portions were adapted from
Further Exploration of the Dungeons of Doom, by Ken Arromdee.
- NetHack is the product of literally dozens of people’s work.
+ NetHack is the product of literally dozens of people's work.
Main events in the course of the game development are described
below:
- Andries Brouwer did a major re‐write, transforming Hack into
+ Andries Brouwer did a major re-write, transforming Hack into
a very different game, and published (at least) three versions
(1.0.1, 1.0.2, and 1.0.3) for UNIX machines to the Usenet.
- Don G. Kneller ported Hack 1.0.3 to Microsoft C and MS‐DOS,
+ Don G. Kneller ported Hack 1.0.3 to Microsoft C and MS-DOS,
producing PC HACK 1.01e, added support for DEC Rainbow graphics
- in version 1.03g, and went on to produce at least four more ver‐
+ in version 1.03g, and went on to produce at least four more ver-
sions (3.0, 3.2, 3.51, and 3.6).
R. Black ported PC HACK 3.51 to Lattice C and the Atari
Mike Stephenson merged these various versions back together,
incorporating many of the added features, and produced NetHack
1.4. He then coordinated a cast of thousands in enhancing and
- debugging NetHack 1.4 and released NetHack versions 2.2 and 2.3.
+ debugging NetHack 1.4 and released NetHack versions 2.2 and 2.3.
Later, Mike coordinated a major rewrite of the game, heading
- a team which included Ken Arromdee, Jean‐Christophe Collet, Steve
- Creps, Eric Hendrickson, Izchak Miller, John Rupley, Mike Threep‐
+ a team which included Ken Arromdee, Jean-Christophe Collet, Steve
+ Creps, Eric Hendrickson, Izchak Miller, John Rupley, Mike Threep-
oint, and Janet Walz, to produce NetHack 3.0c.
- NetHack 3.0 was ported to the Atari by Eric R. Smith, to
- OS/2 by Timo Hakulinen, and to VMS by David Gentzel. The three
+ NetHack 3.0 was ported to the Atari by Eric R. Smith, to
+ OS/2 by Timo Hakulinen, and to VMS by David Gentzel. The three
of them and Kevin Darcy later joined the main development team to
produce subsequent revisions of 3.0.
- Olaf Seibert ported NetHack 2.3 and 3.0 to the Amiga. Norm
- Meluch, Stephen Spackman and Pierre Martineau designed overlay
- code for PC NetHack 3.0. Johnny Lee ported NetHack 3.0 to the
- Macintosh. Along with various other Dungeoneers, they continued
- to enhance the PC, Macintosh, and Amiga ports through the later
+ Olaf Seibert ported NetHack 2.3 and 3.0 to the Amiga. Norm
+ Meluch, Stephen Spackman and Pierre Martineau designed overlay
+ code for PC NetHack 3.0. Johnny Lee ported NetHack 3.0 to the
+ Macintosh. Along with various other Dungeoneers, they continued
+ to enhance the PC, Macintosh, and Amiga ports through the later
revisions of 3.0.
- Headed by Mike Stephenson and coordinated by Izchak Miller
- and Janet Walz, the development team which now included Ken Ar‐
- romdee, David Cohrs, Jean‐Christophe Collet, Kevin Darcy, Matt
- Day, Timo Hakulinen, Steve Linhart, Dean Luick, Pat Rankin, Eric
- Raymond, and Eric Smith undertook a radical revision of 3.0.
- They re‐structured the game’s design, and re‐wrote major parts of
- the code. They added multiple dungeons, a new display, special
- individual character quests, a new endgame and many other new
+ Headed by Mike Stephenson and coordinated by Izchak Miller
+ and Janet Walz, the development team which now included Ken Ar-
+ romdee, David Cohrs, Jean-Christophe Collet, Kevin Darcy, Matt
+ Day, Timo Hakulinen, Steve Linhart, Dean Luick, Pat Rankin, Eric
+ Raymond, and Eric Smith undertook a radical revision of 3.0.
+ They re-structured the game's design, and re-wrote major parts of
+ the code. They added multiple dungeons, a new display, special
+ individual character quests, a new endgame and many other new
features, and produced NetHack 3.1.
- Ken Lorber, Gregg Wonderly and Greg Olson, with help from
- Richard Addison, Mike Passaretti, and Olaf Seibert, developed
+ Ken Lorber, Gregg Wonderly and Greg Olson, with help from
+ Richard Addison, Mike Passaretti, and Olaf Seibert, developed
NetHack 3.1 for the Amiga.
- Norm Meluch and Kevin Smolkowski, with help from Carl Sche‐
+ Norm Meluch and Kevin Smolkowski, with help from Carl Sche-
lin, Stephen Spackman, Steve VanDevender, and Paul Winner, ported
NetHack 3.1 to the PC.
- Jon W{tte and Hao‐yang Wang, with help from Ross Brown, Mike
- Engber, David Hairston, Michael Hamel, Jonathan Handler, Johnny
+ Jon W{tte and Hao-yang Wang, with help from Ross Brown, Mike
+ Engber, David Hairston, Michael Hamel, Jonathan Handler, Johnny
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
- Lee, Tim Lennan, Rob Menke, and Andy Swanson, developed NetHack
- 3.1 for the Macintosh, porting it for MPW. Building on their de‐
+ Lee, Tim Lennan, Rob Menke, and Andy Swanson, developed NetHack
+ 3.1 for the Macintosh, porting it for MPW. Building on their de-
velopment, Barton House added a Think C port.
- Timo Hakulinen ported NetHack 3.1 to OS/2. Eric Smith port‐
- ed NetHack 3.1 to the Atari. Pat Rankin, with help from Joshua
- Delahunty, was responsible for the VMS version of NetHack 3.1.
+ Timo Hakulinen ported NetHack 3.1 to OS/2. Eric Smith port-
+ ed NetHack 3.1 to the Atari. Pat Rankin, with help from Joshua
+ Delahunty, was responsible for the VMS version of NetHack 3.1.
Michael Allison ported NetHack 3.1 to Windows NT.
- Dean Luick, with help from David Cohrs, developed NetHack
- 3.1 for X11. Warwick Allison wrote a tiled version of NetHack
- for the Atari; he later contributed the tiles to the DevTeam and
+ Dean Luick, with help from David Cohrs, developed NetHack
+ 3.1 for X11. Warwick Allison wrote a tiled version of NetHack
+ for the Atari; he later contributed the tiles to the DevTeam and
tile support was then added to other platforms.
- The 3.2 development team, comprised of Michael Allison, Ken
- Arromdee, David Cohrs, Jessie Collet, Steve Creps, Kevin Darcy,
- Timo Hakulinen, Steve Linhart, Dean Luick, Pat Rankin, Eric
- Smith, Mike Stephenson, Janet Walz, and Paul Winner, released
+ The 3.2 development team, comprised of Michael Allison, Ken
+ Arromdee, David Cohrs, Jessie Collet, Steve Creps, Kevin Darcy,
+ Timo Hakulinen, Steve Linhart, Dean Luick, Pat Rankin, Eric
+ Smith, Mike Stephenson, Janet Walz, and Paul Winner, released
version 3.2 in April of 1996.
Version 3.2 marked the tenth anniversary of the formation of
- the development team. In a testament to their dedication to the
- game, all thirteen members of the original development team re‐
- mained on the team at the start of work on that release. During
- the interval between the release of 3.1.3 and 3.2, one of the
- founding members of the development team, Dr. Izchak Miller, was
- diagnosed with cancer and passed away. That release of the game
+ the development team. In a testament to their dedication to the
+ game, all thirteen members of the original development team re-
+ mained on the team at the start of work on that release. During
+ the interval between the release of 3.1.3 and 3.2, one of the
+ founding members of the development team, Dr. Izchak Miller, was
+ diagnosed with cancer and passed away. That release of the game
was dedicated to him by the development and porting teams.
- During the lifespan of NetHack 3.1 and 3.2, several enthusi‐
- asts of the game added their own modifications to the game and
- made these ‘‘variants’’ publicly available:
+ During the lifespan of NetHack 3.1 and 3.2, several enthusi-
+ asts of the game added their own modifications to the game and
+ made these ``variants'' publicly available:
- Tom Proudfoot and Yuval Oren created NetHack++, which was
- quickly renamed NetHack‐‐. Working independently, Stephen White
- wrote NetHack Plus. Tom Proudfoot later merged NetHack Plus and
- his own NetHack‐‐ to produce SLASH. Larry Stewart‐Zerba and War‐
- wick Allison improved the spell casting system with the Wizard
- Patch. Warwick Allison also ported NetHack to use the Qt inter‐
+ Tom Proudfoot and Yuval Oren created NetHack++, which was
+ quickly renamed NetHack--. Working independently, Stephen White
+ wrote NetHack Plus. Tom Proudfoot later merged NetHack Plus and
+ his own NetHack-- to produce SLASH. Larry Stewart-Zerba and War-
+ wick Allison improved the spell casting system with the Wizard
+ Patch. Warwick Allison also ported NetHack to use the Qt inter-
face.
- Warren Cheung combined SLASH with the Wizard Patch to pro‐
- duce Slash’em, and with the help of Kevin Hugo, added more fea‐
- tures. Kevin later joined the DevTeam and incorporated the best
+ Warren Cheung combined SLASH with the Wizard Patch to pro-
+ duce Slash'em, and with the help of Kevin Hugo, added more fea-
+ tures. Kevin later joined the DevTeam and incorporated the best
of these ideas in NetHack 3.3.
The final update to 3.2 was the bug fix release 3.2.3, which
- was released simultaneously with 3.3.0 in December 1999 just in
+ was released simultaneously with 3.3.0 in December 1999 just in
time for the Year 2000.
The 3.3 development team, consisting of Michael Allison, Ken
- Arromdee, David Cohrs, Jessie Collet, Steve Creps, Kevin Darcy,
- Timo Hakulinen, Kevin Hugo, Steve Linhart, Ken Lorber, Dean
- Luick, Pat Rankin, Eric Smith, Mike Stephenson, Janet Walz, and
+ Arromdee, David Cohrs, Jessie Collet, Steve Creps, Kevin Darcy,
+ Timo Hakulinen, Kevin Hugo, Steve Linhart, Ken Lorber, Dean
+ Luick, Pat Rankin, Eric Smith, Mike Stephenson, Janet Walz, and
NetHack 3.6 June 22, 2015
- Paul Winner, released 3.3.0 in December 1999 and 3.3.1 in August
+ Paul Winner, released 3.3.0 in December 1999 and 3.3.1 in August
of 2000.
Version 3.3 offered many firsts. It was the first version to
- separate race and profession. The Elf class was removed in pref‐
+ separate race and profession. The Elf class was removed in pref-
erence to an elf race, and the races of dwarves, gnomes, and orcs
- made their first appearance in the game alongside the familiar
- human race. Monk and Ranger roles joined Archeologists, Barbar‐
- ians, Cavemen, Healers, Knights, Priests, Rogues, Samurai,
- Tourists, Valkyries and of course, Wizards. It was also the
- first version to allow you to ride a steed, and was the first
- version to have a publicly available web‐site listing all the
- bugs that had been discovered. Despite that constantly growing
- bug list, 3.3 proved stable enough to last for more than a year
+ made their first appearance in the game alongside the familiar
+ human race. Monk and Ranger roles joined Archeologists, Barbar-
+ ians, Cavemen, Healers, Knights, Priests, Rogues, Samurai,
+ Tourists, Valkyries and of course, Wizards. It was also the
+ first version to allow you to ride a steed, and was the first
+ version to have a publicly available web-site listing all the
+ bugs that had been discovered. Despite that constantly growing
+ bug list, 3.3 proved stable enough to last for more than a year
and a half.
- The 3.4 development team initially consisted of Michael Al‐
- lison, Ken Arromdee, David Cohrs, Jessie Collet, Kevin Hugo, Ken
- Lorber, Dean Luick, Pat Rankin, Mike Stephenson, Janet Walz, and
- Paul Winner, with Warwick Allison joining just before the re‐
+ The 3.4 development team initially consisted of Michael Al-
+ lison, Ken Arromdee, David Cohrs, Jessie Collet, Kevin Hugo, Ken
+ Lorber, Dean Luick, Pat Rankin, Mike Stephenson, Janet Walz, and
+ Paul Winner, with Warwick Allison joining just before the re-
lease of NetHack 3.4.0 in March 2002.
- As with version 3.3, various people contributed to the game
+ As with version 3.3, various people contributed to the game
as a whole as well as supporting ports on the different platforms
that NetHack runs on:
Pat Rankin maintained 3.4 for VMS.
- Michael Allison maintained NetHack 3.4 for the MS‐DOS plat‐
+ Michael Allison maintained NetHack 3.4 for the MS-DOS plat-
form. Paul Winner and Yitzhak Sapir provided encouragement.
- Dean Luick, Mark Modrall, and Kevin Hugo maintained and en‐
+ Dean Luick, Mark Modrall, and Kevin Hugo maintained and en-
hanced the Macintosh port of 3.4.
- Michael Allison, David Cohrs, Alex Kompel, Dion Nicolaas,
- and Yitzhak Sapir maintained and enhanced 3.4 for the Microsoft
- Windows platform. Alex Kompel contributed a new graphical inter‐
- face for the Windows port. Alex Kompel also contributed a Win‐
+ Michael Allison, David Cohrs, Alex Kompel, Dion Nicolaas,
+ and Yitzhak Sapir maintained and enhanced 3.4 for the Microsoft
+ Windows platform. Alex Kompel contributed a new graphical inter-
+ face for the Windows port. Alex Kompel also contributed a Win-
dows CE port for 3.4.1.
Ron Van Iwaarden was the sole maintainer of NetHack for OS/2
- the past several releases. Unfortunately Ron’s last OS/2 machine
- stopped working in early 2006. A great many thanks to Ron for
+ the past several releases. Unfortunately Ron's last OS/2 machine
+ stopped working in early 2006. A great many thanks to Ron for
keeping NetHack alive on OS/2 all these years.
- Janne Salmijarvi and Teemu Suikki maintained and enhanced
- the Amiga port of 3.4 after Janne Salmijarvi resurrected it for
+ Janne Salmijarvi and Teemu Suikki maintained and enhanced
+ the Amiga port of 3.4 after Janne Salmijarvi resurrected it for
3.3.1.
- Christian ‘‘Marvin’’ Bressler maintained 3.4 for the Atari
+ Christian ``Marvin'' Bressler maintained 3.4 for the Atari
after he resurrected it for 3.3.1.
- The release of NetHack 3.4.3 in December 2003 marked the be‐
+ The release of NetHack 3.4.3 in December 2003 marked the be-
ginning of a long release hiatus. 3.4.3 proved to be a remarkably
stable version that provided continued enjoyment by the community
- for more than a decade. The devteam slowly and quietly continued
+ for more than a decade. The devteam slowly and quietly continued
to work on the game behind the scenes during the tenure of 3.4.3.
- It was during that same period that several new variants emerged
- within the NetHack community. Notably sporkhack by Derek S. Ray,
- unnethack by Patric Mueller, nitrohack and its successors origi‐
- nally by Daniel Thaler and then by Alex Smith, and Dynahack by
- Tung Nguyen. Some of those variants continue to be developed,
+ It was during that same period that several new variants emerged
+ within the NetHack community. Notably sporkhack by Derek S. Ray,
+ unnethack by Patric Mueller, nitrohack and its successors origi-
+ nally by Daniel Thaler and then by Alex Smith, and Dynahack by
+ Tung Nguyen. Some of those variants continue to be developed,
maintained, and enjoyed by the community to this day.
- At the beginning of development for what would eventually
- get released as 3.6.0, the development team consisted of Warwick
- Allison, Michael Allison, Ken Arromdee, David Cohrs, Jessie Col‐
- let, Ken Lorber, Dean Luick, Pat Rankin, Mike Stephenson, Janet
- Walz, and Paul Winner. Leading up to the release of 3.6.0 in
- early 2015, new members Sean Hunt, Pasi Kallinen, and Derek S.
+ At the beginning of development for what would eventually
+ get released as 3.6.0, the development team consisted of Warwick
+ Allison, Michael Allison, Ken Arromdee, David Cohrs, Jessie Col-
+ let, Ken Lorber, Dean Luick, Pat Rankin, Mike Stephenson, Janet
+ Walz, and Paul Winner. Leading up to the release of 3.6.0 in
+ early 2015, new members Sean Hunt, Pasi Kallinen, and Derek S.
Ray joined the NetHack development team.
- In September 2014, an interim snapshot of the code under de‐
+ In September 2014, an interim snapshot of the code under de-
velopment was released publicly by other parties. Since that code
- was a work‐in‐progress and had not gone through the process of
- debugging it as a suitable release, it was decided that the ver‐
- sion numbers present on that code snapshot would be retired and
- never used in an official NetHack release. An announcement was
- posted on the devteam’s official nethack.org website to that ef‐
- fect, stating that there would never be a 3.4.4, 3.5, or 3.5.0
+ was a work-in-progress and had not gone through the process of
+ debugging it as a suitable release, it was decided that the ver-
+ sion numbers present on that code snapshot would be retired and
+ never used in an official NetHack release. An announcement was
+ posted on the devteam's official nethack.org website to that ef-
+ fect, stating that there would never be a 3.4.4, 3.5, or 3.5.0
official release version.
- In November 2014, preparation began for the release of
- NetHack 3.6. The 3.6 version merges work done by the development
- team since the previous release with some of the beloved communi‐
- ty patches. Many bugs were fixed and a large amount of code was
+ In November 2014, preparation began for the release of
+ NetHack 3.6. The 3.6 version merges work done by the development
+ team since the previous release with some of the beloved communi-
+ ty patches. Many bugs were fixed and a large amount of code was
restructured.
The development team, as well as Steve VanDevender and Kevin
- Smolkowski ensured that NetHack 3.6.0 continued to operate on
+ Smolkowski ensured that NetHack 3.6.0 continued to operate on
various Unix flavors and maintained the X11 interface.
- Ken Lorber, Haoyang Wang, Pat Rankin, and Dean Luick main‐
+ Ken Lorber, Haoyang Wang, Pat Rankin, and Dean Luick main-
tained the port of NetHack 3.6.0 for Mac.
- Michael Allison, Derek S. Ray, Yitzhak Sapir, Alex Kompel,
- and Dion Nicolaas maintained the port of NetHack 3.6.0 for Micro‐
- soft Windows.
+ Michael Allison, Derek S. Ray, Yitzhak Sapir, Alex Kompel,
+ and Dion Nicolaas maintained the port of NetHack 3.6.0 for Mi-
+ crosoft Windows.
The official NetHack web site is maintained by Ken Lorber at
http://www.nethack.org/.
- SHOUT‐OUTS
+ SHOUT-OUTS
- The devteam would like to give a special "shout‐out" to
- thank the generous people primarily responsible for the public
+ The devteam would like to give a special "shout-out" to
+ thank the generous people primarily responsible for the public
NetHack servers available for playing the game at nethack.alt.org
and devnull.net. In addition to providing a way for the public to
- play a game of NetHack from almost anywhere, they have hosted an‐
+ play a game of NetHack from almost anywhere, they have hosted an-
nual NetHack tournaments for many, many years.
- On behalf of the NetHack community, thank you very much to
+ On behalf of the NetHack community, thank you very much to
M. Drew Streib, Pasi Kallinen and Robin Bandy.
- ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐
+ - - - - - - - - - -
- From time to time, some depraved individual out there in
- netland sends a particularly intriguing modification to help out
- with the game. The Gods of the Dungeon sometimes make note of
- the names of the worst of these miscreants in this, the list of
+ From time to time, some depraved individual out there in
+ netland sends a particularly intriguing modification to help out
+ with the game. The Gods of the Dungeon sometimes make note of
+ the names of the worst of these miscreants in this, the list of
Dungeoneers:
Adam Aronow Janet Walz Nathan Eady
Alex Kompel Janne Salmijarvi Norm Meluch
- Andreas Dorn Jean‐Christophe Collet Olaf Seibert
+ Andreas Dorn Jean-Christophe Collet Olaf Seibert
Andy Church Jeff Bailey Pasi Kallinen
Andy Swanson Jochen Erwied Pat Rankin
Ari Huttunen John Kallen Paul Winner
Derek S. Ray Kevin Sweet Scott Bigham
Deron Meranda Lars Huttar Scott R. Turner
Dion Nicolaas Leon Arnott Sean Hunt
- Dylan O’Donnell M. Drew Streib Stephen Spackman
+ Dylan O'Donnell M. Drew Streib Stephen Spackman
Eric Backus Malcolm Ryan Stefan Thielscher
Eric Hendrickson Mark Gooderum Stephen White
Eric R. Smith Mark Modrall Steve Creps
Greg Laskin Michael Feir Timo Hakulinen
Greg Olson Michael Hamel Tom Almy
Gregg Wonderly Michael Sokolov Tom West
- Hao‐yang Wang Mike Engber Warren Cheung
+ Hao-yang Wang Mike Engber Warren Cheung
Helge Hafting Mike Gallop Warwick Allison
- Irina Rempt‐Drijfhout Mike Passaretti Yitzhak Sapir
+ Irina Rempt-Drijfhout Mike Passaretti Yitzhak Sapir
Izchak Miller Mike Stephenson
J. Ali Harlow Mikko Juola
- Brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks
+ Brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks
of their respective holders.
projects / nethack / commitdiff