









                           A Guide to the Mazes of Menace
                             (Guidebook for NetHack 3.2)


                                   Eric S. Raymond
            (Extensively edited and expanded for 3.0 by Mike Threepoint)



          1.  Introduction

               Having exhausted your own  meager  financial  resources,  as
          well  as  those  of your parents, you find that you must end your
          formal education.  Your lack of experience and skills leaves  you
          facing a pretty grim future.  You could look for some sort of me-
          nial job and hope to  perform  well  enough  to  be  noticed  and
          perhaps  rise  in  responsibilities until you were earning enough
          money to be comfortable.  Or you could set out into the world and
          make your livelihood by prospecting, stealing, crusading, or just
          plain killing, for your gold.  Over the objections of your  local
          guildmaster, you opt to follow the adventuring route.  After all,
          when adventurers came back this way they  usually  seemed  better
          off than when they passed through the first time.  And who was to
          say that all of those who did not return had not just kept going?

               Asking around, you hear about a bauble, called the Amulet of
          Yendor  by  some, which, if you can find it, will bring you great
          wealth.  One legend you were told even mentioned that the one who
          finds  the  amulet  will be granted immortality by the gods.  The
          amulet is rumored to be somewhere beyond the Valley of  Gehennom,
          deep within the Mazes of Menace.  You decide that even if the ru-
          mors of the amulet's powers are untrue, and even if it won't cure
          the  common plague, you should at least be able to sell the tales
          of your adventures to the local minstrels for a  tidy  sum.   You
          spend one last night fortifying yourself at the local inn, becom-
          ing more and more depressed as you watch the odds of your success
          being  posted on the inn's walls getting lower and lower.  In the
          morning you awake, gather together your belongings, and  set  off
          on your adventure...

               Your abilities and strengths for dealing with the hazards of
          adventure will vary with your background and training.

               Archeologists understand dungeons pretty well; this  enables
          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
          battle.   They  begin  their  quests  with  naught  but  uncommon
          strength, a trusty hauberk, and a great two-handed sword.


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               Cavemen and Cavewomen start with exceptional  strength  but,
          unfortunately, with neolithic weapons.

               Elves are agile, quick, and sensitive; very little  of  what
          goes  on  will escape an Elf.  The quality of Elven craftsmanship
          often gives them an advantage in arms and armor.

               Healers are wise in medicine and apothecary.  They know  the
          herbs  and simples that can restore vitality, ease pain, anesthe-
          tize, and neutralize poisons; and with  their  instruments,  they
          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
          excellence of their armor.

               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.

               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
          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.

               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.
          Although seemingly weak and easy to overcome at first  sight,  an
          experienced Wizard is a deadly foe.

               You set out for  the  dungeon  and  after  several  days  of
          uneventful  travel  you  see  the ancient ruins that mark the en-
          trance 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 morning, you gather your gear,  eat  what  may  be
          your last meal outside, and enter the dungeon.





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          2.  What is going on here?

               You have just begun a game of NetHack.  Your goal is to grab
          as  much  treasure as you can, retrieve the Amulet of Yendor, and
          escape the Mazes of Menace alive.  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-
          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
          will be used for the map.

               NetHack generates a new dungeon every time you play it; even
          the  authors  still  find  it  an  entertaining and exciting game
          despite having won several times.


          3.  What do all those things on the screen mean?

               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
          represent everything.  There is no difference between the various
          display options with respect to game  play.   Because  we  cannot
          reproduce the tiles or colors in the Guidebook, and because it is
          common 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 bat bites!

               ------
               |....|    ----------
               |.<..|####...@...$.|

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               |....-#   |...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-
          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
               experience level, see below).

          Strength
               A measure of your character's  strength;  one  of  your  six
               basic  attributes.   Your  attributes can range from 3 to 18
               inclusive (occasionally you may get super-strengths  of  the
               form  18/xx).   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
               you can carry.

          Dexterity
               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
               and other strains on your stamina.

          Intelligence
               Intelligence affects your ability to cast  spells  and  read
               spellbooks.

          Wisdom
               Wisdom comes from your practical experience (especially when
               dealing with magic).  It affects your magical energy.

          Charisma
               Charisma affects how certain creatures react toward you.  In
               particular, it can affect the prices shopkeepers offer you.

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          Alignment
               Lawful, Neutral, or Chaotic.   Often,  Lawful  is  good  and
               Chaotic  is  evil.  Your alignment influences how other mon-
               sters react toward you.  Monsters of a  like  alignment  are
               more likely to 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-
               where beneath the twentieth level.

          Gold
               The number of gold pieces you  are  openly  carrying.   Gold
               which you have concealed in containers is not counted.

          Hit Points
               Your current and maximum hit points.   Hit  points  indicate
               how  much  damage you can take before you die.  The more you
               get hit in a fight, the lower they get.  You can regain  hit
               points  by  resting,  or  by  using certain magical items or
               spells.  The number in parentheses  is  the  maximum  number
               your hit points can reach.

          Power
               Spell points.  This tells you how much mystic energy  (mana)
               you  have  available for spell casting.  Again, resting will
               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-
               mor class.

          Experience
               Your current experience level and experience points.  As you
               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-
               ical attacks.  Many dungeons show only your experience level
               here.

          Time
               The number of turns elapsed so far, displayed  if  you  have
               the time option set.

          Hunger status
               Your current hunger status, ranging from  Satiated  down  to
               Fainting.   If  your  hunger  status  is  normal,  it is not
               displayed.


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               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.

          3.2.  The message line (top)

               The top line of the screen is  reserved  for  messages  that
          describe  things  that  are impossible to represent visually.  If
          you 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 the next message, just press the space bar.

          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-
          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 |
               The walls of a room, or an open door.

          .    The floor of a room, ice, or a doorless doorway.

          #    A corridor, or possibly a kitchen sink (if your dungeon  has
               sinks) or drawbridge.

          <    A way to the previous level.

          >    A way to the next level.

          +    A closed door, or a spell book containing a  spell  you  can
               learn.

          @    A human (you, usually).

          $    A pile of gold.

          ^    A trap (once you detect it).

          )    A weapon.

          [    A suit or piece of armor.

          %    Something edible (not necessarily healthy).

          ?    A scroll.

          /    A wand.

          =    A ring.



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          !    A potion.

          (    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.

          0    An iron ball.

          _    An altar, or an iron chain.

          }    A pool of water or moat or a pool of lava.

          {    A fountain.

          \    An opulent throne.

          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.

               You need not memorize all these symbols;  you  can  ask  the
          game  what  any  symbol  represents with the `/' command (see the
          Commands 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
          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
          presented with will depend chiefly on how you have set the menus-
          tyle 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
          after all, you can press the ESC key to abort the command.



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               You can put a number before most  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-
          ence:

          ?    Help menu:  display one of several help texts available.

          /    Tell what a symbol represents.  You may choose to specify  a
               location  or type a symbol (or even a whole word) to define.
               If the help option is on, and NetHack has some  special  in-
               formation  about  an  object  or monster that you looked at,
               you'll be asked if you want ``More info?''.  If help is off,
               then  you'll  only get the special information if you expli-
               citly ask for it by typing in the name of the monster or ob-
               ject.

          &    Tell what a command does.

          <    Go up to the previous level (if you are on the staircase  or
               ladder).

          >    Go down to the next level (if you are on  the  staircase  or
               ladder).

          [yuhjklbn]
               Go one step in the direction indicated (see Figure  2).   If
               there  is  a  monster  there, you will fight the monster in-
               stead.  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
                                / | \            / | \
                               b  j  n          1  2  3
                                         (if number_pad is set)

                                         Figure 2


          [YUHJKLBN]
               Go in that direction until you hit a wall or run into  some-
               thing.

          m[yuhjklbn]
               Prefix:  move without picking up any objects.


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          M[yuhjklbn]
               Prefix:  move far, no pickup.

          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-
               sidered interesting.

          .    Rest, do nothing for one turn.

          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.

          ^A   Redo the previous command.

          c    Close a door.

          C    Call (name) an individual monster.

          ^C   Panic button.  Quit the game.

          d    Drop something.  Ex. ``d7a'' means drop seven items  of  ob-
               ject a.

          D    Drop several things.  In answer to the question ``What kinds
               of  things  do  you want to drop? [!%= au]'' you should type
               zero or more object symbols possibly followed by `a'  and/or
               `u'.

               Da  - drop all objects, without asking for confirmation.
               Du  - drop only unpaid objects (when in a shop).
               D%u - drop only unpaid food.

          ^D   Kick something (usually a door).

          e    Eat food.

          E    Engrave a message on the floor.  Engraving  the  word  ``El-
               bereth''  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 version might not  have
               it.)

               E- - write in the dust with your fingers.

          i    List your inventory (everything you're carrying).




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          I    List selected parts of your inventory.

               I* - list all gems in inventory;
               Iu - list all unpaid items;
               Ix - list all used up items that are on your shopping bill;
               I$ - count your money.

          o    Open a door.

          O    Set options.  You will be asked to enter an option line.  If
               you  enter  a  blank line, the current options are reported.
               Entering `?' will get you explanations of  the  various  op-
               tions.   Otherwise,  you  should  enter  a  list  of options
               separated by commas.  The available options are listed later
               in this Guidebook.  Options are usually set before the game,
               not with the `O' command; see the section on options below.

          p    Pay your shopping bill.

          P    Put on a ring or other accessory (amulet, blindfold).

          ^P   Repeat previous message (subsequent ^P's repeat earlier mes-
               sages).

          q    Quaff (drink) a potion.

          Q    Quit the game.

          r    Read a scroll or spell book.

          R    Remove an accessory (ring, amulet, etc).

          ^R   Redraw the screen.

          s    Search for secret doors and traps around  you.   It  usually
               takes several tries to find something.

          S    Save the game.  The game will be restored automatically  the
               next time you play.

          t    Throw an object or shoot a projectile.

          T    Take off armor.

          ^T   Teleport, if you have the ability.

          v    Display version number.

          V    Display the game history.

          w    Wield weapon.  w- means wield nothing, use your bare hands.

          W    Wear armor.



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          x    List the spells you know (same as `+').

          X    Enter explore (discovery) mode.

          z    Zap a wand.

          Z    Zap (cast) a spell.

          ^Z   Suspend the game (UNIX(R) versions with job control only).

          :    Look at what is here.

          ;    Show what type of thing a visible symbol corresponds to.

          ,    Pick up some things.

          @    Toggle the autopickup option on and off.

          ^    Ask for the type of a trap you found earlier.

          )    Tell what weapon you are wielding.

          [    Tell what armor you are wearing.

          =    Tell what rings you are wearing.

          "    Tell what amulet you are wearing.

          (    Tell what tools you are using.

          $    Count your gold pieces.

          +    List the spells you know (same as `x').

          \    Show what types of objects have been discovered.

          !    Escape to a shell.

          #    Perform an extended command.  As you can see, the authors of
               NetHack  used up all the letters, so this is a way to intro-
               duce the less useful commands, or commands used under limit-
               ed circumstances.  You may obtain a list of them by entering
               `?'.  What extended commands are available depends  on  what
               features the game was compiled with.

               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 the  extended  commands  by
          meta-ing  the  first  letter of the command.  In 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.

          __________
          (R)UNIX is a registered trademark of AT&T.


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          M-a  Adjust inventory letters (most useful when the fixinv option
               is ``on'').

          M-c  Talk to someone.

          M-d  Dip an object into something.

          M-e  Advance or check weapons skills.

          M-f  Force a lock.

          M-i  Invoke an object's special powers.

          M-j  Jump to another location.

          M-l  Loot a box on the floor.

          M-m  Use a monster's special ability.

          M-n  Name an item or type of object.

          M-o  Offer a sacrifice to the gods.

          M-p  Pray to the gods for help.

          M-r  Rub a lamp.

          M-s  Sit down.

          M-t  Turn undead.

          M-u  Untrap something (trap, door, or chest).

          M-v  Print compile time options for this version of NetHack.

          M-w  Wipe off your face.

               If the number_pad option is on, some additional letter  com-
          mands are available:

          j    Jump to another location.  Same as ``#jump'' or ``M-j''.

          k    Kick something (usually a door).  Same as `^D'.

          l    Loot a box on the floor.  Same as ``#loot'' or ``M-l''.

          N    Name an item or type of object.  Same as ``#name''  or  ``M-
               N''.

          u    Untrap a trap, door, or chest.  Same as ``#untrap'' or  ``M-
               u''.





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          5.  Rooms and corridors

               Rooms and corridors in the dungeon are either lit  or  dark.
          Any  lit  areas within your line of sight will be displayed; dark
          areas are only displayed if they are within  one  space  of  you.
          Walls and corridors remain on the map as you explore them.

               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)
          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.

               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
          can walk through doors).

               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 (`^')

               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-
          mand.  Monsters can fall prey to traps, too, which can be used as
          a useful defensive strategy.


          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
          (which some monsters can do very well).





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          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
          business unless you attack them.  Some of them are very dangerous
          when angered.  Remember:  discretion is the better part of valor.

          6.2.  Your pet

               You start the game with a little dog  (`d')  or  cat  (`f'),
          which follows you about the dungeon and fights monsters with you.
          Like you, your pet needs food to survive.  It usually  feeds  it-
          self  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 under 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.

               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.

          6.3.  Bones levels

               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.
          Beware of whatever killed the former player; it is probably still
          lurking around, gloating over its last victory.


          7.  Objects

               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.

               If you're carrying too many things, 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.

               When you pick up an object,  it  is  assigned  an  inventory
          letter.   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


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          presented with a list of inventory letters to  choose  from  (see
          Commands, above).

               Some objects, such as weapons,  are  easily  differentiated.
          Others,  like  scrolls  and potions, are given descriptions which
          vary according to type.  During a game, any two objects with  the
          same  description  are  the same type.  However, the descriptions
          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
          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 for the same purpose at any time,  to  name
          all objects of a particular type or just an individual object.

          7.1.  Curses and Blessings

               Any object that you find may be cursed, even if  the  object
          is otherwise helpful.  The most common effect of a curse is being
          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-
          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-
          ample, a blessed weapon will do more damage against demons.

               There are magical means of bestowing or removing curses upon
          objects,  so  even  if you are stuck with one, you can still have
          the curse lifted and the item removed.  Priests  and  Priestesses
          have  an  innate  sensitivity  to this property in any object, so
          they can more easily avoid cursed objects  than  other  character
          classes.

               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.

          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
          points of damage (plus bonuses, if any).

               There are wielded weapons, like maces and swords, and thrown
          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


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          simply  select  to  throw a spear.  To shoot an arrow, you should
          first wield  a  bow,  then  throw  the  arrow.   Crossbows  shoot
          crossbow  bolts.   Slings  hurl  rocks  and  (other) stones (like
          gems).  You can wield only one weapon at  a  time,  but  you  can
          change weapons unless you're wielding a cursed one.  To switch to
          bare hands, wield `-', or use the `A' command which allows you to
          unwield  the  current weapon in addition to taking off other worn
          items.

               The ``#enhance'' command will be  present  if  the  ``weapon
          skills''  feature  is enabled, and deals with your proficiency in
          various types of weapons.

               Enchanted weapons have a ``plus'' (or ``to hit enhancement''
          which  can be either positive or negative) that adds or subtracts
          to/from 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 identified somehow.

               Most weapons are subject to some type of damage  like  rust.
          Such damage can be repaired.

               Those of you in the audience who are AD&D players, be  aware
          that  each  weapon  which  exists in AD&D does the same damage to
          monsters in NetHack.  Some of the more obscure weapons  (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),
          and the ``#enhance'' extended command.

          7.3.  Armor (`[')

               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-
          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
          classes provided by various suits of armor:

                             dragon scale mail         1
                             crystal plate mail        3
                             plate mail                3
                             bronze plate mail         4
                             splint mail               4
                             banded mail               4
                             elven mithril-coat        5
                             chain mail                5
                             scale mail                6
                             ring mail                 7
                             studded leather armor     7
                             leather armor             8


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                             no armor                 10

               You can also wear other pieces of armor (ex. helmets, boots,
          shields,  cloaks) to lower your armor class even further, but you
          can only wear one item of each category (one suit of  armor,  one
          cloak, one helmet, one shield, and so on) at a time.

               If a piece of armor is enchanted, its armor protection  will
          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
          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 or 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
          other worn items.

          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
          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.''

               You can name one food item after something you like  to  eat
          with the fruit option, if your dungeon has it.

               The command to eat food is `e'.

          7.5.  Scrolls (`?')

               Scrolls are labeled with various titles, probably chosen  by
          ancient  wizards  for  their amusement value (ex. ``READ ME,'' or
          ``HOLY BIBLE'' 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,
          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


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          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
          off the mail option.

               The command to read a scroll is `r'.

          7.6.  Potions (`!')

               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
          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.

               The command to drink a potion is `q' (quaff).

          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'
          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
          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.
          Occasionally, however, it may be possible to squeeze the last few
          mana points from an otherwise spent wand.

               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-
          tainly cause a catastrophic release of magical energies.

               The command to use a wand is `z' (zap).  To break  one,  use
          the `a' (apply) command.




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          7.8.  Rings (`=')

               Rings are very useful items, since they are relatively  per-
          manent  magic,  unlike  the  usually fleeting effects of potions,
          scrolls, and wands.

               Putting on a ring activates its magic.  You  can  wear  only
          two rings, one on each ring finger.

               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).

          7.9.  Spell books (`+')

               Spell books are tomes of mighty magic.   When  studied  with
          the  `r'  (read)  command,  they bestow the knowledge of a spell-
          unless the attempt backfires.  Reading a cursed spell book 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 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.  Releasing the magical energy releases
          some of your memory of the spell with it.  Each time you  cast  a
          spell, your familiarity with it will dwindle, until you eventual-
          ly forget the details completely and must relearn it.

               Casting a spell also requires flexible movement, and wearing
          various types of armor may interfere with that.

               The command to read a spell book is the same as for scrolls,
          `r'  (read).   The  `+' command lists your current spells and the
          number of spell points they  require.   The  `Z'  (cast)  command
          casts a spell.

          7.10.  Tools (`(')

               Tools are miscellaneous objects with various purposes.  Some
          tools,  like  wands, have a limited number of uses.  For example,
          lamps burn out after a while.  Other tools are containers,  which
          objects can be placed into or taken out of.

               The command to use tools is `a' (apply).

          7.10.1.  Chests and boxes

               You may encounter chests or boxes in  your  travels.   These
          can  be  opened with the ``#loot'' extended command when they are


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          NetHack Guidebook                                              20


          on the floor, or with the `a' (apply) command when you are carry-
          ing  one.   However, chests are often locked, and are in any case
          unwieldy objects.  You must set one down before unlocking  it  by
          kicking it, using a key or lock-picking tool with the `a' (apply)
          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.

          7.11.  Amulets (`"')

               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).

          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.
          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
          cases, you can still throw them by hand.

          7.13.  Large rocks (``')

               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
          to use boulders as weapons.

          7.14.  Gold (`$')

               Gold adds to your score, and you can  buy  things  in  shops
          with  it.   Your version of NetHack may display how much gold you
          have on the status line.  If not, the `$' command will count  it.
          There  are a number of monsters in the dungeon that may be influ-
          enced by the amount of gold you are carrying (shopkeepers aside).






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          8.  Options

               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.

          8.1.  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.

          8.2.  Using the NETHACKOPTIONS environment variable

               The NETHACKOPTIONS variable is a comma-separated list of in-
          itial 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  op-
          tion  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, and
          then the value of the string.  The value  is  terminated  by  the
          next comma or the end of string.

               For example, to set up an environment variable so that ``fe-
          male''  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 "female,\!autopickup,name:Blue Meanie,fruit:papaya"

          in csh (note the need to escape the ! since it's special  to  the
          shell), or

               $ NETHACKOPTIONS="female,!autopickup,name:Blue Meanie,fruit:papaya"
               $ export NETHACKOPTIONS

          in sh or ksh.

          8.3.  Using a configuration file

               Any line in  the  configuration  file  starting  with  ``OP-
          TIONS=''  may be filled out with options in the same syntax as in
          NETHACKOPTIONS.   Any  line  starting  with  ``DUNGEON='',  ``EF-
          FECTS='',  ``MONSTERS='', ``OBJECTS='', or ``TRAPS='' is taken as
          defining the corresponding dungeon, effects, monsters, objects or
          traps option in a different syntax, 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 mul-
          tiple lines by putting a `\' at the end of each line to  be  con-
          tinued.  Any line starting with `#' is treated as a comment.



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               The default name of the configuration file  varies  on  dif-
          ferent  operating  systems, but NETHACKOPTIONS can also be set to
          the full name of a file you want to use (possibly preceded by  an
          `@').

          8.4.  Customization options

               Here are explanations of what the various options do.  Char-
          acter  strings  that  are too long may be truncated.  Some of the
          options listed may be inactive in your dungeon.

          autopickup
               Pick up things you move onto by default (default on).

          BIOS
               Use BIOS calls to update the screen display quickly  and  to
               read  the  keyboard (allowing the use of arrow keys to move)
               on machines with an IBM PC compatible BIOS ROM (default off,
               OS/2, PC, and ST NetHack only).

          catname
               Name your starting cat (ex. ``catname:Morris'').  Cannot  be
               set with the `O' command.

          checkpoint
               Save game  state  after  each  level  change,  for  possible
               recovery after program crash (default on).

          color
               Use color  for  different  monsters,  objects,  and  dungeon
               features (default on for microcomputers).

          confirm
               Have user confirm attacks on pets,  shopkeepers,  and  other
               peaceable creatures (default on).

          DECgraphics
               Use a predefined selection of characters from  the  DEC  VT-
               xxx/DEC  Rainbow/ANSI  line-drawing character set to display
               the dungeon/effects/traps instead of having to define a full
               graphics  set yourself (default off).  This option also sets
               up proper handling of graphics characters  for  such  termi-
               nals,  so you should specify it when appropriate even if you
               override the selections with your own graphics strings.

          disclose
               Offer to disclose various information  when  the  game  ends
               (default  all).   The possibilities are identifying your in-
               ventory ('i'), disclosing your attributes ('a'), summarizing
               monsters  that  have been vanquished ('v'), and listing mon-
               ster species that have been genocided ('g').  Note that  the
               vanquished  monsters  list  includes  all monsters killed by
               traps and each other as well as by you.



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          dogname
               Name your starting dog (ex.  ``dogname:Fang'').   Cannot  be
               set with the `O' command.

          dungeon
               Set the graphics symbols for displaying the dungeon (default
               `` |--------||.-|++.##<><>_\\#{}.}..## #}'').   The  dungeon
               option should be followed by a string of 1-38 characters  to
               be  used instead of the default map-drawing characters.  The
               dungeon map will use the characters you specify  instead  of
               the  default symbols, and default symbols for any you do not
               specify.  Remember that you may need to escape some of these
               characters if, for example, you use csh.

               Note that this option string is escape-processed in  conven-
               tional  C  fashion.  This means that `\' is a prefix to take
               the following character literally, and not as a special pre-
               fix.   The special escape form `\m' switches on the meta bit
               in the following character, and the `^'  prefix  causes  the
               following character to be treated as a control character.

               The order of the symbols is:   solid  rock,  vertical  wall,
               horizontal  wall,  upper  left  corner,  upper right corner,
               lower left corner, lower right corner, cross wall, upward  T
               wall, downward T wall, leftward T wall, rightward T wall, no
               door, vertical open door,  horizontal  open  door,  vertical
               closed  door,  horizontal closed door, floor of a room, dark
               corridor, lit corridor, stairs up, stairs down,  ladder  up,
               ladder  down, altar, throne, kitchen sink, fountain, pool or
               moat, ice, lava,  vertical  lowered  drawbridge,  horizontal
               lowered  drawbridge,  vertical raised drawbridge, horizontal
               raised drawbridge, air, cloud, under water.

               You might want to use `+' for the corners and T walls for  a
               more  aesthetic,  boxier  display.   Note  that  in the next
               release, new symbols may be added, or the present ones rear-
               ranged.

               Cannot be set with the `O' command.

          effects
               Set the graphics symbols for displaying special effects (de-
               fault  ``|-\\/*!)(0#@*/-\\||\\-//-\\| |\\-/'').  The effects
               option should be followed by a string of 1-29 characters  to
               be  used  instead of the default special-effects characters.
               This string is subjected  to  the  same  processing  as  the
               dungeon option.

               The order of the  symbols  is:   vertical  beam,  horizontal
               beam,  left  slant,  right slant, digging beam, camera flash
               beam, left boomerang, right boomerang,  four  glyphs  giving
               the  sequence  for magic resistance displays; the eight sur-
               rounding glyphs for swallowed display; nine glyphs  for  ex-
               plosions.  An explosion consists of three rows (top, middle,


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          NetHack Guidebook                                              24


               and bottom) of three characters.  The explosion is  centered
               in the center of this 3 by 3 array.

               Note that in the next release, new symbols may be added,  or
               the present ones rearranged.

               Cannot be set with the `O' command.

          female
               Set your sex (default off).  Cannot be set with the `O' com-
               mand.

          fixinv
               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.

          fruit
               Name  a  fruit  after  something  you  enjoy   eating   (ex.
               ``fruit:mango'') (default ``slime mold'').  Basically a nos-
               talgic 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 al-
               ready exist in NetHack, so don't use those.

          help If more information is available for  an  object  looked  at
               with  the  `/'  command,  ask if you want to see it (default
               on). Turning 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 information.

          hilite_pet
               Visually distinguish  pets  from  similar  animals  (default
               off).   In  text windowing, use text highlighting when color
               is turned off; with X tiles, display  a  heart  symbol  near
               pets.

          IBMgraphics
               Use a predefined selection of IBM extended ASCII  characters
               to  display  the  dungeon/effects/traps instead of having to
               define a full graphics set yourself (default off).  This op-
               tion also sets up proper handling of graphics characters for
               such terminals, so you should specify  it  when  appropriate
               even  if  you override the selections with your own graphics
               strings.

          ignintr
               Ignore interrupt signals, including breaks (default off).

          legacy
               Display an introductory message when starting the game  (de-
               fault on).



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          lit_corridor
               Show corridor squares seen by night vision or a light source
               held by your character as lit (default off).

          mail   Enable

          male
               Set your sex (default on, most hackers are male).  Cannot be
               set with the `O' command.

          menustyle
               Controls the interface used when you need to choose  various
               objects  (in  response  to  the Drop command, for instance).
               The value specified should be the first letter of one of the
               following:   traditional,  combination,  partial,  or  full.
               Traditional was the only  interface  available  for  earlier
               versions;  it  consists of a prompt for object class charac-
               ters, 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 objects rather than prompting
               one-by-one.  Partial skips the object  class  filtering  and
               immediately displays a menu of all objects.  Full displays a
               menu of object classes rather than a character  prompt,  and
               then a menu of matching objects for selection.

          menu_deselect_all
               Menu character accelerator to deselect all items in a  menu.
               Implemented by the X11 and tty ports.  Default '-'.

          menu_deselect_page
               Menu character accelerator deselect all items on  this  page
               of a menu.  Implemented only by the tty port.  Default '\'.

          menu_first_page
               Menu character accelerator to jump to the first  page  in  a
               menu.  Implemented only by the tty port.  Default '^'.

          menu_invert_all
               Menu character accelerator to invert all items  in  a  menu.
               Implemented by the X11 and tty ports.  Default '@'.

          menu_invert_page
               Menu character accelerator to invert all items on this  page
               of a menu.  Implemented only by the tty port.  Default '~'.

          menu_last_page
               Menu character accelerator to jump to the  last  page  in  a
               menu.  Implemented only by the tty port.  Default '|'.

          menu_next_page
               Menu character accelerator to goto the next menu page.   Im-
               plemented only by the tty port.  Default '>'.



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          NetHack Guidebook                                              26


          menu_previous_page
               Menu character accelerator to goto the previous  menu  page.
               Implemented only by the tty port.  Default '<'.

          menu_search
               Menu character accelerator to search for a menu  item.   Im-
               plemented only by the X11 port.  Default ':'.

          menu_select_all
               Menu character accelerator to select all items  in  a  menu.
               Implemented by the X11 and tty ports.  Default '.'.

          menu_select_page
               Menu character accelerator to select all items on this  page
               of a menu.  Implemented only by the tty port.  Default ','.

          monsters
               Set the characters used to display monster classes  (default
               ``abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWX-
               YZ@ '&;:~]'').  This string is subjected to  the  same  pro-
               cessing  as the dungeon option.  The order of the symbols is
               ant or other insect, blob, cockatrice, dog or other  canine,
               eye  or  sphere,  feline,  gremlin,  humanoid,  imp or minor
               demon, jelly, kobold, leprechaun,  mimic,  nymph,  orc,  pi-
               ercer,  quadruped,  rodent, spider, trapper or lurker above,
               unicorn, vortex, worm, xan or other  mythical/fantastic  in-
               sect,  light,  zruty,  angelic  being, bat, centaur, dragon,
               elemental, fungus or mold, gnome, giant humanoid,  invisible
               stalker,  jabberwock, Keystone Kop, lich, mummy, naga, ogre,
               pudding or ooze,  quantum  mechanic,  rust  monster,  snake,
               troll,  umber  hulk,  vampire,  wraith, xorn, yeti or ape or
               other large beast, zombie, human, ghost, golem,  demon,  sea
               monster,  lizard,  long worm tail, and mimic.  Cannot be set
               with the `O' command.

          msghistory
               The number of top line messages to save (and recall with ^P)
               (default 20).  Cannot be set with the `O' command.

          name
               Set your character's name (defaults to your user name).  You
               can  also  set  your character class by appending a dash and
               the first letter of the character class (that is, by suffix-
               ing  one  of -A -B -C -E -H -K -P -R -S -T -V -W).  If -@ is
               used for the class, then a random one will be  automatically
               chosen.  Cannot be set with the `O' command.

          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.

          null
               Send padding nulls to the terminal (default off).


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          NetHack Guidebook                                              27


          number_pad
               Use the number keys to move instead of  [yuhjklbn]  (default
               off).

          objects
               Set the characters used to display object  classes  (default
               ``])[="(%!?+/$*`0_.'').   This  string  is  subjected to the
               same processing as the dungeon option.   The  order  of  the
               symbols  is  illegal-object  (should never be seen), weapon,
               armor, ring, amulet, tool, food, potion, scroll, spell book,
               wand,  gold,  gem  or  rock,  boulder  or statue, iron ball,
               chain, and venom.  Cannot be set with the `O' command.

          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.

          perm_invent
               If true, always display your current inventory in a  window.
               This  only  makes sense for windowing system interfaces that
               implement this feature.

          pettype
               Specify the type of your initial pet, if you are  playing  a
               character  class  that  uses  both  types of pets.  Possible
               values are ``cat'' and ``dog''.  Cannot be set with the  `O'
               command.

          pickup_types
               Specify the object types to be picked up when autopickup  is
               on.  Default is all types.

          preload_tiles
               For the 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. (default on).  Cannot be set with the `O' command.

          rawio
               Force raw (non-cbreak) mode for faster output and more  bul-
               letproof  input  (MS-DOS  sometimes treats `^P' as a printer
               toggle without it) (default off).  Note:  DEC Rainbows  hang
               if this is turned on.  Cannot be set with the `O' command.

          rest_on_space
               Make the space bar a synonym for the `.' (rest) command (de-
               fault off).

          safe_pet
               Prevent you from (knowingly) attacking  your  pets  (default
               on).




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          NetHack Guidebook                                              28


          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 necessary.

          showexp
               Show your accumulated experience points on bottom line  (de-
               fault off).

          showscore
               Show your approximate accumulated score on bottom line  (de-
               fault off).

          silent
               Suppress terminal beeps (default on).

          sortpack
               Sort the pack contents by  type  when  displaying  inventory
               (default on).

          standout
               Boldface monsters and ``--More--'' (default off).

          time
               Show the elapsed game time in turns on bottom line  (default
               off).

          timed_delay
               When pausing momentarily for display effect,  such  as  with
               explosions and moving objects, use a timer rather than send-
               ing extra characters to the screen.  (Applies to ``tty'' in-
               terface  only;  ``X11''  interface always uses a timer based
               delay.  The default is on if configured into the program.)

          tombstone
               Draw a tombstone graphic upon your death (default on).

          toptenwin
               Put the ending display in a NetHack  window  instead  of  on
               stdout  (default  off).  Setting this option makes the score
               list visible 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  win-
               dow.

          traps
               Set the  graphics  symbols  for  displaying  traps  (default
               ``^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^#^^^^'').   The  traps  option  should be
               followed by a string of 1-22 characters to be  used  instead
               of  the  default traps characters.  This string is subjected
               to the same processing as the dungeon option.

               The order of the symbols is: arrow trap, dart trap,  falling


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          NetHack Guidebook                                              29


               rock  trap,  squeaky  board,  bear  trap, land mine, rolling
               boulder trap, sleeping gas trap, rust trap, fire trap,  pit,
               spiked  pit,  hole,  trap  door,  teleportation  trap, level
               teleporter, magic portal,  web,  statue  trap,  magic  trap,
               anti-magic field, polymorph trap.

               Cannot be set with the `O' command.

          verbose
               Provide more commentary during the game (default on).

          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).   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
               (default  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.

          windowtype
               Select which windowing system to use,  such  as  ``tty''  or
               ``X11''  (default  depends  on version).  Cannot be set with
               the `O' command.


          9.  Scoring

               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
          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
          can also be set up when NetHack is compiled.

               Your score is chiefly based upon  how  much  experience  you
          gained, how much loot you accumulated, how deep you explored, and
          how the game ended.  If you quit the game, you escape with all of
          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
          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.




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          NetHack Guidebook                                              30


               If you just want to see what the current  top  players/games
          list is, you can type nethack -s all on most versions.


          10.  Explore mode

               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 may come  equipped  with  an  ``ex-
          plore''  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 switch.  The other is to issue the `X'
          command while already playing the game.  The  other  benefits  of
          explore mode are left for the intrepid reader to discover.


          11.  Credits

               The original hack game was modeled on the Berkeley UNIX  ro-
          gue  game.  Large portions of this paper were shamelessly cribbed
          from A Guide to the Dungeons of Doom, by Michael C. Toy and  Ken-
          neth  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.
          Main  events  in the course of the game development are described
          below:


               Jay Fenlason wrote the original Hack, with help  from  Kenny
          Woodland, Mike Thome and Jon Payne.

               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,
          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-
          sions (3.0, 3.2, 3.51, and 3.6).

               R. Black ported PC HACK 3.51 to  Lattice  C  and  the  Atari
          520/1040ST, producing ST Hack 1.03.

               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.

               Later, Mike coordinated a major rewrite of the game, heading
          a team which included Ken Arromdee, Jean-Christophe Collet, Steve


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          NetHack Guidebook                                              31


          Creps,  Eric  Hendrickson,  Izchak  Miller,  John  Rupley,   Mike
          Threepoint, 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
          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
          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
          features, and produced NetHack 3.1.

               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-
          lin, Stephen Spackman, Steve VanDevender, and Paul Winner, ported
          NetHack 3.1 to the PC.

               Jon Watte and Hao-yang Wang, with help from Ross Brown, Mike
          Engber,  David  Hairston, Michael Hamel, Jonathan Handler, Johnny
          Lee, Tim Lennan, Rob Menke, and Andy Swanson,  developed  NetHack
          3.1  for  the  Macintosh,  porting it for MPW.  Building on their
          development, 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, is 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.

               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, release
          version 3.2 in April of 1996.




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          NetHack Guidebook                                              32


               Version 3.2 marks 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
          remained on the team at the start of work on the current 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.  This release  of  the
          game is dedicated to him by the development and porting teams.

               Pat Rankin maintained 3.2 for VMS.

               Michael Allison, Yitzhak Sapir, and Paul Winner,  with  help
          from  Steve  Linhart,  Kevin  Smolkowski,  Mike  Stephenson,  and
          Stephen White ported 3.2  for  MSDOS.   Keizo  Yamamoto  and  Ken
          Washikita ported 3.2 for the NEC 98xx machines popular in Japan.

               Ken Lorber, Andy Church, and Gregg Wonderly, with help  from
          Richard Addison, ported 3.2 for the Amiga.

               Dean Luick ported 3.2 to the Macintosh.

               Eric Smith and Warwick Allison ported 3.2 for the Ataris.

               Michael Allison ported 3.2  for  the  Microsoft  Windows  NT
          platform.

               Timo Hakulinen remains responsible for the OS/2 port.

               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:























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          NetHack Guidebook                                              33


                   Andy Church           Helge Hafting           Mike Gallop
                  Andy Swanson           Izchak Miller         Mike Passaretti
                  Ari Huttunen             Janet Walz          Mike Stephenson
                  Barton House       Jean-Christophe Collet      Norm Meluch
               Benson I. Margulies       Jochen Erwied          Olaf Seibert
                    Bill Dyer             John Kallen            Pat Rankin
                Boudewijn Wayers          John Rupley            Paul Winner
                 Bruce Holloway           John S. Bien        Pierre Martineau
                 Bruce Mewborne            Johnny Lee            Ralf Brown
                  Carl Schelin             Jon W{tte           Richard Addison
                   David Cohrs          Jonathan Handler      Richard P. Hughey
                  David Gentzel         Joshua Delahunty          Rob Menke
                 David Hairston          Keizo Yamamoto        Roland McGrath
                   Dean Luick             Ken Arromdee           Ross Brown
                    Del Lamb               Ken Lorber          Scott R. Turner
                  Deron Meranda          Ken Washikita        Stephen Spackman
                   Eric Backus            Kevin Darcy           Stephen White
                Eric Hendrickson          Kevin Sitze            Steve Creps
                  Eric R. Smith         Kevin Smolkowski        Steve Linhart
                 Eric S. Raymond          Kevin Sweet         Steve VanDevender
                Frederick Roeber         Mark Gooderum           Tim Lennan
                   Gil Neiger             Matthew Day          Timo Hakulinen
                   Greg Laskin            Merlyn LeRoy            Tom Almy
                   Greg Olson           Michael Allison           Tom West
                 Gregg Wonderly          Michael Hamel         Warwick Allison
                  Hao-yang Wang         Michael Sokolov         Yitzhak Sapir

          Brand and product names are trademarks or  registered  trademarks
          of their respective holders.



























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