rtsi.com/2014.01.www.rtsi.com.tar/www.rtsi.com/OS9/TOP/USR/GAMES/hack_doc.Z/hack_doc

Text File | 2009-11-06 | 93KB | 2,193 lines

            An introduction to the wonderful world of
                             HACK


            Written by Douglas Rosengard
            with contributions from
            Erik Lauer.

            Edited into human-readable form
            by Pete Granger

[When I received this, it was suffering badly from line-wraps, misplaced
 tabs, typos, bad grammar, misspellings, etc. I have now cleaned up as much
 as I can of it. It's not perfect, but it's better. Although I have edited
 the context freely, the content as originally posted is unchanged, with
 the exception of one place which contained data which I know to be
 incorrect for all versions: It was stated that nothing bad would happen
 if you prayed at the wrong time. This has been corrected. I have also
 added some new data to reflect changes in the latest release of NetHack.
 Any other comments of my own are in brackets, like this, with my
 initials, like this.  -PG ]


CHAPTER 1: What is Hack?

"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."
                                        - Dorothy

  Hack is a single-player, interactive fantasy game in which you play a
mighty hero, determined to recover the powerful Amulet of Yendor. This task
will not be easy, however. During your quest, you will journey deep into the
earth, battle strange and ferocious creatures, be blinded, confused and
encounter deadly traps. And, perhaps worst of all, you will slowly starve.
  Have no fear, however. Although an unending horde may assail you, and
you are a weakling at the start of your trek, you have the potential to far
surpass all of your mightiest enemies. As you defeat your foes, you will
become more powerful, learn how to fight better, and increase your stamina.
You will also find many items, some ordinary, while others have great powers.
  In addition, you are not quite alone. You will find shops which can sell
you useful items. And what fool would adventure without a faithful watchdog
beside him. But beware! The gods frown upon those who turn against their
allies.

  Here begins your journey into a new and exciting world...
  the world of HACK.


CHAPTER 2: A brief introduction to the game of Hack.

  The first step is to run the game itself. Type hack (or whatever the
name of your version is), and press return. The first thing which will happen
is that it will welcome you to the game, and ask you what type of character
you wish to play. For now, we will play a Caveman. Type "c" to indicate this
to the program.
  After a few moments, the game will start. You will see something like this:

Your Command ?

    -------
    |.....|
    |...@.|
    +.d...|
    |.....|
    |.....+
    ----+--


  AC 7   Str 18  Hp 12(12)  Exp : 0  Level : 1

  You are the "@" symbol. What you see is a single room in the Dungeon
of Doom. The dungeon is divided into many "levels." Most levels consist of
up to nine rooms connected by a twisting passageways.
  The "." are simply empty places on the floor of the room. The "-" and
"|" symbols are the walls of the room. The "+" symbols represent doorways
leading out of the room. Finally, the "d" symbol is your faithful dog.
  Don't worry yet about the information on the bottom of the screen.
  The "Your Command?" at the top of the screen indicates that the program
is waiting for you to give it a command. In Hack, the world literally waits
on your command. Until you type in something for it to do, NOTHING will
happen during the game. This means that you can leave the computer, eat
lunch, and come back, and the game will be exactly as you left it.
(Note: The command prompt is not always as it appears above.) Basically,
if nothing is happening on the screen, the program is waiting for you to
give it a command.

  Let's move the character one space to the left. Movement is performed
by typing the key (make sure your caps lock is off) which corresponds to
the direction you want to go in.

The direction keys are :
  y  k  u
   \ | /
  h- @ -l
   / | \
  b  j  n


This means that if you type "h", the "@" will move one space to the left.
If you type "u", the "@" will move diagonally up and to the right one space.
So to move to the left one space, we type "h". The room now looks something
like this :

  -------
  |.....|
  |..@<.|
  +..d..|
  |.....|
  |.....+
  ----+--

  Notice that not only have you moved one space to the left, but the dog
has moved one space to the right. The dog's movements are controlled by
the program, and he will move when all the other computer controlled people
(and monsters) move.
  The "<" symbol is the way out of the dungeon. "<" represents a set of
stairs which go up to the previous level. If you leave the dungeon, then
the game ends. Similarly, the ">" symbol represents stairs going to the
next level. To climb or descend the stairs, type the stair symbol you are
on. That is, to climb up, type "<". To go down, type ">".

  Once you have moved a few times, you should have the idea of how
basic movement works in Hack. Now to deal with other things.

  Type "i". You now see a list of objects. It will look something like
this :

(a) +1 Club (weapon in hand)
(b) +1 Bow
(c) 43 +0 arrows
(d) +0 Leather armor (being worn)

The "i" command stands for "Inventory." The list of objects is the list of
items in your possession. Most items will be carried in your characters
"back-pack." Those that are not, such as the club in the above example,
are indicated in your inventory. "Weapon in hand" means that your character
is holding that item in his hand. If he attacks a creature, he will hit it
with this weapon. "being worn" means the character is wearing that item. In
particular, the character will wear armor to protect himself from damage.
  You may have seen symbols in the room other than the ones discussed.
The general rule is : if a symbol is a letter, then it is a creature.
Otherwise, it is an object. There are exceptions to both parts of the rule,
however, so be careful.
  To see a list of all the object symbols, type "?". This will send you
into the help subroutine. If the program asks you "Long or Short help?" type
"s" for now. A list of all the objects and commands will be printed on the
screen. Read them carefully, and follow the prompts.
  The long help contains information on how to play hack. It is strongly
recommended that you read this also.
  To pick up an item, you simply walk over it. When this occurs, you will
automatically attempt to pick up the item. Be aware, however, that items are
not weightless, and so you may find yourself unable to pick up an item
because it weighs to much.


  To move onto a space without picking up an item, type "m", and then the
direction you wish to move. If there is something on the space you are on,
you may look at it by typing ":". [In some versions, you can also set
your "pickup" option on or off by typing the "@" symbol. This is very
useful if there are a lot of items around that you don't want to pick
up. -PG]

The last thing which will be covered is combat.

  Let's say that you have been wandering about for a little while, and
you have found a monster. The monster appears as a symbol on the map, just
like the little dog. Combat in hack is very simple. There are three ways that
you can fight a monster :

1) You can bash it with your weapon.
2) You can throw or shoot something at it.
3) You can zap it with a wand, or cast a spell at it.
   Spells are only used in nethack.

To accomplish 1), you simply attempt to move into the space the monster is
currently in. So, for example, if the creature is one space to the left of
your character, and you type "h", you will attack it. Likewise, monsters
attack you by moving into your space.
  For 2), you must have something to throw. You can throw anything, but
it is strongly recommended that you use a weapon if you want to do damage to
the creature. To throw an object in your inventory, type "t". The game now
asks what object you wish to throw. To see your inventory, type "*". To see
the weapons in your inventory, type "?". Once you have decided what to throw,
type the objects letter, and then the direction you wish to throw it in. You
will now (hopefully) hit the monster with whatever you threw.
  To use a bow and arrows for maximum effect, you must be wield the bow,
and then "throw" an arrow. To wield a different weapon, type "w", and then
the letter of the object you wish to wield. Be careful that you are not
bashing a creature with your bow, as this is not very effective. The same
applies for slings and rocks. [And crossbows and bolts. -PG]
  For 3), the procedure is similar to 2). Type "z" (for zap), and the
letter of the wand you wish to use. If the program now prompts you to type
a direction, then type the direction you want to blast in. There are three
basic effects possible when zapping a wand :

  1) The wand has no direction, and simply does something.
     Example : When a wand of light is zapped, it will light up the room.
  2) The wand affects whatever is in the given direction.
     Example : A wand of slow monster will slow down any monster it is
               zapped at.
  3) The wand shoots a "ray" or "bolt" in the given direction. It will
     try to hit any creature in its path, and may bounce off of
     walls and doors. BE CAREFUL! It is very easy to bounce such a
     blast into yourself.
     Example : A wand of fire shoots a bolt of fire in the indicated
     direction.

Note that you may throw or zap in any direction (including up or down) that
you may move in.


  When you attack a creature (or are attacked by one), if the attack hits
damage is done by the attacker. This damage is represented as hit points, or
HP for short. Every creature, including yourself, has a certain number of these
hit points. When you take damage, you will lose a certain number of them. The
greater the damage, the more hit points you will lose. If a creature is reduced
to less than one hit point, it dies. Hence, ALWAYS BE AWARE OF HOW MANY HIT
POINTS YOU HAVE LEFT, because if you lose them them all, the game is over, and
you have lost.
  The amount of HP's damage that is done depends on a number of different
factors, such as what weapon you are wielding and what your current strength.
Your strength is the number listed after "STR" on the bottom of the screen.
This is discussed later on, and you do not have to worry to much about it to
start.
  Any attack has a percent chance to hit which depends on a few key statistics.
  The first of these is the armor class of the defender, or AC for
short. This number ranges (usually) from 10 to -10. It may go higher or lower
depending on the circumstances. In particular, armor classes for a winning
character very often do go below -10. The lower the number, the better the
chance that any attack on that defender will miss.
  The second factor is the "level" of the attacker. Your level is listed
on the bottom of the screen. Initially it is 1, but it will rise as you kill
monsters. For every monster you kill, you will be awarded points, called
experience points (EXP). Your level is directly determined by the number of
EXP you possess. In addition, your hit points will increase every time you
go up a level as well.
  The final factor is a vague factor known as luck. The program will
not tell you what your luck is, but it is used in many factors of the game.
Basically, the higher your luck, the better you are at doing almost everything.
There are ways to modify your luck, which are up to you to find. [These
are virtually impossible to find out through play. If you want to know
them, read them in the spoilers section below. -PG]

Now you should know enough to play the game, and discover things on your own.
What follows is a summary of the commands and symbols, and then a section which
discusses more advanced topics. It is meant to act as a guide to players of
what their options are.

The final section contains "spoilers", or information which gives away
something in the game which might "spoil" the game for those who prefer to
find the information on their own. CONSIDER CAREFULLY YOUR DECISION TO READ
THIS SECTION. Only if you are truly stuck should you have to resort to reading
it, and many players feel that spoilers are another form of cheating.

That being said, enjoy the game!


CHAPTER 3: COMMAND SUMMARY AND DESCRIPTIONS

(The following is an excerpt from the long help command in nethack)

Commands:
        Hack knows the following commands:
        ?       help: print this list.
        Q       Quit the game.
        S       Save the game.
        !       Escape to a shell.
        ^Z      Suspend the game.
        <       up: go up the staircase (if you are standing on it).
        >       down: go down (just like up).
        kjhlyubn - go one step in the direction indicated.
                k: north (i.e., to the top of the screen),
                j: south, h: west, l: east, y: ne, u: nw, b: se, n: sw.
        KJHLYUBN - Go in that direction until you hit a wall or run
                into something.
        m       (followed by one of kjhlyubn): move without picking up
                any objects.
        M       (followed by one of KJHLYUBN): Move far, no pickup.
        g       (followed by one of kjhlyubn): move until something
                interesting is found.
        G       (followed by one of KJHLYUBN): as previous, but forking
                of corridors is not considered interesting.
        i       print your inventory.
        I       print selected parts of your inventory, as in
                I* - print all gems in inventory;
                IU - print all unpaid items;
                IX - print all used up items that are on your shopping bill;
                I$ - count your money.
        s       search for secret doors and traps around you.
        ^       ask for the type of a trap you found earlier.
        )       ask for current wielded weapon.
        [       ask for current armor.
        =       ask for current rings.
        $       count how many gold pieces you are carrying.
        .       rest, do nothing.
        ,       pick up some things.
        :       look at what is here.
        ^T      teleport.
        ^R      redraw the screen.
        ^P      repeat last message
                (subsequent ^P's repeat earlier messages).
        /       (followed by any symbol): tell what this symbol represents.
        \       tell what has been discovered.
        e       eat food.
        w       wield weapon. w- means: wield nothing, use bare hands.
        q       drink (quaff) a potion.
        r       read a scroll.
        T       Take off armor.
        R       Remove Ring.
        W       Wear armor.
        P       Put on a ring.
        X       transcribe (learn) a spell.


        x       print a list of know spells.
        z       zap a wand.
        t       throw an object or shoot an arrow.
        p       pay your shopping bill.
        d       drop something. d7a: drop seven items of object a.
        D       Drop several things.
                In answer to the question "What kinds of things do you
                want to drop? [!%= au]" you should give zero or more
                object symbols possibly followed by 'a' and/or 'u'.
                'a' means: drop all such objects, without asking for
                        confirmation.
                'u' means: drop only unpaid objects (when in a shop).
        a       use, apply - Generic command for using a key to lock
                or unlock a door, using a camera, using a rope, etc.
        c       call: name a certain object or class of objects.
        C       Call: Name an individual monster.
        E       Engrave: Write a message in the dust on the floor.
                E- means: use fingers for writing.
        O       Set options. You will be asked to enter an option line.
                If this is empty, the current options are reported.
                Otherwise it should be a list of options separated by commas.
                Possible boolean options are: oneline, time, news, tombstone,
                rest_on_space, fixinvlet, beginner, male, female.
                They can be negated by prefixing them with '!' or "no".
                A string option is name; it supplies the answer to the
                question "Who are you?"; it may have a suffix.
                A compound option is endgame; it is followed by a description
                of what parts of the list of topscorers should be printed
                when the game is finished.
                Usually one will not want to use the 'O' command, but instead
                put a HACKOPTIONS="...." line in one's environment.
        v       print version number.

        You can put a number before a command to repeat it that many times,
        as in "20s" or "40.".

COMMAND REFERENCE MANUAL:
The following is a more complete description of the commands in hack.
The syntax used is:
(Command name) (additional prompts)
Example: a [*? or letter] means type "a". At the next prompt, type a letter,
* or ?

a [*? or letter]
-   apply an item which has an unusual use, such as a camera, leash or
    lunch box.
    All such items fall under the class of Tools.
    "a ?" - gives an list of all Tools in the inventory.
    "a *" - prints the inventory.
    "a <letter>" - If that letter is in the inventory, applies that item
                   if possible.

b
-  move one space down and to the left.


B
-  move down and to the left until an object is encountered.

c [yn] [?* or letter] <name>
-  allows the user to name an object or type of object in his inventory.
   At the prompt "Do you want to name an individual object? [yn]"
   type "y" if you wish to name a specific item in your inventory, or
   type "n" if you wish to name a type of object.
   "c y" - Typing "?" or "*" displays the inventory.
      If the letter of an object is typed, the user is prompted for the
   name of the object. This name will be used whenever the program
   refers to that object.
      Example :"c y <long sword's letter> Stormbringer" results in the
   long sword being called "Stormbringer", as in the inventory listing:

       "a long sword named Stormbringer"

   "c n" - Typing "?" will list all unidentified items in the inventory.
      Typing "*" will display the inventory. If the letter of an object
   which is not identified is typed, then the user will be prompted
   for the new name of that type of item.

      Example :"c n <white potion's letter> Feel Good" results in all white
   potions being referred to as "a potion of Feel Good."

      The name will be nullified when the item is identified.

C [hjkl.] <name>
-   allows the user to name a specific creature. At the prompt, a cursor
    will appear. Move the cursor with the keys "hjkl" as with normal
    movement. When the cursor is over the monster to be named, type ".",
    and then the name of the creature. This names only that monster, and
    not that class of monsters.
       Example : naming your little dog "Spot" will result in any future
   references to the little dog as "Spot", as in:

         "Spot hits the acid blob. Spot kills the acid blob!"

   [This can be hilarious at times. Try walking into a treasure zoo
    while wearing a ring of conflict and naming every creature in sight.
    The play-by-play of the ensuing brawl is a riot. -PG]

d [?*$ number or letter]
-   allows the user to drop either his gold or a specific item in his
  inventory.
    Typing "?" or "*" displays the inventory.
    Typing a letter drops all items labeled with that letter.
    Typing "$" drops all of the user's gold.
    Typing a number, and then either a letter or "$" drops that number
  of the item being dropped

    Example : "d 3 <darts' letter>" drops 3 darts.
              "d 250 $" drops 250 gold.


D [`()[]%/=?!*$ and/or a] <return> [nyaq]
-   Allows the user to selectively drop items from a selected set of
  object types.
    To use, type a string which consists of object symbols of the types
  which are to be dropped. If this string is followed by an "a", all items
  of the listed types are dropped. Otherwise, the program displays in
  inventory order each item which is one of the selected types, and prompts
  the user with "[nyaq]".
    Typing "n" will keep the item in the inventory, and prompt for the
  next item.
    Typing "y" will drop that item, and prompt for the next item.
    Typing "a" will drop that item, and all subsequent items.
    Typing "q" will abort the command.

    Example : "D %/=* a" will drop all food, wands rings and gems in the
              inventory.

e [?* or letter]
-   eats something in the inventory.
    Typing "?" displays all food in the inventory.
    Typing "*" displays the inventory.
    Typing a letter of a Comestible results in the user eating one of that
  item.

E [?*- or a letter] <phrase>
-   allows the user to engrave a phrase on the ground with some specified
  object.
    Typing "?" displays all items listed after "-" in the prompt.
    Typing "*" displays the inventory.
    Typing a letter wields that item if the item can be engraved with.
    Typing "-" unwields the users weapon (if uncursed), and writes in the
  dust with the users fingers.
    Once the writing implement is selected, the user is prompted for a
  phrase. This phrase is written in that spot. If a sharp object or magic
  marker was used, the engraving is permanent, and whenever the user walks
  over the spot, he will see the phrase which is engraved there. If fingers
  are used, the engraving will smudge after the user takes an action, and
  not be as legible.
    The effects of different objects on Engravings are left to the reader's
  imagination.

(f or g) [yuhjklbn]
-   moves the user in the specified direction until next to an object,
  intersection, door, stairs or unfriendly monster.

(F or G) [yuhjklbn]
-   moves the user as above, but ignores intersections.

h
-   moves the user one space to the left.

H
-   moves the user to the left until he moves onto an object.


i
-   displays the inventory

I [`)([%/=?!+]
-   Allows the user to display objects of specific types in the inventory.
  At the prompt, type the symbols for the types of objects you wish to
  display.

  Example: "I %=!?" gives a list of all food,rings, potions and scrolls
           in the inventory.

j
-   Moves the user down one space

J
-   Moves the user down until he moves onto an object.

k
-   Moves the user up one space.

K
-   Moves the user up until he moves onto an object.

l
-   Moves the user one space to the right.

L
-   Moves the user to right until he moves onto an object

m [yuhjklbn]
-   Moves the user one space in the specified direction, but if the user
  moves onto an object, he will not attempt to pick it up.

M [yuhjklbn]
-   As above, but moves in the specified direction until no legal moves are
  possible.

n
-   Moves the user one space down and to the right.

N
-   Moves the user down and to the right until he moves onto an object.

O <option>
-   Allows the user to set game options during play. Possible options include:
  help : gives help on setting options in hack.
  rest_on_space : makes the space bar act as the "." command.
  time : displays the number of turns the user has been playing for on the
         bottom line of the screen.
  tombstone : Is on if after the user dies a tombstone is displayed.
  (fe)male : Sets the users sex.


  Compound options include:
  name:<users name> : sets the users name and class, as in "Merlin-W".
  dogname : gives the name of the users (first) dog (e.g. dogname:Spot)
  packorder:<")[%?+/=!(*0> : sets the default packorder of the inventory.
            The inventory will be sorted by the object type given. The above
            order is the default.

            Example: Since "?" comes before "/", scrolls are displayed before
                     wands.

  endgame:<options> : describes what is displayed after the game is ended.
                      options are separated by the "/" character.
    options include:
          own scores : displays all scores with the users name in the high
                        score list.
          <number> top scores : displays the top <number> scores
          <number> around my score : displays the <number> scores greater than
                                     and less than the user's score.

          Example : "endgame:own scores/5 topscores/4 around my score"

p
-   If the user has unpaid items in his inventory or on his bill for a shop,
  he will pay the shopkeeper the full amount of the bill if possible.

P [?* or letter] [rl]
-   Puts a ring on one of the users hands. Only one ring is allowed per hand.
    Typing "?" displays all rings in the inventory.
    Typing "*" displays the inventory.
    If the letter of a ring is typed, the program will ask which hand to
  place the ring on, if both hands are available. Ring's powers remain
  in effect as long as the ring is worn. [If only one hand is free, the
  ring will automatically go on that hand. -PG]

q [?* or letter]
-   Quaffs a potion.
    Typing "?" displays all potions in the inventory.
    Typing "*" displays the inventory.
    If the letter of a potion is typed, the user will quaff that potion.
  Potions are only usable once. After being quaffed, the item is destroyed.

Q [yn]
-   Quit the game.

r [?* or letter]
-   Reads a scroll in the inventory.
    Typing "?" displays all scrolls in the inventory.
    Typing "*" displays the inventory.
    If the letter of a scroll is typed, the user will read that scroll.
  Some scrolls may have to be named by the user after being read. In these
  cases the program will ask what to call the scroll. Type in the name, as if
  typing in the name for the "c" command.
    All scrolls (except possibly for "blank paper") may only be read once.
  They are destroyed after use.


R [rl]
-   Remove the ring on the right or left hand. If the ring is cursed, it cannot
  be removed with this command.

s
-   Search for secret doors and traps. There is a fair chance on each use of
  this command that any neighboring secret door or trap will become visible.
  Do not expect only one search to be sufficient.

S
-   Save the game in progress. The next time the game is played, the old game
  will be restored from the point at which the user left off.  This command
  ends (temporarily) the game in progress.

t [?* or letter] [yuhjklbn<>]
-   Throws an object in the inventory in the specified direction.
    Typing "?" lists all weapons in the inventory.
    Typing "*" displays the inventory.
    Typing the letter of an object makes the game prompt for the desired
  direction. After typing the direction, the object is thrown away from the
  character in that direction.

T [?* or letter]
-   Removes a specified piece of armor which the user is wearing.
    Typing "?" lists all worn items (except rings).
    Typing "*" displays the inventory.
    Typing the letter of a worn piece of armor takes off the armor.
  Note that this command may take a number of turns to execute.

u
-   Move one space up and to the right.

U
-   Move up and to the right until the character moves onto an object.

v
-   Print the version number and information.

V
-   Prints author's credits and version information.

w [?* or letter]
-   Wields an item in the inventory (usually a weapon).
    Typing "?" displays all weapons.
    Typing "*" displays the inventory.
    Typing the letter of an item in inventory makes the user wield that object
  as his weapon. This object is used in all close combat as the user's weapon.
  If the user is wielding a cursed item, this command is aborted. If the user
  is wearing a shield, he can not wield a two-handed sword.


W [?* or letter]
-   Allows the user to wear a specified piece of armor.
    Typing "?" will display all unworn pieces of armor.
    Typing "*" will display the inventory.
    Typing the letter of a piece of armor will, if possible, result in the
  user wearing that piece of armor. The user must remove his cloak before
  altering his body armor. If the current armor of that type is cursed,
  this command is aborted.

x
-   List all spells that have been transcribed by the user.

X [?* or letter]
-   Attempt to transcribe a spellbook.
    Typing "?" lists all spellbooks in the users inventory.
    Typing "*" displays the inventory.
    Typing the letter of a spell book results in the user attempting to
  transcribe the spell book into memory.
    Note that transcription success depends on level, and also transcribing a
  spell may take a while. [Note: This can be dangerous, since you can be
  attacked while transcribing. Unlike most other actions, you will not
  stop your attempt to transcribe! -PG]

y
-   Move one space up and to the left.

Y
-   Move up and to the left until the user moves onto an object.

z [?* or letter] [direction or string?]
-   Zaps a wand in the inventory.
    Typing "?" displays all wands in the inventory.
    Typing "*" displays the inventory.
    Typing the letter of a wand zaps that wand. Note that wands have a
  limited number of charges, and will not work (usually) after their charges
  are depleted.
    Some wands require the user to specify a direction in which they may be
  zapped.
    One wand requires the typing of a string. (The user must find this one.)

<a number> <a command>
-   If a number if typed before a command character, then the command which
  follows will be executed that number of times, or until something swings
  at the user, or the command is no longer possible.

    Example : "5h" moves the user five spaces to the left.
    Example : "10s" searches ten times.

@
-   Toggles the pick-up option (default is ON). When this option is OFF,
  the user will not automatically pick up any item in a space he moves into.
  He must pick it up using the "," command. Note that this is particularly
  useful in rooms which are crowded with worthless items, and when walking
  over dead cockatrices.


# [command]
-   Allows the user to use an extended command. To use an extended
  command, type "#" followed by the command's name, and return.
  The possible commands are :

       "?" - Displays the set of extended commands
       "breathe" - If the user is able, he will breathe fire like a dragon.
       "cast" [letter] -
              casts a spell which the user knows.
              Typing the letter of a displayed spell will cast that spell.
              The number listed next to the spell is its mana cost. This
              is deducted from the users current mana. Spell effects are
              left to the reader's imagination.
       "dip" [letter] -
             dips a specified object into something, such as a pool or a potion.
             To dip an item into a pool, stand over the pool and use the dip
             command.
       "pray" - Plead with the gods for help. The reader may experiment with
                this command at his own choosing (and risk).
       "remove" - If the user has the ability to do so, he can remove a cursed
                  item, such as an iron ball.
       "sit" - Sit down on the space you are in. Sit in thrones at your own
               peril.
       "turn" - Attempt to turn undead creatures. Turned creatures will flee in
                terror from the user. Only knights and priests may turn undead.
       "wipe" - Wipe of the user's face. Useful when it is dirty.

$
-   Counts the user's money. If the user has a large quantity of money,
  he will sit down to count it. [This is mostly useless, since gold is
  displayed at all times. -PG]

^ [yuhjklbn]
-   Tells the user what type of trap a "^" represents.
  If the user is adjacent to a trap, and types "^" followed by the direction
  the trap is in, the program will tell the user what the name of the trap is.

    Example: "This is a sleep trap."

)
-   This displays the what the user's currently wielded weapon is.

=
-   This displays what rings the user is wearing.

[
-   This displays the armor that the user is wearing.

\
-   This displays a list of all items (except weapons and armor) that have
  been identified, or have been named by the user.

:
-   This displays everything that is in the user's space.


, [`)([%/=?!+ aA]
-   This allows the user to pick up items in his space. All gold is
  automatically picked up. If there is only one item, it is picked up.
  If there are multiple items on the space, the user is prompted for which
  types of item he wishes to pick up. To pick up all items in the space,
  type "a".
    To pick up all items of one or more types, input a string consisting of
  the symbols for the types you wish to pick up, followed by "A"
    To pick up only certain items of specific types, input the types as
  above, but do not type "A".
    The program will display, one item at a time, every item in the inventory
  which is of the specified types, followed by the prompt "[ynaq]"
    Typing "y" picks up that item, and displays the next.
    Typing "n" displays the next item.
    Typing "a" picks up that item, and all remaining items of the named types.
    Typing "q" aborts the command.
    The program will not allow the user to pick up any item which is too heavy.

xxx.
-   The user does nothing for one turn.

/ [symbol]   (for versions before nethack.)
-   displays help on the symbol typed at the prompt.

    Example : "/=" tells the user that "=" represent rings.

/ [yuhjklbn.] (for nethack)
-   allows the user to display help about any visible symbol.
    The user moves the displayed cursor with normal movement keys onto the
  symbol in question, and then types "." Help is then displayed on that
  symbol. [You may also use the command as above to tell you about a
  class of symbols, rather than a specific one. -PG]

<
-   Climb up to the previous level. The user must be on a "<" symbol.

>
-   Go down to the next level. The user must be on a ">" symbol.

^R
-   redraws the screen.


CHAPTER 4: SPOILERS WARNING AND PREFACE

   The following section contains information which the user does not have to
know in order to play the game, but which can be found out through the normal
course of play. Players who wish to win without any additional help should not
read the following sections.
   Those who only wish to find some specific information may find what they
want here, and then not read anything else.
   For those whose curiosity has gotten the better of them, read what you will.

APPENDIX A : SPOILERS ON NETHACK

The following is a reprint of an article posted by Maarten Jan Huisjes on 13
Aug, 1987. It has been extended to include other useful information.
All information is for the nethack version of hack. For people playing other
versions of hack, you may ignore all the items which do not appear in your game.
In particular, ignore all references to spell books. This is a nethack property
only.

______________________________________________________________________________
FOOD

       <0   Fainting
     0-49   Weak
   50-149   Hungry
  150-999   Satiated
1000-1499   Having a hard time
     1500+  Choke

Example : If the user is Having a hard time getting food down, he has at
          least 1000 turns before fainting.

   Hunger goes down 1/turn; 10/turn if regenerating or wearing a hunger ring
You are hungrier after vomiting and casting spells. [Information under
rings says 5/turn. I don't know which is correct. -PG]
   Meat becomes tainted after ~50 turns. It is best to eat it immediately, or
not at all.

Name = The name of the food. The name used when wishing for the object.
Chance = The chance that a "%" symbol is that type of food.
Weight = weight in pounds.
Nutrition = The number of turns added to the users hunger count.

s=may make you sick (lose 1-8hp)
p=Poisonous food. Persons with poison resistance may ignore the effects.

Name             Chance Weight  Nutrition Remarks

food ration         46, 4,  800
tripe ration        16, 2,  200 May make you vomit.  Tastes okay if polymorphed.
pancake              3, 1,  200
dead lizard          3, 1,   40 Try when turning to stone.
fortune cookie       7, 1,   40
carrot               2, 1,   50 May improve vision
slice of pizza       5, 1,  250


Name              Chance  Weight  Nutrition  Remarks

cream pie            3, 1,  100 Fun to throw
tin                  7, 1     *
orange               1, 1,   80
apple                1, 1,   50
pear                 1, 1,   50
melon                1, 1,  100
banana               1, 1,   80
candy bar            1, 1,  100
egg                  1, 1,   80
clove of garlic      1, 1,   40 Can wield against undead
lump of royal jelly  0, 1,  200 Sometimes strength++.

* Contents of Tins

Salmon -       60   Will make your hands slippery
Peaches -      40
Apple Juice -  20
Substance -   500
Rotten meat - -50   Makes you vomit
Spinach -     600   Strength++.

DEAD THINGS:

NOTE:  It is advised that the user not save meat for long periods of time,
      as it may become tainted. Eating a dead monster often conveys one
      of its attributes. These are listed in the Nutrition Remarks.

Name              Chance  Weight  Nutrition  Remarks

dead human            0,  40,   400   Permanent aggravate monster.
dead giant ant        0,   3,   p30
dead giant bat        0,   3,    30   Confuses
dead centaur          0,  50,   500
dead dragon           0, 150, p1500   Makes you fire resistant.
dead floating eye     0,   1,   s10   Gives you telepathy.
dead freezing sphere  0,   1,    10   Makes you Cold resistant.
dead gnome            0,  10,   100
dead hobgoblin        0,  20,   200
dead stalker          0,  40,   400   Gives you see invisible.
                                      (Also invisibility if invisible?)
dead jackal           0,  10,   100
dead kobold           0,  10,  p100
dead leprechaun       0,  40,  s400   Makes you teleport.
dead mimic            0,  40,   400   Mimic a treasure chest.
dead nymph            0,  40,  s400   Makes you teleport.
dead orc              0,  20,  s200
dead purple worm      0,  70,  s700
dead quantum mechanic 0,  20,  s200   Makes you teleport.
dead rust monster     0,  50,  s500
dead snake            0,  10,  p100
dead troll            0,  40,   400   [Best to eat this quickly! -PG]
dead umber hulk       0,  50,  s500
dead vampire          0,  40,  p400


Name              Chance  Weight  Nutrition  Remarks

dead wraith           0,   1,    10   Gain level.
dead xorn             0,  70,   700
dead yeti             0,  70,   700   Cold resistance.
dead zombie           0,   3,    30
dead acid blob        0,   3,   p30   Try when turning to stone.
dead giant beetle     0,   1,   p10
dead cockatrice       0,   3,    30   If you want to be a statue.
                                      (But may eat safely as a cockatrice.)
dead dog              0,  20,   200   Aggravate monsters.
dead ettin            0,   3,    30
dead fog cloud        0,   1,    10
dead gelatinous cube  0,  10,   100
dead homunculus       0,  20,  p200
dead imp              0,   1,    10
dead jaguar           0,  30,   300
dead killer bee       0,   1,   p10   Makes you poison resistant.
dead leocrotta        0,  50,   500
dead minotaur         0,   70,  700
dead nurse            0,   40,  400   Aggravate monsters,heal wounds.
dead owlbear          0,   70,  700
dead piercer          0,   20,  200
dead quivering blob   0,   10,  100
dead giant rat        0,    3,   30
dead giant scorpion   0,   10, p100   Same as killer bee.
dead tengu            0,   30,  300   Makes you teleport.
dead unicorn          0,   30, s300
dead violet fungus    0,   10,  100   Cosmic indeed (Oh wow ).
dead long worm        0,   50,  500
dead xan              0,   30, s300
dead yellow light     0,    1,   10   Confuses, May improve vision
dead zruty            0,   60, s600
dead giant            0,   70,  700   Strength++.
dead daemon           0,   80,  800


________________________________________________________________________________
WEAPONS.

AXE, SWORD, KATANA, and TWO-HANDED SWORD are good for worm-cutting.
(PICK-)AXE, DAGGER, and CRYSKNIFE are good for tin-opening.
SPEAR is good against X, D, n, e.

  The damage is the maximum damage done by the weapon against that size of
creature, not including damage modifiers.


Name         Chance  Weight  Small/Large-damage

arrow             6,   0,  6,  6
sling bullet      6,   0,  4,  6
crossbow bolt     6,   0,  4,  6
dart              6,   0,  3,  2
shuriken          3,   0,  8,  6
rock              4,   1,  3,  3
boomerang         1,   3,  9,  9
mace              6,   3,  6,  7 /* +1 small */
axe               5,   3,  6,  4
flail             5,   3,  6,  5 /* +1 small,  +1d4 large */
long sword        5,   3,  8, 12
two handed sword  4,   4, 12,  6 /* +2d6 large */
dagger            4,   3,  4,  3
worm tooth        0,   4,  2,  2
crysknife         0,   3, 10, 10
aklys             1,   3,  6,  3
bardiche          1,   3,  4,  4 /* +1d4 small,  +2d4 large */
bec de corbin     1,   3,  8,  6
bill-guisarme     1,   3,  4, 10 /* +1d4 small */
club              1,   3,  6,  3
fauchard          1,   3,  6,  8
glaive            1,   3,  6, 10
guisarme          1,   3,  4,  8 /* +1d4 small */
halberd           1,   3, 10,  6 /* +1d6 large */
lucern hammer     1,   3,  4,  6 /* +1d4 small */
javelin           1,   3,  6,  6
katana            1,   3, 12, 12
lance             1,   3,  6,  8
morning star      1,   3,  4,  6 /* +d4 small,  +1 large */
partisan          1,   3,  6,  6 /* +1 large */
ranseur           1,   3,  4,  4 /* +d4 both */
scimitar          1,   3,  8,  8
spetum            1,   3,  6,  6 /* +1 small,  +d6 large */
broad sword       1,   3,  4,  6 /* +d4 small,  +1 large */
short sword       1,   3,  6,  8
trident           1,   3,  6,  4 /* +1 small,  +2d4 large */
voulge            1,   3,  4,  4 /* +d4 both */
spear             4,   3,  6,  8
bow               4,   3,  4,  6
sling             4,   3,  6,  6
crossbow          5,   3,  4,  6

  Enormous Rocks have an excellent chance of hitting, and will do 1-20
damage, but you must be a giant to wield them.
  Heavy Iron Balls will do 1-25 damage! (but are extremely heavy)


________________________________________________________________________________
ARMOR.

Name           Chance   Weight   Ac

helmet              3,   1,  9
plate mail          5,   5,  3
splint mail         7,   5,  4
banded mail         9,   5,  4
chain mail         10,   5,  5
scale mail         10,   5,  6
ring mail          12,   5,  7

 The armors below do not rust.

studded leather    12,   3,  7
elfin chain mail    1,   1,  5
bronze plate mail   6,   5,  4
crystal plate mail  1,   5,  3
leather armor      15,   3,  8
elven cloak         5,   0,  9
shield              3,   0,  9
pair of gloves      1,   1,  9


________________________________________________________________________________
SCROLLS.
Many scrolls give strange effects when confused or hallucinating.

Name          Chance   Remarks

enchant armor   6   Do not try more than a +4 armor or it might evaporate.
destroy armor   5
confuse monster 5
scare monster   4
blank paper     3
remove curse    6
enchant weapon  6
damage weapon   5
create monster  5
taming          1
genocide        2   Do not try genocide '@', or reading when confused.
light          10
teleportation   5
gold detection  4
food detection  1
identify       18
magic mapping   5
amnesia         3
fire            5
punishment      1


________________________________________________________________________________
WANDS

NOTE: Some wands may be used on the user. Type "." for direction.

Name                  Chance

light                  10
secret door detection   5
create monster          5
wishing                 1   Actually this chance is even smaller.
striking                7
nothing                 2
slow monster            5
speed monster           5
undead turning          5
polymorph               5   Use it on wands and you might find another.
cancellation            5   Do not zap this wand on items.
teleportation           5
make invisible          7
probing                 2
digging                 5
magic missile          10
fire                    5
sleep                   5
cold                    5
death                   1   Use with care, it might bounce.


________________________________________________________________________________
SPELLS

NOTE: These spells are for nethack only.

Level is the difficulty of learning the spell, and its point cost.
It is harder to transcribe spells before the user is 7th level.

Name            Chance  Level.

sleep               6   1
healing             6   1
detect monsters     5   1
light               5   1
force bolt          4   1
confuse monster     5   2
detect food         5   2
slow monster        4   2
magic missile       4   2
create monster      4   2
cure blindness      3   2
cause fear          4   3
cure sickness       3   3
detect unseen       4   3
charm monster       3   3
extra healing       3   3
haste self          3   3
detect treasure     3   4
invisibility        3   4
levitation          3   4
fireball            2   4
restore strength    2   4
dig                 2   5
magic mapping       2   5
remove curse        2   5
cone of cold        1   5
identify            1   5
teleport away       2   6
create familiar     1   6
polymorph           1   6
turn undead         1   6
cancellation        1   7
finger of death     1   7
genocide            1   7


________________________________________________________________________________
RINGS.

Rings all weigh 1.

Name

adornment
teleportation
regeneration
searching
see invisible
stealth
levitation
poison resistance
aggravate monster
hunger
fire resistance
cold resistance
protection from shape changers
conflict
gain strength
increase damage
protection
warning
teleport control
polymorph             [These last two are additions as of NetHack 2.2 -PG]
polymorph control



________________________________________________________________________________
GEMS.

Name              Chance  Pecunia

dilithium crystal   1,    4500
diamond             1,    4000
ruby                1,    3500
sapphire            1,    3000
emerald             1,    2500
turquoise           1,    2000
aquamarine          1,    1500
tourmaline          1,    1000
topaz               1,     900
opal                1,     800
garnet              1,     700
amethyst            1,     650
agate               2,     600
onyx                2,     550
jasper              2,     500
jade                2,     450


ITEM EFFECTS:

Scrolls: (Effects when the user is not confused)

enchant armor (weapon) - Gives the armor (weapon) a +1 bonus.

destroy armor - Destroy the user's worn armor.

confuse monster - The user will confuse the next monster he hits.

scare monster - The scroll has two uses:

   1) If read, all monster in sight will run in terror from the user.
   2) If dropped on the ground, no monster may attack the user in hand
        to hand combat so long as he remains standing on the scroll.
        If the user attempts to pick up the scroll after he has dropped
        it, it disintegrates.

blank paper - The user may write on the paper in magic marker, and create a
              scroll. Write the name of a scroll you have already found.

remove curse - All cursed items wielded or worn are uncursed.

damage weapon - The weapon has a -1 penalty cast upon it.

create monster - A monster appears next to the character.

taming - Any creature next to the user becomes the user's pet.

genocide - The user may destroy any one type of monster.

light - If read in a room, the room is now lit.

teleportation - The user teleports to a (random) location on the level.

gold detection - Displays all gold on the level.

food detection - Displays all food on the level.

identify- The user may identify items in his possession.

magic mapping - maps the level.

amnesia - User loses all spells, maps and knowledge of what items are.

fire - User loses 1-6 h.p., and may lose some flammable material.

punishment - The user is cursed with a heavy iron ball.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wands: (D) indicates the user must specify a direction.

light - Acts as a scroll of light when zapped.

secret door detection - All secret doors in sight of the user of found.

create monster - Acts as a scroll of create monster.

wishing - The user may wish for an item. This is discussed under
          "WISHING FOR OBJECTS"

striking - (D) The user gets a ranged attack on any creature or object it is
           pointed at.

nothing - This wand does nothing when zapped.

slow monster - (D) The monster's speed is halved. Not cumulative.

speed monster - (D) The monster's speed is doubled. The user gains Speed.

undead turning - (D) If zapped at undead creatures, they run in fear.
                 If zapped at a dead monster, it is brought back to life.

polymorph - (D) The user changes the target(s). This is discussed further
            under POLYMORPHING YOURSELF AND YOUR ITEMS.

cancellation - (D) The target loses any special abilities. If the target had or
               was a magic object, it loses any magic pluses and charges.

teleportation - (D) Teleports the target (randomly).

make invisible - (D) Makes the target invisible.

probing - (D) Displays the stats of any monster it is pointed at.

digging - (D) Digs a hole in walls in the direction the wand is pointed.

magic missile,fire,cold,death,sleep - (D) Fires a bolt of that type in the
        direction indicated. Death will kill any creature it hits,
        while sleep will sleep any creature it hits.
_________________________________________________________________________
Rings:

adornment - No effect, other than its value.

teleportation - Bestows intrinsic teleportation. [But not control! -PG]

regeneration - The user heals one hit point per turn. Note: This ring makes
        the user become hungrier 5 times as quickly. Also, at high
        levels the rings SLOWS DOWN your regeneration.

searching - The user performs a free "s" command each turn.

see invisible - The user can see all invisible objects and creatures.


stealth - The user will not wake up sleeping monsters, unless he attacks them.

levitation - The user floats off the ground, and can neither move or fall down,
             nor can he pick up items. He is immune to pit traps, trap doors
             and water spaces, and can carry more items up stairs.

poison resistance - The user is unaffected by poison. (But watch out for
                    biologically contaminated orange juice).

aggravate monster - All monsters will be awake and angry at the user.

hunger - The user becomes hungrier 5 times as quickly.

fire resistance - The user is immune to fire.

cold resistance - The user is immune to cold.

protection from shape changers - All shape changers appear as a ":", and can
                                 not change shape.

conflict - All creatures will attack the creature closest to themselves.
           Great at treasure zoos.

gain strength - The user's strength is increased.

increase damage - The user's damage is increased.

protection - The user gains a bonus on his A.C.

warning - The ring will glow when a monster is generated.

teleport control - The user may choose, when he teleports, where he wishes to
                   go to.

POTION MESSAGES
Potions may be quaffed, or thrown. If a potion is thrown down (">" for
direction), the message listed next to Vapor is received.

 Name          Message(s)

restore strength   Wow!  This makes you feel great!
                   ... looks sound and hale again!   (Thrown to monster)

gain energy    Magical energies course through your body.
               You feel feverish.   (Confused)

booze  Ooph!  This tastes like liquid fire!
       You feel somewhat dizzy.  (Vapor)

invisibility  Gee!  All of a sudden, you can't see yourself.
              For an instance you couldn't see your right hand.(Vapor)
              You feel rather airy. (Blinded)

fruit juice    This tastes like fruit juice.


healing  You begin to feel better.
         ... looks sound and hale again! (Thrown to monster)

paralysis  Your feet are frozen to the floor!
           Something seems to be holding you. (Vapor)
           You are motionlessly suspended. (Levitated)

monster detection  You sense the presence of monsters.
                   You feel threatened. (No monsters)

object detection  You sense the presence of objects.
                  You sense the presence of objects close nearby.
                  You feel a pull downward. (No objects)

sickness  Yech! This stuff tastes like poison.
          ... looks rather ill. (Thrown to monster)

confusion  Huh, What?  Where am I?
           What a trippy feeling. (Hallucinating)
           You feel somewhat dizzy. (Vapor)

gain strength  Wow do you feel strong!
               ... looks sound and hale again! (Thrown to monster)

speed  You are suddenly moving much faster.
       Your knees seem more flexible now. (Vapor)
       Your legs get new energy. (Fast)

blindness  A cloud of darkness falls upon you.
           It suddenly gets dark. (Vapor)
           Bummer!  Everything is dark!  Help! (Hallucinating)

gain level  You feel more experienced.

extra healing  You feel much better.
               ... looks sound and hale again! (Thrown to monster)

levitation  Oh wow!  You're floating in the air! (Hallucinating)

hallucination  Oh wow!  Everything looks so cosmic!
               You have a vision for a moment. (Vapor)

holy water  You feel full of awe.
            This burns like acid.  (When you are 'Z','V','W' or '&')
            ... shrieks in pain!  (Thrown to 'Z','V','W',' ' or '&')


EFFECTS OF SCROLLS WHEN CONFUSED:

enchant armor - armor glows silver, and is now rust proof.
destroy armor - armor is rustable.
confuse monster - Normal effect.
scare monster - aggravate monster
blank paper - Normal effect.
remove curse - curses item
enchant weapon - weapon is now rust proof.
damage weapon - weapon is now rustable
create monster - surrounds the user with eight acid blobs ("a").
taming - tames EVERY creature in sight. (fun for treasure zoos)
genocide - kills all @. (including you)
light - room is now not lit.
teleportation - the user is teleported to a random level.
                If the user has teleport control, he may choose the level.
gold detection - see fake gold
food detection - see fake food
identify - identifies the scroll as an identify scroll
magic mapping - gives random spaces of the map
amnesia - you forget how to read.
fire - you burn your hands.
punishment - ?


Extended commands:

#dip
    Dip arrows or darts in the potion and if it was a potion of:
    Sickness or Paralysis --> your dipped weapon gets stronger.
    Holy water --> your weapon gets blessed and is better in use against the
                   undead.
    Note that this uses up the potion, just like quaffing it.

#pray
    You can pray 300 turns after you last prayed (1000 if a demigod).
    However, you can wait too long between prayers. You can also use the
    "time" option to see how much time has passed. Terrible things may happen
    if you pray too soon, so be sure that your time has come. Possible
    effects include having your strength, hit points and hunger restored,
    with 5 additional hp; gaining an intrinsic power; gaining an item,
    and becoming the hand of Elbereth (good luck). The negative effects
    of praying too soon are left to the player to discover.

#sit
   Use this command while you are on an throne (\).  You might get a wish
   (Chance 1 in 86), but also you can lose your gold or your possessions get
   cursed or identified!! [I don't know what the author meant by your
   possessions getting identified. This sounds like a good thing to me. -PG]

#wipe
   Clean your face when dirty.

#breathe
   First polymorph yourself in a Dragon. Then you can breathe fire.

#remove
    First polymorph into a Nymph. Then you can remove iron balls.

SPECIAL NOTES FOR HACK:

LUCK:
    Luck is used in many different features of hack. In particular, luck
  is used in combat to determine whether the user and his opponent hit, and
  how much damage is done. Luck is also used when praying, and in using
  wands of wishing.
    Luck begins at 0, and increases or decreases as the game goes on. The
  higher the user's luck, the luckier he is. The maximum luck is usually 10
  (although this changes with the phases of the moon in some versions). The
  minimum luck is -10.
    The user should try to be aware of two basic ways of modifying his luck.
  The first is that killing any tame creature (such as your dog), and killing
  any human (such as a shopkeeper) will result in the user's luck being
  drastically reduced. The second is that if the user throws a gem at a
  unicorn, his luck will be increased. It is the latter that we will discuss
  in depth.


    First, the gem must be an actual gem, and not a piece of colored glass.
  Also, if the gem has been identified as being real, then the increase in
  the user's luck will be much greater than if the gem the was unidentified.
  More importantly, it is fairly difficult to get into a position to throw
  a gem at a unicorn, since the unicorn will never move into such a space.
  Should the unicorn be forced to move into such a space, it will teleport to
  another space on the level.
    There are numerous methods to circumvent this. One method is to quaff
  a haste potion, and simply walk next to it during the user's "free" move.
  Another, more more useful method, is to get a teleport control ring and
  teleport next to the unicorn (or along a line of sight). The unicorn does
  not have a chance to move away, since teleporting does not count as a turn
  for movement purposes. The latter method is more common, since telepor-
  tation is (can be) intrinsic to the character, and teleport control is a
  necessity.
    One method to trap the unicorn, so that the user can move next to it
  without the use of ^T is the following:

    Unicorns in rooms only move diagnolly, and will only teleport if a move
  is impossible. Hence you can restrict the unicorn to two spaces as shown
  below:

    |.....
    |..@..
    |1....
    |.2...
    ------
    The unicorn will only move in the spaces marked 1 and 2, and will not
  teleport away. This allows the user to teleport freely next to the unicorn.

THE LITTLE DOG:
   To me, the most interesting (although by far not the most useful) feature
of hack is the little dog, and the way tame creatures work in general in hack.
If the user wishes to try to make use of his pet, he should be aware of its
abilities, limitations and its intelligence (or lack thereof).
   The dog is friendly towards the user, and will tend to follow him around
the dungeon. However, the dog, like the user, requires food to live. The dog
can eat every non-poisonous substance safely, and will not eat tainted meat.
Under normal circumstances, the dog will not eat food rations, fruit and
other "human" foods.
   The dog goes through three stages of development: little dog, dog and
large dog. In fact, the dog actually goes through more, but they are divided
equally into these three classes. All dogs may attack twice per turn, and move
two spaces per turn (i.e. they are hasted). Dogs will do about 1-6 points of
damage per hit, so they can do 2-12 points of damage per round. A hasted dog
can be quite vicious.
   The dog improves by gaining experience from killing monsters, just as the
character does. The dog, however, is limited to level 6, and about 85 hp, so
the dog cannot become as powerful as the character. However, initially,
the dog can be much better than the character at killing creatures, and so can
be useful for low-level characters as a guard dog.
   If the user goes up or down levels for any reason, then if the dog is on
a space adjacent to the character, he will change levels with the user. But
if the dog is not on an adjacent space, he is stranded on the old level.


   When a dog becomes stranded, he becomes wild. The user may also find other
wild dogs in the dungeon. A wild dog will attack the user like any other
monster. However, the dog will be tamed if the user throws any food (except
fruit) at the dog. The dog will then "devour" the food, and is from then on
the pet of the user. Note, also, that the user is not limited to one pet, but
may tame as many pets as he wishes.
   A pet has other abilities as well. The first is that the pet will tend
not to walk over cursed items. This gives the user a cheap test to see if an
item is cursed. In addition, the dog will pick up items that he finds, and
bring them to the user.
   Finally, the dog will stay closer to the user if the user has a tripe
ration.

GHOST LEVELS:
  Occasionally, when a character dies, hack will save the level he died
on for future use. This level is called a ghost level, and the reader is
bound to find one sooner or later. Everything on the level will be exactly
as it was when the character died, with one addition. The old character's
ghost is also on the level. Ghosts, although hard to kill, can do almost no
damage. The nice thing about ghost levels is that all of the old character's
items are in one pile on the space the character died. It is a simple matter
to get these items.
  In fact, the hardest thing about ghost levels is that usually whatever
killed the old character is powerful enough to kill the new character as
well. There can be multiple ghost on one level. I recall one level
which had three cockatrices and five ghosts.
  Fortunately, ghost levels are eventually cleared by the program after
a certain period of time, so the user does not have to worry to much about
them in general.


WISHING FOR OBJECTS:
  Near the end of the game, the user will find wands of wishing. When
these are zapped, the user is asked to wish for an item. One of the most
frustrating things in hack is when a beginning player can not figure out
what the exact name of the item he wants to wish for is. Here is how wishing
is accomplished.
  In the previous item list, the name of the object is the name the user
gives hack to wish for that item, not including the number wished for, and
the plus of the item (when wishing for weapons or armor). The general
format is:

  <# wished for><plus of item><name of item>

The user can NEVER wish for more than 3 of any item, or for an item with
magical plus greater than +3.

Example:   To wish for 3 potions of gain level, the user would type
           "3 potions of gain level"

           To wish for a +3 elven cloak,
           "+3 elven cloak"

[Note that if the program can't understand what you want, it will make
 a random selection. -PG]


THE CHARACTERS OF HACK:

ARCHAEOLOGIST: (or Spelunker)
  This character has a passion for the exploration of the unknown. But
don't let those spectacle deceive you. believe that mild mannered exterior
lies a character as tough as the Sahara. The Archaeologist begins with a
pick axe, and a large box for storing his lunch.
   Favorite dog names : Caesar, Rama Tut, Troy
   Special abilities : Speed
   Special items : pick axe, large box

TOURIST:
   Always cheerful, the tourist has always wanted to see the sights
in the Dungeon of Doom. Although the weakest of the characters, he is ready
ready to have a ball. He has his picnic lunch, his wallet, his ever ready
camera and his custom made darts (just in case there's a pub down there.)
The camera also has the Fisso-Blast Nuclear Flash Bulb, making night into
solar flare and blinding any creature to stupid enough to let its picture
be taken. Let's hope you remembered the leash.
The tourist: He may not be strong, but he sure isn't hungry.
   Favorite dog names : Spot, Rover, Fluffy
   Special abilities : None
   Special items : expensive camera, leash

FIGHTER: [Changed to BARBARIAN with NetHack 2.2 -PG]
   You heard that the Dungeon was a real challenge, but you heard that
kind of talk before. Before you whip out your sword that is. It's not that
accurate, but if it hits, you can kiss that baby goodbye. Rough and tough,
with a sword the size of the Sears building, this character is a foe to be
reckoned with.
   Favorite dog names : Spartan, Killer, Fluffy (don't laugh)
   Special abilities : None
   Special items : None

KNIGHT:
   Some people have called you a coward and a wimp because you wear so
much armor, and you're not very strong. But then again, they're dead and
you're not. After all, as long as you've got the armor available, why not
use all at once. Plus you know a few tricks when it comes to turning undead.
When it comes right down to it, a fellow can't be too careful.
   Favorite dog names : Arthur, Lancelot, Sir Robin
   Special abilities : Turn undead
   Special items : None

CAVE-MAN:
   FOOD! It is the way of life. Food is good. Raw. The big cave has much
food. Has funny trinket too. You kill food with bow and club. You kill food
with bare hands. You kill food with mean glance. Smash anything in your way.
You may be hungry, but you sure are strong.
   Favorite dog names : DOG, WOOF, FOOD
   Special abilities : None
   Special items : None


SAMURAI:
   Your honor is at stake. You must recover the sacred amulet, or die
trying. The ancient fighting skills of all your warlord ancestors are yours
to command, as is your mighty katana. You are quicker than your foes, and
strong, and will defeat the evil creatures in your path.
   Favorite dog names : Sun-Tzu, Rising Sun, Tsunami
   Special abilities : Speed
   Special items : None

NINJA:
   None can hear you come, and none can warn your passing. Silent as the
night and deadly as a cobra, you stalk your prize in the fabled dungeon. Your
katana can dispatch the weak, and your stealth will allow you to pass the
strong. Quicker than your foes, the prize is as good as yours. The ninja
never fails.
   Favorite dog names : Swift-wind, Night blade, Sushi
   Special abilities : Speed, Stealth
   Special items : None [Blindfold, as of NetHack 2.2 -PG]

PRIEST:
   You are on a holy quest to recover the sacred relic from the hands
of the evil in the Dungeon. With the power of God, you will turn the undead
monstrosities, and venture into the bowels of the earth. You know a little
magic as well. If only you had remembered the holy hand grenade.
   Favorite dog names : Jonah, Samson, Gabriel
   Special Abilities : Turn undead
   Special items : None

VALKYRIE:
   Fabled warrior of Norse legend, you enter the halls to do battle with
the creatures of the dungeon. You wield your mighty spear, and use your
quickness and fighting skills to defeat your terrible foes. You are tough,
and are used to the frigid winters of Frygia. Glory in the battle to come!
   Favorite dog names : Thor, Odin's Blood, Balder
   Special Abilities : Cold resistance
   Special items : None

ELF:
   How silly to take something like the Dungeon so seriously. After all,
how can any of those nasty creatures catch you, let alone escape your bow?
Besides, you're pretty sneaky, and have really good eyesight.You may as well
get the amulet, and then think of something else that would be fun to do.
   Favorite dog names : Happy, Hee-Hee, Keebler
   Special Abilities : Stealth, Speed
   Special Items : None

HEALER:
   As a doctor, you live to heal those in need. You also wouldn't mind
making a lot of money. Stethoscope in hand, you venture bravely into the
darkness of the dungeon. You were vaccinated, just in case, and have your
poison antidotes ready. You may be a healer, but you wouldn't mind kicking
some butt down here.
   Favorite dog names : Casey, Kildare, Quincy
   Special Abilities : Poison resistance
   Special Items : Stethoscope


WIZARD:
   The mighty one, who wields the forces few can guess at. With your
powerful magical items, magical spells and good teleportational potential,
the denizens of this dungeon will bow before you power. Either the weakest
or most powerful of characters, the wizard is in a class by himself.
   Favorite dog names : Gandalf, Merlin, Skeeve
   Special Abilities : Better with spells, teleport and magic whistles
   Special Items : None [Possibly Magic Marker and Blindfold, as of
                         NetHack 2.2 -PG]


POLYMORPHING YOURSELF AND YOUR ITEMS (and other masochistic pastimes):
NOTE: The following only applies to nethack, and certain updated versions
of hack.

  The user should be aware that he is able in some versions to cast
polymorph on himself and on objects, as well as on monsters.
  To polymorph yourself (and, in fact, to cast any spell on yourself), you
type "." for the spell's direction. Polymorphing yourself results in the
character becoming some type of monster. The character's hit points will be
reduced to conform with the monster type, and the character will gain all
abilities of the monster he is.
  Be forewarned, however, that any armor you are wearing when you polymorph
may be destroyed, and that non-humanoid monsters can not wear armor or wield
weapons, in addition to there more limited hit points. Polymorphing is not
for everyone.
  To polymorph an object, simply drop the object, and polymorph in the
direction of the object, as if it were a monster. Objects are polymorphed
into random objects of the same type. For instance, a food ration can be
polymorphed into a carrot, a tripe ration, or any other comestible. The
only exception is that rocks are polymorphed into gems.
  The uses for this become quite clear after some thought on the readers part.
For instance, useless items can be transformed into more powerful ones. In
particular, polymorphing wands has its own special side effects.


THE LEVELS BEYOND 26 (not for hack v1.0)

  Once the user has reached level 26, he should be prepared to win the game.
However, finding the amulet is by no means easy, if you don't know where to
look. Rather than tell the user how to find the amulet and wands of wishing,
we will only give the following advice.

Through the halls
the dungeon calls
for the hero to check the walls.

For not in sight
is the wand of might,
but instead in a spot quite tight.

Blast asunder
to receive the plunder
by pushing once, and looking under.

The last you seek
in a place quite bleak
and of brimstone it does reek.

Your quest now nigh
Beware, or fry,
If from fire you can die.

Give not a care
to lack of stair
but go directly to His lair.

To His home
you must now roam,
though surrounded by brine and foam.

A protective coat
is his moat
above this trap you must float.

And then you run
up towards the sun
and claim victory with a prize well won.


STRATEGIES OF HACK:
   The following is is a discussion of the various strategies used by
hack players, and some helpful advice from Erik Lauer, our resident hack
expert.

OVERALL STRATEGIES
The blitz strategy:
   This strategy is to blitz down as far as possible, taking only enough
time to find the items on the level and collect them. This particular
strategy is usually used by more inexperienced players who want to see how
far they can get in a certain amount of time. In fact, it is surprisingly
easy to go down levels, at least to the 26th level, even with a character
who is not very powerful. It is equally easy, however, to go to a level
with creatures far beyond your ability to reckon with, so care must be
taken to ensure this does not happen.

The "snail's pace" strategy:
   Here the player will only go down when he is running low on food. This
allows the player to develop as much as possible before encountering the
harder creatures on the next level. This strategy has a few intrinsic problems.
One is that it is extremely easy to run too low on food if the player is not
careful. Another is that this takes a very long time, and so is only for the
truly patient. Finally, there is a point of diminishing returns, sometime
around when the cockatrices first appear, that it is no longer profitable to
fudge around on the upper levels.
   The best overall strategy is somewhere in between the two, and is based
primarily on what you find available.
   Although overall strategy is important, the most important thing in hack
is based on a simple idea:

   Hack is a game for opportunists.

   That is, as hack has grown, and more options become available to the
player, every little detail presents a potential tool for the observant
player. This has become increasingly true as hack expanded into nethack.
   Try to find a use for everything you find. I read an article once in
which the writer denounced the destroy armor scroll as totally worthless.
He had never thought that he could use it to destroy cursed armor also,
and so made his game that much harder.

   If you can do this, then you can win the game.

SPECIFIC HINTS ON VARIOUS PARTS OF HACK:

Stores:
   This section presents probably the most useful thing in hack : the
store. The secret to stores does not lie in the buying of items, however.
The real secret lies in robbing them blind.
   There are probably as many ways to steal from shops as there are
shopkeepers. The most common is to acquire teleportation, on a scroll, wand,
or intrinsically, pick up everything you can in the shop, and teleport out.
Another method is to polymorph the shopkeeper. He may become more powerful,
but it is not very likely. You can then walk past him. Another possibility


is to kill the shopkeeper. This is recommended only if you are powerful
(shopkeepers are not wimps), and either desperate or just plain sadistic.
Finally, you can steal individual items by having your dog go into the shop
and bring them out. [Reward your dog after he brings you the first item,
and he will continue bringing you items. Note that any item on the space
directly in front of the door is a freebie. -PG]
   Teleportation is the best method by far. Since it is very to find a
leprechaun on the first and second levels, it is highly recommended that
you eat one, and thereby gain intrinsic teleportation. The same in fact goes
for finding floating eyes to gain telepathy. [Having intrinsic teleportation
isn't always a good thing, unless you can control it -PG]

Kops:
   The Keystone Kops were an addition to nethack, originally intended to
hinder people who rob shops. When a shop is robbed, a number of "K"'s appear.
The Kops attack by throwing cream pies at you, and regenerate when they are
killed.
   However, the Kops in fact represent yet another aspect of hack which
the observant player can make excellent use of. The Kops are very easy to
kill, and do very little damage. Although you can be blinded by a cream pie,
since it is very easy to acquire telepathy, this is definitely not a
hindrance. Most importantly, since every Kop carries a large number of
cream pies, they also create an abundance of readily available food. Finally,
since Kops sometimes carry magic items, killing them gives the user hoards
of treasure. Regeneration is, therefore, just a bonus, because it means
your supplies of food, treasure and experience points will not run out.
   There is only one way the Kops can hurt a player who is even moderately
powerful, but it should not be taken lightly. If the Kops throw a cream pie
at you, but miss and hit the shopkeeper, the shopkeeper will get mad and
attack you. This means that you must trap the shopkeeper if you do not
want him getting in the way. The best way is to trap yourself and the
shopkeeper with a boulder in the shop. Then, when you teleport out, the
shopkeeper is alive, but trapped.

Food:
   Once you have mastered combat, you will find that food becomes the
main problem. If you do not continually eat food, you will eventually begin
to faint and starve. Fainting is often enough to kill a character by itself.
   The key is to hunt down food constantly. Hunt, kill and eat all the
edible creatures you can find. ALWAYS search for monsters which can give
you special abilities. In particular, before continuing below the second
level you should find and eat, if possible, a leprechaun and a floating
eye. [See my earlier comment on eating leprechauns. -PG]
   However, do not eat so much that you could not eat any more. The
reason is that if you are on the verge of choking, and kill, for example,
a wraith, you would not be able to eat the cadaver for a long time, and so
it might spoil before you get the chance.

Unidentified items:
   Yet another key point is to find out as quickly as possible which
items have which powers. This does not mean, however, that you should
try every item out the instant you get it.
   We will deal with the different items separately.


Potions :
   You should almost never test out potions until you are at least seventh
level, at full hit points and are on a cleared level. If you are not
seventh level, you run the risk of wasting a potion of gain level. If you
are not at full hit points, then should you quaff a healing potion, it will
not affect your maximum hit points. If there are creatures nearby, you run
the risk of being paralyzed or confused, and unable to defend yourself.
   Lastly, always test your duplicate potions first.

Scrolls :
   You should only test out scrolls when you are wearing a spare set of
armor and are wielding a spare weapon. This allows you to not risk your good
equipment on determining which scrolls are the destroy armor and damage
weapon scrolls. Of course, once one of these have been found, you no longer
have to take precautions against it. You also should wait until you have
something to identify, in case it is an identify scroll. You won't have to
wait long. And, as with potions, check the duplicate scrolls first.

Rings :
   Rings should be identified first, since they are the hardest thing
to identify, aside from gems. Trying on unidentified rings is not encouraged,
as one cursed ring can ruin the game. If you have a scroll of remove curse,
it is safe to try on the ring. You can check it out if there is a Nymph on
the level. That is dealt with later. [If you have several unidentified
rings, (or armor or weapons) try them all until you have on as many
cursed items as possible. This will allow you to de-curse as many as
possible with one scroll. -PG]

Wands :
   ALWAYS test out wands as soon as there is a weak monster in your area
to zap them at. Since wand might shoot out a ray or a bolt, which bounce,
it is vitally important to shoot the wand diagnolly in such a way that
should the bolt bounce, it will not hit the character. [The bolt is of a
finite length, so in a large room it may be safely zapped in a straight
line. -PG]
   Usually, the wand's function is now apparent. For wands, however, this
may not be sufficient to identify the wand. After zapping such a wand, and
observing the target, call the wand something such as "tested1". This shows
you that, although its purpose is not known, the wand has been used.

Spellbooks :
   Do not read spellbooks until you are at least eighth level and have
identified a scroll of amnesia. This is because transcribing spells is hard
for characters less than eighth level, and the amnesia scroll remove all the
spells you know. In either case, the user loses valuable spellbooks. [If
you know any spells, but don't know which scroll is amnesia, don't read
any scroll without identifying it. Also, just because you can learn a
spell, doesn't mean you can cast it. Since spellbooks have a limited
number of castings, be careful not to waste them. -PG]



Vaults:
   Eventually, the player will encounter what is known as a treasure
vault. The vault is a 2x2 room, with four "$" spaces, and no doors. There
is always a secret door somewhere on a vault level which leads to a space
which teleports the user to the vault. There is always an engraving which
says "ad ?ae??um." If you find this engraving, search for the secret door
next to it.
   To get out of a vault with all the money, you have to either teleport
or use a wand of digging. If you have neither, eventually a guard will
enter the vault. He is harmless, but will lead you out of the vault if you
are carrying NO money. Should you discover the answer to his question, he
will leave by yourself in the vault. (In other words, knowing the answer
does not help). [My luckiest move was zapping a guard with a wand of
polymorph. He turned into a Quantum Mechanic, hit me, and

Nymphs:
   Although Nymphs can be annoying, they can do one extremely useful
thing: they can steal cursed items. Therefore, if a Nymph is found, you
can use her to remove your cursed items. The way this is done is demonstrated
in the following example of how to check unidentified rings with a Nymph on
the level.

   1) Clear out the level the Nymph is on.
   2) Go down to the next level, and clear it.
   3) Try putting on your unidentified rings. If a ring is not cursed,
      name it something such as "uncursed1" to mark that this
      type of ring is not cursed.
   4) Upon finding a cursed ring, remove ALL of your equipment, and drop
      it on that space. Then go up the stairs, find the Nymph, and
      let her steal an item. The item she steals then has to be
      the cursed item. Go back down, equip yourself, and continue.

Not using the dog:
   Although the dog seems to be a useful ally, in fact he presents a good
player with a handicap. This is for a number of reasons.

  1) Anything the dog kills, the character does not get experience for.
     This means that it takes longer to go up levels while using the dog.

  2) The dog will eat edible monsters and other Comestibles that the
     character needs. Hence, there is less food for the character.

  3) Perhaps the worst thing about the dog is that the user can NOT enter
     the dog's space. This means that the dog can actually trap the user
     in a corridor, and prevent the user's escape from a powerful monster.

For these reasons, unless you have the uncontrollable urge to experiment with
the dog, it is best to leave the dog behind on the first level. [Don't
do it. If I remember my hack folklore correctly, you take the same
penalty for abandoning a dog as for killing him. -PG]



Carry extra items, but don't carry gold:
   The user should always carry as many items as he possibly can through
the dungeon. This is because even worthless items can be polymorphed or sold
in the shops for gold. On the other hand, you should NEVER carry gold. The
gold weighs a non-negligible amount, and is not used unless the person is
buying an item in a shop. Since buying items is very rare, it is best to
pile all the gold from a level next to the stairs going up. That way, on the
way back up, the winning player can collect all the money he left behind.
   One useful technique of bringing more items than you can carry along
is to shuffle them down. Carry your items in two (or more) piles. Leave one
pile by the stairs, while carrying the other items. When you find the stairs
going down, drop the surplus items, go get the other pile, and bring it down
to the next level. Drop that pile, go back up, and get the other items.

Fighting floating eyes:
   Many beginning players fight floating eyes by killing them in hand
to hand combat. This is not a very good method, since it lets the eye get a
chance to paralyze you. Instead, it is far preferable to attack floating eyes
by throwing weapons at them. If you have your dog, you can always let the dog
kill it, and then step in to eat the eye before the dog gets a chance.

Killing Leprechauns:
   The leprechaun is yet another reason not to carry any gold at all. If
you are hit by a leprechaun while you have gold, not only do you lose the
gold (temporarily), but the trickster also teleports away, and so you have
to hunt him down. If you do not have any gold, however, he is a very weak
monster worth gold and experience. Before you fight one, drop your gold in a
place he can not get to, and then kill him. Also be careful about letting
the leprechaun run away, since he is faster than you are.

Dealing with Shapechangers:
   Once you begin to encounter shapechangers, you should already be able
to deal with all the other creatures. The shape-changers, however, are the
most potentially dangerous creatures in the game, because

   1) They can not be genocided, and can turn into previously genocided
      creatures.

   2) They can kill the user instantly in more than one way.

   Do not believe that the only way a shapechanger can kill you is by
turning into a cockatrice and stoning you. They also have the unique ability
to swallow you, as a purple worm for instance, and then kill you by changing
into a different creature. There is no defense against this attack other than
to wear a ring of protection against shape changers. DO NOT take them lightly.
[I've never encountered either a shapechanger or a ring to protect against
them. I wouldn't worry all that much. -PG]


REAL SPOILERS:

   The following are spoilers which go beyond (in my opinion) helpful hints.
Some of these spoilers (in fact most of them) can be figured out in the
course of play, but they also dramatically change how the game works.
Read this only if you are truly stuck.


ELBERETH:
   Any version which has engraving has the secret word Elbereth in it.
If the user etches the word "Elbereth" on the ground, and does not smudge
the word by moving (you may type "."), monster will flee in terror upon
moving adjacent to the user, so long as the user stands on that space. It
works much like a scare monster scroll, except that the user can not attack
off of it and preserve its abilities.
   Using Elbereth allows a competent player to win at will, but it is
basically cheating. It is possible to guess about the word Elbereth, however.
Use it only when no one is watching. [Elbereth has been weakened as of
release 2.2 of NetHack. I'm not sure exactly how. But it is definitely
cheating. My one win was accomplished without using it. -PG]

EXCALIBUR:
   In nethack, there is a fairly good chance that any long sword named
"Excalibur" will become +5 after being dipped in a fountain. This gives a
very powerful weapon to anyone who can get a long sword; in particular a
knight. [This has been eliminated in NetHack 2.2. There is still a way
to get it, but I don't know what it is. -PG]

CROESUS:
   Croesus is the name that the vault guard is expecting. This does not
help you win the game, but is listed for the curious.

The rubber chicken attack:
   If the user is wearing gloves, he may pick up and wield a dead
cockatrice. Any creature struck by the bird is automatically turned to
stone. Unfortunately, the cockatrice disintigrates after a period of time,
but in the mean time it can wreak vast devastation. Be careful! Should
you fall down while carrying a dead cockatrice, it may accidentally
touch you!

Polymorphing wands:
   One really big spoiler is that should you collect a large number of
wands (from a wand shop, for example), and put them in a pile, you may
polymorph the wands, and try to get wands of wishing. With enough wands and
charges in your polymorph wand, you can eventually get at least one wand of
wishing. By wishing for more polymorph wands, you can continue the process,
acquiring a truly disgusting number of wishes. The best part is that the
charges are the charges the old wand had, so that one wand may have up
to 15 wishes!! Clearly this presents a simple, yet powerful (and cheap)
method of winning. [This is also the only use I have found for the
fabled "wand of nothing." They have a lot of charges. -PG]

[Polymorphing your dog:
   If you want a real powerful pet, you can polymorph your dog, and he
will remain loyal to you. However, if you have a large dog, he's
probably just as good without being polymorphed. One warning, though. If
your dog turns into a dragon, he may still kill you with his breath
weapon, if you get in his way. -PG]


Praying for food:
   One fairly common effect of praying is that the character is surrounded
by a strong aura. This aura not only heals damage and restores strength, but
it also raises the user's maximum hp. by 5 AND restores the user's hunger to
its initial value of 900 turns. This means that, by praying every 300+ turns,
even if this result only occurs once out of every four tries, the amount
of food that needs to be eaten is better than halved. Use the time option
to keep track of when it is time to pray.

Canceling wands of wishing:
   It is an interesting fact that a wand with zero charges CAN be zapped
after a long number of tries, after which it can no longer be zapped, and
has -1 charges. This works for wands of wishing as well. But, a wand of
cancellation used on another wand makes the wand have 0 charges. Hence, by
zapping a wand of wishing with a wand of cancellation after the wand is at
-1 charges gives the user another wish. The user can continue this process
indefinitely, but it takes a VERY long time. This is really an alternative
to the polymorphing technique mentioned previously, but can be used by
earlier versions of hack. [Another "feature" written out of NetHack 2.2.
When a wand reaches -1 charges, it disintegrates. -PG]

Iron Balls:
   The punishment scroll gives you an extremely powerful weapon: the
Iron Ball. Although the cockatrice is more powerful, it has the disadvantages
of disintegrating and of destroying all edible monster. The iron ball,
although very heavy, can kill many monsters in one swing, and almost every
monster in two. Try wielding it some time. [The authors neglect to
mention that you have to get the thing off your ankle. I believe this
can be done via remove curse, or by praying. I know it can be done by
polymorphing yourself into a Nymph and using the #remove command. -PG]

Nurses and the spell of extra-healing:
   Both of these allow the user to gain an enormous number of hp. The
spell grants the user hit points each time it is cast, so the user can
with this spell increase his maximum hit points as many times as he has the
mana to do it. [No longer true, since the spell has a finite number of
uses. -PG]
   Nurses will cast extra healing on any character they "attack" which
is not wearing any armor. This means that by letting a nurse attack you for
a long period of time, you can gain literally hundreds of hit points.

Finding the wands of wishing on the 26th level and below:
   Each level below the 25th has a wand of wishing on it. The wands are
located beneath a large boulder ("`") which is adjacent to 3 walls. To get
one of the wands, use a wand of digging to create a hole next to the boulder
and push the boulder away. Using a wand of striking will work also. [You
can also remove most of your goodies, and move toward the rock again.
This will let you crawl under it to get the wand. -PG]

[The Medusa:
   A new creature, the medusa, has been added as of NetHack 2.2. She is
a unique monster, shown by the symbol "8". She guards the lower levels,
and can be tough to defeat, since looking at her will instantly turn you
to stone. Two items have been added to help you: the mirror, and the
blindfold. Using these is the most popular method of destroying the medusa,
but there are others. -PG]


Going below the 26th level:
   To go below the 26th level, you must be confused and read a teleport
scroll with a ring of teleport control on. This allows you to teleport to a
lower level. The dungeon goes down to the 40th level, and none of the levels
beyond the 26th have stairs going down. [40 is no longer the lowest
level, and the Wizard isn't always there. -PG]

Surviving the 40th level.
   You MUST have fire resistance to enter the 40th level and live. The
amulet is guarded by a powerful wizard and his hell hound. They are located
in the center of the level, surrounded by a moat, and an inner wall.
It looks like this:

    ~~~~~~
    ~----~
    ~|..|~
    ~----~
    ~~~~~~
The wizard is located in the center. You can levitate over the water, or you
can destroy a space of water with a wand of fire. Once over the water, use
a wand of digging to blast open the wall, fight the wizard and retrieve the
amulet. Now leave the dungeon, and collect as much money as you can.
You also get bonus points for leaving with a pet. These points are directly
related to the pet's experience level.
--
Pete Granger            ...!{decvax,ulowell,ima,ism780c}!cg-atla!granger
"Rene Descartes was a drunken fart,
 I drink therefore I am!"           - Monty Python,
                                      "The Philosophers' Song"