Bell
( 
| |
|---|---|
| Name | bell |
| Appearance | bell |
| Base price | 50 zm |
| Weight | 30 |
| Material | copper |
| Monster use | Will not be used by monsters. |
A bell is a type of tool that appears in NetHack. It is an atonal musical instrument that is made of copper.
The Bell of Opening appears as a "silver bell" when unidentified, but both the item and its base type are distinct from a regular bell.
Contents
Generation
Elven Priests and Wizards have a 1⁄6 change of starting with a bell as their non-magical instrument.[1]
All bells are generated uncursed with the exception of bones levels and trap "bones".
In addition to random generation, general stores and hardware stores can sell bells.
1⁄10 of randomly generated headstones will read "Saved by the bell!" and have a bell placed on its square.[2][3][4]
Description
Applying a non-cursed bell makes noise that wakes nearby sleeping monsters and calls pets. A cursed bell has the same effect, but also has a 1⁄4 chance (25%) of summoning a random nymph without their starting inventory provided none of them are extinct or genocided.[5] There is a 7⁄100 chance (7%) of the bell breaking after generating the monster, and otherwise there is a 1⁄3 chance of the summoned nymph being fast and a 1⁄3 chance of the character being paralyzed for 2 turns.[6][7]
Covetous monsters attempting to steal the Bell of Opening specifically from a character's inventory may instead steal a bell in open inventory.[8]
Strategy
Bells tend to have very little use in most games. A tin whistle is often sufficient for calling pets while being much lighter in weight; a cursed bell may be viable in some cases where a character wants to get rid of a cursed piece of armor or other item stuck to their person, with the other valuable items stashed nearby. There are also corner cases where a character may carry a bell to deter covetous thieves while bringing the Bell of Opening to the vibrating square. Otherwise, bells are usually either ignored or carried to sell at a shop.
History
The bell first appears in NetHack 3.1.0. From this version to NetHack 3.1.3, a cursed bell can be exploited to summon nymphs indefinitely without respecting extinction, risking paralysis or generating a fast nymph, and the nymph would generate with their usual starting inventory.[9][10] A character can use this to accumulate large numbers of mirrors for polypiling, as well as many potions of object detection for dilution, alchemy, or polypiling; notably, if potions of object detection were smoky potions, this provided a very easy way to generate a large number of wishes. NetHack 3.2.0 fixes this by ensuring that the summoned nymph has no starting inventory.
Messages
- You ring the bell.
- You applied a bell.
- But the sound is muffled.
- As above, but you are underwater or engulfed.[11]
- You summon a nymph!
- You summoned a nymph by applying a cursed bell.
- The bell has shattered!
- A cursed bell broke after summoning a nymph.
Variants
dNetHack
In dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, the female half-dragon Noble always starts with a blessed bell.
Kukeri are always generated with a bell made of the default material.
Andromalius is a spirit whose binding ritual can use a bell as one of the two items placed in his seal, and using two non-bell items in the binding ritual may generate a bell as the third item the character receives if they successfully bind him.
SpliceHack
In SpliceHack, attempting to use a scroll of cloning on the Bell of Opening will always produce a normal bell. This also applies to Hack'EM.
References
- ↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 816
- ↑ src/mklev.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1646
- ↑ src/mklev.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1659
- ↑ src/mklev.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1685
- ↑ src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1039
- ↑ src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1047
- ↑ src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1052
- ↑ src/steal.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 556
- ↑ apply.c in NetHack 3.1.0, line 1315
- ↑ See NetHack Code version 1.1, under the section "cursed bell".
- ↑ src/apply.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1028
