# Priest (player monster)

@ priest / priestess 

Difficulty

12

Attacks

Weapon 1d6

@ priest / priestess 

Difficulty

12

Attacks

Weapon 1d6

Base level

10

Base experience

216

Speed

12

Base AC

10

Base MR

2

Alignment

0 (neutral)

Frequency (by normal means)

0 (Not randomly generated)

Genocidable

No (unless player is a priest or priestess)

Weight

1450

Nutritional value

400

Size

Medium

Resistances

None

Resistances conveyed

None

A priest or priestess:

 has a head, a couple of arms, and a torso.

 is omnivorous.

 is not a valid polymorphable form.

 is a human.

 is strong.

 can pick up weapons and food.

 can be seen through infravision.

A priest also:

 is male.

A priestess also:

 is female.

Reference

src/monst.c in NetHack 3.6.0, line 2767

A priest or priestess is a player monster corresponding to the priest role.

The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that it is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate this information.

Priests are now referred to as "clerics".
Generation
Main article: Player monster#Generation
Like other player monsters, priests and priestesses are never randomly generated and are thus rarely seen.
No priests or priestesses are normally found outside the Astral Plane, where they may appears among the hostile player monsters generated there.[1] Acolytes found in the priest quest can also grow up to become priests.[2]
Reading a cursed scroll of genocide as a priest or priestess while confused will summon a number of priests or priestesses, although they won't have their usual equipment. Using undead turning on the corpse or stone to flesh on the statue of a dead priest or priestess left on a bones level will revive the corpse or statue as a player monster. Priest and priestess corpses are not found in the Valley of the Dead,[3] except possibly in the graveyards, and a statue of a priest or priestess may appear on Medusa's Island.[4].
Most priests or priestesses encountered in the main dungeon will turn out to be doppelgangers, which may temporarily assume their form.

Equipment
Main article: Player monster#Equipment
A priest or priestess on the Astral Plane will carry either a mace (50%), a long sword (25%) or a randomly chosen melee weapon (25%). The weapon's enchantment will be random between +4 and +8, and it will be either erodeproof or greased (but not both) with 33.3% probability each. There is a 50% chance that the weapon will be made into an artifact of the same type, if possible.[5][6]
In the ascension kit, the random cloak will be changed to a robe (3/4 chance),[7] the random headgear will be changed to a helm of brilliance (3/8 chance) or to a helm of telepathy (3/8 chance),[8] a shield will be included only 7/16 of the time (compared to 7/8 for most roles),[9] and dragon scale mail will be replaced by other body armor half the time.[10]
Priests and priestesses will also be equipped with 1d3 random offensive items, 1d3 random defensive items and 1d3 random miscellaneous items, a randomly generated ascension kit containing various pieces of armor as well as a cheap plastic imitation of the Amulet of Yendor, some gold and other items. 

References

↑ create_mplayers in mplayer.c

↑ src/mondata.c in NetHack 3.6.0, line 966

↑ dat/gehennom.des in NetHack 3.6.0, line 76

↑ src/sp_lev.c in NetHack 3.6.0, line 1896: the code is very cryptic but fortunately has comments

↑ mk_mplayer in mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.1

↑ src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.6, line 215

↑ src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.6, line 217

↑ src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.6, line 219

↑ src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.6, line 221

↑ src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.6, line 215