# Shrieker

F shrieker 

Difficulty

2

Attacks

None

F shrieker 

Difficulty

2

Attacks

None

Base level

3

Base experience

28

Speed

1

Base AC

7

Base MR

0

Alignment

0 (neutral)

Frequency (by normal means)

1 (Very rare)

Genocidable

Yes

Weight

100

Nutritional value

100

Size

Small

Resistances

Poison

Resistances conveyed

Poison (20%)

A shrieker:

 does not breathe.
 cannot pick up items.
 has no eyes.

 has no limbs.
 has no head.
 is mindless.

 does not eat. (*)
 is neither male nor female.
 is normally generated hostile.

Reference

monst.c#line1327

The shrieker is a monster in NetHack. While it has no attacks and moves very slowly, its shriek can aggravate monsters and has a 10% chance[1]) to summon a random monster somewhere on the level. The summoned monster has a 1⁄13 chance[2] of being a purple worm; the explanation given for this is that purple worms enjoy consuming shriekers and are attracted by their shriek.[3] #Chatting with a shrieker will also cause it to shriek; this aggravates monsters, but cannot summon any.[4] The shrieker corpse also gives a 20% chance of poison resistance, and is safe to eat (unless they are rotten); further, as the shrieker is considered a fungus, consuming a shrieker corpse does not break the vegan or vegetarian conducts.
The line "The shrieker shrieks." has gained a reputation as being one of the most memorable lines in NetHack.

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.

Baby purple worms now appear in place of adult purple worms when the latter would be out of depth.
Contents

1 Generation
2 Origin
3 SLASH'EM
4 Encyclopedia entry
5 References

Generation
Some shriekers are guaranteed on the last level of the Caveman Quest.

Origin
According to Dungeons &amp; Dragons, the shrieker is a large purple fungus.

SLASH'EM
Shriekers in SLASH'EM, like all F except lichens, may rise from the dead. Additionally, they are incapable of summoning purple worms[5] but are slightly more likely to summon a monster with a shriek (1⁄8 chance instead of 1⁄10). The first change may be because two other monsters, the squealer and the mobat, have the same shriek in SLASH'EM. Shriekers are also immune to death rays.

Encyclopedia entry

With a single, savage thrust of her spear, the warrior-woman
impaled the fungus, silencing it.  However, it was too late:
the alarm had been raised[...]
Suddenly, a large, dark shape rose from the abyss before them,
its fetid bulk looming overhead...The monster was some kind of
great dark worm, but that was about all they were sure of.

[ The Adventurers, Epic IV, by Thomas A. Miller ] 

References

↑ src/mon.c in NetHack 3.6.0, line 2432

↑ src/mon.c in NetHack 3.6.0, line 2433

↑ src/mon.c in NetHack 3.6.0, line 1391

↑ src/sounds.c in NetHack 3.6.0, line 710

↑ mon.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 2357

This page may need to be updated for the current version of NetHack.
It may contain text specific to NetHack 3.6.0. Information on this page may be out of date.
Editors: After reviewing this page and making necessary edits, please change the {{nethack-360}} tag to the current version's tag or {{noversion}} as appropriate.