# Role
When starting NetHack, the game asks for the role you want to play with the option of letting the game randomly pick one. You can also set the role in your nethackrc file or specify it on the command line with the -p option.
Each role begins with different starting equipment and different levels of mastery in weapons. Intrinsics that are gained when leveling up (such as a Ranger's intrinsic stealth) and conducts (such as the Monk's vegetarian conducts) also vary with each role. Experienced players often attempt to ascend all thirteen roles. Some roles are considered more difficult to ascend than others. See role difficulty for more details.

Contents

1 Role table by starting attributes and intrinsics
2 Role table by alignment and race
3 Variants

3.1 SLASH'EM Role table by alignment and race
3.2 dNethack Role table by alignment and race

4 See also
5 Other games
6 References

Role table by starting attributes and intrinsics
The following contains the mean and standard deviation of the starting attributes; the initial intrinsics; and the intrinsics gained at specific experience levels, for various roles played as humans.  The means and standard deviations were found by simulation; the simulation source code can found on the talk page.[1]  Note that non-human races may have different mean attributes due to attribute maximums, especially if the maximum for an attribute is less than approximately one or two standard deviations above the human mean.

Str

Dex

Con

Int

Wis

Cha

Initial intrinsics

Gained intrinsics

Archeologist

12.79±2.15

9.78±1.63

12.50±2.10

15.34±1.86

15.34±1.86

9.51±1.57

speed, stealth

XL 10: searching

Barbarian

18/00.89±1.34

16.72±1.01

17.69±0.59

7.60±0.87

7.69±0.91

6.60±0.87

poison resistance

XL 7: speed, XL 15: stealth

Cave(wo)man

18/01.61±2.48

13.19±2.16

16.43±1.76

8.90±1.40

9.21±1.49

7.90±1.40

XL 7: speed, XL 15: warning

Healer

9.31±1.46

9.17±1.42

14.55±1.63

9.87±1.57

15.77±1.40

16.56±0.73

poison resistance

XL 15: warning

Knight

14.95±1.24

8.66±0.89

11.27±1.10

7.97±1.01

14.96±0.97

17.43±0.53

XL 7: speed

Monk

17.34±2.37

13.63±2.10

11.26±1.95

9.86±1.66

13.63±2.10

9.57±1.59

see invisible  sleep resistance  speed

XL 3: poison resistance  XL 5: stealth  XL 7: warning   XL 9: searching   XL 11: fire resistance   XL 13: cold resistance   XL 15: shock resistance   XL 17: teleport control

Priest(ess)

12.21±2.07

11.89±2.01

13.47±2.16

10.28±1.74

17.44±1.08

9.95±1.67

XL 15: warning, XL 20: fire resistance

Ranger

15.22±1.32

10.45±1.17

14.44±1.14

13.75±0.93

13.75±0.93

7.68±0.91

searching

XL 7: stealth, XL 15: see invisible

Rogue

14.10±2.29

17.52±1.00

13.72±2.18

10.41±1.77

10.41±1.77

9.07±1.70

stealth

XL 10: searching

Samurai

15.90±1.94

15.54±1.75

17.91±0.32

9.94±1.37

8.56±1.27

7.37±1.20

speed

XL 15: stealth

Tourist

11.60±1.99

11.31±1.94

15.28±2.10

12.89±1.65

8.89±1.66

15.29±1.86

XL 10: searching, XL 20: poison resistance

Valkyrie

18/00.86±2.34

12.72±2.08

17.11±1.32

8.75±1.35

9.04±1.43

8.76±1.35

cold resistance, stealth

XL 7: speed

Wizard

10.60±1.80

13.48±2.15

13.47±2.15

17.44±1.07

10.28±1.74

9.96±1.67

XL 8: teleport at will if wizard has teleportitis  XL 15: warning   XL 17: teleport control

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.
These numbers are slightly different because an off-by-one error which slightly biased strength over charisma was fixed in this commit.
Also, some role intrinsics have changed, since commit 075c2832:

Archeologists now start with searching, get stealth at XL 5, and speed at XL 10.
Valkyries get stealth at XL 3.

Role table by alignment and race
The following role, race, and alignment combinations are permitted upon character creation.[2]

Human

Elf

Dwarf

Gnome

Orc

Archeologist

Law Neu

Law

Neu

Barbarian

Neu Cha

Cha

Caveman

Law Neu

Law

Neu

Healer

Neu

Neu

Knight

Law

Monk

Law Neu Cha

Priest

Law Neu Cha

Cha

Ranger

Neu Cha

Cha

Neu

Cha

Rogue

Cha

Cha

Samurai

Law

Tourist

Neu

Valkyrie

Law Neu

Law

Wizard

Neu Cha

Cha

Neu

Cha

Variants
SLASH'EM Role table by alignment and race
The following role, race, and alignment combinations are permitted upon character creation.[3]

Doppelganger

Drow

Dwarf

Elf

Gnome

Hobbit

Human

Lycanthrope

Orc

Vampire

Archeologist

Neu

Law

Law Neu

Neu

Law Neu

Law Neu

Barbarian

Neu Cha

Cha

Neu

Neu Cha

Cha

Cha

Cha

Caveman

Neu

Law

Neu

Law Neu

Flame mage

Neu Cha

Cha

Law Neu

Neu

Law Neu

Law Neu Cha

Cha

Healer

Neu

Neu

Neu

Neu

Neu

Ice mage

Neu Cha

Cha

Law Neu

Neu

Law Neu

Law Neu Cha

Cha

Cha

Knight

Law

Monk

Neu Cha

Law Neu

Law Neu Cha

Necromancer

Cha

Cha

Cha

Cha

Cha

Priest

Neu Cha

Cha

Law Neu

Law Neu

Law Neu Cha

Rogue

Cha

Cha

Cha

Cha

Cha

Ranger

Neu Cha

Cha

Neu

Neu

Neu

Neu Cha

Cha

Cha

Samurai

Law

Tourist

Neu

Neu

Neu

Undead slayer

Neu Cha

Cha

Law Neu

Neu

Law Neu

Law Neu Cha

Cha

Cha

Valkyrie

Neu

Law

Law Neu

Wizard

Neu Cha

Cha

Neu

Neu

Neu

Neu Cha

Cha

Cha

Yeoman

Law

Law

Law

dNethack Role table by alignment and race
The following role, race, and alignment combinations are permitted upon character creation.
Some race/role combinations result is special quests, this is shown as (Q: Quest Code)

Dwarf

Elf

Gnome

Human

Incantifier

Orc

Archeologist

Law

Neu

Law Neu

Law Neu

Anachrononaut

Cha

Neu Cha

Neu Cha

Barbarian

Cha

Cha

Cha

Binder

Void

Void

Void

Void

Void

Void

Caveman

Law

Neu

Law Neu

Law Neu

Convict

Cha

Cha

Cha

Cha

Cha

Cha

Healer

Neu

Neu

Neu

Knight

Law (Q: Dna)

Law

Law

Monk

Law

Law

Noble

Law (Q: Dnb)

Cha (Q: Elf)

Law Neu Cha

Law Neu Cha

Priest

Cha (Q: Elf)

Law Neu Cha

Law Neu Cha

Pirate

Cha

Neu Cha

Neu Cha

Rogue

Cha

Cha

Cha

Cha

Ranger

Cha (Q: Elf)

Neu (Q: Gnr)

Neu Cha

Neu Cha

Cha

Samurai

Law

Law

Tourist

Neu

Neu

Troubadour

Cha

Neu

Neu Cha

Neu Cha

Cha

Valkyrie

Law

Law Neu

Law Neu

Wizard

Cha (Q: Elf)

Neu

Neu Cha

Neu Cha

Cha

Clockwork

Chiropteran

Drow (female)

Drow (male)

Half-Dragon

Vampire

Yuki-onna

Archeologist

Law

Law Neu

Neu

Anachrononaut

Cha

Neu

Neu Cha

Barbarian

Cha

Cha

Binder

Void

Void

Void

Void

Void

Void

Void

Caveman

Law Neu

Law Neu

Convict

Cha

Cha

Cha

Cha

Cha

Healer

Neu

Knight

Law

Law

Monk

Law

Law

Law

Noble

Cha (Q: Ndr)

Neu (Q: Nhd)

Neu Cha

Priest

Law

Law Neu Cha

Cha (Q: Dro)

Neu (Q: Hdr)

Law Neu Cha

Pirate

Cha

Neu

Rogue

Cha

Cha (Q: Dro)

Neu (Q: Hdr)

Cha

Cha

Ranger

Neu Cha

Cha (Q: Dro)

Neu (Q: Hdr)

Neu Cha

Samurai

Law

Law

Law

Tourist

Troubadour

Neu

Neu Cha

Neu Cha

Valkyrie

Law Neu

Wizard

Cha (Q: Dro)

Neu (Q: Hdr)

Neu Cha

Neu Cha

See also
Role difficulty
Other games
Some other games, such as Dungeons &amp; Dragons use the word "class", and MapleStory and Final Fantasy, for example, use "job", while NetHack always calls them roles.

References

↑ Talk:Role#Initial attribute simulation code

↑ src/role.c in NetHack 3.6.6, line 7

↑ role.c in SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2, line 8