Beastmaster Quests - Can I hack up the corpse?

[KesTheHammer]

Do the beastmaster want the entire 500lbs corpse or is he happy if I (h)ack up the corpse and take him some meat?

[Yottle]

A piece of meat is fine. Be careful hacking up corpses, though. Some of them may have bad effects.

[fiery_mews]

It's usually recommended to eat from the corpse before hacking (since that will provide the necessary resists right off the bat). Though the damage is based on the weight of the corpse, and the cap is very high if there's a cap at all; even with double resist, a Great Hell Wyrm might do a lot of damage.

... I should check this in debug mode.

Edit: yeah okay, double resist is enough, you'll take < 50 HP damage from a Great Hell Wyrm corpse. Single resist OTOH is definitely not enough, my test character took over 600.

Interestingly, eating from the corpse works even for a Great Wyrm of Power corpse, which will otherwise kill you instantly with a blast of (unresistable) raw mana. Funny, I don't remember seeing anything like that in the code...

[KesTheHammer]

Thanks for the responses!

I did not even know that eating the meat will do something!

I just wanted to get the corpse preservation and monster lore skills!

[Yottle]

Eating a piece of meat, hacking a corpse, and eating a corpse can all have different effects. Usually eating meat doesn't have the bad effects and can be quite useful.

[fiery_mews]

Eating a monster's meat has no effects, good or bad. Eating corpses can have good effects, bad effects, or both. In general IIRC it is unwise to eat the remains of anything with necromantic powers, but I'd have to check the code for other stuff.

[fiery_mews]

So... extensive spoilers follow...

I think the main function we want is this

/*
 * Determine the effects of eating a corpse. A corpse can be
 * eaten whole or cut into pieces for later.
 */
static void corpse_effect(object_type *o_ptr, bool cutting)

in cmd6.cc (for ToME 2.4, the C++ port).

	/* Immediate effects - poison, acid, fire, etc. */
	if (!cutting)
	{
		for (i = 0; i < 4; i++)
		{
			/* skip empty blow slot */
			if (!r_ptr->blow[i].method) continue;

			method = r_ptr->blow[i].method;
			effect = r_ptr->blow[i].effect;
			d_dice = r_ptr->blow[i].d_dice;
			d_side = r_ptr->blow[i].d_side;
			dam = damroll(d_dice, d_side) * o_ptr->pval / o_ptr->weight / 2;
			idam = damroll(d_dice, d_side) *
			       ((o_ptr->weight / o_ptr->pval > 2) ?
			        o_ptr->weight / o_ptr->pval : 2);
			mdam = maxroll(d_dice, d_side) * 2;

So this is for elemental and poison damage based on monster's melee attacks. IDK what determines pval in this case, or what it indicates. Dam dice and sides are gotten from the monster's physical attack power when it was alive. Weight seems to reduce the damage, which uh might be a bug? IDK my brain isn't fully working right now.

The TL;DR though is that monsters with elemental melee attacks will damage you with those elements when eaten; ones that cause confusion or hallucination on hit, will cause those statuses when eaten; ones that paralyze or reduce stats, likewise, etc.

				/* Don't eat Morgoth's corpse :) */
			case RBE_LOSE_ALL:
				{
					do_dec_stat(A_STR, STAT_DEC_NORMAL);
					do_dec_stat(A_INT, STAT_DEC_NORMAL);
					do_dec_stat(A_WIS, STAT_DEC_NORMAL);
					do_dec_stat(A_DEX, STAT_DEC_NORMAL);
					do_dec_stat(A_CON, STAT_DEC_NORMAL);
					do_dec_stat(A_CHR, STAT_DEC_NORMAL);
					o_ptr->pval = 1;

					break;
				}

			case RBE_SANITY:
				{
					msg_print("You feel your sanity slipping away!");
					take_sanity_hit(dam, "eating an insane monster");

					break;
				}

Nice. And anything that drains experience in melee will drain it when eaten too.

	/*
	 * The organ that supplies breath attacks is not
	 * immediately emptied upon death, although some types
	 * of breath have no effect.
	 * AMHD's make rather risky meals, and deadly snacks.
	 */

	/* Acid */
	if ((r_ptr->spells & SF_BR_ACID) && brpow > 0)
	{
		brdam = ((brpow / 3) > 1600 ? 1600 : (brpow / 3));

		msg_print("You are hit by a gush of acid!");

		/* Total Immunity */
		if (!(p_ptr->immune_acid || (brdam <= 0)))
		{
			/* Take damage */
			acid_dam(brdam, "a gush of acid");
			harmful = true;
		}
		o_ptr->pval = 1;
	}
	else if (r_ptr->spells & SF_BR_ACID)
	{
		set_oppose_acid(p_ptr->oppose_acid + rand_int(10) + 10);
	}

For elemental breathers, hacking hits you with the given element, capped at max elemental breath damage. But eating the corpse directly makes you resistant, and doesn't hit you for damage.

Nether and confusion breathers OTOH don't offer resistance if eaten directly, they just hit you with damage and status effects. Chaos breathers likewise.

	/* Disenchantment */
	if ((r_ptr->spells & SF_BR_DISE) && brpow > 0)
	{
		brdam = ((brpow / 6) > 500 ? 500 : (brpow / 6));

		msg_print("You are blasted by raw mana!");

		if (p_ptr->resist_disen)
		{
			brdam *= 6;
			brdam /= (randint(6) + 6);
		}
		else
		{
			apply_disenchant(0);
		}

		/* Take damage */
		take_hit(brdam, "raw mana");
		o_ptr->pval = 1;
	}

So that "raw mana" is from disenchantment breathers, and it's not actually raw mana - it's disenchantment damage, and resistance to that will protect you. Plasma breathers will also hit you up for damage and stunning, as in life.

	/*
	 * Hack -- Jellies, kobolds, spiders, icky things, molds, and mushrooms
	 * are immune to poison because their body already contains
	 * poisonous chemicals.
	 */
	if (strchr("ijkmS,", r_ptr->d_char) && (r_ptr->flags & RF_IM_POIS))
	{
		if (!(p_ptr->resist_pois || p_ptr->oppose_pois))
		{
			set_poisoned(p_ptr->poisoned + rand_int(15) + 10);
		}
		harmful = true;
	}

Kobolds: not edible unless you're also a kobold.

	/*
	 * Bad effects override good effects
	 * and hacked-up corpses lose intrinsics.
	 */
	if (!harmful && !cutting && (o_ptr->sval != SV_CORPSE_MEAT))
	{
		if (r_ptr->flags & RF_IM_ACID)
		{
			set_oppose_acid(p_ptr->oppose_acid + rand_int(10) + 10);
		}
		if (r_ptr->flags & RF_IM_ELEC)
		{
			set_oppose_elec(p_ptr->oppose_elec + rand_int(10) + 10);
		}
		if (r_ptr->flags & RF_IM_FIRE)
		{
			set_oppose_fire(p_ptr->oppose_fire + rand_int(10) + 10);
		}
		if (r_ptr->flags & RF_IM_COLD)
		{
			set_oppose_cold(p_ptr->oppose_cold + rand_int(10) + 10);
		}
		if (r_ptr->flags & RF_IM_POIS)
		{
			set_oppose_pois(p_ptr->oppose_pois + rand_int(10) + 10);
		}
		if (r_ptr->flags & RF_RES_NETH)
		{
			set_protevil(p_ptr->protevil + rand_int(25) + 3 * r_ptr->level);
		}
		if (r_ptr->flags & RF_RES_PLAS)
		{
			set_oppose_fire(p_ptr->oppose_fire + rand_int(20) + 20);
		}
		if (r_ptr->flags & RF_SHAPECHANGER)
		{
			/* DGDGDG			set_mimic(20 , rand_int(MIMIC_VALAR)); */
		}

		if (r_ptr->flags & RF_DEMON)
		{
			/* DGDGDG			set_mimic(30 , MIMIC_DEMON); */
		}

		if (r_ptr->flags & RF_UNDEAD)
		{
			/* DGDGDG			set_mimic(30 , MIMIC_VAMPIRE); */
		}

		if (r_ptr->flags & RF_NO_FEAR)
		{
			set_afraid(0);
		}
		if (r_ptr->flags & RF_NO_STUN)
		{
			set_stun(0);
		}
		if (r_ptr->flags & RF_NO_CONF)
		{
			set_confused(0);
		}
		if (r_ptr->spells & SF_S_THUNDERLORD)
		{
			summon_specific_friendly(p_ptr->py, p_ptr->px, dun_level, SUMMON_THUNDERLORD, false);
		}
		if (r_ptr->spells & SF_S_DEMON)
		{
			summon_specific_friendly(p_ptr->py, p_ptr->px, dun_level, SUMMON_DEMON, false);
		}
		if (r_ptr->spells & SF_S_KIN)
		{
			summon_specific_friendly(p_ptr->py, p_ptr->px, dun_level, SUMMON_KIN, false);
		}
		if (r_ptr->spells & SF_S_HI_DEMON)
		{
			summon_specific_friendly(p_ptr->py, p_ptr->px, dun_level, SUMMON_HI_DEMON, false);
		}
		if (r_ptr->spells & SF_S_MONSTER)
		{
			summon_specific_friendly(p_ptr->py, p_ptr->px, dun_level, 0, false);
		}
		if (r_ptr->spells & SF_S_MONSTERS)
		{
			int k;
			for (k = 0; k < 8; k++)
			{
				summon_specific_friendly(p_ptr->py, p_ptr->px, dun_level, 0, false);
			}
		}
		if (r_ptr->spells & SF_S_UNDEAD)
		{
			summon_specific_friendly(p_ptr->py, p_ptr->px, dun_level, SUMMON_UNDEAD, false);
		}
		if (r_ptr->spells & SF_S_DRAGON)
		{
			summon_specific_friendly(p_ptr->py, p_ptr->px, dun_level, SUMMON_DRAGON, false);
		}
		if (r_ptr->spells & SF_S_ANT)
		{
			summon_specific_friendly(p_ptr->py, p_ptr->px, dun_level, SUMMON_ANT, false);
		}
		if (r_ptr->spells & SF_S_SPIDER)
		{
			summon_specific_friendly(p_ptr->py, p_ptr->px, dun_level, SUMMON_SPIDER, false);
		}
		if (r_ptr->spells & SF_S_HOUND)
		{
			summon_specific_friendly(p_ptr->py, p_ptr->px, dun_level, SUMMON_HOUND, false);
		}
		if (r_ptr->spells & SF_S_HYDRA)
		{
			summon_specific_friendly(p_ptr->py, p_ptr->px, dun_level, SUMMON_HYDRA, false);
		}
		if (r_ptr->spells & SF_S_ANGEL)
		{
			summon_specific_friendly(p_ptr->py, p_ptr->px, dun_level, SUMMON_ANGEL, false);
		}
		if (r_ptr->spells & SF_S_HI_DRAGON)
		{
			summon_specific_friendly(p_ptr->py, p_ptr->px, dun_level, SUMMON_HI_DRAGON, false);
		}
		if (r_ptr->spells & SF_S_HI_UNDEAD)
		{
			summon_specific_friendly(p_ptr->py, p_ptr->px, dun_level, SUMMON_HI_UNDEAD, false);
		}
		if (r_ptr->spells & SF_S_WRAITH)
		{
			summon_specific_friendly(p_ptr->py, p_ptr->px, dun_level, SUMMON_WRAITH, false);
		}
		if (r_ptr->spells & SF_S_UNIQUE)
		{
			summon_specific_friendly(p_ptr->py, p_ptr->px, dun_level, SUMMON_UNIQUE, false);
		}
	}

Ah so it's not breath attacks that have positive effects, it's resistances and elemental immunities! And summoning spells. Mind, these are only for corpses that are not flagged "harmful" earlier in the code, and definitely not if you're hacking them or eating their meat; only if eating from them directly.

[Pete Mack]

This kind of thing:

         brdam *= 6;
         brdam /= (randint(6) + 6);

Is a microcosm of the Poschengband code in general. I mean, it is obviously much worse to write:

        brdam = (brdam * 6) / (randint(6) + 6);

Than to miss a chance to use the rare assignment operator /=

It is also magnificent to nest a block of 31 non-exclusive if statements in still another conditional.

[Yottle]

I thought the summoning effect was still there for meat. I could be wrong.

[fiery_mews]

@Pete Mack

The original T2 codebase is even more horrifying; I'm still in awe of AnonymousHero, TBH. (My own contributions to the C++ port were pretty minimal.)

@Yottle

Nope, hacked meat still doesn't work. Note

if (!harmful && !cutting && (o_ptr->sval != SV_CORPSE_MEAT))

I actually can't get the summoning to work in debug mode with a bunch of summoner corpses, maybe most of them will get their corpses flagged harmful by other stuff? Though I do remember summoning a mob one time by accident from eating of a unique summoner's corpse.