Aligned priest

@ aligned priest
Difficulty	15
Attacks	Physical 4d10, kick 1d4, spell-casting (clerical)

@ aligned priest
Difficulty	15
Attacks	Physical 4d10, kick 1d4, spell-casting (clerical)
Base level	12
Base experience	294
Speed	12
Base AC	10
Base MR	50
Alignment	0
Frequency (by normal mechanisms)	Not randomly generated
Genocidable	No
Weight	1450
Nutritional value	400
Size	Human
Resistances	Shock
Resistances conveyed	None

Religion in NetHack
alignment alignment record altars prayer turn undead gods anger priests atheism

Aligned priests, @, tend the temples of NetHack. They will always appear as "priest of (deity)" and will be generated with a mace, small shield, a robe (or occasionally cloak of protection or cloak of magic resistance), and a small amount of gold. Priests tending temples will always be peaceful (except for the high priest of Moloch); however large numbers of priests of Moloch appear in Moloch's Sanctum and a large number of assorted hostile priests will appear on the Astral Plane.

There are two levels which always generate peaceful aligned priests: Minetown has a priest of a random alignment, and the Valley of the Dead has a priest of Moloch. However, as both levels are eligible to leave bones files, it is possible not to find a peaceful aligned priest in a given game.

Attempting to convert the temple's altar will anger the priest. Directly attacking a peaceful priest is a bad idea, as their God will strike you with lightning; however, the bolt can be deflected if you have reflection.

A good way to convert a temple is to get a scroll of earth (two are guaranteed to be generated on the first level of Sokoban), get reflection (also possibly from Sokoban), stand in the temple so that the priest(ess) is not adjacent to you, then read the scroll. Optionally, push the boulders to confine the priest to one particular square. Now you can blind yourself (be sure to have telepathy) and zap or fire things at the priest without the risk of being paralyzed or getting hit with the mace. You will still get the god's lightning strikes! If you lack reflection and shock resistance, but have a ray attack, you might want to bring the temple's walls between you and the altar, and use bounces instead. Once the priest is killed, you can start sacrificing. If you are playing a chaotic human you should try to #offer the priest's corpse, since it will have a 100% chance of converting the altar.

Alternatively, you can petrify the priest with a wielded cockatrice corpse.

Killing a co-aligned priest(ess) will not give you a Luck penalty beyond that imposed for murder. But that's generally a bad idea anyway.

If you #chat to a priest, a variety of effects can result. If you have no gold, they will "give you two bits for an ale" (two zorkmids) if they have at least two gold (or one bit if they have exactly one gold), and will otherwise "preach the virtues of poverty". Otherwise, they will prompt you for a contribution to the temple; depending on the amount of gold you offer one of several events will happen:

Offer	Effect
0 or less	"Thou shalt regret thine action!" If the priest is co-aligned, you lose one alignment point.
Positive but less than 200 times current experience level	If this is less than half your gold, nothing happens. "Cheapskate." Otherwise, exercises wisdom. "I thank thee for thy contribution."
At least 200 but less than 400 times current experience level	"Thou art indeed a pious individual." If this is more than half your gold, you are granted 500-999 turns of clairvoyance. "I bestow upon thee a blessing."
At least 400 but less than 600 times current experience level	If you have no intrinsic protection, earn 2-4 points of protection. Otherwise if you have less than 9 protection, or less than 20 with a 1-in-current-protection chance, earn an additional point of protection; if not, fall through to next case. (This is the preferred way to obtain protection.) "Thy devotion has been rewarded."
At least 600 times current experience level	"Thy selfless generosity is deeply appreciated." If this is more than half your gold and the temple is co-aligned: If you have not performed this action in the last 5000 turns, and your alignment is less than 0, it is reset to 0 Otherwise, you gain 2 alignment points.

Encyclopaedia entry

[...]  For the two priests were talking exactly like priests,
piously, with learning and leisure, about the most aerial
enigmas of theology.  The little Essex priest spoke the more
simply, with his round face turned to the strengthening stars;
the other talked with his head bowed, as if he were not even
worthy to look at them.  But no more innocently clerical
conversation could have been heard in any white Italian cloister
or black Spanish cathedral.  The first he heard was the tail of
one of Father Brown's sentences, which ended:  "... what they
really meant in the Middle Ages by the heavens being
incorruptible."  The taller priest nodded his bowed head and
said:  "Ah, yes, these modern infidels appeal to their reason;
but who can look at those millions of worlds and not feel that
there may well be wonderful universes above us where reason is
utterly unreasonable?"
        [ The Innocence of Father Brown, by G.K. Chesterton ]

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