Nessos
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Useful Info
Nessos the Markscentaur is a unique centaur generated with a longbow of flame and barding. In addition to the longbow's flaming, Nessos' shots are always poisoned. Wielding the longbow yourself won't give you the poison effect.
Due to the archer flag, Nessos deals up to 12 extra damage with ranged weapons.
Location
- The Dungeon:12-15
- The Orcish Mines:2
- The Lair:3-5
Tips & Tricks
- Without fire and/or poison resistance, Nessos is a very dangerous opponent - especially when hasted. A hasted Nessos can fire 2-3 times per turn, dealing
38 + weapon enchant + flame + venomdamage per shot. Even with both resistances, this centaur can be tough to pin down. - Nessos has almost no willpower, so Hexes and hex wands are extremely effective. In particular, a wand of polymorph will likely turn them into a form that can't use weapons, and Tukima's Dance gets rid of the bow entirely. With only 9 HD, Mephitic Cloud and other HD checks can also work.
- Like other centaurs, Nessos won't fire when in melee with the player - this greatly reduces their threat level. However, as Nessos has Blink Range spell, staying in melee can be difficult.
- A potion of attraction pulls enemies into melee, allowing you to counter Blink Range. Watch out for the usual risks of attraction, though. A killhole (if you can make one) is more effective and doesn't come with as many risks.
- Going berserk is not recommended, as Nessos will just Blink away from you and fill you with arrows as your berserk runs out. Other buffs, such as a haste of your own, still work fine.
- Having some form of Repel Missiles and/or Reflection can be very useful here.
Trivia
Nessos is a reference to Nessus, an evil centaur that Heracles killed with a hydra-poisoned arrow after it attempted to rape his wife. It managed to kill Heracles in the process, however, by convincing his wife that Nessus' now-corrosive blood would make Heracles forever faithful to her if she would spread it on his clothing.