Verifying Monsters

name	description
wiki_verify_monsters	Instructions for comparing monsters in GnollHackWiki with the GnollHack C code data structures (permonst) to spot mistakes in the documentation.

When verifying monsters on the GnollHackWiki against the GnollHack C code, compare the monster's documentation with the MON macro entries in src/monst.c. These macros populate the struct permonst defined in include/permonst.h.

Important Rules

• NEVER compare item weights. Do not check or update corpse weight (cwt) or any other weight on the wiki. Weights in the code might be in different units than weights on the wiki.
• Pay attention to the macros used within MON(). Many arguments are wrapped in LVL(), SIZ(), STATS(), and ATTK(). You must expand these manually in your head to match fields correctly.

The MON() Macro Structure

Each monster in src/monst.c is defined using: MON(nam, title, desc, femalename, commonname, sym, lvl, gen, atk, siz, stats, mr1, mr2, mc1, flg1, flg2, flg3, flg4, flg5, flg6, flg7, flg8, d, col, soundset, female_soundset, soundset_subtype)

1. Naming & Symbol (nam, title, desc, femalename, commonname, sym)

• Name/Title: Matches the base name, title, or description of the monster.
• Symbol (sym): The class symbol (e.g., S_ANT, S_DRAGON).

2. Level & Base Stats: LVL() Macro

The lvl argument is formatted as LVL(mlevel, mmove, ac, mc, mr, maligntyp).

• Level (mlevel): The base monster level.
• Speed (mmove): The monster's movement speed.
• Armor Class (ac): The base AC.
• Magic Cancellation (mc): The base MC against touch attacks.
• Magic Resistance (mr): The base MR against magic.
• Alignment (maligntyp): The basic alignment (negative is chaotic/evil, positive is lawful/good, zero is neutral).

3. Generation Flags (gen)

This argument defines where and how often the monster spawns.

• G_FREQ: Common frequency.
• G_HELL, G_NOHELL: Spawns in Gehennom / never in Gehennom.
• G_UNIQ: Is a unique monster.

4. Attacks: ATTK() and A() Macros

The atk argument is wrapped in an A(...) macro, consisting of up to 8 ATTK() entries. Each ATTK(aatyp, adtyp, damn, damd, ...) dictates:

• aatyp: Attack type (e.g., AT_BITE, AT_CLAW).
• adtyp: Damage type (e.g., AD_PHYS, AD_FIRE).
• damn d damd: The damage dice (e.g., 2d4).
• Spellcasting Attacks Mapping: When mapping spellcasting attacks to the wiki:
  • Clerical spellcasting ATTK(AT_MAGC, AD_CLRC, ...) maps to Spell casting, clerical (NOT "celestial").
  • Magic spellcasting ATTK(AT_MAGC, AD_SPEL, ...) maps to Spell casting, magic.

5. Size & Physical Properties: SIZ() Macro

The siz argument is formatted as SIZ(cwt, cnutrit, msound, msize, heads, lightrange, body_material_type).

• Corpse Weight (cwt): DO NOT VERIFY.
• Nutrition (cnutrit): The nutritional value of the corpse.
• Noise (msound): The type of noise made (e.g., MS_ROAR).
• Size (msize): Physical size (e.g., MZ_SMALL, MZ_LARGE).
• Material (body_material_type): The material of the creature (e.g., FLESH, IRON).

6. Base Attributes: STATS() Macro

The stats argument is formatted as STATS(str, dex, con, intl, wis, cha).

• Ensure base stats align with any specific mentions in the wiki.
• Strength Evaluation: The str stat in STATS() may contain integer values, mathematical expressions, or macros. Pay close attention to the following calculation rules:
  • Raw Values (1-18): Displayed exactly as they are on the wiki (e.g., 18).
  • Expressions (18 + X): If you see an expression like 18 + 31, it represents an AD&D-style percentile strength and is displayed as 18/31 on the wiki.
  • Values between 19 and 118: Any evaluated number between 19 and 118 represents a percentile strength and is displayed as 18/X, where X is the value minus 18 (e.g., 49 becomes 18/31).
  • STR18(x) Macro: Equals 18 + x. It represents percentile strengths. For example, STR18(100) equals 118 and displays as 18/** or 18/100. Note that STR18(0) or STR18(00) are written simply as 18 and not 18/0.
  • STR19(x) Macro: Equals 100 + x. It represents linear strength values from 19 to 25. For example, STR19(25) equals 125 and displays directly as 25.

7. Resistances & Conveys (mr1, mr2, mc1)

• mr1 / mr2: Monster resistances (MR_FIRE, MR_COLD, MR_POISON, etc.).
• mc1: What the corpse conveys when eaten.

8. Behavioral & Biological Flags (flg1 through flg8)

These boolean bitflags describe the monster's traits, which are heavily documented on the wiki:

• Diet: M2_CARNIVORE, M2_HERBIVORE, M2_METALLIVORE.
• Movement/Habitat: M1_FLY (Flying), M1_SWIM (Swimming), M1_AMPHIBIOUS, M1_WALLWALK.
• Biology: M1_NOEYES (No eyes), M1_NOLIMBS (No limbs), M1_NOTAKE (Cannot pick up items).
• Behavior: M2_HOSTILE (Hostile), M2_PEACEFUL (Peaceful), M2_STALK (Stalker).

How to Verify

1. Locate the monster in src/monst.c.
2. Map the fields by mentally expanding LVL(), SIZ(), ATTK(), and STATS().
3. Check the flags (flg1-flg8) for specific biological or behavioral traits.
4. Compare all these values against the wiki page properties, ensuring you DO NOT compare item weights.