Nethack Workout Regimen (exercising stats)
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                by Boudewijn Wayers (dedos4@win.tue.nl).


Someone recently asked some questions about how exactly exercising and
abusing stats works. Well, the sources are a bit obscure on this, but
I'll have a go at it anyway...

For starters, though, have a look at the WCST 8.00 spoilers (to be more
precise, look at the file called "spoil804"). This file has a short
explanation of what exercising and abusing is, and it also has a list
of what things exercise or abuse your stats. If you are only interested
in a short explanation, don't read any further, but check the file just
mentioned.


A. How much does each abuse or exercise cost or award, respectively?

Let me first note that you cannot exercise Intelligence or Charisma,
and you can't exercise stats other than Wisdom when you are
polymorphed.

The game maintains an "exercise counter" for each stat to keep track of
your exercise state. You *may* gain or lose one point every time you
perform an action that could exercise or abuse a stat. If you do
something that could abuse a stat, there is a 50% chance that the game
will actually subtract one from the exercise counter. If you do
something to exercise a stat, there is a chance of 1-(current_stat)/20
that the game will add one to the exercise counter.


B. Is it true that some abuses or exercises are accumulative, and change
your "exercise counter" every so often, much as being strained for a
long time might cause your Strength and Dexterity to slowly rise and fall
respectively over time? If so, what is the limit?

Every once in a while, the exercise counters are checked, one-by-one
(see question C, below, on when exactly). When this happens, the
exercise counter for that stat is first divided by two. This makes sure
that any accumulated effects diminish over time. After that, a random
number between 1 and 50 is generated, and if that number is smaller
than two thirds of the absolute value of your current exercise counter
value, the stat currently being checked will be either increased or
decreased by one (the chance to change Wisdom is larger: the number
randomly generated is checked against 2/3 of your exercise counters,
but against your full Wisdom exercise counter). If a stat is changed,
the exercise counter is set to zero.


C. How often is it that "the game will check to see if you've been
abusing or exercising a stat"?

The first check is always made at the 600th move. You will have noticed
that. Every next check is made 200-1000 moves later (determined at
random). There are some exceptions on this when a game is saved and
restarted. Usually, this will make the interval longer.


D. When you increase or decrease a stat by other means, is the exercise
counter reset to zero? Or can you, for instance, have moved enough
boulders to go from 15 to 16 Strength next time the game checks, drink
a blessed potion of gain ability, putting you at 16, then have the game
check, and still have you go up another point to 17?

Exercising is independent of other means of increasing or decreasing
your stats.


E. Is it possible to exercise or abuse enough to go up or down more
than one point per "check" by the game? I never noticed this myself.

No. One point is the maximum increase or decrease.