Super-Hobgoblin

[ro87]

So Neo (31 strength, blessed +7 +6 two-handed sword, etc) is on level 73 and needs to polymorph a dragon. Hooray, he's now a hobgoblin, heh heh.
Swing and a miss.
Swing and a miss.
Swing and a miss.
Over and over again.
He CANNOT be hit.
What's going on?

[Nighthawk]

Shot-in-the-dark guess is that not everything about a creature polymorphs. Certain stats (like THAC0) may stay the same. I'd still like to think that you could have hit it.
Anecdotal experience: when you get a run of can't hits, take a step or two away from the monster, then try hitting again. I seem to hit more often than not, like it resets some mysterious non-variable.

[ro87]

I have paused the game to get ideas from the board on the situation. This freak monster holds some kind of mordant fascination for me. I have found RT to be very tightly built, which is why this kind of pseudo-mistake is so remarkable.
At this point I an running away from the creature, taking swings and always missing. He is midgelike in his evasiveness.
I am interested to hear what CD would say.

[CommanderData]

It is possible that in polymorphing him you actually *did* create a Super Hobgoblin! I believe the framework was laid in version 1.4, and tweaked in 1.5, so that very randomly you would run into a monster that was MUCH tougher than the standard beast of that breed. If that occurred as deep as you were in the dungeon (via that polymorph) I would bet the monster's AC is so low that you will never hit it with a +7 weapon...

Further speculation (I am on a business trip so I cannot look up the equation right now)- I think you'd stand a chance with a +25 or so "to-hit" on your weapon, but if you are still alive, run!