diff --git a/include/extern.h b/include/extern.h
index 5d82cf324..69ac1eec2 100644
--- a/include/extern.h
+++ b/include/extern.h
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/* NetHack 3.6	extern.h	$NHDT-Date: 1541145514 2018/11/02 07:58:34 $  $NHDT-Branch: NetHack-3.6.2-beta01 $:$NHDT-Revision: 1.645 $ */
+/* NetHack 3.6	extern.h	$NHDT-Date: 1541719965 2018/11/08 23:32:45 $  $NHDT-Branch: NetHack-3.6.2-beta01 $:$NHDT-Revision: 1.647 $ */
 /* Copyright (c) Steve Creps, 1988.				  */
 /* NetHack may be freely redistributed.  See license for details. */
 
@@ -785,7 +785,7 @@ E void FDECL(unlock_file, (const char *));
 E boolean FDECL(can_read_file, (const char *));
 #endif
 E void FDECL(config_error_init, (BOOLEAN_P, const char *, BOOLEAN_P));
-E void FDECL(config_error_add, (const char *, ...)) PRINTF_F(1, 2);
+E void FDECL(config_erradd, (const char *));
 E int NDECL(config_error_done);
 E boolean FDECL(read_config_file, (const char *, int));
 E void FDECL(check_recordfile, (const char *));
@@ -1877,6 +1877,7 @@ E void VDECL(There, (const char *, ...)) PRINTF_F(1, 2);
 E void VDECL(verbalize, (const char *, ...)) PRINTF_F(1, 2);
 E void VDECL(raw_printf, (const char *, ...)) PRINTF_F(1, 2);
 E void VDECL(impossible, (const char *, ...)) PRINTF_F(1, 2);
+E void VDECL(config_error_add, (const char *, ...)) PRINTF_F(1, 2);
 
 /* ### polyself.c ### */
 
diff --git a/src/files.c b/src/files.c
index 77ff211c8..2b2a67f56 100644
--- a/src/files.c
+++ b/src/files.c
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/* NetHack 3.6	files.c	$NHDT-Date: 1526382938 2018/05/15 11:15:38 $  $NHDT-Branch: NetHack-3.6.0 $:$NHDT-Revision: 1.240 $ */
+/* NetHack 3.6	files.c	$NHDT-Date: 1541719971 2018/11/08 23:32:51 $  $NHDT-Branch: NetHack-3.6.2-beta01 $:$NHDT-Revision: 1.242 $ */
 /* Copyright (c) Stichting Mathematisch Centrum, Amsterdam, 1985. */
 /*-Copyright (c) Derek S. Ray, 2015. */
 /* NetHack may be freely redistributed.  See license for details. */
@@ -2494,7 +2494,7 @@ char *origbuf;
         n = atoi(bufp);
         if (n < 1) {
             config_error_add(
-                "Illegal value in MAX_STATUENAME_RANK (minimum is 1).");
+                      "Illegal value in MAX_STATUENAME_RANK (minimum is 1).");
             return FALSE;
         }
         sysopt.tt_oname_maxrank = n;
@@ -2736,7 +2736,7 @@ struct _config_error_frame {
     struct _config_error_frame *next;
 };
 
-struct _config_error_frame *config_error_data = (struct _config_error_frame *)0;
+static struct _config_error_frame *config_error_data = 0;
 
 void
 config_error_init(from_file, sourcename, secure)
@@ -2745,7 +2745,7 @@ const char *sourcename;
 boolean secure;
 {
     struct _config_error_frame *tmp = (struct _config_error_frame *)
-        alloc(sizeof(struct _config_error_frame));
+        alloc(sizeof (struct _config_error_frame));
 
     tmp->line_num = 0;
     tmp->num_errors = 0;
@@ -2754,8 +2754,8 @@ boolean secure;
     tmp->secure = secure;
     tmp->origline[0] = '\0';
     if (sourcename && sourcename[0]) {
-        (void) strncpy(tmp->source, sourcename, sizeof(tmp->source)-1);
-        tmp->source[sizeof(tmp->source)-1] = '\0';
+        (void) strncpy(tmp->source, sourcename, sizeof (tmp->source) - 1);
+        tmp->source[sizeof (tmp->source) - 1] = '\0';
     } else
         tmp->source[0] = '\0';
 
@@ -2778,49 +2778,43 @@ const char *line;
     ced->line_num++;
     ced->origline_shown = FALSE;
     if (line && line[0]) {
-        (void) strncpy(ced->origline, line, sizeof(ced->origline)-1);
-        ced->origline[sizeof(ced->origline)-1] = '\0';
+        (void) strncpy(ced->origline, line, sizeof (ced->origline) - 1);
+        ced->origline[sizeof (ced->origline) - 1] = '\0';
     } else
         ced->origline[0] = '\0';
 
     return TRUE;
 }
 
-/*VARARGS1*/
-void config_error_add
-VA_DECL(const char *, str)
+/* varargs 'config_error_add()' moved to pline.c */
+void
+config_erradd(buf)
+const char *buf;
 {
-    char buf[BUFSZ];
     char lineno[QBUFSZ];
 
-    VA_START(str);
-    VA_INIT(str, char *);
-
-    Vsprintf(buf, str, VA_ARGS);
+    if (!buf || !*buf)
+        buf = "Unknown error";
 
     if (!config_error_data) {
-        pline("%s.", *buf ? buf : "Unknown error");
+        /* assumes pline() is using raw_printf() as this stage */
+        pline("config_error_add: %s.", buf);
         wait_synch();
         return;
     }
 
     config_error_data->num_errors++;
-    if (!config_error_data->origline_shown
-        && !config_error_data->secure) {
+    if (!config_error_data->origline_shown && !config_error_data->secure) {
         pline("\n%s", config_error_data->origline);
         config_error_data->origline_shown = TRUE;
     }
-    if (config_error_data->line_num > 0
-        && !config_error_data->secure) {
-        Sprintf(lineno, "Line %i: ", config_error_data->line_num);
+    if (config_error_data->line_num > 0 && !config_error_data->secure) {
+        Sprintf(lineno, "Line %d: ", config_error_data->line_num);
     } else
         lineno[0] = '\0';
-    pline("%s %s%s.",
-          config_error_data->secure ? "Error:" : " *",
-          lineno,
-          *buf ? buf : "Unknown error");
 
-    VA_END();
+    pline("%s %s%s.", config_error_data->secure ? "Error:" : " *",
+          lineno, buf);
 }
 
 int
@@ -2833,17 +2827,14 @@ config_error_done()
         return 0;
     n = config_error_data->num_errors;
     if (n) {
-        pline("\n%i error%s in %s.\n", n,
+        pline("\n%d error%s in %s.\n", n,
                    (n > 1) ? "s" : "",
                    *config_error_data->source
               ? config_error_data->source : configfile);
         wait_synch();
     }
-
     config_error_data = tmp->next;
-
     free(tmp);
-
     return n;
 }
 
@@ -3108,7 +3099,8 @@ boolean FDECL((*proc), (char *));
                     char *section;
                     char *bufp = find_optparam(buf);
                     if (!bufp) {
-                        config_error_add("Format is CHOOSE=section1,section2,...");
+                        config_error_add(
+                                    "Format is CHOOSE=section1,section2,...");
                         rv = FALSE;
                         free(buf);
                         buf = (char *) 0;
@@ -3199,8 +3191,8 @@ int which_set;
     }
     if (!chosen_symset_end)
         config_error_add("Missing finish for symset \"%s\"",
-                   symset[which_set].name ? symset[which_set].name
-                                          : "unknown");
+                         symset[which_set].name ? symset[which_set].name
+                                                : "unknown");
 
     config_error_done();
 
diff --git a/src/pline.c b/src/pline.c
index e88eea5cf..ebde8b145 100644
--- a/src/pline.c
+++ b/src/pline.c
@@ -1,10 +1,9 @@
-/* NetHack 3.6	pline.c	$NHDT-Date: 1520964541 2018/03/13 18:09:01 $  $NHDT-Branch: NetHack-3.6.0 $:$NHDT-Revision: 1.66 $ */
+/* NetHack 3.6	pline.c	$NHDT-Date: 1541719974 2018/11/08 23:32:54 $  $NHDT-Branch: NetHack-3.6.2-beta01 $:$NHDT-Revision: 1.69 $ */
 /* Copyright (c) Stichting Mathematisch Centrum, Amsterdam, 1985. */
 /*-Copyright (c) Robert Patrick Rankin, 2018. */
 /* NetHack may be freely redistributed.  See license for details. */
 
-#define NEED_VARARGS /* Uses ... */ /* comment line for pre-compiled headers \
-                                       */
+#define NEED_VARARGS /* Uses ... */ /* comment line for pre-compiled headers */
 #include "hack.h"
 
 static unsigned pline_flags = 0;
@@ -62,7 +61,6 @@ dumplogfreemessages()
 }
 #endif
 
-/*VARARGS1*/
 /* Note that these declarations rely on knowledge of the internals
  * of the variable argument handling stuff in "tradstdc.h"
  */
@@ -70,7 +68,9 @@ dumplogfreemessages()
 #if defined(USE_STDARG) || defined(USE_VARARGS)
 static void FDECL(vpline, (const char *, va_list));
 
-void pline
+/*VARARGS1*/
+void
+pline
 VA_DECL(const char *, line)
 {
     VA_START(line);
@@ -93,7 +93,9 @@ va_list the_args;
 
 # define vpline pline
 
-void pline
+/*VARARGS1*/
+void
+pline
 VA_DECL(const char *, line)
 #endif /* USE_STDARG | USE_VARARG */
 {       /* start of vpline() or of nested block in USE_OLDARG's pline() */
@@ -260,6 +262,7 @@ void You
 VA_DECL(const char *, line)
 {
     char *tmp;
+
     VA_START(line);
     VA_INIT(line, const char *);
     vpline(YouMessage(tmp, "You ", line), VA_ARGS);
@@ -271,6 +274,7 @@ void Your
 VA_DECL(const char *, line)
 {
     char *tmp;
+
     VA_START(line);
     VA_INIT(line, const char *);
     vpline(YouMessage(tmp, "Your ", line), VA_ARGS);
@@ -282,6 +286,7 @@ void You_feel
 VA_DECL(const char *, line)
 {
     char *tmp;
+
     VA_START(line);
     VA_INIT(line, const char *);
     if (Unaware)
@@ -297,6 +302,7 @@ void You_cant
 VA_DECL(const char *, line)
 {
     char *tmp;
+
     VA_START(line);
     VA_INIT(line, const char *);
     vpline(YouMessage(tmp, "You can't ", line), VA_ARGS);
@@ -308,6 +314,7 @@ void pline_The
 VA_DECL(const char *, line)
 {
     char *tmp;
+
     VA_START(line);
     VA_INIT(line, const char *);
     vpline(YouMessage(tmp, "The ", line), VA_ARGS);
@@ -319,6 +326,7 @@ void There
 VA_DECL(const char *, line)
 {
     char *tmp;
+
     VA_START(line);
     VA_INIT(line, const char *);
     vpline(YouMessage(tmp, "There ", line), VA_ARGS);
@@ -444,6 +452,7 @@ void impossible
 VA_DECL(const char *, s)
 {
     char pbuf[2 * BUFSZ];
+
     VA_START(s);
     VA_INIT(s, const char *);
     if (program_state.in_impossible)
@@ -454,16 +463,21 @@ VA_DECL(const char *, s)
     pbuf[BUFSZ - 1] = '\0'; /* sanity */
     paniclog("impossible", pbuf);
     if (iflags.debug_fuzzer)
-        panic(pbuf);
+        panic("%s", pbuf);
     pline("%s", VA_PASS1(pbuf));
-    pline(VA_PASS1(
-       "Program in disorder!  (Saving and reloading may fix this problem.)"));
+    /* reuse pbuf[] */
+    Strcpy(pbuf, "Program in disorder!");
+    if (program_state.something_worth_saving)
+        Strcat(pbuf, "  (Saving and reloading may fix this problem.)");
+    pline("%s", VA_PASS1(pbuf));
+
     program_state.in_impossible = 0;
     VA_END();
 }
 
 #if defined(MSGHANDLER) && (defined(POSIX_TYPES) || defined(__GNUC__))
 static boolean use_pline_handler = TRUE;
+
 static void
 execplinehandler(line)
 const char *line;
@@ -501,6 +515,52 @@ const char *line;
         pline("%s", VA_PASS1("Fork to message handler failed."));
     }
 }
-#endif /* defined(POSIX_TYPES) || defined(__GNUC__) */
+#endif /* MSGHANDLER && (POSIX_TYPES || __GNUC__) */
+
+/*
+ * varargs handling for files.c
+ */
+#if defined(USE_STDARG) || defined(USE_VARARGS)
+static void FDECL(vconfig_error_add, (const char *, va_list));
+
+/*VARARGS1*/
+void
+config_error_add
+VA_DECL(const char *, str)
+{
+    VA_START(str);
+    VA_INIT(str, char *);
+    vconfig_error_add(str, VA_ARGS);
+    VA_END();
+}
+
+# ifdef USE_STDARG
+static void
+vconfig_error_add(const char *str, va_list the_args)
+# else
+static void
+vconfig_error_add(str, the_args)
+const char *str;
+va_list the_args;
+# endif
+
+#else /* !(USE_STDARG || USE_VARARG) => USE_OLDARGS */
+
+/*VARARGS1*/
+void
+config_error_add
+VA_DECL(const char *, str)
+#endif /* ?(USE_STDARG || USE_VARARG) */
+{       /* start of vconf...() or of nested block in USE_OLDARG's conf...() */
+    char buf[2 * BUFSZ];
+
+    Vsprintf(buf, str, VA_ARGS);
+    buf[BUFSZ - 1] = '\0';
+    config_erradd(buf);
+
+#if !(defined(USE_STDARG) || defined(USE_VARARGS))
+    VA_END(); /* (see pline/vpline -- ends nested block for USE_OLDARGS) */
+#endif
+}
 
 /*pline.c*/