diff --git a/NmapOps.cc b/NmapOps.cc
index 78412ac49..9201dc9b4 100644
--- a/NmapOps.cc
+++ b/NmapOps.cc
@@ -256,9 +256,10 @@ void NmapOps::Initialize() {
   override_excludeports = 0;
   version_intensity = 7;
   pingtype = PINGTYPE_UNKNOWN;
-  listscan = pingscan = allowall = ackscan = bouncescan = connectscan = 0;
+  listscan = allowall = ackscan = bouncescan = connectscan = 0;
   rpcscan = nullscan = xmasscan = fragscan = synscan = windowscan = 0;
-  maimonscan = idlescan = finscan = udpscan = ipprotscan = noresolve = 0;
+  maimonscan = idlescan = finscan = udpscan = ipprotscan;
+  noportscan = noresolve = 0;
   sctpinitscan = 0;
   sctpcookieechoscan = 0;
   append_output = 0;
@@ -344,7 +345,7 @@ void NmapOps::ValidateOptions() {
 
 
   /* Insure that at least one scantype is selected */
-  if (TCPScan() + UDPScan() + SCTPScan() + ipprotscan + listscan + pingscan == 0) {
+  if (!noportscan && !(TCPScan() || UDPScan() || SCTPScan() || ipprotscan)) {
     if (isr00t && af() == AF_INET)
       synscan++;
     else connectscan++;
@@ -380,16 +381,16 @@ void NmapOps::ValidateOptions() {
    fatal("Sorry, IPProto Ping (-PO) only works if you are root (because we need to read raw responses off the wire) and only for IPv4");
  }
 
- if (ipprotscan + (TCPScan() || UDPScan() || SCTPScan()) + listscan + pingscan > 1) {
-   fatal("Sorry, the IPProtoscan, Listscan, and Pingscan (-sO, -sL, -sP) must currently be used alone rather than combined with other scan types.");
+ if (ipprotscan && (TCPScan() || UDPScan() || SCTPScan())) {
+   fatal("Sorry, the IPProtoscan (-sO) must currently be used alone rather than combined with other scan types.");
  }
 
- if ((pingscan && pingtype == PINGTYPE_NONE)) {
+ if ((noportscan && pingtype == PINGTYPE_NONE && !listscan)) {
     fatal("-PN (skip ping) is incompatable with -sP (ping scan).  If you only want to enumerate hosts, try list scan (-sL)");
   }
 
- if (pingscan && (TCPScan() || UDPScan() || SCTPScan() || ipprotscan || listscan)) {
-   fatal("Ping scan is not valid with any other scan types (the other ones all include a ping scan");
+ if (noportscan && (TCPScan() || UDPScan() || SCTPScan() || ipprotscan)) {
+   fatal("-sL and -sP (skip port scan) are not valid with any other scan types");
  }
 
  if (af() == AF_INET6 && (pingtype & (PINGTYPE_ICMP_PING|PINGTYPE_ICMP_MASK|PINGTYPE_ICMP_TS))) {
@@ -453,8 +454,8 @@ void NmapOps::ValidateOptions() {
   }
 #endif
   
-  if (osscan && pingscan) {
-    fatal("WARNING:  OS Scan is unreliable with a ping scan.  You need to use a scan type along with it, such as -sS, -sT, -sF, etc instead of -sP");
+  if (osscan && noportscan) {
+    fatal("WARNING:  OS Scan is unreliable without a port scan.  You need to use a scan type along with it, such as -sS, -sT, -sF, etc instead of -sP");
   }
 
   if (osscan && ipprotscan) {
@@ -467,7 +468,7 @@ void NmapOps::ValidateOptions() {
     servicescan = 0;
   }
 
-  if (servicescan && pingscan)
+  if (servicescan && noportscan)
     servicescan = 0;
 
   if (defeat_rst_ratelimit && !synscan) {
diff --git a/NmapOps.h b/NmapOps.h
index db7170ebe..decbf7f12 100644
--- a/NmapOps.h
+++ b/NmapOps.h
@@ -280,7 +280,6 @@ class NmapOps {
   int servicescan;
   int pingtype;
   int listscan;
-  int pingscan;
   int allowall;
   int fragscan; /* 0 or MTU (without IPv4 header size) */
   int ackscan;
@@ -299,6 +298,7 @@ class NmapOps {
   int windowscan;
   int xmasscan;
   int noresolve;
+  int noportscan;
   int append_output; /* Append to any output files rather than overwrite */
   FILE *logfd[LOG_NUM_FILES];
   FILE *nmap_stdout; /* Nmap standard output */
diff --git a/nmap.cc b/nmap.cc
index ac03433eb..532a282e6 100644
--- a/nmap.cc
+++ b/nmap.cc
@@ -1256,11 +1256,11 @@ int nmap_main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 	case 'C':  o.script = 1; break;
 #endif
 	case 'F':  o.finscan = 1; break;
-	case 'L':  o.listscan = 1; o.pingtype = PINGTYPE_NONE; break;
+	case 'L':  o.listscan = 1; o.noportscan = 1; o.pingtype = PINGTYPE_NONE; break;
 	case 'M':  o.maimonscan = 1; break;
 	case 'N':  o.nullscan = 1; break;
 	case 'O':  o.ipprotscan = 1; break;
-	case 'P':  o.pingscan = 1; break;
+	case 'P':  o.noportscan = 1; break;
 	case 'R':  o.rpcscan = 1; break;
 	case 'S':  o.synscan = 1; break;	  
 	case 'T':  o.connectscan = 1; break;
@@ -1422,8 +1422,8 @@ int nmap_main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
   }
 
 
-  if ((o.pingscan || o.listscan) && (portlist || o.fastscan))
-    fatal("You cannot use -F (fast scan) or -p (explicit port selection) with PING scan or LIST scan");
+  if ((o.noportscan) && (portlist || o.fastscan))
+    fatal("You cannot use -F (fast scan) or -p (explicit port selection) when not doing a port scan");
 
   if (portlist && o.fastscan)
     fatal("You cannot use -F (fast scan) with -p (explicit port selection) but see --top-ports and --port-ratio to fast scan a range of ports");
@@ -1431,7 +1431,7 @@ int nmap_main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
   if (o.ipprotscan) {
 	  if (portlist) getpts(portlist, &ports);
 	  else getpts((char *) (o.fastscan ? "[P:0-]" : "0-"), &ports);  // Default protocols to scan
-  } else if (!o.pingscan && !o.listscan) {
+  } else if (!o.noportscan) {
     gettoppts(o.topportlevel, portlist, &ports);
   }
 
@@ -1727,7 +1727,7 @@ int nmap_main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
       if (currenths->flags & HOST_UP && !o.listscan) 
 	o.numhosts_up++;
     
-    if ((o.pingscan && !o.traceroute
+    if ((o.noportscan && !o.traceroute
 #ifndef NOLUA
 	 && !o.script
 #endif
@@ -1807,7 +1807,7 @@ int nmap_main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
       o.decoys[o.decoyturn] = Targets[0]->v4source();
     
     /* ping scan traceroutes */
-    if(o.traceroute && o.pingscan) {
+    if(o.traceroute && o.noportscan) {
         /* Assume that all targets in a group use the same device */
         troute = new Traceroute(Targets[0]->deviceName(), Targets[0]->ifType(), &ports);
         troute->trace(Targets);
diff --git a/output.cc b/output.cc
index 9d36bd60c..bd77e41f8 100644
--- a/output.cc
+++ b/output.cc
@@ -540,7 +540,7 @@ void printportoutput(Target *currenths, PortList *plist) {
 
   vector<const char *> saved_servicefps;
 
-  if (o.pingscan)
+  if (o.noportscan)
     return;
 
   log_write(LOG_XML, "<ports>");
@@ -1372,7 +1372,7 @@ void write_host_status(Target *currenths, int resolve_all) {
 	      currenths->weird_responses);
     log_write(LOG_MACHINE,"Host: %s (%s)\tStatus: Smurf (%d responses)\n",  currenths->targetipstr(), currenths->HostName(), currenths->weird_responses);
     
-    if (o.pingscan)
+    if (o.noportscan)
       log_write(LOG_PLAIN,"Host %s seems to be a subnet broadcast address (returned %d extra pings).%s\n",  currenths->NameIP(hostname, sizeof(hostname)), currenths->weird_responses, 
 		(currenths->flags & HOST_UP)? " Note -- the actual IP also responded." : "");
     else {
@@ -1389,7 +1389,7 @@ void write_host_status(Target *currenths, int resolve_all) {
 
     write_xml_initial_hostinfo(currenths, 
 			       (currenths->flags & HOST_UP)? "up" : "down");
-    if (o.pingscan || o.verbose) {
+    if (o.noportscan || o.verbose) {
       if (currenths->flags & HOST_UP) {
         log_write(LOG_PLAIN, "Host %s is up", currenths->NameIP(hostname, sizeof(hostname)));
         if (o.reason)