Difference between revisions of "Orcus"

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Orcus does physical damage and some spell damage, both of which you should be ready for. He also [[Monster_starting_inventory|carries]] a [[wand of death]], although for any character with [[magic resistance]], the main problem this poses is how to relieve him of it without him wasting too many charges.
 
Orcus does physical damage and some spell damage, both of which you should be ready for. He also [[Monster_starting_inventory|carries]] a [[wand of death]], although for any character with [[magic resistance]], the main problem this poses is how to relieve him of it without him wasting too many charges.
  
As a [[chaotic]] [[demon prince]], Orcus can [[demon summoning|summon]] [[Demogorgon]] and [[Yeenoghu]] (who can also summon Demogorgon), and cannot be [[bribe]]d. Due to this, a player could be facing all three of these demons at once, two of which have status attacks which require constant remedy: a nightmare scenario.
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As a [[chaotic]] [[demon prince]], Orcus can [[Demons|Demons summoning demons]] [[Demogorgon]] and [[Yeenoghu]] (who can also summon Demogorgon), and cannot be [[bribe]]d. Due to this, a player could be facing all three of these demons at once, two of which have status attacks which require constant remedy: a nightmare scenario.
  
 
== Strategy ==
 
== Strategy ==

Revision as of 06:53, 22 September 2019

Orcus, &, is one of the demon princes, guaranteed to appear in Orcus Town in Gehennom.

Orcus does physical damage and some spell damage, both of which you should be ready for. He also carries a wand of death, although for any character with magic resistance, the main problem this poses is how to relieve him of it without him wasting too many charges.

As a chaotic demon prince, Orcus can Demons summoning demons Demogorgon and Yeenoghu (who can also summon Demogorgon), and cannot be bribed. Due to this, a player could be facing all three of these demons at once, two of which have status attacks which require constant remedy: a nightmare scenario.

Strategy

It is desirable to get Orcus's wand of death with as many charges as possible, and to kill him before he can summon Demogorgon. Like any covetous monster, he warps to the upstairs to heal when damaged, so if you allow him to react to your attack, you give him turns to summon and to use up wand charges.

He is not immune to stoning, so hitting him with a cockatrice corpse will instantly kill him. Another option is to use potions of paralysis to paralyze him (but make sure you won't paralyze yourself in the process). A mounted Knight can also easily joust Orcus with the lance repeatedly until dead; the stunning component of the joust prevents him from getting away.

If fighting him directly is your only option, you need to get onto an upstairs yourself so he can't escape. This is most easily done by using the downstairs in Orcus's room when Orcus is adjacent to you. You might arrange to be in this situation by coming up these stairs, either by digging down when it becomes clear you are at Orcus-town, or because you are mapping Gehennom from the bottom.

Origin

Orcus in this form comes from Dungeons and Dragons, a representation originally inspired by a Roman god of the underworld.

He physically appears as a fat humanoid with a goat's head and legs, the horns of a ram, bat wings and a poisonous reptilian tail.

Encyclopedia entry

Orcus, Prince of the Undead, has a ram's head and a poison
stinger. He is most feared, though, for his powerful magic
abilities. His wand causes death to those he chooses.

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