Orcus
& Orcus 
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 36 |
| Attacks |
Weapon 3d6, claw 3d4, claw 3d4, spell-casting 8d6 (mage), sting poisonous 2d4 |
| Base level | 30 |
| Base experience | 1445 |
| Speed | 9 |
| Base AC | -6 |
| Base MR | 85 |
| Alignment | -20 (chaotic) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | Unique |
| Genocidable | No |
| Weight | 1500 |
| Nutritional value | 500 |
| Size | Huge |
| Resistances | Fire, poison |
| Resistances conveyed |
None |
|
Orcus:
| |
| Reference | monst.c#line2684 |
Orcus, &, is one of the demon princes that appears in NetHack.
Orcus possesses infravision, see invisible and flight, and like all demon lords and princes he is covetous. Orcus has a weapon attack, two claw attacks, a clerical spell attack, and a poison sting; as a chaotic demon prince, he cannot be bribed.
Generation
Orcus is guaranteed to appear in Gehennom, where he is found residing on the down stair of his self-named lair, Orcus Town. He will always generate with a wand of death.
Strategy
For characters without magic resistance, Orcus poses a dual threat of instant death through both his wand and the touch of death spell; reflection can deflect rays from the former, but cannot protect against the latter. Orcus can also use his melee attack and the summon nasties spell to summon either Demogorgon or Yeenoghu (who can also summon Demogorgon) - the threat of Demogorgon arriving is likely the prime motivator for you to kill Orcus as fast as possible, or else avoid fighting him directly in melee. For any character with magic resistance, a main priority is often relieving Orcus of his wand without destroying it or allowing him to waste too many charges if you plan to use it against the Wizard of Yendor and other non-immune threats.
If you cannot avoid fighting him directly, then your options to block the up stair and prevent him escaping are as follows:
- Use the down stair in Orcus's room when Orcus is adjacent to you - the up stair is always on the opposite end of the map, and Orcus-Town is no-teleport. This is most easily arranged by digging down upon reaching the level and taking the up stair to meet Orcus, though it is also easier if you chose to map Gehennom starting from the bottom.
- Use a boulder, e.g. from a scroll of earth to block the up stair - this will not prevent him teleporting near it, but stops him from traveling upward.
- Create a boulder fort and then wake Orcus from the upstair, e.g. with a cursed potion of invisibility; this is best combined with missile weapons, as most spells and wands will be blunted by his MR score of 85.
Orcus is not immune to stoning or disintegration - hitting him with a footrice corpse or egg will instantly kill him, and Orcus may summon a cockatrice alongside other nasties; the breath attack of a black dragon can wipe him out instantly if you can get him in the line of fire, and may be best done with a tame black dragon. Another option is to use a wielded potion of paralysis along with a ring of free action, then kill him before the paralysis wears off. A Knight on a steed with high Luck and Expert skill in lance can also joust Orcus to death, with the stun from jousting preventing him getting away.
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.
