Orcus
- This article is about the demon prince. For the chaotic god of the Undertaker pantheon, see Orcus (god).
& 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. He is tied for the fifth-highest monster difficulty with [[Geryon] and has the seventh-highest base experience in the game.
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 letting him waste several charges, especially if you plan to use it against non-immune threats like the Wizard of Yendor.
While skipping Orcus is technically possible, it is generally more ideal to dispose of him if at all possible. If you cannot avoid fighting him directly, then your options to block the up stair and prevent him escaping are as follows:
- As with most covetous monsters, 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, then taking the up stair - 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 wield a potion of paralysis and strike with it while wearing a ring of free action, then try to finish Orcus as quickly as possible; though he has a low 9 speed, this may likely require multiple potions. A Knight on a steed with high Luck and Expert skill in lance can potentially joust Orcus to death, with the stun from jousting preventing him getting away.
History
Orcus was introduced with the other demon lords and princes in NetHack 3.0.0.
Origin
Orcus is derived from Dungeons & Dragons, who take the name and general from Orcus, the god of the Estrucan and later Roman underworld that acted as a punisher of broken oaths. As with Hades, Orcus's name was also used for the underworld itself; in later Roman tradition, he was conflated with Dis Pater (who inspired the Dispater of Dungeons & Dragons). Like many other deities associated with death and the underworld, his name was used for demons and other underworld beings such as this demon prince.
The Orcus of Dungeons & Dragons is among the most well-known and mighty demon princes - he physically appears as a fat and immense humanoid demon anywhere between 15-20 ft (4.6-6.1 m) in size, with the horned, tusked and decayed skull of a ram for a head; Orcus also has the legs and hooves of a goat, the wings of a bat, and a long and spiny poison-tipped tail. His most iconic artifact by far is the "Wand of Orcus": a skull-topped wand with the power to slay any living being, represented by the literal wand of death he holds in NetHack.
With his titles including the Prince of the Undead, Orcus seeks to extinguish life throughout all universes, and is at constant war for the Abyss with rivals such as Demogorgon; among the ranks of his armies and followers are zombies, vampires and shades (referred to as shadows). Orcus is one of the Abyssal powers most often worshipped as a deity, and has attained actual divinity once previously: after doing so, he eventually abandoned the war for the Abyss and become lazy and careless, culminating in his death at the hands of the ambitious drow demi-goddess, Kiaransalee. Despite her efforts, Orcus was eventually restored as the negative energy being Tenebrous, languishing in the shadows of the multiverse for a millennium until he returned to retake his lost Wand and his divinity - this plot was eventually foiled by an adventuring party, but not before he had slain several gods. Orcus was eventually resurrected by one of his foremost high priests in a blasphemous ritual and took the title of Prince of the Undead once more, resuming his war for the Abyss.
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.
