Sacrifice

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Sacrificing corpses

You can #offer fresh corpses to your god by sacrificing them on an altar. The tougher the monster, the more your god will appreciate it. You can check the experience level of a monster by using a stethoscope on it. Since you have to touch the offering you must be wearing gloves when sacrificing cockatrice corpses. Additionally, sacrificing will give you an indication of your current prayer timeout.

If you are lucky, sacrificing on an altar of any alignment other than your own converts the altar and the power of your god increases. If you are unlucky, the altar may resist, or you might be converted to the altars alignment yourself. Trying to convert the altar in a temple will anger the priest. Altars in Gehennom are unaligned and cannot be converted. Other unaligned altars in the game, found on some quests, however, can be converted.

Danger in sacrificing

Sacrificing can be dangerous in the following circumstances:

  • Sacrificing at an alter of Moloch.
  • Sacrificing at an alter not of your alignment type (ie. Lawful, Neutral, Chaotic) when your alignment is negative.
    • This may convert you to the altars alignment, you lose 3 luck, and your prayer timeout increases by 300.
  • Sacrificing at an alter not of your alignment type (ie. Lawful, Neutral, Chaotic) when your alignment is high and you are at least level 7.
    • This will convert the altar but may summon a minion of the altar's original god. The probability varies, but is never greater than 1/4.
  • Sacrificing former pets.
  • Sacrificing your own race.
    • This can summon a named demon, which will be hostile if you are not chaotic.
  • Sacrificing a unicorn on an altar of its own alignment.
  • Sacrificing a unicorn of your alignment.

Sacrificing your own race

It is considered bad for a human or an elf to sacrifice corpses of their own race. Doing so will cause wisdom, luck, and alignment to be abused. However, chaotic characters can do this safely. Doing so will cause a peaceful demon lord to be summoned while luck and alignment are exercised.

Sacrificing unicorns

Sacrificing Unicorns is tricky because the altars alignment, your alignment, and the unicorns alignment all factor into the outcome. A unicorns alignment is represented by its color. The white is lawful, grey neutral, and black chaotic. The points to remember are:

  • Never sacrifice a unicorn on an altar of its own alignment.
  • Never sacrifice a unicorn of your alignment.

The rest of the effects are summarized in the following tables:


You are Lawful
  Lawful Altar Neutral Altar Chaotic Altar
White Unicorn bad you become neutral you become chaotic
Grey Unicorn good bad altar becomes lawful
Black Unicorn good altar becomes lawful bad


You are Neutral
  Lawful Altar Neutral Altar Chaotic Altar
White Unicorn bad good altar becomes neutral
Grey Unicorn you become lawful bad you become chaotic
Black Unicorn altar becomes neutral good bad


You are Chaotic
  Lawful Altar Neutral Altar Chaotic Altar
White Unicorn bad altar becomes chaotic good
Grey Unicorn altar becomes chaotic bad good
Black Unicorn you become lawful you become neutral bad


Prayer timeouts and sacrifice

Sacrificing on an altar reduces your prayer timeout and you get a message indicating the status of your prayer timeout.


Message Reason
"You have a hopeful feeling."

You may not pray yet because your prayer timeout hasn't expired.

"You have a feeling of reconciliation."

You may pray because your sacrifice reduced your prayer timeout to zero.

"You glimpse a four-leaf clover at your feet." or no messages other than "Your sacrifice is consumed..."

You may pray.

"An object appears at your feet!"

You may not pray because you received a gift and your prayer timeout has been increased.

"<god> seems slightly mollified."

You may not pray. Your god's anger has been reduced but it is not yet zero.

"<god> seems mollified."

You may pray because your god's anger has been reduced to zero.

"You feel partially absolved."

You may not pray because your alignment was negative, and has been increased by the level of the corpse, to a maximum of zero. Sacrifice again to find if it's safe to pray.