Graveyard
A graveyard (also called a crypt or morgue) is a special room in NetHack that contains various undead, demons, and corpses as well as chests, large boxes and graves.
A graveyard level is a level where undead creatures are less likely to leave corpses - there is a 1⁄9 chance of an undead monster leaving a corpse if you kill it, and a 1⁄3 chance otherwise.[1]
Contents
List of graveyard levels
All levels with a graveyard room are considered graveyard levels; a headstone alone does not mark a level as a graveyard, nor does the presence of bones.
Special levels with graveyards
- The Valley of the Dead
- Orcus-town
- Moloch's Sanctum
- The home, locate and goal levels of the Tourist quest
- All levels of the Priest quest
Designated graveyard levels
The following levels are designated as graveyard levels in the code, despite not necessarily having actual graveyards:
- The Castle
- The top and bottom levels of the Wizard of Yendor's Tower
- Levels on which you have summoned undead with the cursed Book of the Dead or Bell of Opening
Generation
In a regular rooms-and-corridors level of dungeon level 12 or below, a graveyard has a 1⁄6 chance of being generated assuming there are no other special rooms (i.e., shops, throne rooms, leprechaun halls, zoos, temples or beehives).
Graveyards are capable of generating major demons outside of Gehennom - the chance of a demon generating as a graveyard monster is (dungeon level - 11)/(10* dungeon level).[2]
Strategy
Wraiths are a common occurrence in graveyards, and their corpses are highly desirable; some players lure wraiths away from graveyard levels before killing them. Note that the Castle is considered a graveyard level, making luring wraiths up from the Valley of the Dead more difficult.
Messages
- You suddenly realize it is unnaturally quiet.
The <hair> on the back of your <neck> stands up. - There is a graveyard on the level.
- The <hair> on your <head> seems to stand up.
- As above, while you are hallucinating.
- You have an uncanny feeling...
- You are entering a graveyard between 01:00 and 23:59.
- <Run> away! <Run> away!
- You are entering a graveyard between 00:00 and 00:59. Note that undead deal twice normal damage between these times.[3]