Orc of the ages of stars
| o orc of the ages of stars (No tile) | |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 36 |
| Attacks |
Weapon 4d8 physical, Weapon 4d8 physical, Offhand Weapon 4d8 physical |
| Base level | 30 |
| Base experience | 1383 |
| Speed | 24 |
| Base AC | -5 |
| Base MR | 45 |
| Alignment | -15 (chaotic) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 1 (Very rare) |
| Genocidable | Yes |
| Weight | 1200 |
| Nutritional value | 350 |
| Size | medium |
| Resistances | none |
| Resistances conveyed | none |
|
An orc of the ages of stars:
| |
An orc of the ages of stars, o, is a type of monster that appears in dNetHack and notdNetHack. Orcs of the ages of stars are the strongest type of orc that can be encountered randomly in those variants, and are far stronger than even Angband orcs.
An orc of the ages of stars is both elven as well as orcish, and can see invisible, is visible via infravision, and will collect gold, jewels and other items. A tame orc of the ages of stars may turn traitor.
An orc of the ages of stars has two weapon attacks and an offhand weapon attack.
Generation
Randomly generated orcs of the ages of stars always appear alongside a group of 3-12 Angband orcs.
An orc of the ages of stars may appear as the ruler of a randomly-generated throne room - their court can contain deep wyrms, red dragons, white dragons, black dragons, blue dragons, Angband orcs, hedrow blademasters, foocubi, Olog-hai, siege ogres, and hell hounds.
Strategy
While it is possible to not run into one until the ascension run, orcs of the ages of stars are easily the most dangerous orcish monsters in the game, and possibly the most dangerous monster to encounter presiding over a throne room.
As a polyform
The fearsome power of an orc of the ages of stars also makes them a stellar polyform: their 24 speed and ability to twoweapon, combined with their solid base defenses (effectively -5 AC) and ability to use all medium-sized armor and weapons effectively, make them a highly recommended choice when polymorphing.
Origin
The orcs of the ages of stars are based on the orcs from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-Earth setting, and are specifically flavored as survivors from before the First Age and the original stock from which all orcs descend.
Encyclopedia entry
But of those hapless who were snared by Melkor little is known
of a certainty. [...] Yet this is held true by the wise of Eressëa:
that all those of the Quendi that came into the hands of Melkor,
ere Utumno was broken, were put there in prison, and by slow arts
of cruelty and wickedness were corrupted and enslaved. Thus
did Melkor breed the hideous race of the Orkor in envy and mockery
of the Eldar, of whom they were afterwards the bitterest foes. For
the Orkor had life and multiplied after the manner of the Children
of Ilúvatar; and naught that had life of its own, nor the semblance
thereof, could ever Melkor make since his rebellion in the Ainulindalë
before the Beginning: so say the wise. And deep in their dark hearts
the Orkor loathed the Master whom they served in fear, the maker only
of their misery. This maybe was the vilest deed of Melkor and the most
hateful to Eru.
[ Morgoth's Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien,
edited by Christopher Tolkien ]
