Throne

Dungeon features
Air	_ Altar
# Corridor	# Cloud
#. Drawbridge	+-| Door
. Doorway	{ Fountain
| Headstone	.  Floor
>< Ladder	. Ice
# Iron bars	} Lava
} Moat	# Sink
Solid rock	>< Staircase
\ Throne	^" Trap
# Tree	- | Wall
~ Vibrating square

A throne, \, is a special dungeon feature that occurs both in throne rooms and in special areas such as the Castle.

Attempting to loot a throne while confused generates a throne room monster and deposits a random amount of your gold in its inventory ("The exchequer accepts your contribution"), unless there is a chest on the level, in which case the gold is put in that ("Thank you for your contribution to reduce the debt.")

Sitting on a throne

This section is based on thrn-343.txt.

The usual way to interact with a throne is to sit on it. As with all dungeon features, you cannot sit on a throne if you are mounted, levitating, engulfed, or if there are items in the square.

When you sit on a throne, there is a 2/3 chance that nothing happens.

• "You feel somehow out of place..."
• "You feel very comfortable here." (if you are polymorphed into royal monster)

Otherwise, there is an equal 1/13 chance of one of the following:

1	If (Luck + d5) is zero or positive, you get to make a wish. Otherwise, your Luck is increased by one. "You feel your luck is changing."
2	You get to genocide one species, as for an uncursed scroll of genocide. "A voice echoes: "By thy Imperious order, <Sire/Dame>...""
3	You can identify items from your inventory as per a blessed scroll: # items: 1 2 3 4 all chance: 1/5 1/5 1/5 1/5 1/5 "You are granted an insight."
4	If you are within 5 hit points of maximum, your max HP is increased by 4; hit points are then restored to maximum whether increased or not. Also cures all blindness, all sickness, and wounded legs. "You feel much, much better!"
5	If your Luck is non-negative and you don't already have intrinsic see invisible, you acquire that intrinsic. "Your vision becomes clear." Otherwise, if the level can be magic-mapped, it is. "An image forms in your mind." Or, if the level cannot be mapped, you are confused for d30 (more) turns. "A terrible drone fills your head!"
6	You gain 1 point to a random attribute. <Usual attribute-gain message>
7	You lose d4+2 points from a random attribute, and d10 hit points. <Usual attribute-loss message>
8	If shock resistant, you lose d6 hit points. "An electric shock shoots through your body!" Otherwise, you lose d30 hit points. "A massive electric shock shoots through your body!" In both cases, your constitution is abused. Items in inventory are NOT at risk of explosion.
9	If you have any gold in your main inventory, it's all taken away. "You notice you have no gold!" Otherwise, no effect. "You feel a strange sensation."
10	d10 throneroom monsters appear around you. "Thy audience hath been summoned, <Sire/Dame>!"
11	If your Luck is positive, you are blinded for 250 to 349 (more) turns; otherwise, your inventory is randomly cursed (as for a "malignant aura"). "A curse upon thee for sitting upon this most holy throne!"
12	If you have negative Luck, you wake all monsters on the level. "You feel threatened." Otherwise, you are teleported within the level. "You feel a wrenching sensation."
13	You are confused for 15+d7 (more) turns. "Your mind turns into a pretzel!"

Whether anything happened or not, if you are still sitting on the throne (haven't teleported away), there is a 1/3 chance that the throne will then disappear.

• "The throne vanishes in a puff of logic."

The phrase "vanishes in a puff of logic," is taken from the Douglas Adams comedy series, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. To be precise, it comes from an aside where humanity convinces God that He doesn't exist, and God "vanishes in a puff of logic."

Strategy

Given these possibilities, it is safest to take the following precautions before sitting on a throne:

• Drop all your gold, or stash it in a container, so it won't be taken away. This should be easy as a throne room normally contains a chest that you can temporarily use to stash your coins.
• Have a unicorn horn so that you can undo bad effects such as blindness and attribute loss.
• Have positive luck.
• Be able to deal with several monsters if they appear.

In addition, it can be helpful to do the following:

• Heal to within 5 points of maximum.
• Take out any items you would like identified.
• Stow any items you would prefer unidentified.
• Decide what you would like to wish for.
• Decide which single species you would like to genocide.
• Put on a ring of teleport control if you have one available and don't otherwise have teleport control.

If the throne causes you to teleport and you have teleport control, you should choose to teleport to a different square rather than remain on the throne. This eliminates the chance that the throne will disappear from that use.

Kicking a throne

It is also possible to #kick a throne, in the hopes of knocking loose some gold and valuable gems. However, the potential advantages of sitting on a throne far outweigh the benefits of additional treasure.

If you have negative luck, or treasure has previously been kicked from the throne, there is a 1/3 chance of destroying the throne, which will exercise dexterity and leave behind d200 gold pieces.

• "CRASH! You destroy the throne."
• "CRASH! You destroy it." (if blind)

If you have positive luck, and treasure has not already been kicked from the throne, there is a 1/3 chance of dislodging some loot: 300 to 500 gold pieces, and a number of gems (as many as 5 with high luck).

• "You kick loose some ornamental coins and gems!"
• "You kick something loose!" (if blind)

If neither of the above effects occur, there is a 1/4 chance that you may trigger a (hidden, and untriggerable any other way) trap door.

• "The floor opens up under you!" followed by "The hole in the ceiling above you closes up."

If you didn't get any of the above, you get a hurt foot; your dexterity and strength are abused, there is a 1/3 chance of your right leg being hurt for 6 to 10 turns, and you lose d5 HP (d3 HP if your constitution is greater than 15).

• "Ouch! That hurts!"

Encyclopedia entry

Methought I saw the footsteps of a throne
Which mists and vapours from mine eyes did shroud--
Nor view of who might sit thereon allowed;
But all the steps and ground about were strown
With sights the ruefullest that flesh and bone
Ever put on; a miserable crowd,
Sick, hale, old, young, who cried before that cloud,
"Thou art our king,
O Death! to thee we groan."
Those steps I clomb; the mists before me gave
Smooth way; and I beheld the face of one
Sleeping alone within a mossy cave,
With her face up to heaven; that seemed to have
Pleasing remembrance of a thought foregone;
A lovely Beauty in a summer grave!
        [ Sonnet, by William Wordsworth ]

See also

• thrn-343.txt

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