The Dragon Caves
- For the dragon-filled branch in SLASH'EM and SlashTHEM, see the Wyrm Caves.
The Dragon Caves are a new branch in UnNetHack, brought over from NetHack brass R/S. They can be accessed by a stairway from the main dungeon in Gehennom and, in UnNetHack, from a portal in the Valley of the Dead.
Contents
Level Generation
The terrain in The Dragon Caves is not randomly generated; each floor has the same layout every playthrough. Monsters, loot, and stair placement, however, is randomized.
Each level in The Dragon Caves features a large number of dragons and some worms, as well as trees and the new muddy swamp ≈ : muddy swamps wets objects like moats do, but don't carry the risk of drowning and can be crossed without levitating, flying, or water walking if you’re willing to take water damage. The new chromatic dragons (not to be confused with the caveman quest nemesis) can be found on the final level of this branch, and their scales grant the resistances of all other dragon scale mails. All levels are dark, can be flipped horizontally and/or vertically, and, except for the final one, allow teleporting .
All of the levels before the bottom level have the stairs (and for the top level, the portal to the valley), seventeen D, four w, four traps, three gems, a tool, and three other random objects scattered around the level.
Level 1
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Level 3
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Level 4
Three Chromatic Dragons wait at the bottom of The Dragon Caves, guarding a stash on the opposite side of the level where the player enters from. The large river separating the player from the Chromatic Dragons necessitates finding a way to cross water if the player wants to reach the dragons and their stash. The stash is blocked by a boulder and each space in it contains 600 + 10d100 gold, a gem, a ring (80%), an amulet (40%), and a potion of gain level, gain ability, full healing, or enlightenment (60%) with the exception of the top space, which only has a gem and 600 + 12d100 gold. There are also piles of coins under the boulder and around the entrance of the stash, which will likely be picked up by the Chromatic Dragons by the time you meet them.
In addition to the stash and Chromatic Dragons, there are also 22 D, 6 w, and 4 traps scattered throughout the level, in addition to 2d10 piles of 1d100 gold, 12 gems, 3 tools, weapons, potions, and scrolls, and 5 random objects.
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Strategy
As dragons qualify for defensive items and miscellaneous items, are a high level, and many are generated in The Dragon Caves, this branch can be an excellent source of scrolls and potions (especially potions of full healing) simply because of all the loot the dragons themselves carry. The vast quantities of gold and jewelry, and the Chromatic Dragons themselves, are a bonus for going further into the branch. The immense number of dragons, of course, makes reflection a necessity if one even wants to consider coming into these caves, unless they want to get disintegrated.
There is roughly a 42.13% chance of obtaining any chromatic dragon scales from the 3 dragons at the end of the branch, and reviving them with a wand of undead turning will not produce scales.
