================================= The Dungeon ================================= All levels other than 0 (or zero feet) lie within the dungeon. Each level of the dungeon is fifty feet high, and is divided into large rectangular regions (several times larger than the screen) by impenetrable walls. Once you leave a level, you will never again find your way back to that region of that level, but there are an infinite number of other regions at that same depth that you can explore later. Monsters move about just as you do, and you may see them again. --- Dungeon Features, Light, Level Feelings, and Mining --- Terrain: In Oangband, the following terrain types affect movement, combat, or both. Because they less frequently take advantage of terrain, monsters benefit more from favorable and suffer less from unfavorable terrain than the player does. Rubble: Slows down the player and all monsters that cannot bore or pass through rock. Ends LOS, stops missiles, bolts, and beams, and reduces the radius of ball spells. Grants the player and monsters within it some protection from melee, ranged, or magical attacks. Rubble may dissolve to normal floor. Water: Cannot be passed by players with heavy burdens, or fiery, earthbound monsters. All melee or ranged attacks and most spells benefit when the target is in water, especially water-based spells. Fire-based spells become much less powerful, so find a lake if you battle Smaug. Water may evaporate. Lava: Can be passed by any character, but inflicts substantial fire damage (less for players with feather fall - they're light on their feet). All monsters other than fiery or strong flying creatures will not cross. Water and cold-based spells suffer and fire-based spells become more powerful against a target in lava. Lava may freeze to rubble or normal floor. Trees: Slows down players not familiar with druidic techniques, and all non-natural monsters that neither fly nor pass through rock. Ends LOS, stops missiles, bolts, and beams, and reduces the radius of ball spells. Grants the player and monsters within it some protection from melee, ranged, or magical attacks. Trees can burn. Staircases, Secret Doors, and Traps: Staircases allow your character to ascend or descend from one level to another, and are represented by "<" (up) and ">" (down). Each level has at least one up staircase, and two down staircases, unless it is the home of Sauron (level 99/4950') or Morgoth (level 100/5000'), whom you must kill before staircases will appear. Otherwise, the staircases are guaranteed, but they may be difficult to find. Staircases may sometimes allow you to ascend or descend more than one level at a time. Once you leave a level, you can never return to it. Artifacts will be lost, even unidentified ones if you are not using the "preserve" startup option. Many secret doors exist in the dungeon, and may lead to anything from a new section of the dungeon level to an empty closet. As your familiarity with the dungeon grows, you will know where many secret doors are likely to be. Secret doors always look like granite until found and, for historical reasons, are never locked. Traps also await you in the dungeon. They look like normal floor squares until found, too often by your getting caught by one. Both secret doors and traps may be found using the 's'earch once command, or by going into 'S'earching mode ('#', using the roguelike keyset). Many classes can also use magic, and everyone can use the appropriate rod or staff. Be warned: although magical disarming is convenient, it is never a sure thing. Light: Your character must have some source of light in order to see, unless the area around him is magically lit. Depending on the items he has equip- ped, he may have a light radius of one (torches), two (a lantern), or more, up to a rarely-attained maximum of five. A torch or lantern burns fuel, and may be refilled (use the 'F'uel command) with other torches or flasks of oil respectively. It is rumoured that other light sources exist which never need replenishing. Level Feelings: If you have spent enough time on the previous level, you will get a message describing the level as you enter it. The more interesting the choice of adjectives, the more dangerous and lucrative the level is likely to be. If you have chosen Preserve mode when creating your character, you will occasionally get the message "you have a special feeling about this level", indicating the presence of a monster pit or nest (sometimes, only at shallow depths), a vault (more often), a player ghost, or an artifact. Themed Levels: If you are deep enough, and have sent a bit of time on the previous level, you may very rarely find a themed level, filled with monsters of a given type. Such levels only appear once in a lifetime, so don't leave them unless you really want to. Vision range is reduced on themed levels. Mining: There is much treasure in the walls of the dungeon, just waiting for an industrious adventurer to come and dig it out. Once you can afford it, and if you can handle the weight, bring a shovel or pick along. As you get richer, the treasures in the wall won't seem so appealing anymore, but keep a item or spell of tunneling handy. Not only do all sorts of special vaults lie deep below the surface, some completely en- closed by solid rock, but smart adventurers deliberately alter the dungeon to make the most dangerous breathers and summoners manageable.