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Nethack Hell Patch Description

This is the Nethack 3.3.1 Hell Patch, version 3. The Hell Patch provides enhancements to Gehennom, for more variety than just maze after maze, and additional named demons.

Hell Patch enhancements include the following:

New demons

Pazuzu bears disease and a poisoned sting.
Lolth rules over a world of things that creep, and bears magic and poison for those foolish enough to enter her domain.
Mammon waits to rob you of your wealth.
Lilith attacks as a succubus -- but she is not as easily impressed by a pretty face.
Likewise, Sammael attacks as an incubus, and is not so easily impressed.
Cthulhu lurks in the watery depths to devour the brain and the life of the unwary adventurer.

New levels

Lolth's lair.
Mammon's lair.
Lilith's lair.
Sammael's lair.
Cthulhu's lair.

Modified demons

None. In version 1 of the Hell Patch, Asmodeus played the role of the arch-incubus. This role is now assigned to Sammael, and Asmodeus reverts to his pre-patch behavior.

Future Plans

Version 4

Hell's getting crowded. I plan to implement random selection of lairs in the main dungeon. Lairs not selected will go into a new dungeon: the Ordeal of Purification.

The Ordeal of Purification will be accessible through a magic portal, from a location yet to be decided. It will consist entirely of demonic lairs, and the last lair will be the dreaded Demogorgon. Demogorgon's lair will always be in the Ordeal, never in the main dungeon.

The desperate adventurer who has changed his alignment may enter the Ordeal of Purification. Once he has completed the Ordeal and defeated Demogorgon, he may perform an act (yet to be defined) that will return him to his starting alignment.

The purpose of the Ordeal is twofold: to provide a way out, however slim, to the adventurer who changes alignment before the Quest; and to ensure that any newly-defined lair will exist somewhere, so that it may be tested.

Long range

The goal is 40 named demons and 20 lairs, of which nine will be randomly selected at the start of the game; the last lair will be Cthulhu.

The First Thing We Do, Let's Kill All The Lawyers

Every reasonable effort has been made to assure correctness; but I can assume NO LIABILITY for errors, loss of data, cold coffee, or neglected significant others.

Ray Chason
rchason at smart.net (All spammers must die! )