ADOM Guidebook

The Ruined City

The Ruined City is the entrance to the Minotaur Maze, found in the far western central part of the wilderness map.

Upon entering the wilderness square containing the ruined city, the following messages are generated:

"As you advance into the ruins, you catch a short sight on some strange huge figure...

With fluid motions it disappears into the ruins!

Something seems to be waiting for you...

You enter the ancient street of a long-dead and even longer-forgotten city.

Various trees and shrubs have overgrown the monuments of a former civilization. Strange unknown runes cover what remains of ancient palaces and buildings. Some forboding evil seems to lurk beneath the peace of death emanating from this strange place."

A map of the ruined city reveals the strange huge figure to be a minotaur mazelord guarding the entrance to the minotaur maze hidden behind a secret door:

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There is a lower experience level limit in order to enter the Minotaur Maze, which seems to be experience level 22. PCs with lower experience level are frightened away. Likewise, there is an upper limit, which seems to be experience level 30. The entrance to the Minotaur Maze is covered by an immovable stone block at this point. Given the extremely nasty nature of the Minotaur Maze, the player is well advised to have the PC as experienced as possible before entering.

The fact that it closes at PC experience level 30 is a potential game-breaker. If the PC drops a Chaos Orb in the Maze, then achieves experience level 30 outside, the game is over. Since the Chaos Orb is inside an inaccessible location, it will never be possible to open the passage to D:49. Note this same scenario can occur with the Pyramid (section 2.9).

The objective is to find the Minotaur Emperor on level seven of the maze. He holds the artifact Axe of the Minotaur Emperor.

2.20.1 The Minotaur Maze

The mazes are very challenging, with false doors, false staircases, living walls, and a variety of minotaurs, including minotaur mazemasters, mazelords, magi and kings. There is no random food generated in the mazes. The minotaurs leave corpses, but they are not good to eat because they cause confusion. Minotaurs may drop food when killed. The mazes are heavily trapped. It is wise to leave unnecessary equipment behind in order to prevent its destruction. Since a climbing set is required to reach this portion of the map, climbing sets should be left behind. The down staircases may lead to false levels, which must be explored only to find that there are two (usually, less commonly one) up staircases with no down staircase. Eventually the PC will find a true level six with a down staircase.

Minotaurs often panic when 'severely wounded' and run away. This can be useful. Minotaurs only set off the traps in the mazes when in a state of panic. Once they reach the panicked state, they seem to set off every trap they cross. It is thus possible to use them strategically to clear a path for the PC.

It is very obvious when the true bottom of the maze has been reached, because the following level message is generated:

"You feel that this maze level is special in some respect... its convoluted tunnels remind you of the brain tunnels of some sinister power lurking beneath the surface of the world and ready to strike at any intruders!"

A representative layout of the final level of the minotaur maze is shown here:

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#.#.#.###.#.###.#.#####.###.#.#M#M#####.###########.#.#####.###.#...###.#.#####
#.#.......#.....#.......#.....#.M.....#..........@..#.............#...#.......#
###############################M#M#############################################
                              #####

The Minotaur Emperor is the central 'M' in the above map, surrounded by minotaur mages which are able to cast confusion. The mages are vulnerable to Stun Ray which stops their confusion attacks and leaves them vulnerable. The Minotaur Emperor is most easily killed with Web and missiles. Melee is ill-advised. When the Minotaur Emperor is killed, he drops several items which may vary. One example is:

blessed axe of the minotaur emperor (+12, 3d20+16) [-6, +4]		[1200s]
uncursed potion of strength		[4s]
uncursed potion of cure corruption		[2s]
blessed potion of cure corruption		[2s]
uncursed spellbook of Slow Monster		[100s]
uncursed minotaur emperor corpse		[240s]
uncursed topaz		[1s]

A blessed greater ID of the Axe of the Minotaur Emperor reveals:

---------- blessed axe of the minotaur emperor (+12, 3d20+16) [-6, +4]---------

It is an artifact.

When worn it modifies DV by -6 and PV by +4.
When used in melee combat it grants a +12 bonus to hit and causes 3d20+16
points of damage. When used as a missile it grants a -12 bonus to hit and
causes 3d16+6 points of damage.

It is very good at scoring critical hits in melee.
It grants resistance to confusion attacks.

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Note the weight of the artifact axe. The weight of the artifact, combined with the extraordinary difficulty of the mazes, makes most players completely ignore this location. It is in no way necessary to complete the game.