ADOM Guidebook


The Casino

The Casino is found on D: 30 or D: 31. The layout is as follows:

#####                                 ######
#...#                                 #...@#
#.<.###################################.>.#
#.../.$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.....####################################
#####@................................@####![(~/=!![%[?[%%%[/*'%%%%(%([]!%%(/#
    #.$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$..####[("%?%[?"[[=[%](!%*[*%(\"*([?]%((?#
    #................................../.##[/[*[[=*[([]="[%([[!][[[%%[(!]![=(#
    #.$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.@#.##%%[*[["[["(['['(('?""[[%/%!\]!/[*/#
    #................................../.##(*/[(['!"%[[?/[!\%*[*/%"%(*""/[("(#
    #.$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.@#.##*!((%]?[%!=[([(/?'[(/(%[!/!/(!%?\\#
    #................................../.##.[}"[((['!"*([/[(?=[[]*[[%[?!!?[!%#
    #.$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.@#....[!(%%(%*~=]'/![?*!!?!!!([!=%?"!%!#
    #................................../.##@[}%!%?[!?"\/[(??[(%[*![[[("%?([(%#
    #.$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.@#.##[}%(.('*"?}["[%*(??!"?%*"!""?(}"/'#
    #................................../.##!%("/}??%\}"[%!((([[}(*[/?\"'[=%\%#
    #.$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.@#.##*([%![}\%%\(!?[%((%"[?}{!/=[%"\[%(#
    #................................../.##%[(['(%([[\[([]='%!/{((%/\!(%*(][(#
    #.$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.@#.##([*(([[%%[%}!?/((*"[[?['?""[]'?%[[#
    #................................../.#####################################
    ######################################
The guaranteed monsters found here are casino guards (the @s outside the Great Gift Shoppe), a big casino guard (guarding the down staircase) and the shopkeeper (the @ inside the Great Gift Shoppe). The $s in the body of the Casino are not piles of gold, but rather slot machines. There will be a number of non-hostile monsters wandering about the Casino and the Great Gift Shoppe.

It is possible to win essentially unlimited amounts of gold from the slot machines. Intrinsic Dooming, Cursing, Lucky and Fate Smiles have no effect. Wearing items that grant Luck (the hidden property) or the Lucky/Fate Smiles intrinsics make no difference. The fastest way to accumulate money is to choose a machine that costs 24 gold pieces to play and 'h'andle the lever. Place a heavy object on the spacebar of your keyboard. Check back after five minutes or so by picking up the gold on the floor. There should be quite a pile. As long as the spacebar technique is used all of this gambling will take place during a single game turn, so the PC will not be spending hours of game time in the Casino getting corrupted. This is after all D: 30 or D: 31, moderately deep in the CoC. So resist the temptation to check on your winnings every 30 seconds! ;-)

A possible side effect of long gambling sessions is stunning. Ideally wear a source of stun resistance or have the intrinsic. Alternatively, prayer will remove stunning. Despite the fact that only a single game turn passes, it is also possible to become Very Hungry (but not Starving). Have food.

This implies, of course, that it is possible to buy everything in the Great Gift Shoppe. But how to carry it? Since there is an unlimited amount of gold available, a (blessed!) girdle of greed can solve that problem. The Big Casino Guard will often allow a net winner passage if he simply goes to a slot machine and loses one round. Try more than once if necessary.

The payout from the slot machines follows a precise formula, shown below:

Item Two alike       Three alike
           
kobold 1x       1x
goblin 4x       8x
hobgoblin 9x       27x
gnoll 16x       64x
ogre 25x       125x
wizard 36x       216x
ettin 49x       343x
giant 64x       512x
hero 81x       729x
treasure hoard 100x       1000x
magical wand 121x       1331x
magical ring 144x       1728x
magical weapon 169x       2197x
magical armor 196x       2744x
artifact 225x       3375x
ancient hero 256x       4096x
dragon 289x       4913x
ancient dragon 324x       5832x

As an example, two goblins results in a return of 4x the original bet, for a profit of 3x the original bet. The average payout works out to approximately 24x the original bet. This has been verified empirically, and agrees with theory.

Be aware that if the PC uses the slot machines, the Big Casino Guard will block the down staircase and expect the PC to spend his winnings - and more - in the Great Gift Shoppe, which is ridiculously overpriced. This problem can be solved by teleporting the Big Casino Guard. This transports him to another location on the level. He does not become hostile, does not move and behaves exactly as if he were still blocking the stairs (this is probably a bug).

3.3.1 Strategies for robbing the Casino

There are two monsters that are particularly tough on the level: the shopkeeper and the big casino guard. Their vital statistics:

Big casino guard: You examine the big casino guard. Diagnosis: Level: 2, DV: 19, PV: 24, Hits: 307, Attacks: 2, Damage: 17-72. Speed: 106.

Shopkeeper: You examine Orgovek, the human shopkeeper. Diagnosis: Level: 11, DV: 10, PV: 20, Hits: 926, Attacks: 6, Damage: 21-36. Speed: 195.

These stats do not change if the monsters become hostile.

It is possible to use Ventriloquism as usual to confuse the Casino shopkeeper. Remember if the skill is not at 100 he may become hostile in the next turn, so doing this under cover of Darkness is a wise precaution. A tactic that accomplishes the same result (no cursing, no alerting the guards) is to zap a wand of far slaying at him from very far away, 15 squares or more. These are both risky since a hostile Casino shopkeeper is a formidable opponent. The best sequence of events is to gather everything the PC wants, anger the shopkeeper and teleport straight to the down staircase.

There are a number of events that will cause all the monsters to become hostile whether or not the PC has actually picked up anything from the Great Gift Shoppe. Directly attacking the guards or shopkeeper or zapping a wand of destruction that damages any of the guards or the walls of the Great Gift Shoppe are examples. Once the monsters become hostile, a number of things happen. First, the number of guards on the level approximately triples. They cluster around both the up and down staircases and are plentiful elsewhere. Second, the teleportation restrictions inside the Great Gift Shoppe cease. This means the PC is free to teleport to any location on the level, but since the up and down staircases will be blocked by guards, it is not possible to teleport to these locations and leave the level.

Invisibility is strange on the level. The casino guards and the big casino guard see invisible. The shopkeeper welcomes an invisible PC when he enters the Great Gift Shoppe, but when an invisible PC picks up an item, the shopkeeper does not immediately block the door. The standard "shopkeeper stares at your position with great intensity" message must be generated before he blocks the door. However, the shopkeeper instantly sounds an alarm when an undetected invisible PC who has picked up an item leaves the Great Gift Shoppe. Despite this, the shopkeeper does not see the invisible PC as he flees through the body of the Casino.

None of the monsters on the level are able to see in Darkness. However, some will still cluster around the PC in darkness, while others, including the big casino guard who ordinarily blocks the down staircase, will wander aimlessly. This means that if a PC needs to rest and recover hitpoints, or pray for healing, or drink healing potions, Darkness is your friend. A PC can stand in one spot indefinitely in Darkness. The tendency of the monsters to cluster around the PC or wander about also means they will leave the vicinity of the staircases. Thus a PC can rob the Casino, cast Darkness, wait, then teleport to the down staircase. This is risky, however, since if the PC is doomed by robbing the Casino (see below) there is a 1 in 1000 chance of an instadeath each turn from a grue attack (see section 0.13.4).

The stats for the shopkeeper above should make it clear that speed is critical when robbing the Casino. Anything that increases speed is valuable - rings of speed, speed boosting potions and especially seven league boots. It is possible to make the shopkeeper hostile by throwing missiles or zapping a spell at him, ideally from as far away as possible, then literally outrun him out of the Great Gift Shoppe. This is one way the Casino can be robbed without any spells whatsoever.

The stats should also make it clear that killing him is worth many experience points. This is a consideration for those PCs who desperately need experience.

3.3.2 Consequences of robbing the Casino

The consequences of robbing the Casino vary according to a couple of factors. First is the alignment of the PC. Lawful PCs will likely be cursed and doomed. Neutral PCs will likely be cursed, perhaps doomed. Chaotics will probably get away with no cursing or dooming. Lawful and neutral PCs will move their alignment towards chaotic. This may or may not be visible on the main screen. It is known for PCs to be so lawful by this point in the game that their alignment does not vary from L+ despite robbing the Casino. The second factor is exactly what transpires during the robbery. Killing the shopkeeper in the process of robbing the Casino is not recommended for crowned champions of Law or Balance, of course. Attacking the guards on the way out or after dragging them down to the next level should not cause an alignment drop as they will be hostile at that point.

The cursing and/or dooming is obviously the biggest problem PCs face after robbing the Casino. Fortunately, there is a shortcut to the surface of the Drakalor Chain (see section 3.4) available one or two levels below the Casino. This makes it possible to get to an aligned altar near the surface quickly and sacrifice in order to get rid of the unwanted cursing or dooming, although it is possible at this point in the game that the player might want to exploit those intrinsics. In any case, remember where those aligned altars are near the surface! If you plan to rob the Casino, they can be essential.


Updated August 2nd, 2009