👉 Same-race sacrifice occurs when you sacrifice a corpse of your own race on an altar. This dangerous act is heavily frowned upon by the gods and usually has dire consequences, but it can also be used as a risky method to summon demon lords.
Overview
Sacrificing a member of your own race is considered a severe offense in GnollHack. The exact consequences depend on the alignment of the altar where the sacrifice takes place.
ℹ️ Note: A same-race sacrifice is determined by your character's race. For example, a Human sacrificing a human corpse, or an Elf sacrificing an elf corpse.
Lawful and Neutral Altars
If you perform a same-race sacrifice on a Lawful or Neutral altar, the gods will immediately intervene to punish you. No demon lord is summoned in this scenario.
The consequences are severe:
- The altar is instantly desecrated and converted into a Chaotic altar.
- Any attending priest becomes hostile.
- Your god becomes incredibly angry, typically triggering divine punishment.
- You suffer major penalties to your alignment, luck, and wisdom.
Chaotic and Moloch Altars
Sacrificing your own race on a Chaotic or Moloch altar is treated as a demonic summoning ritual. This ritual will always attempt to summon a Chaotic demon lord.
The outcome depends heavily on your character's alignment.
Non-Chaotic Characters
If your character is Lawful or Neutral, the summoned Chaotic demon lord will instantly recognize your conflicting alignment. The demon lord will be 100% hostile and attack you immediately.
Chaotic Characters
First Demon Lord Summon
If you are a Chaotic character, the Chaotic demon lord may be appeased by your sacrifice. The chance of the demon lord being peaceful depends on your alignment record and how many demon lords you have already summoned via altars. The first time you successfully summon a demon lord this way, it is guaranteed to be peaceful (0% chance of being hostile).
Subsequent Demon Lord Summons
If you continue to perform same-race sacrifices to summon additional demon lords, they will become increasingly agitated. The chance that subsequent demon lords will be hostile increases significantly, scaling with your alignment record.
The approximate hostility chances for your subsequent demon lord summons are detailed below:
| Alignment Record Rank | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pious (20) | ~13.3% | ~18.8% | ~26.7% | ~41.7% |
| Devout (14) | ~16.7% | 25.0% | 40.0% | ~83.3% |
| Fervent (9) | ~22.2% | 37.5% | 80.0% | ~83.3% |
| Strident (4) | ~33.3% | 75.0% | 80.0% | ~83.3% |
| Normal (0) | ~66.7% | 75.0% | 80.0% | ~83.3% |
| Negative (< 0) | 80.0% | ~85.7% | ~88.9% | ~90.9% |