đ 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.
âšī¸ 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.
High Altars
Same-race sacrifice on a High Altar is treated as a desecration of the most sacred site. Unless both you and the altar are Chaotic (or it is Moloch's altar), the owning god will directly smite you with devastating force â this is the same punishment as trying to convert a high altar, and is often instantly fatal.
â ī¸ Warning: Never perform a same-race sacrifice on a high altar unless you are Chaotic and the altar is also Chaotic or Moloch's. The smite is one of the most lethal events in the game.
The Non-Chaotic Penalty
Regardless of the altar you use, if your character's alignment is Lawful or Neutral, the act of a same-race sacrifice immediately incurs severe divine punishment:
- You instantly lose 1 Wisdom.
- Your alignment record and Luck are both decreased by 5.
- Your god's anger increases by 3, which triggers an immediate divine smite1.
1 The divine smite is skipped if you are inside Gehennom.
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 for the altar are severe:
- The altar is instantly desecrated and converted into a Chaotic altar. It is stained with blood.
- Any attending priest becomes hostile.
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 Summoned Demon: In Gehennom, it attempts to summon Demogorgon first. If Demogorgon cannot be summoned (e.g., he already exists), a random Demon Lord is summoned instead. Outside Gehennom, a random Demon Lord is summoned.
- Terror Effect: The sheer terror of the summoning will paralyze you for 3 turns ("You are terrified, and unable to move.") unless you possess Fear Resistance.
The outcome depends heavily on your character's alignment.
Non-Chaotic Characters
If your character is Lawful or Neutral, you will suffer the severe divine punishment detailed above. Additionally, the summoned Chaotic demon lord will instantly recognize your conflicting alignment and will be 100% hostile, attacking you immediately.
If the altar was chaotic, the altar is destroyed ("The blood floods the altar, which vanishes in a black cloud!").
Chaotic Characters
If you are a Chaotic character (or sacrificing on Moloch's altar), the altar remains covered in blood ("The blood covers the altar!"). Your Luck increases by 2 (+2) if on a chaotic altar, or decreases by 2 (-2) on Moloch's altar.
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% |
Demons Sacrificing Demons
If you are currently in demon form (e.g., via polymorph), sacrificing your own race does not incur the standard penalties. Instead, you find the act highly satisfying, which exercises your Wisdom ("You find the idea very satisfying.").