Draft:Dragon's Lair

Omega 0.90.4

The Dragon's Lair is the single-level treasure cavern at (60, 34) in LOCUS's eastern desert. Its Dragon Lord, elite dragons, concealed alarms and portcullises guard a large hoard.

Local map

The complete 64 by 16 scene is shown below. @ marks arrival at (2, 9).

These are spoiler maps. Coordinates are (column, row), starting at zero. Letters and highlighted symbols are article keys for sites and initial placements, not a literal game screenshot or a promise that a creature remains there.

0000000000111111111122222222223333333333444444444455555555556666

0123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123

00 ################################################################

01 ################################################################

02 #############..........?...........#############################

03 ########$..$..........................#############$$$$$########

04 #####.........................?.........##########$$$$$$$$$#####

05 ####.....?............$.................$######:^#$$$$d$$$$$####

06 ###................................###########$#^#$$$d$d$$$$$###

07 X..........$.......................:pTT77TTppW$#^.$$d$D$d$$$$$##

08 X..........................$.......:pTT77TTppW$#^.$$$d$d$$$$$###

09 X.@....?...........................###########$#^#$$$$d$$$$$####

10 #####.................?..............$$$#######:^#$$$$$$$$######

11 ########....$..................?.....$$###########$$$$$$$#######

12 ###########..........................###########################

13 ################################################################

14 ################################################################

15 ################################################################

Map key

Key	Meaning
#	Wall
$	Treasure placement; one level-10 item
.	Floor or open ground
7	Portcullis, initially lowered
:	Concealed passage
?	Random creature placement
@	Arrival point, not the current player position
D	Dragon Lord
T	Portcullis trap trigger
W	King wyvern
X	Return to countryside
^	Concealed siren
d	Elite dragon
p	Portcullis site on open floor

The map shows the populated scene before its completion flag changes later visits; see the article for return and re-entry behavior.

Approach and layout

The entrance initially appears as desert; searching reveals a chasm and cave entrance. The local scene is 64 by 16, with arrival at (2, 9) and exits at x=0, y=7-9.

Feature	Initial placement
Dragon Lord	(54, 7)
Elite dragons	Eight; twice ordinary dragon hit and damage ratings
King wyverns	Two, at (45, 7) and (45, 8)
Random monsters	Six placements in the outer cavern
Hoard	Ninety treasure sites, each generating one object at source level ten
Secret floor passages	(35, 7), (35, 8), (47, 5), (47, 10)
Concealed sirens	x=48, y=5-10, at the inner chamber's edge

The central approach also contains four closed portcullis cells and eight trigger cells. A secret passage does not by itself bypass every neighboring alarm.

Waking the hoard

When a hostile lair dragon performs its initial special action, every living dragon still assigned to the lair defense becomes hostile and fires a powerful firebolt toward the player. The Dragon Lord then switches to his own special abilities; the others switch to individual firebolts. Initial sleep is therefore an opportunity for caution, not protection after the alarm has been raised.

The sirens awaken all local monsters and double their sensing range. The Lord's initial hostility and the lair's coordinated action make approaching the hoard particularly hazardous.

Treasure and revisiting

Leaving by the western exits returns to the countryside. Re-entering recreates monsters and treasure while the Dragon Lord has not been killed. Killing ordinary dragons alone does not set the flag that empties the lair. Once the Lord dies, later loads omit its inhabitants and hoard, remove the concealed status of passages and disable the portcullis triggers.

The Dragon Lord's hide can be converted into dragonscale armor at Ambrosias'. This can serve the Duke's armor quest, but the Duke wants the finished armor, not the raw hide.

Strategy

Prepare fire protection, a way to inspect concealed terrain and an escape before entering the inner chamber. Fire immunity does not prevent the Dragon Lord's physical blows, knockdown, constriction or spellcasting. Hoard collection and killing the Lord are different objectives; the latter permanently changes normal re-entry rewards.

Older advice recommends searching for alarms and avoiding the sleeping dragons, and suggests preserving the hoard for repeated visits. Its blanket warning not to kill dragons is broader than 0.90.4's actual empty-lair condition, which checks the Lord's death specifically.