Geryon

Version 0.32: This article is up to date for the latest stable release of Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup.

Geryon &
HP	198-399
HD	15
XP	4453
Speed	10
AC	15
EV	6
Will	120
Attack1	35 (tail slap: reach)
Resistances	rDrown rMiasma rN+++ rTorm
Vulnerabilities	Holy
Habitat	Land
Intelligence	Human
Uses	Starting equipment Open doors
Holiness	Demonic
Size	Giant
Type	hell lord, hell lord
Flags	Fighter See invisible Flying Speaks Unique Male

A huge, three-headed, winged arch-demon, guardian of the four Hells. Legends say that his silver horn can summon terrible beasts to aid him in battle. “Khrysaor, married to Kallirhoe, daughter of glorious Okeanos, was father to the triple-headed Geryon, but Geryon was killed by the great strength of Herakles at sea-circled Erytheis beside his own shambling cattle on that day when Herakles drove those broad-faced cattle toward holy Tiryns, when he crossed the stream of Okeanos and had killed Orthos and the oxherd Eurytion out in the gloomy meadow beyond fabulous Okeanos.” -Hesiod, _Theogony_, circa 700 BCE.

Useful Info

Geryon is a powerful demon who serves as the guardian of the Vestibule of Hell. Any character entering there will immediately encounter Geryon and his horde of allies. He carries the horn of Geryon, and he will sound it regularly to summon demonic sin beasts to his aid.

Spells

Spell set I
Slot1	Summon Sin Beast	Vocal flag

Tips & Tricks

• Although Geryon is somewhat dangerous on his own due to his high HP and decent melee abilities, the greater threat comes from the other monsters he shares the Vestibule with, including numerous hell knights, undead, and assorted demons. Geryon cannot use stairways, but you can lure away the other inhabitants of the Vestibule so you can get a clear shot at Geryon.
• Geryon's attacks have reach, allowing him to hide behind his wall of sin beasts and still mangle you. Even high-level melee fighters will need to keep this from happening to avoid fighting an impossible war of attrition. The fact that sin beast attacks often trample you, pushing you in unintended directions around the battlefield, does not help. Make sure you have a scroll of blinking ready in case you get shoved away from the entrance.
• Although silence does not stop demonic spell casting, it does disable his horn. Hit him with a scroll of silence to stop the flood of reinforcements.
• Once in your possession, the horn becomes a powerful evocable item, summoning sin beasts to your aid. Just be aware that they are not always friendly, and that followers of good gods are forbidden from using it.

Trivia

Geryon was a Greek giant formed from three enormous bodies fused together. He was slain by Heracles when the demigod was completing his tenth labour, which required him to steal Geryon's cattle.

Later, Geryon became a monstrous gatekeeper of Hell in Dante's Divine Comedy, dwelling in a waterfall between the seventh and eighth circles of Hell.

History

• Prior to 0.14, sounding his horn was necessary in order to open the gates to the four other branches of Hell, making Geryon the only monster one absolutely must kill in order to win a perfect 15-rune game. Additionally, Geryon was unable to fly.