Abyssal Knight
Abyssal Knights are warriors sent from the the Abyss by Lugonu, the god of corruption and chaos. Their purpose is to spread bloodshed and disorder in the Dungeon, and must do so unflaggingly to earn Lugonu's favour.
Racial Restrictions
Demigods cannot be Abyssal Knights, as they cannot worship Lugonu (or any other god).
Starting Equipment
Some species may receive different items based on their unique restrictions.
- +2, +2 weapon of choice (hand axe, spear, short sword or mace)
- +0 leather armour
- Bread ration
- 20 gold
Starting Skills
These are adjusted by your species' aptitudes.
- Fighting: 3
- Chosen Weapon's Skill: 2
- Armour: 1 (+1 if Armour Apt. >= Dodging Apt.)
- Dodging: 1 (+1 if Dodging Apt. > Armour Apt.)
- Invocations: 2
Strategy
Abyssal Knights start their game in the the Abyss with enough piety to use Lugonu's Depart the Abyss ability. There is little benefit to wandering the Abyss before leaving, as the items generated for you are of the same value and rarity as you will find on level 1 of the Dungeon, while the monsters are far, far worse. That being said, the piety cost of this ability is somewhat high. There is usually an exit located near your starting area, but don't risk fighting anything found here at level 1.
Abyssal Knights begin with melee-oriented skills, supplemented by Lugonu's invocations (as they are earned). These powers include a blink-like ability, banishment of enemies, corruption of levels, and easy travel to and from the Abyss. These are mainly defensive abilities, and help an otherwise melee character out of tight spots. Of course, your Abyssal Knight is free to branch into ranged combat or magic should you choose (and should your species allow for it). Lugonu does not have any stringent requirements, and awards piety for both killing and corpse sacrifices, making it easy to play an Abyssal Knight in any way you like.
Serving Lugonu has the advantage of making the abyssal rune easier to acquire; the rune is generated earlier for Lugonu worshippers and they can escape the Abyss much more easily than anyone else. Getting banished to the Abyss is also not the death sentence for Abyssal Knights that it is for low-level characters of other backgrounds.
Lugonu's level-corruption power makes Labyrinths trivially easy to master, saving a lot of time and irritation should you seek their treasures. Granted, Labyrinths are not guaranteed to spawn (nor you to find the portal in time when they do), but it's a perk nonetheless.
See also IonFrigate's guide to Abyssal Knights and Pacra's Abyssal Knight guide.
History
This background was added in 0.8, but it was essentially available in earlier versions by selecting a Chaos Knight of Lugonu. Now Chaos Knights can only be of Xom.
