Vault
Not to be confused with the dungeon branch The Vaults.
The term vault refers to any dungeon feature that is not part of the dungeon's normal layout. Vaults generally have a fixed layout, though many include random items or monsters, and some (notably Xom's altar vault) randomize the terrain as well.
Contents
How do I recognize a vault?
Vaults are created by humans, so they will often clash with the randomly generated dungeon. They will often be symmetric or have other form of "structure", though note that the dungeon may generate rooms, hallways, etc. as part of the natural, randomly generated layout. Vaults may spawn with stone or green crystal walls in a level made of rock, while runed doors and transporters are only created by vaults.
Particularly devious vaults may not be obvious at first glance... until you open a door and find yourself face-to-face with a room full of kobold brigands or worse. Out-of-branch or very out-of-depth monsters can also be a sign of a vault: if you find a red devil in the main Dungeon, or a fire crab on D:9, it's probably as a result of a vault.
Most branches will always have one of a couple possible vaults on its final floor, protecting treasure and/or a rune of Zot. For example, 24 vault guards will surround the entrance to Vaults:5, and the rest of the floor has vaults. The infamous orb chamber will always guard the Orb of Zot on Zot:5. Meanwhile, almost all temporary portal areas are defined entirely by vault structure.
How big are vaults?
A vault can be very small, like the 3x4 "elevator" vault. This vault is nothing more than two staircases, one up and one down, enclosed in a ring of walls. Very small vaults may be referred to as minivaults.
On the other end, a vault can encompass an entire level, such as with Vaults:5, or Crypt:3. Other such vaults may appear as a floor of Depths or the deeper parts of the main Dungeon.
Where do I find vaults?
Vaults can appear anywhere in the Dungeon, though most (if not all) of them are restricted to specific branches and/or levels.
What kinds of vaults are there?
Some categories of vaults include:
- Entrance vaults: Entrance vaults are placed near stairs.
- D:1 arrival: You often start the game in a D:1 entrance vault; they are generated as something interesting for the player to look at or interact with when they first enter the game. A few can be dangerous if handled badly--some have a large number of monsters behind a warning-scrawled door in a clear wall--but they're generally just eye candy.
- General: When descending down levels or entering a branch, you can occasionally be greeted by a dangerous entry vault.
- Branch/portal entrance: The entrances to new branches are often contained in a vault that reflects their nature. Orcish Mines is often surrounded by many orcs, natural monsters surround The Lair, and The Vaults may have some treasure just outside.
- Altar vaults: Vaults are used to place altars in the main Dungeon, sometimes thematically appropriate (like a "yin-yang" symbol for vault containing a good and evil god).
- Branch ends & rune vaults: The end of every branch except Dungeon itself has a challenging vault. Lair has many configurations to reward players, Orcish Mines has end vaults (which guarantee that 4 shops spawn), every rune branch has vaults to guard the rune, and Zot hosts the Orb of Zot.
- Portal level: Every portal level has a few fixed layouts (that are all considered vaults).
- Encompass vaults: Vaults that encompass the entire floor. Found mainly in late Dungeon, Depths, and the Vaults branch.
- Runed door and teleporter vaults: Vaults with monsters locked behind runed doors or teleporters. The monsters won't escape on their own, but you can be teleported into some of these.
- Random vaults: Vaults that generate in random locations. Some can generate with out of depth monsters, and not all have treasure.
How many vaults are there?
Though it's difficult to read, the full list of vaults can be viewed here as part of the game's source. A quick search of that directory reveals that there are over 1,000 vaults in the game as of 0.10 and more than twice as many in master (the development version). Do note, however, that these counts include the tutorials, and presumably other vaults that aren't seen in the game proper.
Oooh, shiny!
Be careful! While vaults can contain very good items, they may also spawn with out-of-depth monsters, like a golden dragon on D:14. When approaching a vault, remember that it may have loose monsters, devious traps, or intelligent denizens who will come out to investigate if you make too much noise. If you actually open a door, be prepared to run if you don't like what's on the other side.
History
- From 0.22 until 0.33, ghost vaults could be placed throughout regular levels.
