Stairs

Version 0.15: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

Stairs are a dungeon feature which connect Dungeon floors and branches. They are the primary means of moving from one part of the Dungeon to the next. Normally only the player character uses stairs, but most non-summoned monsters will follow you if they are adjacent to you when you use them. Using an up staircase on D:1 ends your game, whether or not you have the Orb of Zot.

Creatures from adjacent floors may occasionally generate out of stairs, allowing monsters which normally don't appear in a specific branch to appear, but this is rare.

Layout

Each floor within a branch normally contains three up staircases and three down staircases. These always lead to the next floor above or below, never farther. Traveling between branches is restricted to a single staircase.

In addition, floors may also contain escape hatches (which function as one-way staircases). These are a different color than normal staircases. Also of note are shafts, a type of trap which can drop you 1-3 floors.

Tips & Tricks

• If you dont think you've fully explored a floor, but can't see anywhere else to explore, use the minimap to count the number of up and down staircases you've found (normal ones, not escape hatches or branch entrances). If you see less than three of each, some hidden area of the floor is walled off from the area you're in. The best way to reach it is to exit the floor and then reenter through an unused staircase on the floor above or below.
  • If you see more than three staircases (again, not counting escape hatches or branch entrances), one of them is probably a mimic.
• Be aware that going up or down staircases takes time (normally 1.5 turns). Nearby monsters may still hit you or cast spells before you escape your current floor. Climbing while confused might make you trip and fall, taking damage and staying on the current floor.
• Most monsters will follow you if they are adjacent to you when you use a staircase. While this can make it difficult to escape a monster on your heels, it can also be used to separate hordes of monsters by "stair dancing" (luring them upstairs and slaying them a few at a time). This is especially useful for stairs placed against walls or corners, limiting the number of monsters that can follow you. Some monsters (player ghosts, derived undead, silent spectres,, Geryon, and the royal jelly) cannot use stairs, trapping them on the floor they spawned on unless they step in a shaft. However, they can still attack you while you're leaving, and they may wait by the stairs for your return.
  • Annoying blinking monsters such as imps can also be disposed of in this manner if you are unable (or just too impatient) to kill them. Once the monster has followed you upstairs, wait for it to blink away and then go back downstairs without it following you.

History

• Prior to 0.13, each branch connected to the Dungeon and the Lair had three exit staircases, in spite of the fact that they only had one entrance.