Weave the runes · brave the living depths · return with the Amulet of Yendor
Twenty-six levels beneath the earth lies the Amulet of Yendor. Find it, then carry it back up every stair to the light of day. The rules of Rogue (1980) still hold: potions, scrolls, rings and wands are a mystery until used, hunger never sleeps, and the dungeon is new each time you enter it. But the Dungeons of Doom have woken with wild magic. Runes glimmer in the stone, each depth has its own light and life, and an old hourglass hums in your pack. Click the map before typing; your game is saved whenever you leave the page.
Warrior: ring mail, a fine mace and a bow; +1 to hit and damage in melee. Arcanist: frail, but spells strike harder and mana returns quickly; knows Bolt, Ward and Aether. Ranger: stealthy and sharp-eyed, deadly with a bow; knows Bolt, Glyph and Shadow. Pilgrim: scale mail and healing potions; shrines ask less and the undead fear the mace; knows Nova, Ward and Life, and carries an extra grain of Sand.
Runestones (ᛗ) teach a Form, which says how magic moves, or an Essence, which says what it is. Read a runestone with r to learn it for good. Any Form you know woven with any Essence you know makes a spell: press Z, then a Form key and an Essence key. Z Enter weaves your last spell again. Spells cost mana, which returns as you walk. Studying a rune you already know makes your mana pool larger.
Every turn you take is remembered for a little while. A grain of Sand turns the Hourglass back to any of those moments (Backspace). When death finds you, the Hourglass offers itself one last time, as long as it holds Sand. Fate is rewoven when time turns, so the dice will fall differently. Sand is rare: Arcane Champions sometimes leave it behind, the hunter of The Hunt always does, and fountains and shrines can grant it.
Stand on one and press ,. Fountains { heal, refresh, reveal, or bite. Shrines _ of the Old Light take gold for blessings, so gold is finally worth spending. Wellsprings ~ of raw mana deepen your pool once.
Some levels are winding caverns instead of rooms. There, only the glow of fungus and crystal, and your own small light, show the way.
Monsters touched by wild magic glow with its colour. They are tougher and worth double experience, and they often carry runes.
Score: the gold you carry, plus 100 for each level of depth you reach; escape with the Amulet for the worth of your loot and 5000 more. The Codex remembers every creature you have met, across every descent.