diff --git a/src/pager.c b/src/pager.c
index ca5ed2810..f016cd258 100644
--- a/src/pager.c
+++ b/src/pager.c
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/* NetHack 3.7	pager.c	$NHDT-Date: 1764044196 2025/11/24 20:16:36 $  $NHDT-Branch: NetHack-3.7 $:$NHDT-Revision: 1.292 $ */
+/* NetHack 3.7	pager.c	$NHDT-Date: 1774846177 2026/03/29 20:49:37 $  $NHDT-Branch: NetHack-3.7 $:$NHDT-Revision: 1.296 $ */
 /* Copyright (c) Stichting Mathematisch Centrum, Amsterdam, 1985. */
 /*-Copyright (c) Robert Patrick Rankin, 2018. */
 /* NetHack may be freely redistributed.  See license for details. */
@@ -1600,6 +1600,9 @@ do_screen_description(
                 *for_supplement = pm;
             if (!strcmp(look_buf, "ice"))
                 (void) ice_descr(cc.x, cc.y, look_buf);
+            if (!strcmp(look_buf, "staircase down")
+                && on_level(&u.uz, &qstart_level) && !ok_to_quest())
+                Strcpy(look_buf, "blocked staircase down");
 
             if (look_buf[0] != '\0')
                 *firstmatch = look_buf;