Draft:Loathly serpent
| S Loathly serpent | |
|---|---|
| Form | Ordinary creature |
| Attacks | 4 physical attacks, including 1 lunge, raw 0–59 each; 70% poison chance per hit; 2 defenses |
| Special abilities | Poison; acid corrosion; accepts safe food |
| Base level | 7 |
| HP | 150 |
| Hit | 50 |
| Defense | 40 |
| Action interval | 8 ticks; lower is faster |
| Kill experience | 380, when death is in sight |
| Generation | Ordinary and special encounters |
| Carried items | No fixed item; 0–5 random possessions |
| Immunities | Poison, fear, sleep |
| Remains | Dead loathly serpent; 50% on ordinary normal death |
| Remains use | Inedible; no alchemy |
Traits
| |
| Reference | minit.h in Omega 0.90.4, line 239[1] |
A loathly serpent combines poisonous melee attacks with nearby acid corrosion. It is a hungry swimming monster that can be pacified with safe food.[2]
Generation
Loathly serpents occur in ordinary random pools, including the Volcano's level-4–9 branch. Their separate depth-indexed entry is unreachable within its twenty levels. They begin hostile, with zero through five random possessions and no fixed item.[3]
Poison and acid
The serpent makes four physical attacks, including a lunge, and has two defenses. Each hit deals a raw 0–59 damage and has a 70% chance to add sixty poison counts. Poison immunity blocks that addition; preventing the physical damage alone does not. Repeated poisoning accumulates and causes damage at minute-status checks.[4]
While hostile and within two squares, its special action can corrode equipment. A worn cloak is affected first, otherwise body armor; either case also deals three acid damage. With neither, the acid deals 25 damage. Acid immunity prevents the HP damage but does not itself stop the equipment-corrosion call.[5]
The serpent is immune to poison, fear and sleep, but not acid. Safe food removes hostility and stops its hostility-dependent melee and acid attacks. Poisonous food cannot hurt a poison-immune serpent and uses up the hungry response without pacifying it.[6]
Remains
Normal death has a 50% chance to leave a dead loathly serpent. Its corpse is inedible rather than poisonous food, and has no alchemical transformation.[7]
Strategy
Poison protection is especially valuable against four opportunities to apply a large dose, but it leaves both physical damage and acid corrosion. Feeding is an alternative when a safe food item is available. Fight outside the acid radius when possible; a swimmer cannot be contained by water, and acid immunity alone does not safeguard worn gear.
References
- ↑ lev.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 373–394; mon.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 134–203; mmelee.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 8–148; mmelee.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 227–311; aux2.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 689–727; time.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 47–74; item.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 63–139. Ordinary construction, combat, timing and remains.
- ↑ minit.h in Omega 0.90.4, line 239; inv.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 410–467.
- ↑ lev.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 166–195; lev.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 280–394; defs.h in Omega 0.90.4, line 156.
- ↑ minit.h in Omega 0.90.4, line 239; mmelee.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 8–20; mmelee.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 110–119; effect3.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 537–545; aux2.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 201–208.
- ↑ mspec.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 102–109; effect3.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 476–498; aux1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 397–484.
- ↑ minit.h in Omega 0.90.4, line 239; inv.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 410–467.
- ↑ mon.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 193–201; item.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 63–139; itemf1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 664–749.