Draft:Catoblepas
| C Catoblepas | |
|---|---|
| Form | Ordinary creature |
| Attacks | 1 physical attack, raw 0–19; 1 defense |
| Special abilities | Blinding gaze; valuable gifts take priority over food |
| Base level | 3 |
| HP | 100 |
| Hit | 10 |
| Defense | 10 |
| Action interval | 8 ticks; lower is faster |
| Kill experience | 50, when death is in sight |
| Generation | Ordinary and special encounters |
| Carried items | None at ordinary generation |
| Immunities | None innate |
| Remains | Catoblepas' eyes; 50% on normal death |
| Remains use | Eating lowers food; gaze-immunity ring alchemy |
Traits
| |
| Reference | minit.h in Omega 0.90.4, line 99[1] |
A catoblepas is a slow, tough creature with a blinding gaze. Its eyes are harmful food but can be converted into protection against gaze attacks.[2]
Generation
Catoblepas belong to ordinary random-monster pools and the dedicated sewer encounter selection. Ordinary construction gives them no possessions.[3]
Gaze and behavior
For the distinction between gaze immunity, true sight and curing an existing condition, see Blindness.
The gaze requires line of sight, a distance below five and a player who is not already blind. The usual ranged-action rules restrict ordinary opportunities to distances three and four. Without gaze immunity, it sets blindness to one through four counts; these normally expire at ten-minute game-time status checks. Repeated gazes do not extend existing blindness through this routine.[4]
In melee it makes one physical attack for a raw 0–19 damage and has one defense. It has no innate immunities. It is greedy as well as hungry, so the valuable-gift response takes priority: a single gift worth at least 300 Au pacifies it, while an ordinary inexpensive ration does not reach a separate hungry response.[5]
Eyes
Normal death has a 50% chance to leave catoblepas' eyes. Eating them causes vomiting and reduces food to at most four; it does not grant gaze resistance. Ambrosias instead charges 100 Au to convert the selected eyes into one blessed +3 ring of gaze immunity, or buys the material for 16 Au. The worn ring supplies gaze immunity without a stronger effect from its +3.[6]
Strategy
Break line of sight or avoid lingering at gaze range. Entering melee stops the ordinary ranged gaze opportunity but exposes you to physical attacks; doing so does not cure blindness already inflicted. Its long action interval and lack of innate immunity leave room for disabling or ranged attacks, provided you account for its 100 HP.
Save the eyes for alchemy when gaze protection is useful. Eating them is especially undesirable while short of food, because the result can discard existing nutrition rather than supply any.
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 8–145; 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 99; mstrike.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 42–66; itemf1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 738–747.
- ↑ lev.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 105–120; lev.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 280–395; minit.h in Omega 0.90.4, line 99.
- ↑ mon.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 12–69; mstrike.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 42–66; aux2.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 410–416; aux3.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 11–47.
- ↑ minit.h in Omega 0.90.4, line 99; mmelee.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 8–145; inv.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 410–467.
- ↑ minit.h in Omega 0.90.4, line 99; mon.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 134–203; itemf1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 738–747; site1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 845–869; iinit.h in Omega 0.90.4, line 340; itemf2.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 66–71.