Draft:Shadow spirit
| S Shadow spirit | |
|---|---|
| Form | Ordinary creature |
| Attacks | 3 center attacks, raw 0–19 each, plus life drain of strength 5; no defense |
| Special abilities | Blackout and life drain |
| Base level | 5 |
| HP | 40 |
| Hit | 18 |
| Defense | 18 |
| Action interval | 7 ticks; lower is faster |
| Kill experience | 175, when death is in sight |
| Generation | Ordinary and special encounters |
| Carried items | No fixed item; 0–1 random possessions |
| Immunities | Physical damage |
| Remains | Shadowstuff; 50% on normal death |
| Remains use | Inedible; light-scroll alchemy |
Traits
| |
| Reference | minit.h in Omega 0.90.4, line 177[1] |
A shadow spirit is a physically immune, intangible life-drainer that can blind the player and darken its room. Its blackout messages refer to a fungus, but the same ability is also used by this spirit.[2]
Generation
Shadow spirits belong to ordinary random-monster pools and dedicated selections in the sewers and the Astral Plane. An ordinary spirit has no fixed item and zero or one random possession.[3]
Touch and blackout
The spirit makes three attacks at the center, each dealing a raw 0–19 physical damage before a separate life-drain attempt of strength five. Negative-energy immunity stops the drain. Otherwise each successful touch can remove five character levels or reduce strength and constitution by five; either attribute below three is fatal. Damage absorption or displacement does not itself stop that rider.[4]
Its blackout can add four blindness counts while within three squares, unless you are already blind or have true sight. Blindness normally loses a count at each ten-minute game-time status check. If the spirit stands on a lit square, blackout also consumes six checks of hand-held torch duration and darkens the room. True sight prevents this blindness, not the room-darkening effect; the ability does not independently require hostility.[5]
The shadow spirit has physical immunity and intangibility, but no innate elemental, sleep or negative-energy immunity. It has no ranged attack and does not independently drain mana.[6]
Shadowstuff
Normal death drops possessions and has a 50% chance to leave shadowstuff. It is inedible. Ambrosias buys it for 3 Au or charges 20 Au to convert the selected stack into one blessed +5 scroll of light. The conversion produces illumination, not the spirit's blackout ability.[7]
Strategy
Fire or another applicable nonphysical attack can remove its ordinary 40 HP without prolonged exposure to three life-draining touches. Negative-energy protection is more important than armor alone for melee. True sight protects vision from the blackout, but neither it nor a wall prevents the spirit from approaching. Keep the difference between blindness protection and room lighting in mind when relying on a torch.
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 177; mspec.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 364–382.
- ↑ lev.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 105–140; lev.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 280–395; minit.h in Omega 0.90.4, line 177.
- ↑ minit.h in Omega 0.90.4, line 177; mmelee.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 8–20; mmelee.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 121–128; effect3.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 1167–1191.
- ↑ mspec.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 364–382; aux2.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 310–339; 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 177; mon.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 418–524; util.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 93–159.
- ↑ mon.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 134–203; itemf1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 664–749; minit.h in Omega 0.90.4, line 177; site1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 845–869; iinit.h in Omega 0.90.4, line 134.