Transformation

Version 0.32: This article is up to date for the latest stable release of Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup.

Transformations are effects that completely alter the form of a creature's body. Most forms are willingly caused to help the player, but a few bad forms exist.

Useful Info

There are two major types of transformations:

• Talisman forms: Forms that use Shapeshifting skill. These are permanent, but can be overridden by a temporary form, and manually ended at will.
• Temporary forms: Includes bad forms and Shadow Form. These forms end after a certain amount of time - they cannot be ended manually. However, they can be ended early by a potion of cancellation and Quicksilver Bolt (the latter leaves 1 turn left on the duration).

Transmutations can cause the following changes, depending on the form:

• Modify Unarmed Combat
• Have innate properties, like bonus HP, AC, stats, or resistances.
• Have a different size or movement speed to your base form
• Meld certain types of equipment. Melded equipment ceases to have any effect, positive or negative. Melded items are not unequipped, rendering you safe from an artefact's Drain and Contam.

Being in any form will also make you vulnerable to silver weaponry (+75% damage from silver weapons)

Undead creatures cannot be transformed except for Shadow Form. For players, this means that Ghouls and Mummies can never be transformed, while Vampires can only be transformed when Alive. Death Form renders you immune to temporary forms, but you can still use other talismans.

Monsters cannot transform; any transformation effect will instead polymorph the creature permanently.

Table of Transformations

Talisman Forms

Form	Skill	Melded Gear	Offense	Defense	Resist	Other
Beast Form	0-7	Helmet Cloak Gloves Boots	+0-4 slaying	100% HP	-	-
Flux Form	7-14	Weapon & shield Body armour	×66% melee dmg First hit on foe: Corona Third hit on foe: malmutate, extra damage	100% HP +4 EV	-	Cannot go invisible ×0.4 stealth Cannot throw items
Blade Form	10-19	Weapon & shield Gloves	15-23 UC base damage +6 Offhand punch damage	100% HP Lose 100%-0% AC from body armour	-	Cannot throw items
Maw Form	10-19	Body armour	5 UC base damage Maw auxiliary attack	100% HP	-	Heal on kill
Serpent Form	10-19	Weapon & shield All armour	10 UC base damage Constriction +5 strength	120% HP 9-15 AC	rPois Amphibious	Sets move delay to 1.0 Cold blooded Large
Dragon Form	16-23	Weapon & shield All armour	24-33 UC base damage 2 auxiliary attacks +10 strength	150% HP 12-18 AC	rF++ rC- rPois	Breathe Fire ability Sets move delay to 1.0 Giant, Flying
Statue Form	16-23	Body armour Gloves Boots	12 UC base damage ×150% melee dmg	130% HP 27-38 AC	rPois∞ rElec rN+ rTorm rPetrify Nonliving	All actions ×150% slower Sets move delay to 1.0 (slowed to 1.5) Vuln. to LRD/Shatter
Death Form	23-27	None	9 UC base damage Melee inflicts slow, drained, weak	100% HP	rC+ rPois∞ rN+++ rTorm∞ Will+ Undead	Siphon Essence ability
Storm Form	23-27	Weapon & shield All armour	24-30 UC base damage Electrocution, cleaving	100% HP 12-15 AC +20-27 EV	rPois∞ rElec Insubstantial, Nonliving	Blinkbolt ability Sets move delay to 1.0 Flying

Bad Forms:

Form	Melded Gear	Offense	Defense	Resist	Other
Bat Form	Weapon & shield All armour Rings	1 UC base damage 20% dmg from skill	100% HP	-	Move delay set to 0.6 No spellcasting Tiny, Flying
Fungus Form	Weapon & shield All armour Rings	12 UC base damage Confusion melee	100% HP	rPois rTorm∞	Move delay set to 1.0 Cannot move if foe in sight Tiny
Pig Form	Weapon & shield All armour Rings	1 UC base damage 20% dmg from skill	100% HP	-	Move delay set to 0.7 No spellcasting Little
Tree Form	All armour	12 UC base damage	150% HP 20 + XL/2 AC EV = 2	rPois rTorm∞ rDrown	Cannot move Cannot teleport or blink
Wisp Form	Weapon & shield All armour All jewellery	5 + XL/2 UC	100% HP 5 + XL/2 AC	rF++ rC++ rPois∞ rElec rN+++ rTorm rCorr Insubstantial	No spellcasting Flying

History

• In 0.33, transformations will be reworked once more:
  • A bunch of new talismans will be added, and several existing talismans will be reworked.
  • Baubles will be added as a new consumable item type that allows the player to temporarily transform. Flux baubles will allow players to enter Flux Form instead of flux talismans.
  • The interactions between mutations and forms will follow one of three rules:
    • 1) forms can now be considered to modify only the player's anatomy while leaving their substance alone (ie: most fully-body animal forms),
    • 2) modifying only their substance while leaving their anatomy alone (ie: statue form),
    • or 3) modifying both (ie: tree form).

As a result, Gargoyles won't be susceptible to LRD and Shatter in substance-affecting forms, like Wisp Form. Nagas and Barachim will have their slow movement tied to their tail/hop mutations, so they will either retain both or lose both in any form. Spriggans will keep their fast movement in forms. Gnoll's item detection won't be suppressed by forms too.

• Silver weapons will do full damage to the player in any form.

• In 0.32, Shadow Form was removed.
• In 0.31, transformations were reworked. Transmutations magic was replaced by talismans, which use Shapeshifting skill. Removed forms include Beastly Appendage, Spider Form, and Ice Form; the other good forms were largely overhauled.
• Prior to 0.28, plant based forms had 3 levels of Life Protection.
• Prior to 0.27, many forms had dedicated GDR ratios. Also, Hydra Form was replaced with Storm Form.
• Prior to 0.22, most forms could not use wands.
• Prior to 0.20, wands of polymorph could polymorph the player into most forms, not just the five bad forms. Porcupine form was removed in 0.20.
• Hydra Form was added in 0.16.
• Shadow Form was added with Dithmenos in 0.14.