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Summon Horrible Things

2026-03-16T18:00:51Z

Kaboissonneault: Phrasing of Doom

{{version034}}
{{spell info}}

'''Summon Horrible Things''' is a level 8 [[Summonings|Summoning]] spell that summons a horde of [[large abomination]]s and [[tentacled monstrosities]].

Players colloquially refer to this spell as '''XXX'''.

==Useful Info==
When cast, 2 to 6 [[large abomination]]s and 0 to 2 [[tentacled monstrosities]] are summoned. On cast, this spell inflicts 2-5% [[Doom]] upon the player, with a 25% chance of an extra 6-10%.<ref>{{source ref|0.34.0|spl-summoning.cc|1405}}</ref>

Higher [[spell power]] may increase the number of the creatures.
*The number of large abominations summoned is <code>1 + 1d3</code>, plus a <code>power / 200</code> chance for an extra one.
*There is a <code>1 - (121 / power)</code> chance for two tentacled monstrosities, and if that fails an independent <code>1 - (51 / power)</code> chance for one monstrosity. If no monstrosities were created, one extra abomination is created instead.

There is a summon limit of 8 horrible things; additional summons will cause the oldest to very quickly time out.

Duration of the summons is around 27 turns ([[duration class]] 3), which does not depend on the spell power.

==Strategy==
This is one of the most powerful Summonings spells in the game. It has a high summon cap and summons multiple, relatively powerful, monsters at a time. Large abominations hit fairly hard, dealing up to 40 damage per hit. Tentacled monstrosities deal more damage, are resistant to many elements, and [[constriction|constrict]] foes, drastically reducing their [[ev]]asion.

The willpower penalty is annoying, and it stacks, meaning it's hard to overequip willpower to counteract it. It can be mitigated by using summons in order to block line of fire, but there are always times where a deadly hexer can come from behind and get a deadly status like [[paralysis]] off.

The undead only have to worry about drain, meaning this spell is far less risky.

==Monster Version==
The monster version of Summon Horrible Things creates 3 to 5 monsters, each one has 75% chance of being a large abomination and 25% chance of being a tentacled monstrosity.<ref>{{source ref|0.32.0|mon-cast.cc|6921}}</ref>

The duration class of the summons ranges from 2 (around 18 turns) to 6 (around 171 turns), based on the strength of the caster. Monsters do not suffer any ill effects from casting the spell.

{{monsters with spell}}

==History==
*Prior to [[0.34]], casting this spell could give a [[Weak-Willed]] temporary mutation instead of giving [[Doom]].
*Prior to [[0.33]], casting this spell could inflict 1 point of intelligence drain. In addition, [[Xom]] casting the spell would not affect the player.
*Prior to [[0.28]], all summons would take a share of XP whenever they did damage. This made it somewhat harder to recover intelligence drain by only using this spell.
*Prior to [[0.19]], casting this spell could inflict 1-2 points of intelligence drain.
*Prior to [[0.15]], casting this spell could inflict 1-3 points of intelligence drain.
*Prior to [[0.2]], the summons created were permanent.

==References==
<references/>

Summon Horrible Things

2026-03-16T17:57:17Z

Kaboissonneault: Updated the cast penalty to 0.34

{{version034}}
{{spell info}}

'''Summon Horrible Things''' is a level 8 [[Summonings|Summoning]] spell that summons a horde of [[large abomination]]s and [[tentacled monstrosities]].

Players colloquially refer to this spell as '''XXX'''.

==Useful Info==
When cast, 2 to 6 [[large abomination]]s and 0 to 2 [[tentacled monstrosities]] are summoned. After casting this spell, the player gains 2-5% on the [[Doom]] meter, with a 25% chance of an extra 6-10%.<ref>{{source ref|0.34.0|spl-summoning.cc|1405}}</ref>

Higher [[spell power]] may increase the number of the creatures.
*The number of large abominations summoned is <code>1 + 1d3</code>, plus a <code>power / 200</code> chance for an extra one.
*There is a <code>1 - (121 / power)</code> chance for two tentacled monstrosities, and if that fails an independent <code>1 - (51 / power)</code> chance for one monstrosity. If no monstrosities were created, one extra abomination is created instead.

There is a summon limit of 8 horrible things; additional summons will cause the oldest to very quickly time out.

Duration of the summons is around 27 turns ([[duration class]] 3), which does not depend on the spell power.

==Strategy==
This is one of the most powerful Summonings spells in the game. It has a high summon cap and summons multiple, relatively powerful, monsters at a time. Large abominations hit fairly hard, dealing up to 40 damage per hit. Tentacled monstrosities deal more damage, are resistant to many elements, and [[constriction|constrict]] foes, drastically reducing their [[ev]]asion.

The willpower penalty is annoying, and it stacks, meaning it's hard to overequip willpower to counteract it. It can be mitigated by using summons in order to block line of fire, but there are always times where a deadly hexer can come from behind and get a deadly status like [[paralysis]] off.

The undead only have to worry about drain, meaning this spell is far less risky.

==Monster Version==
The monster version of Summon Horrible Things creates 3 to 5 monsters, each one has 75% chance of being a large abomination and 25% chance of being a tentacled monstrosity.<ref>{{source ref|0.32.0|mon-cast.cc|6921}}</ref>

The duration class of the summons ranges from 2 (around 18 turns) to 6 (around 171 turns), based on the strength of the caster. Monsters do not suffer any ill effects from casting the spell.

{{monsters with spell}}

==History==
*Prior to [[0.34]], casting this spell could give a [[Weak-Willed]] temporary mutation instead of giving [[Doom]].
*Prior to [[0.33]], casting this spell could inflict 1 point of intelligence drain. In addition, [[Xom]] casting the spell would not affect the player.
*Prior to [[0.28]], all summons would take a share of XP whenever they did damage. This made it somewhat harder to recover intelligence drain by only using this spell.
*Prior to [[0.19]], casting this spell could inflict 1-2 points of intelligence drain.
*Prior to [[0.15]], casting this spell could inflict 1-3 points of intelligence drain.
*Prior to [[0.2]], the summons created were permanent.

==References==
<references/>

Summon Horrible Things

2025-06-25T18:24:51Z

Kaboissonneault: Updated history for 0.33

{{version032}}
{{spell info}}

'''Summon Horrible Things''' is a level 8 [[Summonings|Summoning]] spell that summons a horde of [[large abomination]]s and [[tentacled monstrosities]].

Players colloquially refer to this spell as '''XXX'''.

==Useful Info==
When cast, 2 to 6 [[large abomination]]s and 0 to 2 [[tentacled monstrosities]] are summoned. After casting this spell, the player has a 25% chance to get a temporary [[Weak-Willed]] mutation.<ref>{{source ref|0.33.0|spl-summoning.cc|1414}}</ref> Undead characters get drained instead of mutated as usual, but have a 50% chance to ignore the drain from temporary mutations.

Higher [[spell power]] may increase the number of the creatures.
*The number of large abominations summoned is <code>1 + 1d3</code>, plus a <code>power / 200</code> chance for an extra one.
*There is a <code>1 - (121 / power)</code> chance for two tentacled monstrosities, and if that fails an independent <code>1 - (51 / power)</code> chance for one monstrosity. If no monstrosities were created, one extra abomination is created instead.

There is a summon limit of 8 horrible things; additional summons will cause the oldest to very quickly time out.

Duration of the summons is around 27 turns ([[duration class]] 3), which does not depend on the spell power.

==Strategy==
This is one of the most powerful Summonings spells in the game. It has a high summon cap and summons multiple, relatively powerful, monsters at a time. Large abominations hit fairly hard, dealing up to 40 damage per hit. Tentacled monstrosities deal more damage, are resistant to many elements, and [[constriction|constrict]] foes, drastically reducing their [[ev]]asion.

The intelligence drain is mostly negligible, as long as you don't use this spell for every single encounter.

==Monster Version==
The monster version of Summon Horrible Things creates 3 to 5 monsters, each one has 75% chance of being a large abomination and 25% chance of being a tentacled monstrosity.<ref>{{source ref|0.32.0|mon-cast.cc|6921}}</ref>

The duration class of the summons ranges from 2 (around 18 turns) to 6 (around 171 turns), based on the strength of the caster. Monsters do not suffer any ill effects from casting the spell.

{{monsters with spell}}

==History==
*Prior to [[0.33]], casting this spell could inflict 1 point of intelligence drain instead of giving a [[Weak-Willed]] temporary mutation. In addition, [[Xom]] casting the spell would not affect the player.
*Prior to [[0.28]], all summons would take a share of XP whenever they did damage. This made it somewhat harder to recover intelligence drain by only using this spell.
*Prior to [[0.19]], casting this spell could inflict 1-2 points of intelligence drain.
*Prior to [[0.15]], casting this spell could inflict 1-3 points of intelligence drain.
*Prior to [[0.2]], the summons created were permanent.

==References==
<references/>

Summon Horrible Things

2025-06-25T18:21:15Z

Kaboissonneault: Updated info for 0.33

{{version032}}
{{spell info}}

'''Summon Horrible Things''' is a level 8 [[Summonings|Summoning]] spell that summons a horde of [[large abomination]]s and [[tentacled monstrosities]].

Players colloquially refer to this spell as '''XXX'''.

==Useful Info==
When cast, 2 to 6 [[large abomination]]s and 0 to 2 [[tentacled monstrosities]] are summoned. After casting this spell, the player has a 25% chance to get a temporary [[Weak-Willed]] mutation.<ref>{{source ref|0.33.0|spl-summoning.cc|1414}}</ref> Undead characters get drained instead of mutated as usual, but have a 50% chance to ignore the drain from temporary mutations.

Higher [[spell power]] may increase the number of the creatures.
*The number of large abominations summoned is <code>1 + 1d3</code>, plus a <code>power / 200</code> chance for an extra one.
*There is a <code>1 - (121 / power)</code> chance for two tentacled monstrosities, and if that fails an independent <code>1 - (51 / power)</code> chance for one monstrosity. If no monstrosities were created, one extra abomination is created instead.

There is a summon limit of 8 horrible things; additional summons will cause the oldest to very quickly time out.

Duration of the summons is around 27 turns ([[duration class]] 3), which does not depend on the spell power.

==Strategy==
This is one of the most powerful Summonings spells in the game. It has a high summon cap and summons multiple, relatively powerful, monsters at a time. Large abominations hit fairly hard, dealing up to 40 damage per hit. Tentacled monstrosities deal more damage, are resistant to many elements, and [[constriction|constrict]] foes, drastically reducing their [[ev]]asion.

The intelligence drain is mostly negligible, as long as you don't use this spell for every single encounter.

==Monster Version==
The monster version of Summon Horrible Things creates 3 to 5 monsters, each one has 75% chance of being a large abomination and 25% chance of being a tentacled monstrosity.<ref>{{source ref|0.32.0|mon-cast.cc|6921}}</ref>

The duration class of the summons ranges from 2 (around 18 turns) to 6 (around 171 turns), based on the strength of the caster. Monsters do not suffer any ill effects from casting the spell.

{{monsters with spell}}

==History==
{{CBA|0.33|[[Xom]] casting the spell will drain player's Int as normal.}}
*Prior to [[0.28]], all summons would take a share of XP whenever they did damage. This made it somewhat harder to recover intelligence drain by only using this spell.
*Prior to [[0.19]], casting this spell could inflict 1-2 points of intelligence drain.
*Prior to [[0.15]], casting this spell could inflict 1-3 points of intelligence drain.
*Prior to [[0.2]], the summons created were permanent.

==References==
<references/>

Distortion

2025-01-28T19:22:49Z

Kaboissonneault: Removed comment about XL 27 characters being able to "survive Abyss before A:7". Abyss only has 5 levels, and A means Shoals

{{version031}}
{{flavour|It warps and distorts space around it, and may blink, banish, or inflict extra damage upon those it strikes. Unwielding it can cause banishment or high damage.}}

'''Distortion''' is a [[brand]] that any melee [[weapon]] may have. Distortion weapons bend and tear the fabric of space-time, and generate a variety of effects when they hit:<ref>{{source ref|0.30.1|attack.cc|486}}</ref>

{| class="prettytable" style="border:none; margin:0; padding:0;"
|-
! Chance
! Effect
|-
| 35%
| The target takes an additional 1-7 damage
|-
| 25%
| The target takes an additional 3-26 damage (14.5 on average, low variation)
|-
| 20%
| The target [[blink]]s
|-
| 5%
| The target is [[banish]]ed to [[the Abyss]]
|-
| 15%
| Nothing happens
|}

===Unwielding===
Conversely, unwielding a weapon branded with distortion also causes '''dangerous unwielding effects''' to the player:
* 50% chance: [[teleport]] to random monsters on the floor
* 25% chance: inflict significant [[magical contamination]]
* 25% chance: [[banish]]ed to the [[Abyss]]

Distortion weapons are considered [[evil]], so the [[good god]]s forbid their use.

Followers of [[Lugonu]] are protected from these effects. Pious followers of Lugonu can have a weapon branded with distortion once per game, guaranteeing them access to the brand's effects.
__TOC__

==Strategy==
Distortion is a powerful brand. It deals more damage than [[electrocution]], even before considering the banish chance, and distortion can't be resisted. In practice, banishment equates to a 5% of a one-hit kill; it can even banish otherwise hex-immune foes like the [[Hell]] lords. Like electrocution, it works best on fast weapons (e.g. [[Short Blades]] and [[demon whip]]s), since faster weapons will activate more distortion effects.

However, this brand isn't perfect; it might blink ranged enemies away, or banish foes with desired equipment. Note that blinking gives you no message when it occurs, which can suddenly leave you with empty space where that monster used to be. When auto-attacking, you may move into an unintended spot.

Note that distortion is quite rare to come by without Lugonu, and has very dangerous unwield effects.

===Enemy Distortion===
For monsters with distortion weapons (or with an inherent distortion-branded attack, like [[spatial vortex|spatial vortices]]), do your absolute best not to let them into melee range. For underleveled characters, getting sent into the [[Abyss]] can quickly lead to unwinnable situations.
*[[Tukima's Dance]] is a great spell against distortion-wielding foes; not only does it permanently disarm their weapon, but it becomes a [[dancing weapon]] on your side.
*Certain [[uniques]] are likely to possess distortion weapons: [[Psyche]], [[Sonja]], and [[The Enchantress]].

===Tips & Tricks===
*Even if you never plan to use it, you may want to keep a weapon of distortion around. The unwield effects, while usually negative, can be used as a last-ditch escape tool:
**If you're [[confuse]]d by [[Sigmund]] with 0 other options, you can try to activate the teleport effect. Banishment might end up helping you, as [[Lugonu]] altars frequently appear in the Abyss.
**Getting sent to the Abyss is deadly for most stages of the game, but the Abyss can be safer than [[Zot:5]]'s Orb chamber, and is likely safer than [[Mega-Zig]] floors.
**For turn count [[speedrun]]s, you can unwield distortion in order to get to Abyss faster. Getting "unintentionally" banished means you can end up on Abyss:3-4, without having to pass through the upper levels first.
*Casters that like to keep enemies away from them may find a distortion branded polearm quite useful, since its blink effect creates space between you and monsters. It's wise to train at least a little skill so you can hit at a reasonable (1.0) delay.
*Banish does ''not'' count as a kill, even though it gives full experience. Most gods won't reward you, and effects like [[Powered By Death]] won't activate.
**Pay special attention to [[the Royal Jelly]]. If you banish TRJ, the walls won't open unless you dive to the Abyss to kill it.

==History==
*Prior to [[0.31]], distortion wouldn't offend the [[good god]]s. Also, if a monster performed an [[attack of opportunity]], distortion could not inflict banish or blink.
*Prior to [[0.27]], distortion was an extremely punishing brand for those who wield-[[Identification|ID]]'d items. Weapons were not identified until you wielded them, and any glowing weapon could have been distortion-branded.
*Prior to [[0.26]], distortion had a 10% chance to banish on attack, but banishment gave half experience.
*Prior to [[0.25]], distortion weapons had a chance of [[teleport]]ing monsters away from you when attacking. They also caused [[Translocations]] [[miscast effect]]s when unwielded.
*Prior to [[0.19]], distortion weapons could sometimes heal [[blink frog]]s (including the unique blink frog [[Prince Ribbit]]), who were immune to all of the effects of the distortion brand. Additionally, the spell [[Warp Weapon]] existed, which could apply a temporary distortion brand to your weapon.
*Prior to [[0.15]], rebranding a distortion weapon (e.g. by a [[Scroll of brand weapon]]) caused a distortion effect.
*Prior to [[0.14]], followers of Lugonu were not protected from the effects of unwielding a distortion weapon.
*Prior to [[0.12]], this brand was safer when found on sharp weapons, since blunt weapons didn't allow butchering corpses.
*Prior to [[0.6]], using a weapon of distortion would offend the good gods.

==References==
<references />

{{brands}}

[[Category:Brands]]