Corpse Rot

Version 0.29: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

Corpse Rot

Corpse Rot is a level 4 Necromancy/Air Magic/Poison Magic spell which grants the Rot status effect to the caster for a short time. Nearby slain enemies will be converted into clouds of miasma surrounding the caster for as long as the associated Rot status effect persists. Any living thing which enters these clouds will suffer drain, poison, slow, and take damage. Most enemies who aren't immune will try to avoid this, so the spell can be used to block off corridors much like Conjure Flame. The cloud can be created on top of an enemy if it is adjacent to the caster when the spell is cast.

Each slain enemy in sight will be converted into one cloud of miasma, which will be randomly distributed among the adjacent tiles and last 2-9 turns. Additional slain enemies over the number of available tiles will still rot, and create an additional layer of miasma.

Strategy

• While this spell is unlikely to wipe out any powerful enemies, hitting an entire group with guaranteed slow and poison can be very helpful, granting you additional turns to safely kite enemies or the opportunity to flee entirely.
• If you are short on fodder to slay, Kiku's Unearth Wretches ability can provide improved coverage. If you are not immune to miasma, beware the additional chance of boxing yourself in.
• Clouds will never be formed on closed doors. You can use this to provide yourself a guaranteed escape route.
• This spell has some extra synergy with Undead and Gargoyle players, who are immune to miasma and can walk through their own clouds. High level Transmutations like Storm Form, Statue Form or Necromutation also grant miasma immunity.

Desirability

With its triple school training and medium spell level, this spell requires significant investment for otherwise a middling supportive effect at most. Miasma is a powerful cloud type, but many enemies will prefer to stay out and pelt you with ranged attacks while you box yourself in. In the late game, many monsters are immune to its effect. Considering the vast quantities of necromantic spells available to the player and the scarcity of spell slots, this spell has high competition.

History

• Prior to 0.29, Corpse Rot would consume corpses to create miasma clouds around the caster without the status effect, was level 2, and did not require Poison Magic.
• Prior to 0.26, Corpse Rot inflicted actual rot, and Vine Stalkers were immune.
• Prior to 0.25, Corpse Rot generated miasma clouds at the position of the corpses, rather than surrounding the caster.
• Prior to 0.15, you were able to pick up corpses. You could position a corpse in a specific place through use of Portal Projectile.