Mummy

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

This page covers the player species. For the monster, see Mummy (monster). For a list of all monstrous mummies, see List of mummies.

These are undead creatures who travel into the depths in search of revenge, redemption, or just because they want to. Mummies progress slowly in levels, half again as slowly as Humans in all skills except fighting, spellcasting and necromancy. The sacred embalming rituals that brought them into unlife also grant them a special connection with the divine, and as they increase in levels, they become increasingly in touch with the powers of death. However, their desiccated bodies are highly flammable. They also cannot drink. Like other undead, mummies are naturally immune to poisons, negative energy and torment; have little warmth left to be affected by cold; and are not susceptible to mutations.

Innate Abilities

• Mummies are undead creatures, and have the following innate traits:
  • Cold Resistance 1: Mummies are resistant to cold.
  • Life Protection 3: Mummies are resistant to negative energy.
  • Poison Immunity: Mummies are immune to poison.
  • Torment Immunity: Mummies cannot be tormented.
  • Mummies cannot gain mutations, use talismans, or be polymorphed. When mutated, they receive stat penalties instead.
  • Mummies are unbreathing, cannot be put to sleep, cannot go berserk, and do not have blood.
  • Mummies are vulnerable to Dispel Undead, holy damage, and holy wrath-branded weapons. They may not worship the good gods (The Shining One, Zin, or Elyvilon). The holy wrath brand will not function on weapons they wield.
  • Mummies cannot use the spells Borgnjor's Revivification, Death's Door, or Sublimation of Blood.
• Fire vulnerability: Mummies take extra damage from fire.
• Faith: Mummies gain +25% piety from gods, and will receive divine gifts 33% more often. Does not stack with the amulet of faith.
• In Touch With Death 1: Mummies have a spell enhancer to all Necromancy spells, increasing their spell power.
• Mummies are incapable of drinking potions of any kind.

Mummies have a base Strength of 11, Intelligence of 7 and Dexterity of 7 (before Background modifiers).

Preferred Backgrounds

• Zealots: Cinder Acolyte
• Mages: Hedge Wizard, Conjurer, Summoner, Necromancer, Ice Elementalist

Mummies are prohibited from becoming Shapeshifters, as they can't change form.

Level Bonuses

• +1 to a random stat every 5th level.
• Average HP.
• Average MP.
• +5 willpower per level.
• Gain a second spell enhancer to Necromancy at level 13.

Starting Skills and Equipment

Mummies receive the skills and equipment listed for their background, with the following exceptions:

• Mummies start with no potions of any kind.

Difficulty of Play

Mummies are, without a doubt, a challenge species. They can't quaff potions, which knocks out many emergency options. Confusion is a much greater threat, since they can't use potions of curing to end it. Intrinsic rF- can cause sudden and lethal spikes in damage (until its negated by rF+). In addition, mummies have poor skill aptitudes. Having undead resistances, an intrinsic amulet of faith, and 2 Necromancy enhancers is more of a consolation prize than anything.

Skill aptitudes

The higher the value, the better the aptitude.

Skill	Aptitude	Skill	Aptitude	Skill	Aptitude
Attack		Miscellaneous		Magic
Fighting	0	Armour	-2	Spellcasting	2
		Dodging	-2
Maces & Flails	-2	Shields	-2	Conjurations	-2
Axes	-2	Stealth	-1	Hexes	-1
Polearms	-2			Summonings	-2
Staves	-2	Invocations	-1	Necromancy	0
Unarmed Combat	-2	Evocations	-2	Translocations	-2
Throwing	-2	Shapeshifting	N/A	Alchemy	-2
				Fire Magic	-2
Short Blades	-2			Ice Magic	-2
Long Blades	-2			Air Magic	-2
Ranged Weapons	-2	Experience	-1	Earth Magic	-2

Strategy

Mummies are intentionally difficult, but there are ways to play to their advantages (such as they are).

Necromancer is a decent start for Mummies, as it gives you access to allies so long as you can kill enemies. In addition to their innate spell boost, mummies are also immune to many of the miscast effects.

Assuming you have managed to offset their rF-, high level Mummies fare well in the optional extended endgame. However, one has to survive all the non-optional parts first, during which time torment immunity barely helps, and all the disadvantages of Mummies are as salient as ever.

Confusion

Mummies must always be careful of sources of confusion. Other than Ru, Mummies have no way of curing confusion, making it (almost) as bad as paralysis. In a similar vein, petrification can't be cancelled by the potion. Therefore, Mummies should value willpower and clarity highly.

Having willpower (and poison immunity) can stop most sources of confusion. However, a tarantella's touch can only be prevented by clarity, which you can only get by Ashenzari or a few unrands. This makes the Spider's Nest much more dangerous than usual. If you don't have clarity (or Ru), you can go down the stairs, get confused-locked, and die on the spot. Without a way to deal with tarantellas, you may have to skip Spider for a long time.

God Choice

Mummies have innate faith. While it makes sense to pick gods that benefit most from it, this isn't the only thing to consider.

Certain gods do not benefit from faith, but are great at negating the weaknesses of being a mummy:

• Ashenzari provides clarity (immunity to confusion) and boosts their normally poor skills. However, Ash doesn't provide any new options for dangerous situations, and does not benefit from faith.
• Gozag's Potion Petition is a cheap emergency option that makes up for the lack of potions, and is often stronger than potions. Shops let you get essential resistances (rF+, willpower...), while Bribe Branch can deal with troublesome floors in the lategame. Gozag only cares about gold, not about mummy's faith.
• Ru's Draw Out Power heals you while curing confusion / petrification. Both it and the passive Aura of Power are reusable tools that help make mummies stronger at general combat. Meanwhile, Apocalypse is as strong as ever. Faith increases the rate in which sacrifices are offered, but once you hit ****** piety, it is useless.

Other gods do benefit from faith, and also synergize with mummies well:

• Kikubaaqudgha provides the ability to Torment, which (unlike live species) won't hurt a mummy. This god also provides a path into Necromancy, and faith helps you spam Unearth Wretches more often.
• Okawaru is a good overall melee god. Heroism, Finesse, and gifts can make up for mummy's worse aptitudes, while Duel is a nice panic button.

History

• Prior to 0.31, Mummies gained their first Necromancy boost at level 3.
• Prior to 0.30, Mummies did not have innate Faith.
• Prior to 0.29, Mummies gained their Necromancy boosts at levels 13 and 26.
• Mummies were the species least affected by the removal of the hunger system in 0.26; for most of Crawl's history, they were notable as the one species that could truly ignore the food clock in its entirety. Also, Mummies had rotting immunity.
• Prior to 0.24, Fedhas Madash did not allow Mummy worshippers.
• In 0.20, Mummies' Spellcasting aptitude was increased from -1 to +2.
• Prior to 0.19, Mummies gained an ability at level 13 called Self-restoration, allowing them to sacrifice one point of max MP permanently to restore their stats and a bit of rotted HP.
• Prior to 0.17, Mummies did not gain a stat every 5th level.
• Prior to 0.8, Mummies gained 3 MR every level instead of 5.