Difference between revisions of "Ghoul"

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(→‎Appetite and Corpses: Removed the incorrect advice about only eating chunks when enemies are out of sight. Inhibited regeneration does not apply to ghoul chunk-eating, which means it's perfectly reasonable to eat chunks in the middle of a battle.)
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{{flavour|Ghouls are horrible undead creatures, slowly rotting away. Although Ghouls can sleep in their graves for years on end, when they rise to walk among the living, they must eat flesh to survive. Raw flesh is preferred, and Ghouls heal and reverse the effects of their eternal rotting by consuming it, but they can never become truly full.
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{{flavour|Ghouls are horrible undead creatures that sleep in their graves for years on end, only to rise and stalk the living. Slain foes heal these monstrous beings as they feast on the macabre energies released.
  
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They aren't very good at doing most things, although they make decent unarmed fighters with their claws and, due to their contact with the grave, can use ice, earth and death magic without too many difficulties.}}
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They aren't very good at doing most things, although they make decent unarmed fighters with their claws and, due to their contact with the grave, can use ice, earth and death magic without too many difficulties.
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Like other undead, ghouls 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==
 
==Innate Abilities==
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*Ghouls have the following innate resistances and immunities: [[Cold resistance|Cold Resistance 1]], [[Life Protection 3]], [[Poison Resistance]], [[Rot Resistance]], and immunity to [[Torment]]. Ghouls will [[rot]] instead of [[mutate]].
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*Ghouls are '''[[undead]]''' and have the following innate traits:
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*Ghouls are vulnerable to [[Dispel Undead]] and holy damage, including [[Holy wrath]] brand.
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**'''[[Cold Resistance 1]]''': Ghouls are resistant to cold.
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*Ghouls cannot go [[berserk]], willingly or unwillingly.
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**'''[[Life Protection 3]]''': Ghouls are resistant to [[negative energy]].
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*Ghouls cannot worship the "good gods," [[The Shining One]], [[Elyvilon]], or [[Zin]]. Nor can Ghouls worship [[Fedhas]]. 
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**'''[[Poison Resistance|Poison Immunity]]''': Ghouls are immune to poison.
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*Ghouls cannot be polymorphed or change form, but they ''can'' be petrified.
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**'''[[Torment Immunity]]''': Ghouls cannot be tormented.
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*Ghouls cannot use or memorize the following spells: [[Dragon Form]], [[Ice Form]], [[Spider Form]], [[Statue Form]], [[Beastly Appendage]], [[Blade Hands]], [[Necromutation]], [[Death's Door]], [[Borgnjor's Revivification]], [[Cure Poison]].
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**Ghouls cannot gain [[mutation]]s, use [[talisman]]s, or be [[polymorph]]ed. When mutated, they receive [[stat]] penalties instead.
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*[[Claws|Claws 1]]: Ghouls have claws on their hands and receive a bonus to [[unarmed combat]] damage.
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**Ghouls are [[unbreathing]], cannot be put to [[sleep]], cannot go [[berserk]], and do not have [[blood]].
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*[[Carnivorous|Carnivorous 3]]: Ghouls can eat [[chunk]]s at any time, but cannot eat anything but meat.
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**Ghouls are vulnerable to [[Dispel Undead]], [[holy]] damage, and [[holy wrath]]-[[brand]]ed weapons. They may not worship the [[good god]]s ([[The Shining One]], [[Zin]], or [[Elyvilon]]). The holy wrath brand will not function on weapons they wield.
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*[[Bad mutations#Inhibited Regeneration|Inhibited Regeneration]]: Ghouls do not heal when monsters are visible.
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**Ghouls cannot use the spells [[Borgnjor's Revivification]], [[Death's Door]], or [[Sublimation of Blood]].
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*Ghouls [[rot]] randomly and continuously, but more quickly when hungry or starving. Happily, they can heal [[rot]] and [[HP]] loss by eating chunks.
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*'''[[Claws|Claws 1]]''': Ghouls have claws on their hands. They receive a +2 damage bonus to [[Unarmed Combat]], if they are not wearing [[gloves]].
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*Ghouls can eat any amount of meat without ever becoming "full" or "engorged". However, they can only ''retain'' up to 6999 points of nutrition, as compared to the usual 12000.
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*'''[[Bad mutations#Inhibited Regeneration|Inhibited Regeneration]]''': Ghouls do not heal when monsters are visible.
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*Ghouls do not leave [[Player ghost]]s.
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*'''Devour on Kill''': Ghouls can regain [[HP]] by killing [[Natural|living]] or [[plants|plant]] enemies, even when using spells or killing from a distance. Each killed enemy gives a 50% chance to restore <code>1d[[XL]]</code> HP.<ref>{{source ref|0.31.0|mon-death.cc|2307}}</ref>
  
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Ghouls have a base [[Strength]] of 11, [[Intelligence]] of 3 and [[Dexterity]] of 4 (before Background modifiers). They have -1 to their base [[magic points]].
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Ghouls have a base [[Strength]] of 11, [[Intelligence]] of 7, and [[Dexterity]] of 4 (before Background modifiers). They have normal base [[magic points]].
  
 
==Preferred Backgrounds==
 
==Preferred Backgrounds==
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Ghouls are prohibited from becoming [[Transmuter]]s.
 
Ghouls are prohibited from becoming [[Transmuter]]s.
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==Nutrition==
 
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Like other undead, ghoul nutrition is a special case. Ghouls can eat all chunks, even those that are inedible to all other races. Along with its nutritional value, eating chunks of meat can heal HP, and rot damage. Regardless of the kind of chunk involved, the amount healed is 1d5 - 1 + 1d(1+XP level).
 
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It's worth noting that while you will never be told you're too full to eat more, you ''cannot'' accumulate a "life-time supply" of nutrition by devouring everything you come across, as a ghoul's satiation never increases beyond 7/12 of the maximum amount other species can hold. Even if you could, you'd still need to regularly eat meat to heal rotting.
 
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In addition to chunks, Ghouls can also eat [[ration]]s; while they have no healing or restorative effects, they help slow the onset of rot by keeping the ghoul from going hungry.
 
  
 
==Level Bonuses==
 
==Level Bonuses==
 
*+1 [[strength]] every 5th level.
 
*+1 [[strength]] every 5th level.
 
*10% more [[HP]] than average.
 
*10% more [[HP]] than average.
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*+3 magic resistance per level.
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*+3 [[willpower]] per level.
  
 
==Starting Skills and Equipment==
 
==Starting Skills and Equipment==
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Ghouls start with the skills and equipment listed for their background, but they never start with food of any kind.
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Ghouls start with the skills and equipment listed for their background.
  
 
==Difficulty of Play==
 
==Difficulty of Play==
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{{Easy}}
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{{Moderate}}
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Ghouls are a durable species with undead resistances. In particular, [[poison]] immunity helps early, while [[torment]] immunity is great in [[extended]]. If you play to their strengths (heavy armour, usually with [[Unarmed Combat]]), you can win without too much fuss. They can also be decent casters (in [[Ice Magic]], [[Necromancy]], or [[Earth Magic]] in particular).
  
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Ghouls have a unique—and rather fiddly—relationship to food. However, if one is willing to put up with that, in Ghouls one finds a fairly durable undead species that can enjoy the full effect of potions and has decent aptitudes. Ghouls naturally tend to have very poor dexterity and intelligence, though this can eventually be offset by the chosen stat ups that one receives every three levels.  
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As undead species, Ghouls are vulnerable to [[Dispel Undead]] and [[holy]] damage. However, these types of damage are rare before reaching [[extended]]. For the early- and mid- game, all you need to watch out for are monsters with [[holy wrath]] weapons (which can really hurt if not paying attention) and a few [[unique]] monsters (like [[Josephine]]).
  
 
{{species_aptitudes|Ghoul}}
 
{{species_aptitudes|Ghoul}}
  
 
==Strategy==
 
==Strategy==
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The most obvious way to play a Ghoul is to use your claws, which give Ghouls a +2 bonus to [[unarmed combat]] damage that is helpful in the early game, when bare-handed combat struggles to keep apace of weapons. This play style is further supported by a good aptitude in unarmed combat. However, Ghouls' weapon aptitudes are reasonable, and a weapon-wielding Ghoul is perfectly viable.
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The most obvious way to play a Ghoul is to use your claws, as Ghouls are most proficient in Unarmed Combat, and the Claws mutation gives +2 damage. It helps most in the early game, where bare-handed combat would otherwise struggle to keep apace of weapons. Their weapon aptitudes are reasonable, so a weapon-wielding Ghoul is perfectly viable.
  
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Ghouls can also make for competent casters. Their aptitudes for it are not as bad as they first appear: they are good at Ice and Earth Magic, and generally passable at most other things. They are, however, held back by their low intelligence: those who want to make a serious Ghoul caster will want to pick a spellcasting background and devote their stat increases to nothing but Int.  However, their ability to eat any and all corpses makes hunger costs less of an issue (partially offsetting the low Int), while their good HP and unarmed abilities give them better resilience than most casters.
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They can also make for moderately competent spellcasters. They have +10% HP, good aptitudes for Ice and Earth Magic, and generally passable at most other things. If you run out of MP in the early game, you still have claws. While you probably shouldn't switch to being a 'pure caster' as a melee start, starting with a caster background isn't the worst.
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As far as gods go, [[Makhleb]] is a popular choice for Ghouls. Aside from the usual benefits, Ghouls enjoy Makhleb's HP-for-kills because this translates into less time they must spend resting, and thus helps limit the extent of their rotting. [[Kikubaaqudgha]] gives Ghouls an easy way to branch into [[Necromancy]], and they can use Receive Corpses not only for necromantic purposes, but also to heal and restore rot (including in normally corpseless or corpse-light branches). Unarmed fighters should, as usual, consider [[Okawaru]], as Heroism is even more powerful for Unarmed Combat than it is for other weapon skills.  
 
  
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Any of the other typically strong gods, such as [[Nemelex]], [[Ashenzari]], [[Vehumet]] (if planning to make use of [[conjuration]]s), and so on, are likewise strong for Ghouls. Do note, however, that Ghouls cannot [[berserk]], and thus do not benefit nearly as much as most other species from worship of [[Trog]].
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===God Choice===
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*[[Makhleb]] is a popular choice for Ghouls; it complements a Ghoul's innate HP-for-kills, allowing them to restore health even faster.
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*[[Kikubaaqudgha]] gives Ghouls an easy way to branch into [[Necromancy]]. Invoked [[torment]] is much more useful for Ghouls, since it won't cause self-harm.
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*[[Okawaru]] is good for any unarmed fighter. Heroism is even more powerful for Unarmed Combat than it is for other weapon skills.
  
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==Appetite and Corpses==
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Any of the other typically strong gods, such as [[Nemelex]], [[Ashenzari]], [[Ru]], and so on, are likewise strong for Ghouls. Do note, however, that Ghouls cannot go [[berserk]], so do not benefit nearly as much as most other species from worshiping [[Trog]].
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Ghouls' relationship to satiation and corpses is one of the most involved in the game ([[Vampire]]s being the only serious competition), and thus deserves some further clarification.  
 
  
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Even though you can eat meat at any time, Ghouls should handle chunks differently than [[Troll]]s and [[Kobold]]s do. As a Ghoul, you should eat [[chunk]]s when you want to recover from injuries quickly, when you have accumulated too much rot and need to restore it now, and whenever you have actually become ''hungry''. Also remember that while the game will let you eat all the meat you want, you don't actually ''accumulate'' nutrition beyond Satiated. Going from the top of "Hungry" to the top of "Satiated" (which is as full as Ghouls can get) requires less than five chunks.  
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==History==
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*Prior to [[0.31]], Ghouls only had 3 Int, and had -1 base MP.
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*Prior to [[0.28]], Ghouls couldn't heal by killing plant monsters.
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*Prior to [[0.26]], Ghouls [[rot]]ted over time. Also, they could heal by eating [[chunk]]s instead of by killing enemies.
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*Prior to [[0.24]], Ghouls couldn't worship [[Fedhas Madash]].
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*Prior to [[0.20]], Ghouls had Slow Regeneration 1 instead of [[Inhibited Regeneration]] and could slowly regenerate health even when monsters were visible.
  
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Until you are comfortable with how the Ghoul's hunger mechanics work, you should simply try to keep a good number of chunks on hand as often as you can, although you should not hesitate to use corpses for purposes other than eating, when appropriate (e.g., to make a good zombie via [[Necromancy]]).
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==References==
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<references />
  
 
{{species}}
 
{{species}}

Latest revision as of 03:41, 2 September 2024

Version 0.32: This article is up to date for the latest stable release of Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup.
This page is about the player species. For the monster, see Ghoul (monster).
Ghouls are horrible undead creatures that sleep in their graves for years on end, only to rise and stalk the living. Slain foes heal these monstrous beings as they feast on the macabre energies released.

They aren't very good at doing most things, although they make decent unarmed fighters with their claws and, due to their contact with the grave, can use ice, earth and death magic without too many difficulties.

Like other undead, ghouls 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

Ghouls have a base Strength of 11, Intelligence of 7, and Dexterity of 4 (before Background modifiers). They have normal base magic points.

Preferred Backgrounds

Ghouls are prohibited from becoming Transmuters.

Level Bonuses

Starting Skills and Equipment

Ghouls start with the skills and equipment listed for their background.

Difficulty of Play

Simple • Intermediate • Advanced

Ghouls are a durable species with undead resistances. In particular, poison immunity helps early, while torment immunity is great in extended. If you play to their strengths (heavy armour, usually with Unarmed Combat), you can win without too much fuss. They can also be decent casters (in Ice Magic, Necromancy, or Earth Magic in particular).

As undead species, Ghouls are vulnerable to Dispel Undead and holy damage. However, these types of damage are rare before reaching extended. For the early- and mid- game, all you need to watch out for are monsters with holy wrath weapons (which can really hurt if not paying attention) and a few unique monsters (like Josephine).

Skill aptitudes

The higher the value, the better the aptitude.

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

Strategy

The most obvious way to play a Ghoul is to use your claws, as Ghouls are most proficient in Unarmed Combat, and the Claws mutation gives +2 damage. It helps most in the early game, where bare-handed combat would otherwise struggle to keep apace of weapons. Their weapon aptitudes are reasonable, so a weapon-wielding Ghoul is perfectly viable.

They can also make for moderately competent spellcasters. They have +10% HP, good aptitudes for Ice and Earth Magic, and generally passable at most other things. If you run out of MP in the early game, you still have claws. While you probably shouldn't switch to being a 'pure caster' as a melee start, starting with a caster background isn't the worst.

God Choice

  • Makhleb is a popular choice for Ghouls; it complements a Ghoul's innate HP-for-kills, allowing them to restore health even faster.
  • Kikubaaqudgha gives Ghouls an easy way to branch into Necromancy. Invoked torment is much more useful for Ghouls, since it won't cause self-harm.
  • Okawaru is good for any unarmed fighter. Heroism is even more powerful for Unarmed Combat than it is for other weapon skills.

Any of the other typically strong gods, such as Nemelex, Ashenzari, Ru, and so on, are likewise strong for Ghouls. Do note, however, that Ghouls cannot go berserk, so do not benefit nearly as much as most other species from worshiping Trog.

History

  • Prior to 0.31, Ghouls only had 3 Int, and had -1 base MP.
  • Prior to 0.28, Ghouls couldn't heal by killing plant monsters.
  • Prior to 0.26, Ghouls rotted over time. Also, they could heal by eating chunks instead of by killing enemies.
  • Prior to 0.24, Ghouls couldn't worship Fedhas Madash.
  • Prior to 0.20, Ghouls had Slow Regeneration 1 instead of Inhibited Regeneration and could slowly regenerate health even when monsters were visible.

References

  1. ↑ mon-death.cc:2307 (0.31.0)
Species
Simple Mountain Dwarf • Minotaur • Merfolk • Gargoyle • Draconian • Troll • Deep Elf • Armataur • Gnoll
Intermediate Human • Kobold • Demonspawn • Djinni • Spriggan • Ghoul • Tengu • Oni • Barachi
Advanced Coglin • Vine Stalker • Vampire • Demigod • Formicid • Naga • Octopode • Felid • Mummy
Retrieved from "http://crawl.chaosforge.org/index.php?title=Ghoul&oldid=81089"