Difference between revisions of "Poisonous Vapours"

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'''Poisonous Vapours''' is a level 2 Poison/Air spell which attempts to place a [[smite]]-targeted poison [[cloud]] on an enemy in line of sight. At low spell power, the cloud itself may not last long enough to be visible, but the poison will nevertheless be stacked on the enemy.
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'''Poisonous Vapours''' is a level 1 Alchemy/Air spell which causes [[smite-targeted]] poison on a non-resistant enemy within range.
  
Poisonous Vapours will fail to cast if:
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[[Alchemist]]s start with this spell in their libraries.
*There is a non-poison cloud on the creature (this includes [[Mephitic Cloud]]), or
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*The monster has [[poison resistance]]. This includes monsters wearing rings or armour that offer poison resistance.
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==Useful Info==
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Inflicts [[poison]] on a target. It inflicts <code>pow/25</code> (min. 1) poison "[[Poison#Monster Formula|stacks]]",<ref>{{source ref|0.31-b1|spl-damage.cc|3566}}</ref> and if the target does not currently have poison, 1 extra poison stack is inflicted. If the player is the target, this spell inflicts 2d6 poison damage instead of any stacks. Creatures with [[poison resistance]] cannot be poisoned at all by this spell.
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Higher poison stacks mean more damage per turn, according to the following table:
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
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|+ Average poison damage per 1.0 turn
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|-
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!rowspan=2 | # Stacks !! colspan=2 | Damage !! rowspan=2 | Description
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|-
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!width="50pt" | Normal !! width="50pt" | rPois-
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|-
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|1 || 0.75 || 1.75 || Poisoned
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|-
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|2 || 1 || 3 || Very poisoned
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|-
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|3 || 1.25 || 4.25 || Very poisoned
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|-
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|4 || 2.5 || 6.5 || Extremely poisoned
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|}
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For more info on poison, see the [[Poison]] article.
  
 
==Strategy==
 
==Strategy==
Poisonous Vapours is an excellent spell for [[Venom Mage]]s to pick up at XL 2, as a more reliable, more damaging, longer-ranged [[Sting]]. The fact that it is level 2 and can't miss also makes it appealing for any character with a few free spell levels.
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Poisonous Vapours never misses and ignores AC, making it one of the stronger early game spells. The downside is that it relies on poison - damage is done over time, and cannot damage foes with poison resistance. If the enemy isn't in melee range yet, you can walk backwards so that the enemy takes poison damage while it chases you.
 
 
If a monster is already standing in a dangerous cloud, they generally disregard further clouds in order to close in on you. You can make use of this by creating other types of dangerous clouds ([[Conjure Flame]], [[Freezing Cloud]], a [[wand of clouds]], etc.), then using Poisonous Vapors to prompt cautious monsters to walk into them.
 
  
Slow monsters are affected by clouds on their respective turns; due to Poisonous Vapours's extremely short duration, it can be difficult to use it on very slow creatures like [[worm]]s.
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===Tips & Tricks===
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*[[Ignite Poison]] is quite strong with any source of poison, including this spell. It converts poison stacks into instant damage, with a great increase in damage. The Ignite Poison + Poisonous Vapours combo offers decent damage, high reliability, and good MP efficiency for its level.
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*In Tiles, you can count poison stacks by the number of green poison drops on the monster. 1 drop is 1 stack (poisoned), 2 drops is 2-3 stacks (very poisoned), and 3 drops is 4 stacks (extremely poisoned).
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
*In [[0.27]], Poisonous Vapours directly poisons the target, rather than making a cloud.
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*Prior to [[0.33]], this spell was known as '''Mercury Vapours''': it was level 2 and could [[weak]]en enemies in a 3x3 area. [[Mercury Arrow]] was introduced in 0.33 as a replacement.
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*Prior to [[0.31]], this spell was called Poisonous Vapours. It was a [[Poison Magic]]/[[Air]] spell, had full [[LOS]] range, but did not have a chance to weaken foes. Also, it inflicted <code>power/15</code> stacks of poison, but with no bonus against non-poisoned foes.
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*Prior to [[0.27]], Poisonous Vapours would create a short lived [[cloud]] instead of inflicting poison directly. Thus it wouldn't work if there was a cloud already there (including from the spell itself). Also, [[Vehumet]] did not consider this spell "destructive".
 
*Poisonous Vapours was added in [[0.20]].
 
*Poisonous Vapours was added in [[0.20]].
  
[[Category:Crystal Ball Articles]]
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==References==
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<references />

Latest revision as of 09:32, 13 October 2025

Version 0.33: This article is up to date for the latest stable release of Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup.
Poisonous vapours.png Poisonous Vapours
Level 1
School1 Air
School2 Alchemy
Source(s) Book of Cantrips
Young Poisoner's Handbook
Casting noise 1
Spell noise 0
Power Cap 25
Range 3
Flags Destructive, Not self, Target
Transmutes a small amount of the air around a target into toxic vapours, poisoning anyone unfortunate enough to breathe them in. The quantity of air affected is small and it will not persist beyond the turn in which it is cast.

It cannot affect those with any resistance to poison.

Poisonous Vapours is a level 1 Alchemy/Air spell which causes smite-targeted poison on a non-resistant enemy within range.

Alchemists start with this spell in their libraries.

Useful Info

Inflicts poison on a target. It inflicts pow/25 (min. 1) poison "stacks",[1] and if the target does not currently have poison, 1 extra poison stack is inflicted. If the player is the target, this spell inflicts 2d6 poison damage instead of any stacks. Creatures with poison resistance cannot be poisoned at all by this spell.

Higher poison stacks mean more damage per turn, according to the following table:

Average poison damage per 1.0 turn
# Stacks Damage Description
Normal rPois-
1 0.75 1.75 Poisoned
2 1 3 Very poisoned
3 1.25 4.25 Very poisoned
4 2.5 6.5 Extremely poisoned

For more info on poison, see the Poison article.

Strategy

Poisonous Vapours never misses and ignores AC, making it one of the stronger early game spells. The downside is that it relies on poison - damage is done over time, and cannot damage foes with poison resistance. If the enemy isn't in melee range yet, you can walk backwards so that the enemy takes poison damage while it chases you.

Tips & Tricks

  • Ignite Poison is quite strong with any source of poison, including this spell. It converts poison stacks into instant damage, with a great increase in damage. The Ignite Poison + Poisonous Vapours combo offers decent damage, high reliability, and good MP efficiency for its level.
  • In Tiles, you can count poison stacks by the number of green poison drops on the monster. 1 drop is 1 stack (poisoned), 2 drops is 2-3 stacks (very poisoned), and 3 drops is 4 stacks (extremely poisoned).

History

  • Prior to 0.33, this spell was known as Mercury Vapours: it was level 2 and could weaken enemies in a 3x3 area. Mercury Arrow was introduced in 0.33 as a replacement.
  • Prior to 0.31, this spell was called Poisonous Vapours. It was a Poison Magic/Air spell, had full LOS range, but did not have a chance to weaken foes. Also, it inflicted power/15 stacks of poison, but with no bonus against non-poisoned foes.
  • Prior to 0.27, Poisonous Vapours would create a short lived cloud instead of inflicting poison directly. Thus it wouldn't work if there was a cloud already there (including from the spell itself). Also, Vehumet did not consider this spell "destructive".
  • Poisonous Vapours was added in 0.20.

References