Difference between revisions of "Mara"

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m (Removed the "how to approach" section. This was poorly written and contained incorrect advice - mara cannot be silenced as he's a demon. The rest of the article has enough advice that it's also mostly duplicated.)
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{{monster info}}
 
{{monster info}}
  
 
==Useful Info==
 
==Useful Info==
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'''Mara, Lord of Illusions''', is the [[unique]] lord of all [[rakshasa]]s. Armed with a deadly array of illusory magic, he is an extremely dangerous opponent, capable of turning all your strengths against you. He always generates with a [[brand]]ed demon weapon, and his unique spellset make him challenging regardless of your preparations:
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'''Mara, Lord of Illusions''', is the [[unique]] lord of all [[rakshasa]]s. Armed with a deadly array of illusory magic, he is an extremely dangerous opponent capable of turning all your strengths against you. He always generates with a [[brand]]ed demon weapon, and his unique spellset makes him challenging regardless of your preparations.
  
 
==Location==
 
==Location==
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*[[The Depths]]:1-4
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*[[Depths]]: 1-4
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*The [[Elven Halls]]:3
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*[[Elven Halls]]: 3
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*[[The Swamp]]:3-4
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*[[Swamp]]: 3-4
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*[[The Snake Pit]]:3-4
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*[[Snake Pit]]: 3-4
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*[[The Shoals]]:3-4
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*[[Shoals]]: 3-4
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*The [[Spider's Nest]]:3-4
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*[[Spider's Nest]]: 3-4
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*[[The Vaults]]:2-5
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*[[Vaults]]: 2-5
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*[[The Crypt]]
 
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*[[The Tomb]]
 
  
 
{{monster spells}}
 
{{monster spells}}
  
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Special Ability: [[Blink]]
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==Strategy==
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Mara is a notoriously dangerous unique.
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# Alone, Mara has moderately high durability (especially for the [[Lair]] branches), and [[Bolt of Fire]] can hurt quite a bit.
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# He can create 2 copies of himself, and each copy can cast spells at the same strength. Having 3 Maras, all shooting Bolts of Fire, means you'll take high damage quickly. Up to 273 damage/turn, if you lack fire resistance.
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# He can also create copies of you, which are just as deadly as you are. You might win 50/50 against yourself... but that's a 50% chance to lose on the spot. That's before considering Mara himself - when combined with 2 Mara clones, the chances of you winning are extremely low.
  
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==Tips & Tricks==
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Remember that '''you do not need to kill every monster you come across in ''Crawl'' in order to win the game'''. He often spawns in rune branches, and you'll ''eventually'' need 3 runes to win. But you can always come back for the rune later, when you have the power to kill Mara quickly. If he spawns on <Lair Branch>:3, you can skip the floor he's on.
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Mara is a notoriously dangerous unique. First and foremost, remember that '''you do not need to kill every monster you come across in ''Crawl'' in order to win the game'''. Mara may generate in a place that makes it difficult to progress without killing him, and some players may wish to take him out in order to get the demon weapon he wields, but in general, it is often a good idea to simply avoid fighting Mara entirely. If you decide to take him out, however, there are two primary threats to keep in mind:
 
  
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===Mara and his clones===
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If you do decide to deal with him, [[fire resistance]] is highly recommended, and you should be able to deal decent damage without using fire, poison, or negative energy. In general, it's best to treat him like you would any other extremely dangerous summoner: kill him as quickly as possible, and if he summons something you can't handle, teleport away.  
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Mara is a capable threat on his own, armed with a powerful melee attack and capable of dealing heavy [[fire]] damage at range. Soon after any fight with him begins, he makes things significantly more dangerous by [[Mara Summon|summoning two identical clones]]. These clones have all of Mara's offensive capabilities, and will harass you until they time out, are [[Abjuration|abjured]], are defeated, or when Mara is defeated. Also, Mara may swap places with one of the clones upon summoning them, making it impossible to know which Mara is the real one. Retreating up the stairs can isolate Mara from his clones since only Mara can follow you.
 
  
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In order to deal with these foes, [[fire]] resistance and good [[AC]]/[[EV]] are critical (at least rF++ is advised), and you should be able to deal solid damage without relying on fire, [[poison]], or [[negative energy]]. He also has high enough [[magic resistance]] to render all but the most powerful [[Hexes]] ineffective. Finally, be careful if he is wielding a [[demon trident]] - this weapon's [[reaching]] attacks will allow Mara and his clones to attack you far more often than normal in spite of their constant blinking.
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===Dealing with Clones===
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Mara will create clones, either of himself or you. These clones will harass you until they time out, until the real Mara is defeated, or until you change the level. Upon use of Mara Summon, the real Mara may switch places with the clone, making it impossible to tell them apart.
  
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There are a few methods for disposing of Mara very effectively. [[Stealth]]y [[stab]]-focused characters may be able to sneak up on Mara while he's sleeping. Simply step back out of his [[line of sight]], [[quaff]] a [[potion of agility]], read a [[scroll of blinking]] to immediately place yourself next to him, and stab him for lethal damage. Wasting two consumables in order to eradicate a major threat is well worth it. If he awakens, use of [[throwing net]]s can often set him up for a killing stab, but his blinking makes that difficult. Heavy melee fighters can [[haste]] themselves and then lay into him with an [[antimagic]]-[[brand]]ed weapon. Assuming they can get some early hits in, this may disable all of his most dangerous methods of fighting back.
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'''Player'''
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*Fighting a player clone is extremely risky on its own, and with Mara in play, it clearly becomes a losing fight. Generally, the best approach with a player ghost is to not deal with it at all: you can go back up the stairs or teleport away if it's summoned.
 +
*It is technically possible to 'cripple' your clone before it is summoned; e.g. casters with -Cast gear, melee fighters wielding a [[scroll]]. However, this is a bad idea - until he summons your clone, he has free reign to attack you.
  
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===Player clones===
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'''Monster'''
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The other thing to be concerned with when facing Mara is his ability to create a clone of your character. This clone will essentially be a [[player ghost]] based on your character, and will know many of your spells, have all your melee and defensive capacities, and will benefit from any buffs you may currently have active. Fighting it in a straight one-on-one duel would be risky. Fighting it with multiple Maras around is generally suicidal. As such, the best approach to dealing with a player clone is generally not to deal with it at all.
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*Retreating up[[stairs]] can isolate Mara from the clones, since only the real Mara can follow you.
 +
*Like other rakhsasas, he can clone other monsters. While monsters (most likely) won't be as dangerous as you, it can still make a dangerous encounter even worse. This is another good reason to fight Mara by himself.
  
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It is entirely possible to deal Mara lethal damage before he can summon a player clone. If you fail to do so, teleporting away and returning when you're better prepared is a perfectly acceptable idea; the clone will vanish after enough time has passed. Alternatively, you can simply cast [[Abjuration]] a few times to destroy the clone, though Mara may summon a new one soon after.
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===Tips & Tricks===
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*[[Silence]] does nothing against demons, but [[antimagic]] will cripple his spellcasting.
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Any buffs you give yourself will also be given to the clone if they are active when Mara clones you. This doesn't mean you shouldn't buff yourself - giving yourself [[Haste]] before the fight will make it much easier to take down Mara before things get out of hand. Just be aware of how these effects will boost the clone as well. In particular, you should avoid [[berserk]]ing at all. Mara's blinking means you'll hardly ever have him in range to attack, and when it wears off you'll be slow and exhausted. The clone, meanwhile, will have no difficulty catching up to you and dealing savage damage.
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*With a [[demon trident]], Mara becomes better at melee. As he constantly [[blink]]s, the trident's [[reaching]] makes it easier for him and the clones to hit you in melee.
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*Any statuses you have ([[haste]], [[might]]...) will also be transferred to the clone. However, this doesn't mean you shouldn't buff yourself; any buffs you have make it easier to kill Mara before the clone is summoned. Just don't go [[berserk]], since berserk works poorly against any enemy with [[Blink]].
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One all-too-common piece of advice one often sees is to attempt to cripple your ghost before fighting it. The idea is that casters can wear [[artefact]] [[jewellery]] with -CAST, or that melee fighters can wield a [[bread ration]], so that when Mara clones them, the resulting creature will be nearly harmless. This is a bad idea, mainly because while you sit there waiting for Mara to clone you, he'll be blasting you with Bolts of Fire or attacking you in melee while you are incapable of responding. In general it is best to treat Mara like you would any other extremely dangerous summoner: kill him as quickly as possible, and if he summons something you can't handle, teleport away.
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*While Mara has great [[willpower]], a [[scroll of vulnerability]] can make it reasonable for a [[wand of paralysis]] (if you have one) to work. But if you have any sort of [[Hexes]] spell (or [[Petrify]]), don't use vulnerability - it'll make you vulnerable to the clone's spells.
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*He's a very good choice for a [[Yredelemnul]] bound soul. Few monsters are able to handle a clone of themselves ''and'' 3 Maras ''and'' the player at the same time.
  
 
==Trivia==
 
==Trivia==
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==History==
 
==History==
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Mara was added in [[0.6]].
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*Prior to [[0.27]], Mara could cast [[Pain]].
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*Prior to [[0.14]], Mara knew [[Mislead]].
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Prior to [[0.14]] he could cast [[Mislead]].
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*Mara was added in [[0.6]].

Latest revision as of 10:41, 28 August 2024

Version 0.31: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.
Mara R Mara.png
HP 95-192
HD 18
XP 4385
Speed 10
AC 12
EV 14
Will 140
Attack1 30 (hit: plain)


Resistances rF++
rPois+
rMiasma
rN+++
rTorm
Vulnerabilities Holy
Habitat Land
Intelligence Human
Uses Weapons & armour
Starting equipment
Open doors
Holiness Demonic
Size Medium
Type rakshasa, rakshasa
Flags
See invisible
Speaks
Unique
Male
This tall and powerful demon is Mara, Lord of Illusions, mighty among dreamers. He is capable of creating intricately detailed illusions, so real that they are almost as deadly as the creatures they impersonate.

“This night the Lord of Illusion passed among you, Mara, mighty among dreamers, mighty for ill. He did come upon another who may work with the stuff of dreams in a different way. He did meet with Dharma, who may expel a dreamer from his dream. They did struggle, and the Lord Mara is no more. Why did they struggle, deathgod against illusionist? You say their ways are incomprehensible, being the ways of gods. This is not the answer.”
-Roger Zelazny, “Lord of Light”. 1967.

“He who lives looking for pleasures only,
his senses uncontrolled, immoderate in his food,
idle, and weak, Mara will certainly overthrow him,
as the wind throws down a weak tree.”
-The Buddha, _Dhammapada_, 1:7.
trans. F. Max Muller

Useful Info

Mara, Lord of Illusions, is the unique lord of all rakshasas. Armed with a deadly array of illusory magic, he is an extremely dangerous opponent capable of turning all your strengths against you. He always generates with a branded demon weapon, and his unique spellset makes him challenging regardless of your preparations.

Location

Spells

Spell set I
Slot1 Blink Magical flag
Slot2 Bolt of Fire (3d27) Magical flag
Slot3 Mara Summon Magical flag
Slot4 Summon Illusion Magical flag

Strategy

Mara is a notoriously dangerous unique.

  1. Alone, Mara has moderately high durability (especially for the Lair branches), and Bolt of Fire can hurt quite a bit.
  2. He can create 2 copies of himself, and each copy can cast spells at the same strength. Having 3 Maras, all shooting Bolts of Fire, means you'll take high damage quickly. Up to 273 damage/turn, if you lack fire resistance.
  3. He can also create copies of you, which are just as deadly as you are. You might win 50/50 against yourself... but that's a 50% chance to lose on the spot. That's before considering Mara himself - when combined with 2 Mara clones, the chances of you winning are extremely low.

Remember that you do not need to kill every monster you come across in Crawl in order to win the game. He often spawns in rune branches, and you'll eventually need 3 runes to win. But you can always come back for the rune later, when you have the power to kill Mara quickly. If he spawns on <Lair Branch>:3, you can skip the floor he's on.

If you do decide to deal with him, fire resistance is highly recommended, and you should be able to deal decent damage without using fire, poison, or negative energy. In general, it's best to treat him like you would any other extremely dangerous summoner: kill him as quickly as possible, and if he summons something you can't handle, teleport away.

Dealing with Clones

Mara will create clones, either of himself or you. These clones will harass you until they time out, until the real Mara is defeated, or until you change the level. Upon use of Mara Summon, the real Mara may switch places with the clone, making it impossible to tell them apart.

Player

  • Fighting a player clone is extremely risky on its own, and with Mara in play, it clearly becomes a losing fight. Generally, the best approach with a player ghost is to not deal with it at all: you can go back up the stairs or teleport away if it's summoned.
  • It is technically possible to 'cripple' your clone before it is summoned; e.g. casters with -Cast gear, melee fighters wielding a scroll. However, this is a bad idea - until he summons your clone, he has free reign to attack you.

Monster

  • Retreating upstairs can isolate Mara from the clones, since only the real Mara can follow you.
  • Like other rakhsasas, he can clone other monsters. While monsters (most likely) won't be as dangerous as you, it can still make a dangerous encounter even worse. This is another good reason to fight Mara by himself.

Tips & Tricks

  • Silence does nothing against demons, but antimagic will cripple his spellcasting.
  • With a demon trident, Mara becomes better at melee. As he constantly blinks, the trident's reaching makes it easier for him and the clones to hit you in melee.
  • Any statuses you have (haste, might...) will also be transferred to the clone. However, this doesn't mean you shouldn't buff yourself; any buffs you have make it easier to kill Mara before the clone is summoned. Just don't go berserk, since berserk works poorly against any enemy with Blink.
  • While Mara has great willpower, a scroll of vulnerability can make it reasonable for a wand of paralysis (if you have one) to work. But if you have any sort of Hexes spell (or Petrify), don't use vulnerability - it'll make you vulnerable to the clone's spells.
  • He's a very good choice for a Yredelemnul bound soul. Few monsters are able to handle a clone of themselves and 3 Maras and the player at the same time.

Trivia

In Buddhism, Mara is the demon that tempted Buddha to give up his enlightenment.

History

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