Difference between revisions of "Mennas"

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{{list of | holy monsters}}
 
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==Tips & Tricks==
 
==Tips & Tricks==
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Mennas has the speed of a [[centaur warrior]], hits harder than a [[stone giant]], and is almost as evasive as [[Ereshkigal]]. He has standard angel gear: a [[large shield]] and a weapon of [[holy wrath]], making him exceedingly dangerous to [[undead]], [[demonspawn]], or [[lichform]] characters. Needless to say, Mennas is hard to kill.
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*Mennas is a nasty foe. It's ''very'' difficult to escape from him: he has the speed of a [[haste]]d Human, and his [[Silence]] disables [[scroll]]s, [[god]] abilities, and [[spell]]s entirely. He's also quite durable and annoyingly evasive. If you were already low HP, and Mennas shows up, it's a big problem. Don't underestimate him, even if you're in [[extended]].
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**As a holy monster, he is even more deadly to [[undead]], [[Demonspawn]], and [[Death Form]] players.
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Once Mennas sees you, it may already be too late. His high HD means that he has a decent chance of waking up even if you spend only one turn in his LOS. He's faster than all species except [[spriggan]]s and [[vampire]] bats, and once he gets even moderately close, his 6-tile Silence [[aura]] prevents casting spells, reading scrolls, and all ''invocable'' [[ability|abilities]]. Most traditional escape methods are impossible:
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**If you see Mennas and don't think you can handle him, act immediately. You can initiate a [[scroll of teleport]], and even if you're silenced afterwards, it will still activate. Using [[Haste]] before he's in melee range allows you to run to a nearby stairs.
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*You can't read a [[scroll of teleportation]], [[scroll of blinking]], or command your allies while silenced.
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**[[Wand]]s and other [[evocable]]s still work during silence. A [[wand of quicksilver]], if it hits, will end the Silence spell. A [[phial of floods]] prevents him from casting Silence for a short while. Using a [[phantom mirror]] can be risky, since the Mennas clone can end up casting Silence (although you can attack the clone to dispel it instantly).
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*Hasting yourself with a [[potion of haste]] will only bring you up to his speed, which is almost never enough to escape with if he's already in melee range. Hasted [[felid]]s, [[centaur]]s, and those with boots of [[running]] should be fine, though, and [[spriggan]]s can outrun him on their own.
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**[[Invisibility]], by potion or [[ability]], can be extremely useful, as long as you stay outside of Mennas' [[halo]].
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*Mennas' [[magic resistance]] is normally far too high for a [[wand of paralysis]] or [[wand of disintegration|disintegration]] to affect him; if you have 15+ [[Evocations]] skill and hit him with a [[scroll of vulnerability]], though, you might be able to pull it off.
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**His [[willpower]] is usually too high for a [[wand of paralysis]] or the like to work. A [[scroll of vulnerability]] with a high Evocations wand can disable him, though note that the scroll will make you susceptible to his Mass Confusion.
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*Even [[Trog]]'s [[berserk]] ability requires the ability to speak.
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**[[Shaft]]s, if you happen to find one (or be a [[Formicid]]) can let you escape an adjacent Mennas.
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*If you do try to fight Mennas, plan accordingly. A mid-level "tank" character should be able to overcome Mennas with [[haste]] and [[might]]. [[Berserk]] gives both effects, but if it runs out, the silence puts you in even more danger than usual. Casters have a much harder time, for rather obvious reasons.
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A well-equipped, mid-level tank character should be able to overcome his defenses with the aid of [[potions of haste]] and [[potion of might|might]]. High-level casters or followers of [[Trog]] can also handle him easily enough if they spot him at the edge of their [[LOS]] (even Mennas will grudgingly succumb to [[Fire Storm]] or an army of berserk summoned allies). Anyone else may wish to escape immediately:
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**Mennas' guaranteed [[tower shield]] makes him significantly more durable in combat. If possible, use attacks that bypass shields, such as piercing, area-of-effect, or [[smite-targeted]] attacks.
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*Escape scrolls work fine so long as you read them outside of his silence radius. Don't wait until it's too late! Bear in mind that he cannot recast silence while silenced, therefore if you wait long enough he will let you read a scroll of teleportation to get away.  
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**Casters can use spells that have lasting effects, such as Summoning spells ([[Malign Gateway]], [[Dragon's Call]]) or [[Polar Vortex]].
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*Wands and evocable items, such as evocable [[blink]], sacks of spiders, phials of floods, etc. still function as normal, potentially allowing you to gain some space, get out of his silence radius or summon some allies. A [[phantom mirror]] can be of tremendous aid here.  
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**If you have [[Passage of Golubria]], cast it before engaging to set up an emergency exit. If you do, remember that the portals will last 10-19 turns, so reassess the fight after a few turns and escape if it's not going well.
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*Hasting yourself with at least two tiles between you and him will let any normal-speed species make it to a staircase without him catching up and following you.
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*Remember that he can use [[Mass Confusion]] if not currently under silence. Good [[willpower]] is important to avoid being confused, then silenced, then [[YASD]]ed.
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*Non-Trog forms of berserk function, giving you an equivalent speed boost to Haste for a few turns. Just don't let it wear off before you've escaped, or you'll be heavily handicapped and no closer to getting away. Only use it if you really think you can reach that staircase in time.
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*If you notice him without waking him up, remember that you can just walk away. Returning later with more experience and better equipment can make a huge difference (alternatively, just avoid him entirely -- you are under no obligation to kill every enemy you see).
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*The [[Good mutations#Blink|Blink]] [[mutation]] works as normal.
 
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*Although they're uncommon and dangerous, hopping down a [[shaft]] will leave him behind. [[Formicid]]s benefit here.
 
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*If you find him without waking him up, remember that you can just walk away. Returning later with more experience and better supplies can make a huge difference.
 
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*[[Spriggan]]s and other characters which actually have the speed to outrun him should be wary of his [[Mass Confusion]] spell. Admittedly, spriggans rarely have low enough [[magic resistance]] for this to be a problem, but less mystically attuned species may have trouble here.
 
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*[[Bolt spell]]s, area-of-effect spells, and other penetrating attacks will all bypass Mennas's shield, though you won't be able to cast anything if Silence is up. [[Cloud]] spells like [[Freezing Cloud]], [[Conjure Flame]], or a [[wand of clouds]] will also bypass his evasion.
 
  
 
==Trivia==
 
==Trivia==
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==History==
 
==History==
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*Prior to [[0.28]], Mennas could [[see invisible]].
 
*Prior to [[0.16]], Mennas could not spawn in [[Pandemonium]] and knew [[Confusion]] instead of [[Mass Confusion]].
 
*Prior to [[0.16]], Mennas could not spawn in [[Pandemonium]] and knew [[Confusion]] instead of [[Mass Confusion]].
 
*Prior to [[0.15]], worshipers of [[good gods]] would have a [[piety]]-based chance of turning Mennas neutral when they encountered him.
 
*Prior to [[0.15]], worshipers of [[good gods]] would have a [[piety]]-based chance of turning Mennas neutral when they encountered him.
 
*Mennas was added in version [[0.8]].
 
*Mennas was added in version [[0.8]].

Latest revision as of 12:02, 14 April 2024

Version 0.31: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

For a list of all holy monsters, see list of holy monsters.

Mennas A Mennas.png
HP 100-203
HD 19
XP 7881
Speed 15
AC 15
EV 26
Will 160
Attack1 30 (hit: plain)
Attack2 20 (hit: plain)


Resistances rElec
rPois+
rMiasma
rN+++
rHoly
Vulnerabilities None
Habitat Land
Intelligence Human
Uses Weapons & armour
Starting equipment
Open doors
Holiness Holy
Size Medium
Type angel, angel
Flags Fighter
Flying
Speaks
Unique
Male
There was once a human priest named Mennas. He travelled far and wide preaching of Zin to any who would listen, going even so far as to travel into Orcish lands, preaching to orcs about laws and mercy. By all accounts the orcs were not happy with Mennas. They demanded he swear Beogh was the one true god, and when Mennas remained silent they cut out his tongue.

Whether or not this angel is that same Mennas is something of a mystery, as he seems to have difficulty speaking.

Useful Info

Mennas, the Voice of Zin is an incredibly dangerous unique angel, the only one who normally appears in the main Dungeon not locked behind a wall. He is fast, extremely durable, and disables many player abilities with Silence, making him a notorious menace to spellcasters.

Location

Spells

Spell set I
Slot1 Mass Confusion Wizard flag
Slot2 Silence Wizard flag
Slot3 Minor Healing (2d9+3) Wizard flag

Tips & Tricks

  • Mennas is a nasty foe. It's very difficult to escape from him: he has the speed of a hasted Human, and his Silence disables scrolls, god abilities, and spells entirely. He's also quite durable and annoyingly evasive. If you were already low HP, and Mennas shows up, it's a big problem. Don't underestimate him, even if you're in extended.
    • As a holy monster, he is even more deadly to undead, Demonspawn, and Death Form players.
    • If you see Mennas and don't think you can handle him, act immediately. You can initiate a scroll of teleport, and even if you're silenced afterwards, it will still activate. Using Haste before he's in melee range allows you to run to a nearby stairs.
    • Wands and other evocables still work during silence. A wand of quicksilver, if it hits, will end the Silence spell. A phial of floods prevents him from casting Silence for a short while. Using a phantom mirror can be risky, since the Mennas clone can end up casting Silence (although you can attack the clone to dispel it instantly).
    • Invisibility, by potion or ability, can be extremely useful, as long as you stay outside of Mennas' halo.
    • His willpower is usually too high for a wand of paralysis or the like to work. A scroll of vulnerability with a high Evocations wand can disable him, though note that the scroll will make you susceptible to his Mass Confusion.
    • Shafts, if you happen to find one (or be a Formicid) can let you escape an adjacent Mennas.
  • If you do try to fight Mennas, plan accordingly. A mid-level "tank" character should be able to overcome Mennas with haste and might. Berserk gives both effects, but if it runs out, the silence puts you in even more danger than usual. Casters have a much harder time, for rather obvious reasons.
    • Mennas' guaranteed tower shield makes him significantly more durable in combat. If possible, use attacks that bypass shields, such as piercing, area-of-effect, or smite-targeted attacks.
    • Casters can use spells that have lasting effects, such as Summoning spells (Malign Gateway, Dragon's Call) or Polar Vortex.
    • If you have Passage of Golubria, cast it before engaging to set up an emergency exit. If you do, remember that the portals will last 10-19 turns, so reassess the fight after a few turns and escape if it's not going well.
  • Remember that he can use Mass Confusion if not currently under silence. Good willpower is important to avoid being confused, then silenced, then YASDed.
  • If you notice him without waking him up, remember that you can just walk away. Returning later with more experience and better equipment can make a huge difference (alternatively, just avoid him entirely -- you are under no obligation to kill every enemy you see).

Trivia

Mennas was a Catholic saint of the early Christian church. He lived in the 6th century, and was excommunicated twice (and pardoned both times).

History

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