Cloud Mages' Chambers

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

Perhaps it is the humidity, or the constant flow of clouds, but the floor here remains forever damp.

The Cloud Mage's Chambers is a Wizard Laboratory made of white crystal (functionally identical to the crystal walls found elsewhere) and dedicated to control over air and clouds. It has a fairly straightforward layout, with two small treasure chambers in the lower half of the map and a boss chamber at the top. Along the way, clouds of "white fluffiness" will hamper your LOS as air-, lightning-, and cloud-themed foes attack.

There are multiple types of threat here, but electricity damage is the most common, so rElec is very helpful in clearing the chambers. Negative energy resistance and cold resistance can also be helpful for some of the other threats. If you're fortunate enough to come here while worshiping Qazlal or wearing the robe of Clouds, you'll have significantly less to worry about from many monsters here.

Ranged weapon specialists may want to ensure they have a decent backup melee weapon, as some of the creatures here are exceedingly difficult to hit with ranged attacks.

The treasure in the bottom two chambers will be mostly potions and scrolls (potions of resistance and scrolls of fog and silence are common), though rarer items like a condenser vane or scarf of repulsion can appear. The boss chamber contains Air Magic-themed items (spell books and staves), good rings (such as flight or evasion), and boots of rampaging or flying. This lab also has a good chance of producing a quick blade, either as a weapon for the Cloud Mage or as loot in their chamber.

Monsters

• E Air elemental- Moderate melee attackers that have high speed, EV, and the ability to paralyse you for 1 turn.
• S Shock serpent- Electric snakes that fire off bolts of electricity and counterattack with more electricity when injured.
• y Spark wasp- Wasps that also specialize in electricity; they don't counterattack, but can launch themselves as bolts of lightning.
• k Wind drake- Weak in melee, repels ranged attacks and is able to cast Airstrike and push you backwards.
• k Death drake- Also fairly weak, but able to breathe clouds of devastating miasma.
• t Ghost crab- Scuttling menaces that spew vast banks of spectral mist, draining your life force and summoning spectral reinforcements.
• t Apocalypse crab- Dangerous crustaceans that breathe clouds of pure chaos.
• 2 Blizzard demon- Demons of ice and storm capable of hitting you with significant cold and electricity damage in addition to Airstrike.
• i Spriggan air mage- Diminutive wizards who repel ranged attacks and pelt you with lightning and Airstrike.
• v Twister- These can be found outside the walls of the Wizard Laboratory and basically serve as decoration for the vault. Do not smash open these walls, as the near-invulnerability of twisters and their constant Polar Vortex effect will swiftly result in a miserable swirling death.

Boss: Cloud Mage

In the center of the top chamber is a randomly named Cloud Mage. Isolating them from their allies before the fight is recommended. If you can get them into melee, they'll often resort to their pathetic melee skills instead of hammering you with wind magic, though getting in close makes Polar Vortex more dangerous. Alternatively, any decent offensive caster should be able to obliterate them in fairly short order.

A strange wizard who has attained mastery over clouds, making deft and foreboding mystic gestures.

@
HP: 150
HD: 20
Spells: Airstrike, Polar Vortex
Equipment: Quick blade/dagger of electrocution or a staff of air, robe (always the Robe of Clouds if it hasn't already generated elsewhere)
Recommendations: If you have powerful ranged attacks, keep your distance. Silence works well to shut them down if necessary.

Source

Level border of (console) re-coloured water somewhat trimmed out (#), as short of deliberately shattering some walls it has no relevance besides decoration. Entrance is at A, exits at <, white fluffiness generators at !, n is transparent stone, b is crystal, the Cloud Mage is on 5, loot on f and d.

MAP
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ENDMAP

History

• 0.22 removed fire crabs from the lab.
• 0.21 revamped the lab to make it significantly more challenging, adding fire, ghost, and apocalypse crabs, shock serpents, spark wasps, blizzard demons, and death drakes as well as removing insubstantial wisps. Additionally, the Cloud Mage could have a freezing-branded short blade instead of a staff of air.
• Prior to 0.15, this Wizlab had vapours instead of wind drakes making it more dangerous for those without electricity resistance.