Boris

Version 0.13: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

Boris L
HP	154
HD	22
XP	5753
Speed	10
AC	12
EV	10
Will	Immune
Attack1	25 (hit: plain)
Attack2	15 (touch: drain experience)
Resistances	rC++, rElec, rPois+++, rN+++, rTorm, rRot+++, rDrown
Vulnerabilities	Holy, Holy wrath
Habitat	Land
Intelligence	High
Uses	Starting equipment Open doors
Holiness	Undead
Size	Medium
Type	lich, lich
Flags	Actual spells Evil See invisible Speaks Spellcaster Unique

An ancient and powerful lich. Like all true liches, Boris is immortal, and will regenerate his desiccated skeletal remains even if completely disintegrated.

Useful Info

Boris is a unique lich that revives after being defeated, reappearing in a random different part of the Dungeon at full strength. His HD is slightly higher than that of a lich but still considerably less than that of an ancient lich. He packs four different Conjurations spells, all posing a threat even to high-level players, but lacks any Summoning spells. He also has an unthreatening auxiliary melee attack.

Location

• The Dungeon:20-27
• The Swamp:5
• The Snake Pit:5
• The Shoals:5
• The Spider's Nest:5
• The Vaults:2-5
• The Crypt
• The Hall of Blades
• The Tomb

Spells

Spell set
Slot1	Iron Shot (3d37)
Slot2	Bolt of Cold (3d32)
Slot3	Invisibility
Slot4	Animate Dead
Slot5	Orb of Destruction (9d18)
Slot6	Invisibility

Tips & Tricks

• Boris is capable of one- or two-shotting careless characters. If you aren't confident you can handle him, run.
• Spellcasters should keep their distance (at least 6 squares to avoid Iron Shot, 7 to avoid Bolt of Draining, and 8 to avoid Bolt of Cold), Haste themselves, and use their longest range spells. He can't Haste himself, thankfully, and a concentrated heavy attack can take him down quickly.
• Blink in a different direction or summon some meat shields if Boris uses Orb of Destruction. If an Orb of Destruction hits another orb, it will create a small explosion; this means you can "cancel" Boris' orb with your own, but make sure to do this from a distance or you'll just catch yourself in the explosion. Be warned that this will make a lot of noise.
• Melee fighters should get into melee range with him as quickly as possible. His melee skills, even with a draining brand, are not that dangerous, and being at point blank range with him reduces the power of his Orb of Destruction immensely. Use a scroll of blinking or lure him around a corner to avoid making a very painful charge.
• Boris will not reappear on another level until he is killed. Thus, if you want to avoid encountering him a second time, just leave him where he is and he won't bother you again unless you come back. That being said, you'll be missing out on a hefty chunk of XP.
• He lacks any summoning or area-of-effect spells, meaning that high-level summons should be able to bring him down. In addition, your summons can protect you from Iron Shot and Orb of Destruction.