Kirke

Version 0.14: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

Kirke @
HP	110
HD	16
XP	2080
Speed	10
AC	0
EV	10
Will	106
Attack1	18 (hit: plain)
Resistances	None
Vulnerabilities	None
Habitat	Land
Intelligence	High
Uses	Weapons & armour Starting equipment Open doors
Holiness	Natural
Size	Medium
Type	human, human
Flags	Actual spells Deflect missiles See invisible Speaks Spellcaster Unique Warm-blooded

A master of transformation and treachery. Beware, or you may be the next swine to join her herd! “Lo, thy comrades yonder in the house of Kirke are penned like swine in close-barred sties. And art thou come to release them? Nay, I tell thee, thou shalt not thyself return, but shalt remain there with the others.” -Homer, Odysseia

Useful Info

Kirke is an unusual unique sorceress who travels with a band of hogs and would very much like for you to join them! She can cast several dangerous Hexes, including one unique spell which turns you into a pig, and calls various mythical beasts into existence to aid her in combat. On top of that, she has a permanent Deflect Missiles effect in place, rendering her significantly more difficult to kill at range. Bring high magic resistance to avoid an embarrassing death ("extraordinarily resistant" is generally enough to resist all her enchantments).

Location

• The Dungeon:14-19
• The Elven Halls
• The Swamp:1-4
• The Snake Pit:1-4
• The Shoals:1-4
• The Spider's Nest:1-4
• The Vaults:1-3

Spells

Spell set
Slot1	Porkalator (50% success rate when MR=54)
Slot2	Slow (50% success rate when MR=54)
Slot3	Monstrous Menagerie
Slot4	Porkalator (50% success rate when MR=54)
Slot5	Corona (50% success rate when MR=54)
Slot6	Invisibility

Tips & Tricks

• While it's usually a decent idea to kill summoners quickly rather than to focus on their summoned allies, you should consider your escape plans before fighting Kirke. Scrolls of teleportation still function in Pig Form, but wands of teleportation will not.
• All of her summons are significant trouble for a character in Pig Form. Harpies can deal very heavy damage to low AC characters, manticore spines devastate anyone trying to flee on foot, and a sphinx's Paralyse spell is even more likely to succeed against you than Kirke's Porkalator. Stack on magic resistance before the fight (and possibly stasis to prevent being slowed or paralysed), and try to finish her off before she has time to complicate things.
• Don't waste time killing her hogs. Kirke is the much bigger threat here.
• Should you get turned into a hog yourself, most characters will want to flee, as pigs are unable to use weapons, armour, or spells. Unarmed Combat specialists may be able to continue fighting, however, though with handicapped damage output and vastly reduced defenses. Do so with caution.
• Silence will shut down Kirke's spellcasting abilities entirely, at which point you can just take her out in melee. She's no threat there, though any allies she's already summoned will still be trouble.
• Conjurers and ranged weapon users may have trouble getting past her innate Deflect Missiles. Spellcasters can try using attacks that can't be dodged, like Fireball or Airstrike, but ranged weapon combatants will probably want to try a different approach or be prepared for a lot of missed shots.

Trivia

Kirke is an alternate spelling of Circe, a beautiful Greek goddess of magic who used potions to turn her enemies into pigs.

History

Prior to 0.14, Kirke knew Summon Ugly Thing in place of Monstrous Menagerie.