Dart slug

Version 0.30: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

For a list of all gastropods, see list of gastropods.

dart slug w
HP	6-14
HD	1
XP	4
Speed	7
AC	1
EV	1
Will	0
Attack1	3 (bite: plain)
Resistances	None
Vulnerabilities	Poison
Habitat	Land
Intelligence	Animal
Uses	Uses nothing
Holiness	Natural
Size	Little
Type	elephant slug, dart slug
Flags	No skeleton

A small invertebrate. It hunts prey considerably larger than itself by firing chitinous darts, using a concealed air bladder to launch them with remarkable range and power.

Useful Info

Dart slugs are a common nuisance on the earliest Dungeon floors. They have a moderately strong ranged attack, at least for a D:1 enemy, but are slow and otherwise unremarkable.

Spells

Spell set I
Slot1	Slug Dart (2d3)	Natural flag

Tips & Tricks

• For low HP species at XL 1, dart slugs can be big threats; they have a ranged attack that can two-shot frailer combos. If you find a sleeping slug, try to avoid waking it up.
• Dart slugs get a chance to fire every ~1.4 turns. If you blindly charge in, you can take a few max roll Slug Darts and promptly die. But, like any monster with ranged attacks, dart slugs cannot fire when they are outside of your line of sight.
  • For melee characters, you can duck around a corner, and wait for them to come. That way, you won't get shot during the approach.
  • Dart slugs are slow. If you have an attack with full-screen range (Magic Dart, Ranged Weapons...), and sufficiently clear space, you can kite them. Keep the slug at the edge of your line of sight at all times - if the slug deals too much damage, retreat, which forces it outside LOS.
  • Slugs can't open doors, so walking back and shutting a door is a valid escape option.

History

• Prior to 0.27, their Slug Dart dealt 2d4 damage, but they fired less often.
• Prior to 0.25, dart slugs could cling to walls.
• Dart slugs came into life in version 0.18.