Difference between revisions of "Mercury Vapours"

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m (Hordes moved page Poisonous Vapours to Mercury Vapours: 0.31 rework/rename)
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{{spell info}}
 
{{spell info}}
  
'''Poisonous Vapours''' is a level 2 Poison/Air spell which causes [[smite-targeted]] poison on any vulnerable enemy within [[line of sight]].
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'''Poisonous Vapours''' is a level 2 Alchemy/Air spell which causes [[smite-targeted]] poison on any non-resistant enemy within [[line of sight]], then attempts to [[weak]]en enemies in a 3x3 area.
  
[[Venom Mage]]s start with this spell.
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[[Alchemist]]s start with this spell.
  
 
==Useful Info==
 
==Useful Info==
Poisonous Vapours inflicts <code>pow/15</code> (min. 1) poison "stacks" on a single target.<ref>{{source ref|0.30.0|spl-damage.cc|3539}}</ref> Monsters can have up to 4 stacks of poison at a time. It does nothing against foes with [[poison resistance]].
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If the central target does not have [[poison resistance]], it inflicts <code>pow/25</code> (min. 1) poison "stacks" on it.<ref>{{source ref|0.30.0|spl-damage.cc|3539}}</ref> If the target isn't poisoned, 1 extra poison stack is inflicted. Monsters can have up to 4 stacks of poison at a time. Stacks decay over time.
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In addition, each monster in a 3x3 area (adjacent to, or on, the central target) has a <code>83% - (12 * [[HD]]) + (1.5 * power)</code> chance <!--spl-damage.cc-->
  
 
Higher stacks mean more damage per turn, according to the following table:
 
Higher stacks mean more damage per turn, according to the following table:
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|4 || 2.5 || 6.5 || Extremely poisoned
 
|4 || 2.5 || 6.5 || Extremely poisoned
 
|}
 
|}
 
Poison stacks will decay as turns pass.
 
  
 
==Strategy==
 
==Strategy==
Poisonous Vapours is a good spell to pick up, even if you aren't a Venom Mage. It is a level 2, smite-targeted spell, which never misses, ignores [[AC]], and deals good damage (for its level).  
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Mercury Vapours never misses, ignores AC, and is one of the few ways to inflict the [[weak]] status. It can be useful even if you aren't into [[Alchemy]]. The downside is that it relies on poison - damage is done over time, and cannot damage foes with poison resistance. These shouldn't be dealbreakers, however. You can [[kite]] susceptible enemies: apply a few stacks of poison, then retreat a few tiles, allowing the poison to do its job.
 
 
The downside of the spell is that it's poison - damage is done over time, and it does nothing against foes with poison resistance. But these shouldn't be dealbreakers. You can [[kite]] susceptible enemies: apply a few stacks of poison, then retreat a few tiles, allowing the poison to do its job.
 
 
 
===Ignite Poison===
 
With [[Ignite Poison]], Poisonous Vapours jumps from "good" to "excellent". Ignite Poison converts poison into immediate damage, with a bonus multiplier of 200% to 300%. This combination is cheap and very strong, remaining viable much longer than what you'd expect from a level 2/3 spell.
 
 
 
At ~30 power, casting Vapours x2 -> Ignite Poison deals 8d13 damage (avg. 56) - for reference, [[Iron Shot]] at 70 power deals 9d7 damage (avg. 36), and [[Plasma Beam]] deals 2d53 (avg. 54). While this combo is poor at turn economy - it takes 3 turns to cast - it's good to put things into perspective. Poisonous Vapours has better range, but more importantly, it ignores both EV and AC. This makes the combo more consistent and more MP efficient on average. Has the added benefit of [[Olgreb's Toxic Radiance]], which is great against crowds.  
 
  
Overall, it can be worth using into [[Vaults]], [[Depths]], and posisbly [[Zot]]... provided you have some way to kill resistant enemies. Even in Zot, many targets are vulnerable to poison, including [[moths of wrath]], non-green [[list of draconians|draconians]], [[quicksilver dragon]]s, and [[orb guardian]]s.
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At low skill levels, [[Sting]] deals more damage/MP, but this spell is perfectly accurate and inflicts weak. In the early game, you may want to cast Mercury Vapours once per monster (to inflict weak and the extra poison), then use Sting. Once you gain more [[spell power]], though, Mercury Vapours is more efficient, so feel free to forget Sting.
  
 
===Tips & Tricks===
 
===Tips & Tricks===
*Low-XL [[Venom Mage]]s may want to use [[Sting]] for the reduced MP cost. Otherwise, Poisonous Vapours is almost a direct upgrade; it's more accurate and has better range. Note that Sting deals ''some'' damage against poison resistant foes, so you'll want to keep it around for a bit.
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*[[Ignite Poison]] is quite strong with any source of poison, including this spell. It converts poison stacks into instant damage, with a great increase in damage. The Ignite Poison + Mercury Vapours combo offers high reliability and MP efficiency for its level.
 
*In Tiles, you can count poison stacks by the number of green poison drops on the monster. 1 drop is 1 stack (poisoned), 2 drops is 2-3 stacks (very poisoned), and 3 drops is 4 stacks (extremely poisoned).
 
*In Tiles, you can count poison stacks by the number of green poison drops on the monster. 1 drop is 1 stack (poisoned), 2 drops is 2-3 stacks (very poisoned), and 3 drops is 4 stacks (extremely poisoned).
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
{{CBA|0.31|this spell will be renamed '''Mercury Vapours''' and have a chance to [[weak]]en the target and adjacent creatures. Its range will be reduced to 6, and it will apply more poison stacks to monsters that aren't already poisoned.}}
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*Prior to [[0.31]], this spell was known as '''Poisonous Vapours'''. It was a level 2 [[Poison Magic]]/[[Air]] spell, had a range of 7, but did not have a chance to weaken foes. Also, it dealt <code>power/15</code> stacks of poison, but with no bonus against non-poisoned foes.
 
*Prior to [[0.27]], Poisonous Vapours would create a short lived [[cloud]], and wouldn't work if there was a cloud already there (including from the spell itself). Also, [[Vehumet]] did not consider this spell "destructive".
 
*Prior to [[0.27]], Poisonous Vapours would create a short lived [[cloud]], and wouldn't work if there was a cloud already there (including from the spell itself). Also, [[Vehumet]] did not consider this spell "destructive".
 
*Poisonous Vapours was added in [[0.20]].
 
*Poisonous Vapours was added in [[0.20]].

Revision as of 06:12, 15 January 2024

Version 0.31: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.
Poisonous vapours.png Mercury Vapours
Level 2
School1 Air
School2 Alchemy
Source(s) Book of Vapours
Young Poisoner's Handbook
Casting noise 2
Spell noise 0
Power Cap 50
Range 3
Flags Not self, Target
Briefly transmutes the air around a target into gaseous mercury, poisoning those who breathe it in. Further, the target and adjacent creatures (living or otherwise) may be weakened by mere exposure to the alchemical substance.

Poisonous Vapours is a level 2 Alchemy/Air spell which causes smite-targeted poison on any non-resistant enemy within line of sight, then attempts to weaken enemies in a 3x3 area.

Alchemists start with this spell.

Useful Info

If the central target does not have poison resistance, it inflicts pow/25 (min. 1) poison "stacks" on it.[1] If the target isn't poisoned, 1 extra poison stack is inflicted. Monsters can have up to 4 stacks of poison at a time. Stacks decay over time.

In addition, each monster in a 3x3 area (adjacent to, or on, the central target) has a 83% - (12 * HD) + (1.5 * power) chance

Higher stacks mean more damage per turn, according to the following table:

Average poison damage per 1.0 turn
# Stacks Damage Description
Normal rPois-
1 0.75 1.75 Poisoned
2 1 3 Very poisoned
3 1.25 4.25 Very poisoned
4 2.5 6.5 Extremely poisoned

Strategy

Mercury Vapours never misses, ignores AC, and is one of the few ways to inflict the weak status. It can be useful even if you aren't into Alchemy. The downside is that it relies on poison - damage is done over time, and cannot damage foes with poison resistance. These shouldn't be dealbreakers, however. You can kite susceptible enemies: apply a few stacks of poison, then retreat a few tiles, allowing the poison to do its job.

At low skill levels, Sting deals more damage/MP, but this spell is perfectly accurate and inflicts weak. In the early game, you may want to cast Mercury Vapours once per monster (to inflict weak and the extra poison), then use Sting. Once you gain more spell power, though, Mercury Vapours is more efficient, so feel free to forget Sting.

Tips & Tricks

  • Ignite Poison is quite strong with any source of poison, including this spell. It converts poison stacks into instant damage, with a great increase in damage. The Ignite Poison + Mercury Vapours combo offers high reliability and MP efficiency for its level.
  • In Tiles, you can count poison stacks by the number of green poison drops on the monster. 1 drop is 1 stack (poisoned), 2 drops is 2-3 stacks (very poisoned), and 3 drops is 4 stacks (extremely poisoned).

History

  • Prior to 0.31, this spell was known as Poisonous Vapours. It was a level 2 Poison Magic/Air spell, had a range of 7, but did not have a chance to weaken foes. Also, it dealt power/15 stacks of poison, but with no bonus against non-poisoned foes.
  • Prior to 0.27, Poisonous Vapours would create a short lived cloud, and wouldn't work if there was a cloud already there (including from the spell itself). Also, Vehumet did not consider this spell "destructive".
  • Poisonous Vapours was added in 0.20.

References