Wand of iceblast

Version 0.32: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

Type	Wand
Name	Wand of iceblast
Icon

A magical device which throws exploding shards of ice, partially harming even creatures resistant of cold.

A wand of iceblast creates an unavoidable, 3x3 explosion, much like a cold version of Fireball. This wand is 50% irresistible; it deals 50% cold and 50% physical damage. For example, a monster immune to cold will take half damage from this wand.

Players deal 3d(7.66 + 3.5 * Evocations/5) damage with this wand.

Monsters deal 3d(6 + (30 + HD)/12) damage with this wand.

This wand is mutually exclusive with the wand of roots and the wand of warping. Artificers will always begin with 5 charges of iceblast, regardless of which wand is actually generated in the Dungeon.

Tips & Tricks

• Wands of iceblast fill a unique slot in any Evocations specialist's arsenal, as enemies can't evade the attack or ignore it entirely with willpower. They can be used to finish off a deadly monster, or to kill high EV enemies like boggarts and spriggans. Just be aware that they lack power without much Evocations training.
• Firing a wand of iceblast point-blank at your foe guarantees you'll be caught in the blast. Use it before engaging in melee, or angle your shot diagonally behind your foe if possible.
• Monsters aren't willing to blast themselves. Against an Ijyb with iceblast, being adjacent will prevent the wand from being used. (Monsters aren't smart enough to aim diagonally behind.)

History

• Prior to 0.30, iceblast's damage was 60% irresistible.
• Prior to 0.29, iceblast did not alternate with other wands.
• Prior to 0.24, monsters couldn't use this wand.
• Prior to 0.21, wands of iceblast could hold at most 15 charges.
• Wands of iceblast were added in 0.18.