Lupine talisman

Version 0.33: This article is up to date for the latest stable release of Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup.

An painted eyepatch made from a scrap of wolf pelt. Transforms the user into a vicious werewolf, muscles surging with predatory instinct. Killing enemies in this form will give a stacking bonus to your damage and accuracy, and slaying enough of them in a row will cause you to unleash a vicious howl that makes any still alive cower in fear - and leaves them susceptible to a devastating leaping takedown.

A lupine talisman is a talisman that changes you into a ferocious werewolf.

Useful Info

When eVoked, a lupine talisman turns you into Werewolf Form, which lasts until you end the form. Entering or exiting a form takes 5 turns.

Werewolf Form has the following effects:

Offensive traits

• Unarmed Combat: 9 base damage (counting the Claws 3 mutation, which is not accounted for in the in-game inventory)
  • Claws 3 boosts the offhand punch and cuts off hydra heads.
• Str+3
• Dex+3
• Werefury: killing enemies in melee gives you a slaying bonus, which stacks up to +12. You get an extra 1.20-2.20 Slay per kill, depending on your Shapeshifting skill.
• Werehowl: if you Werefury bonus is at least 5 slay, you may unleash a howl that freezes all nearby enemies in place with fear if it overcomes their willpower. Howl power is 80-120, depending on your Shapeshifting skill.
• Bestial Takedown ability, which performs a jumping attack at +(75-125)% damage against any enemy who is currently afraid (whether from you howling at them, or any other source, like a scroll of fear). Kills made by Bestial Takedown will always cause you to perform a howl afterward.

Defensive traits

• Cold resistance (rC+)
• Willpower vulnerability (Will-)
• Regeneration bonus (similar to an amulet of regeneration)

Restrictions

• Melded Gear: Helmet, gloves, boots, barding, cloak
• Suppressed mutations: None

Werewolf Form has a minimum Shapeshifting skill of 12, and the maximum skill is 20.

Strategy

For melee characters Werewolf Form can be a strong crowd control option that doesn't meld body armour or shields. Having to invest ~12 levels of Shapeshifting for a form that provides few "base" bonuses can be tough to manage, though. And watch out for Will-, which can be lethal - certain statuses (paralysis, vex) can kill you before you get another turn to act.

This form's claws will cut hydra heads.

Humanoid	Armataur	Djinni	Felid	Gargoyle	Naga	Octopode

History

• Lupine talismans were added in 0.33.