Curse skull

Version 0.12: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

curse skull z
HP	55
HD	13
XP	1631
Speed	15 (act: 150%)
AC	25
EV	3
Will	Immune
Resistances	damnation, rC++, rElec++, rPois+++, rN+++, rTorm, rRot+++, rDrown
Vulnerabilities	Holy, Holy wrath
Habitat	Land
Intelligence	High
Uses	Uses nothing
Holiness	Undead
Size	Tiny
Type	curse skull, curse skull
Flags	Evil Levitate Maintain range Template:Noisy spells flag See invisible Speaks Vigilant Silence immune

A charred skull floating in the air and rotating slowly. Mystic symbols carved into its blackened surface indicate its resistance to almost any form of attack.

Useful Info

Curse skulls are undead immobile monsters found in the Crypt. They have an almost complete set of resistances and cast powerful necromantic spells. Be prepared to fight the undead and endure torment.

Spells

Spell set
Slot1	Summon Undead
Slot2	Summon Undead
Slot3	none
Slot4	Symbol of Torment
Slot5	Summon Undead
Slot6	none

Tips & Tricks

• They fall very quickly to Dispel Undead, although since that spell requires a clear line of sight to hit, they can often shield themselves by summoning undead.
• Conjurers will want to switch to Earth spells or pure conjurations such as Orb of Destruction, if they lack Dispel Undead. If you have it, Fire Storm is quite efficient at taking out curse skulls, since it is smite targeted; Ice Storm less so, as it requires a clear line of sight.
• While their tendency to surround themselves with summons might make a smite-targeted spell such as Airstrike or Lee's Rapid Deconstruction seem attractive, their absurdly high AC generally renders both spells ineffective.
• Unfortunately, Silence doesn't affect them.
• For melee fighters, it's important to get into melee range ASAP. Use a scroll of blinking, or just try to enter their LOS as close as possible.
• They have absurdly high AC but fairly low HP. For short blades wielders, this generally means melee is out as an option, unless they have high amounts of slaying. Even those wielding heavier weapons will find that the amount of time required to destroy a curse skull is highly variable, owing to the way AC damage reduction works.
• Their EV is 3. If you've got it, Bolt of Inaccuracy is highly effective against them, especially since it'll pierce through their summons.

History

In 0.13 curse skulls will be able to move while the player cannot see them (like wandering mushrooms), and their hp and ac will be lowered.