Pakellas

Trunk-only: This article pertains to a feature of Crawl which is being tested. It will likely change before the next release, and may even be removed entirely.

"Time to continue the experiment."

Pakellas the Inventive believes in the supremacy of devices, magical or otherwise, over spells and other forms of magic. Followers, although cut off from ambient magical power, are provided with magical energy to empower their devices so long as they use them to assert Pakellas' supremacy. Pakellas will grant devout worshippers access to increasingly powerful devices. Followers of Pakellas do not regenerate their magic power naturally, and are forbidden from using external means to do so; instead, they are granted magical energy on killing beings. They may use increasing amounts of magical energy to strengthen their devices, temporarily granting them additional power, and can also use their magical energy to recharge their devices. Sufficiently devout followers will receive new devices from Pakellas, and may eventually petition Pakellas to personally charge one of their devices beyond its normal limits. Pakellas likes it when you kill living beings, you kill the undead, you kill demons and you kill holy beings. The power of Pakellas' abilities is governed by Evocations skill instead of Invocations. Pakellas strongly dislikes it when you channel magical energy.

Racial Restrictions

Demigods are prohibited from worshiping Pakellas.

Appreciates

• Killing living, undead, demonic, or holy creatures.

Deprecates

• Channeling magic via a crystal ball of energy, sublimation of blood, or staff of energy.

Given Abilities

Piety level -: "Apprentice"

• No MP Regen - You no longer regenerate MP naturally.
• Gain power from killing - When you kill a monster, you gain 1d(2 + HD/6)-1 MP. Note that because of the -1, you don't always gain MP after a kill.
• Identify wands - All wands are fully identified when you pick them up.

Piety level *: "Inquisitive"

• Quick Charge - Recharges a wand. The amount of charges gained increases with your MP, piety, and evocations skill. Costs 2/3 of your MP (at least 1), 0-100 food, and 1-2 piety,

Piety level **: "Experimenter"

• Collect MP - When you kill with full MP, Pakellas will collect the extra MP. Once this extra MP builds up enough, Pakellas will gift you a potion of magic. (Passive)

Piety level ***: "Inventor"

• Device Surge - . Costs

Piety level ****: "Pioneer"

Piety level *****: "Brilliant"

Piety level ******: "Grand Gadgeteer"

• Supercharge - Once per game, you may "supercharge" a wand or rod. Supercharging a rod sets the maximum charges to 18 and the enchantment to +10. Supercharging a wand sets the maximum charges to 4.5 times the normal amount for the wand's type, rounded down. For example, a supercharged wand of hasting gets 4.5*9 = 40 charges. The wand is also fully recharged.

Gifts

At each piety breakpoint, Pakellas gives you an evocable gift.

• At 1 star, you receive a wand of flame, slowing, confusion, polymorph, or random effects.
• At 2 stars, you receive a box of beasts, sack of spiders, or phantom mirror.
• At 3 stars, you receive a wand of paralysis, iceblast, acid, or enslavement.
• At 4 stars, you receive an elemental evocable.
• At 5 stars, you receive a rod. (Felids receive another 3- or 4-star gift.)

Pakellas also gifts potions of magic after 2 piety stars, once enough MP is collected.

Punishments

Those that offend Pakellas will find their magical devices drained of their power, their magic reserves emptied, and even their very life force fed into the ever-hungry engine that is progress on Pakellas' behalf. Those who abandon Pakellas altogether will further find themselves unable to regenerate their magical power so long as Pakellas' attention remains on them, and that their devices fail to work as intended – though they still have their intended effects, they will also harm the user in their use.

After you abandon Pakellas, your MP will not start to regenerate again until wrath has ended. Any evocables you use backfire, causing you to be hit with the effect in addition to the evocable's usual effect.

Additionally, Pakellas will periodically punish you:

• 60% of the time, Pakellas will try to drain evocables. The order in which they're tried is random.
  • Drain charges from your wands. This fails if you're carrying no wands or have no wands with charges.
  • Drain charges, max charges, and enchantments from your rods. This fails if you're carrying no rods or have no rods with charges.
  • Drain evocables that are recharged with experience, such as lamp of fire. This fails if you're carrying no such items or all the ones you're carrying are already drained.
• If the above failed or wasn't tried in the first place, there's a 50% chance for Pakellas to drain all your MP. This fails if you already have 0 MP.
• Otherwise, Pakellas drains you.

Strategy

Pakellas supplies you with a guaranteed source of early-game evocables and a lets you make the most of other evocables you happen to find on the floor. However, the lack of MP regeneration means that you will only be casting spells occasionally, if at all.

Backgrounds that don't rely on spellcasting make the best Pakellas worshippers, since they won't miss natural MP regeneration. Evocables add several tactical options:

• Ranged attacks with various wands and rods
• Confusing or paralysing enemies with wands and then stabbing them
• Summon allies with miscellaneous evocables or a rod of shadows

Nearly any species can benefit from worshipping Pakellas. Deep dwarves in particular have a high evocations aptitude and enjoy being able to recharge their wands of healing without spending max MP. Vine Stalkers may be the worst choice, since lack of MP regeneration makes their innate guardian spirit much less useful; however, their anti-magic bite still restores MP.

History

Pakellas will be added in 0.18.