Shatter

Version 0.28: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

Shatter
Level	9
School1	Earth
Source(s)	Book of Annihilations
Casting noise	7
Spell noise	30
Power Cap	200
Flags	Area

Causes an enormous burst of concussive force around the caster, dealing severe damage to all nearby creatures. It is especially effective against those made from ice, bone, or any wall-like substance (such as rock, metal or crystal), as well as those turned to stone by petrification. It is less effective against flying, gelatinous and insubstantial creatures. It may also destroy nearby walls. “So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.” -KJV Bible, Joshua 6:20-21.

Spell Details
Damage Formula	Nd(5+Power/3)
Max Damage	Nd72
Max Power	200
Range	7
Targeting	LOS
To-hit
Special	Destroys walls

Shatter is a level 9 Earth Magic spell which attacks all monsters (enemy or allied) in line of sight, dealing unavoidable physical damage. Against particularly vulnerable monsters (those made of stone, metal, crystal, bone, or ice) this spell deals devastating amounts of damage, while resistant opponents will only be lightly injured or remain completely unscathed. The spell also affects many objects in your line of sight:

Chance to destroy walls

The following Dungeon features may be destroyed, but only if the caster has line of effect to them (terrain behind transparent walls cannot be Shattered):

• Door: 100%, whether they are open or closed
• Iron grate: 100%
• Statue or orcish idol: 50%
• Rock, slimy or crystal wall: 33%
• Tree: 33%
• Stone wall: 25%
• Metal wall: 15%

Shatter does not damage the caster (barring miscast effects).

Number of dice

Monsters

The number of dice (N) that the Nd(5+power/3) damage roll has depends on the target. In the case of monsters, the number of dice is as follows, where the first applicable condition on this list applies, and no other conditions further down the list can then apply.

Target	N
Monsters made from metal, stone or crystal	6
Insubstantial monsters	1
Petrifying/Petrified (reduced later by petrification reduction)	6
Monsters made from ice or bone	6
Slimy monsters	1
Flying monsters	1
All other monsters	3

Players

In the case of players, the number of dice is as follows, where the first applicable condition on this list applies, and no other conditions further down the list can then apply.

Target	N
Wisp Form	1
Petrifying/Petrified (reduced later by petrification reduction)	6
Gargoyles	6
Statue Form or Ice Form	6
Flying	1
All other players	3

After the spell's damage is calculated, AC is applied in the usual way to the final damage. (Reduction by 1d(AC+1)-1)

Strategy

Much like Fire Storm, Chain Lightning, and Polar Vortex, Shatter lives up to its level 9 spell status, allowing the player to do obscene amounts of damage in a very short amount of time. It effectively targets everything on the screen with each casting, letting it function as a top-notch crowd control spell under the right circumstances. Better still, because its only spell school is Earth Magic, it takes less training to get it to a reliable casting success rate than the former two.

However, Shatter is also much less versatile. Flying and insubstantial enemies take much less damage than average, rendering it far less useful against dragons, a large number of demons (including all of the fiends), and orbs of fire. Even when it does clear the screen, the spell is so loud that it can attract plenty of reinforcements. However, Shatter shines under certain circumstances: virtually anything you'll encounter in the Tomb can be put to rest by spamming this spell a few times, making it excellent not only for breaking into the place but also for subduing its angry inhabitants if they decide to swarm you (though you may want to be in lich form or worship Kikubaaqudgha to reduce the impact of their death curses). Also, many of the late-game bosses lack flight and take full damage from it, and anything they summon will be pulverized in the process. Particular examples include:

• C Antaeus
• & Ereshkigal
• & Dispater
• & Mnoleg
• & Cerebov

Against individual targets, however, you will likely get more efficient damage output using Iron Shot or Lehudib's Crystal Spear.

Stealing runes

The fact that this spell quickly removes many walls, including those of stone or metal, gives it a second use. Namely, it is useful for stealing ("ninja") runes from certain difficult areas of the game (most notably Pandemonium and Hell) simply by using the spell to open holes in the vaults that hold those runes. Apportation can then quickly get you the rune, or Haste and Swiftness if for some reason that is not an option. A well-timed teleport can then minimize your exposure to the (likely very angry) guardian of the rune.

Monster version

Player ghosts that knew Shatter in life might be able to cast it in death.

Power: 5 + 4.5×HD
Damage: 3d(5+Power/3)

Flying will reduce the damage you take from Shatter by 67% (taking 1 dice instead of 3), therefore you should always fly when fighting an enemy who can cast Shatter.

However, being petrified or otherwise rendered vulnerable to Shatter greatly increases the amount of damage you take; vulnerable players take double the normal amount of damage (6 dice instead of 3) and cannot reduce this damage by flying. Gargoyles in particular should avoid monsters with Shatter at all costs, and other species should avoid using Statue Form or Ice Form. Should the ghost also be capable of casting Petrify, it will become even more lethal; if it manages to tag you with Petrify, immediately either drink a potion of cancellation or, failing that, read a scroll of teleportation. If you don't have enough willpower to reliably resist petrification, highly consider that ghost entirely.

History

• Prior to 0.22, Jorgrun could cast Shatter.
• Prior to 0.21, icy monsters took 4 or 5 dice of damage, water elementals took 1 dice, insubstantial creatures took 0, and the order that dice were applied was different. Pandemonium lords could cast this spell, and flight reduced the damage taken by player gargoyles and statues from 6 dice to 1.
• Prior to 0.15, the range of Shatter was dependent on your Earth Magic skill.
• Prior to 0.14, Shatter had a high chance of destroying potions not being carried.
• Prior to 0.10, casting Shatter near permarock walls would damage monsters on the other side. After 0.10, monsters are only damaged if the wall is shattered in the process.