Petrify
 Petrify
| |
|---|---|
| Level | 4 |
| School1 | Transmutation |
| School2 | Earth |
| Source(s) | |
| Casting noise | 3 |
| Spell noise | 0 |
| This spell attempts to petrify a monster. If successful, the monster is slowed down for a while until it is temporarily turned into stone. In this state, a monster will take less damage upon being hit. It also precludes the use of wings, which can be quite unhealthy above lava. |
Petrify is a level 4 Transmutations/Earth Magic spell that will first slow, then a few turns later petrifies its target. This leaves the victim unable to move or act for several turns, during which time they cannot dodge attacks, are vulnerable to tier-2 Stabbing attempts, and will no longer be airborne if normally capable of flight or levitation. However, because the victim is now made of stone, he receives significantly less damage: -50% while petrified, -33% while petrifying (after AC). This spell requires a clear line of fire and checks magic resistance.
Earth elementals, catoblepases, statues, and insubstantial creatures cannot be petrified by any means. Players can become immune by activating Zin's Vitalisation or being gargoyles. Elyvilon's Purification cancels this status effect.
Strategy
- Normally the target stops almost instantly, but it seems that special abilities are not slowed while petrifying, so be careful around that electric eel.
- Stopping opponents with Petrify can be extremely useful for making escapes. Individual pursuers can be frozen in place while you run to a safe place to heal. Petrifying the lead monster of a pack that's chasing you through a narrow hallways will stop all the others behind it. When successful, Petrify is generally more effective and longer lasting than Conjure Flame, Confuse, or Slow for escaping foes.
- Petrify has nice synergy with Lee's Rapid Deconstruction (and to a lesser extent with Shatter): petrified targets have the same vulnerability to these spells as statues. If you wait until the target is entirely petrified, hitting it with LRD will create a very large explosion of shrapnel, which can be quite useful against groups of monsters.
- Winged monsters can be drowned with this spell. This is particularly useful against the harpies in Shoals, who have fairly low magic resistance. This trick doesn't work against monsters that fly using magic (including the player character).
