Reaver

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.

Reavers have an assortment of powerful, but highly situational, conjurations to draw upon when their skill in melee is insufficient. They start with a simple weapon of their choice and leather armour.

Reavers are warriors who learn Conjurations (destructive magic) in order to complement their deadliness in combat.

Preferred Species

Gnoll, Tengu, Barachi, Demonspawn, Draconian, and Hill Orc are the recommended species if you pick a Reaver Background.

Starting Equipment

Some species may receive different items based on their unique restrictions.

• +0 weapon of choice (short sword, hand axe, spear, short sword or mace)
• +0 leather armour

Available Spells

• Kiss of Death
• Momentum Strike
• Hailstorm

Reavers start with the Kiss of Death spell memorised.

Starting Skills

These are adjusted by your species' aptitudes.

• Fighting: 2
• Chosen Weapon's Skill: 3
• Dodging: 2
• Spellcasting: 2
• Conjurations: 3

Choosing Reaver adds 4 to your starting Strength, 5 to Intelligence, and 3 to Dexterity.

Strategy

Reavers should be treated as melee warriors, with a little extra power from their set of spells. Their spells have a theme: limited use, but powerful.

Reavers are a flexible background. If you've found a set of plate armor, don't be afraid to rely entirely on melee for a while. If you've found a Book of Conjurations, then you have a path towards general spellcasting. Being a "pure hybrid" isn't always possible; some characters will spend the rest of the game focusing on melee or magic.

Spell Details

Kiss of Death should be thought of as a consumable, like Brigand's darts or Gladiator's throwing nets. It deals extreme damage for its level and ignores EV. As a cost, it drains a good chunk of your max HP (temporarily; you can gain it back by gaining experience). Training 1-2 levels of Necromancy, in addition to Conjurations, can be worthwhile. You should use Kiss of Death sparingly, but it can be a strong option against early gnolls, adders, and other scary monsters. Past D:4 or so, this spell becomes too weak to deal with dangerous threats (on its own).

Momentum Strike, like Kiss of Death, is not a main source of damage. It deals relatively high damage, but if it hits, prevents you from moving for a few turns. And you can only cast the spell when you are able to move; i.e., you can only get 1 strike per engagement. Position yourself in a hallway or other advantageous position before casting this spell. It is closer to a support spell than an actual killing tool.

Hailstorm doesn't harm the player for using it, but with a range of 2-3, it is a very awkward spell to use. Most characters can only use Hailstorm once or twice before a monster gets into melee range, following the theme of Reaver. Depending on the character and dungeon loot, it might not be worth it to train Conjurations up to Hailstorm at all.

History

• The reaver background will be reintroduced in 0.30, with an entirely new set of spells.
• Reaver was removed in version 0.8. This version could start with the Book of Conjurations (Ice) or Book of Conjurations (Fire).
  • Ice contained Magic Dart, Throw Frost, Mephitic Cloud, Lightning Bolt, Bolt of Cold, and Freezing Cloud
  • Fire contained Magic Dart, Throw Flame, Stone Arrow, Conjure Flame, Bolt of Magma, and Bolt of Fire.