Ozocubu's Armour

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Revision as of 01:39, 7 December 2018 by Kernmantle (talk | contribs) (Updated flavor text, removed commentary related to movement (spell now requires player be stationary))
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Version 0.22: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.
Ozocubu's armour.png Ozocubu's Armour
Level 3
School1 Charms
School2 Ice
Source(s)
Casting noise 3
Spell noise 0
Envelops the caster's body in a protective layer of thick ice, granting a substantial bonus to armour as long as they remain in their current location. The ice will crack and fall away if the caster moves to a new position. The spell will not function for casters already wearing heavy armour (any body armour with an encumbrance rating of 5 or more)

Ozocubu's Armour is a level 3 Charms/Ice Magic spell which can greatly increase your AC, provided the player remain stationary. The duration and size of this AC boost (which stacks with Ice Form) is shown below:

Normal AC Boost: 5 + 4 * (Spellpower/50) AC. (Max 13)
Duration: 20 + 2d(Spellpower) turns.

Ozocubu's Armour does have significant restrictions. The spell will fail if cast while wearing armour with an encumbrance rating of 5 or more, limiting the caster to robes, leather armour, troll leather armour, or steam dragon scales. Taking fire damage from beams greatly reduces its duration. The spell also conflicts with Statue Form and Ring of Flames, and cannot be used if either of these has been cast. Finally, of course, for the spell to remain in effect, the player may not move. However, many exceptions apply, including blinking, teleporting, and "involuntary" movement: eg, being teleported, being trampled, being banished, being moved by a wind blast or vortex, etc.

Strategy

Ozocubu's Armour can be a very useful spell, providing a massive AC boost to any character who can manage the minimal skill investment required to cast it, and who doesn't intend to wear heavy armour. Even at its lowest spellpower, it's still equivalent to wearing an additional full strength ring of protection. Species with no body armour slot (felids, octopodes, and draconians) can (and likely should) keep an eye out for this spell by default. Other species that happen to find it can usually afford to drop down to a lighter class of gear; a fully enchanted robe of resistance or troll leather armour can prove extremely effective in conjunction with OA, and that's assuming you don't find a useful artefact option. Just be prepared to recast it on occasion when facing opponents which deal heavy fire damage; the damage it helps soak is usually worth the time spent refreshing mid-combat. OA is the final buff to a weakly-armoured player that has decided to let the enemy come to him.

History

Prior to 0.22, Ozocubu's Armour did not expire immediately upon movement.

Prior to 0.18, Ozocubu's Armour did not come with a speed penalty.

Prior to 0.17, the effects of this spell were boosted in Ice Form and used the formula was 6 + 7 * (Spellpower/50) AC. (Max 20)

Prior to 0.15, the bonus AC calculation was link to your Ice Magic skill, not your spellpower:

  • Normal AC Boost - 4 + (Ice Magic/3)
  • Ice Form AC Boost - 5 + (Ice Magic * (7/12))

Prior to 0.14, the encumbrance rating limit for this spell was 6, allowing it to work with mottled dragon armour.