Kiss of Death
| Spell Details | |
|---|---|
| Damage Formula | 2d(5.5 + 3*Power/10) |
| Max Damage | 2d13 negative |
| Max Power | 25 |
| Range | 1 |
| Targeting | Random |
| To-hit | Never misses |
| Special | |
Kiss of Death is a level 1 Conjurations/Necromancy spell that deals heavy damage (for a level 1 spell) at the cost of HP drain. This spell will never miss, but it does checks AC. If the spell succeeds, then you will be drained for roughly 13.3% maximum HP - equal to that of Ru's Apocalypse. At XL 1-2, this equates to 1-2 max HP.
Reavers start with this spell in their libraries.
- Book of Touch & Kiku gift
Strategy
Kiss of Death is vital to Reaver starts. It can be your only option to fight dangerous monsters like gnolls on D:1 or adders on D:2. If the choice is to die fighting or at least try casting this spell, the choice is obvious. Keep in mind that, while it can't miss, this spell can miscast or lowroll 2d1. So like with all consumables in Crawl, use it early. For Reavers, it can be worthwhile to train 1-2 points of Necromancy to lower spell failure.
If you find Kiss of Death past D:1-3 or so, it is of limited use, since the spell becomes weak for the amount of draining it causes. One of the few benefits is that it never misses, so it can be used to finish off monsters who'd otherwise have a chance to kill you. In terms of damage, this spell is ultimately weaker than Stone Arrow.
History
This spell was added in 0.30.
