Catoblepas

Version 0.10: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

Catoblepas Y
HP	54 - 97
HD	14
XP	901
Speed	8
AC	10
EV	2
Will	93
Attack1	36 (gore: plain)
Resistances	none
Vulnerabilities	none
Habitat	land
Intelligence	Animal
Uses	Uses nothing
Holiness	Natural
Size	Big
Type	yak, catoblepas
Flags

A sluggish black buffalo, its hide encrusted with dull scales. It carries its hog-like head just above the ground, protected by a stiff mane of bristles, joined to its body by a neck as long and loose as an emptied intestine. Man and beast alike would be wise to steer clear of this creature, as its fearsome breath is known to turn flesh into stone.

Useful Info

Catoblepases are enormous yak-genus monsters, bigger and bulkier than even death yaks. Although they move slowly, they hit very hard and can incapacitate characters at range with their petrifying breath attacks. These breath attacks create clouds of calcifying dust that may slow you and eventually petrify you if you remain standing in them. At that point, the catoblepas will take advantage of your inability to move by dealing gruesome damage in melee. Fortunately, unlike most yaks, they do not appear in packs, though one Lair:8 layout can place them near herds of death yaks. They can be found in the deeper portions of the Lair and occasionally in the middle-to-lower portions of the Dungeon.

Tips & Tricks

• Although no equipment provides petrification resistance, characters with high experience levels have a better chance of resisting petrification, and the clouds will not effect you unless you end your turn standing in one. It's fairly easy to avoid being turned to stone, but this makes kiting more difficult.
• Their breath attacks can affect monsters too.