Shadow trap

Version 0.16: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

This magical trap creates replicas of creatures native to its location, weaving them from shadows and threads of Abyssal matter. Its magics are sensitive enough that any non-summoned creature entering it will set it off, as long as you are in sight.

Stepping on a shadow trap will immediately result in you being the target of a long-duration Shadow Creatures spell; essentially, you will be assaulted by a summoned band of monsters appropriate for the floor you are currently on. The strength of this band can vary significantly, but they will always be summoned hostile. Much like a Zot trap, if this trap is triggered by a monster, the effects will still target you so long as you're within line of sight.

In order to avoid batty opponents from triggering shadow traps multiple times in a single turn, activating a shadow trap turns it into a dormant shadow trap for 2-4 turns.

Tips & Tricks

• The creatures summoned by this trap will time out after enough time has passed. If you don't want to deal with the results, feel free to teleport away and let them naturally unsummon. Just be aware that they're rather long-lived for summons.
• Stepping on a shadow trap will not disarm it, only disable it for a few turns. Make sure to avoid luring large groups of enemies into an area with a known shadow trap in order to avoid complicating already difficult battles.

History

Shadow traps were added in 0.16.