Asphyxiation

Version 0.17: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

Asphyxiation is an extremely rare form of damage caused by your character's sudden and painful inability to breathe. There are several sources:

• Anyone struck by curare needles will take 2d6 points of asphyxiation damage, along with becoming poisoned and slowed, unless they have poison or asphyxiation resistance.
• Anyone struck by the Primal Wave spell will take heavy, partially irresistible asphyxiation damage. Amphibious species (merfolk and octopodes) and characters with asphyxiation resistance take 40% less damage than normal.
• The attacks of drowned souls, water nymphs, and water elementals deal asphyxiation damage, which is completely negated with asphyxiation resistance.

You can acquire asphyxiation resistance by playing an unbreathing species (mummy, vampire, ghoul, gargoyle, or grey draconian), or by being in Ice Form, Statue Form, Lich Form, Tree Form, Fungus Form, or Wisp Form.