Sigmund

Version 0.28: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

Sigmund @
HP	17-36
HD	3
XP	224
Speed	10 (atk: 150%)
AC	2
EV	11
Will	10
Attack1	1 (hit: plain)
Resistances	None
Vulnerabilities	None
Habitat	Land
Intelligence	Human
Uses	Weapons & armour Starting equipment Open doors
Holiness	Natural
Size	Medium
Type	human, human
Flags	Speaks Warm-blooded Unique Male

The elder of a pair of brothers who came for the Orb. No one knows what Sigmund saw in the dungeon to drive him mad, but his shrewd magical tactics and wicked scythe now leave little time for his victims to wonder. Despite his reputation as a vicious murderer, his grandiose and dramatic ways have earned him the admiration of many denizens of the dungeon. “But Sigmund turned him about, and he said: ‘What aileth thee, son? Shall our life-days never be merry, and our labour never be done?’ But Sinfiotli said: ‘I have looked, and lo, there is death in the cup.’ And the song, and the tinkling of harp-strings to the roof-tree winded up; And Sigmund was dreamy with wine and the wearing of many a year; And the noise and the glee of the people as the sound of the wild woods were And the blossoming boughs of the Branstock were the wild trees waving about; So he said: ‘Well seen, my fosterling; let the lip then strain it out.’” -William Morris, _The Story of Sigurd the Volsung and the Fall of the Niblungs_. 1891.

Useful Info

Sigmund the Dreaded is a deadly unique human, and one of the earliest uniques you can encounter. He is always generated with a powerful scythe, a robe, and several brutal spells. Sigmund is notorious for being one of the deadliest uniques in all of DCSS.

Location

• The Dungeon:2-6

Spells

Spell set I
Slot1	Throw Flame (3d5)	Wizard flag
Slot2	Invisibility	Wizard flag
Slot3	Magic Dart (3d4)	Wizard flag
Slot4	Confuse	Wizard flag

Tips & Tricks

• Sigmund's damage output in melee is devastating for low-level characters, but his biggest threats are in his spell list. An invisible Sigmund is almost unbeatable in early-game melee, his Throw Flame lets him brutalize you at range, and expect a swift end if he confuses you and you're out of potions of curing.
• Avoiding Sigmund is usually the wisest thing you can do. If you find him sleeping early on, just walk away and return once you've gained a few levels and found some better gear.
• There are some options for low-level characters who want to take him out immediately. Mephitic Cloud leaves him unable to use magic and almost hopeless in melee, while a few zaps from a good wand will annihilate him.
  • A wand of polymorph may also turn him into a less deadly form and will probably make him drop his scythe, but it's less of a safe bet; Sigmund the centaur is much deadlier than normal.
• If all else fails and you have no choice but to engage him early, don't be afraid to use any useful potions you've identified. Berserk, haste, or might go a long way toward helping you take him down, and a few potions of heal wounds can keep you in the fight longer than you'd otherwise last.

Trivia

• Donald may say to the player "That guy with the scythe is really mean", which is a reference to Sigmund.

History

• Sigmund will be further nerfed in 0.29.
• In 0.27, Sigmund was weakened (5 -> 2 base damage) and given explicitly slow attack speed, to compensate for global monster weapon buffs.