Boris

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

Boris L
HP	101-205
HD	22
XP	3196
Speed	10
AC	12
EV	10
Will	Immune
Attack1	25 (hit: plain)
Attack2	15 (touch: drain experience)
Resistances	rC++ rElec rPois+++ rDrown rMiasma rN+++ rTorm
Vulnerabilities	Holy
Habitat	Land
Intelligence	Human
Uses	Weapons & armour Starting equipment Open doors
Holiness	Undead
Size	Medium
Type	lich, lich
Flags	Evil See invisible Unbreathing Speaks Unique Male

An ancient and powerful lich. Like all true liches, Boris is immortal, and will regenerate his desiccated skeletal remains even if completely disintegrated. The same cannot be said for his many victims over his many centuries, from which he collects and channels their dying woes and regrets.

Useful Info

Boris, Master of Life and Death is a unique lich armed with a variety of powerful Conjurations. Unlike most uniques, he cannot be permanently killed; after you kill him, there is a chance that he will be generated at full strength on any new floor you explore. Although arguably less deadly than ordinary liches and ancient liches, he generates early enough to be a serious threat.

Location

• The Depths:3-5
• The Vaults:2-5
• The Crypt
• The Tomb

Boris will also occasionally appear among the enemies that spawn during the orb run. If you have the Orb, Borris will gain permanent haste and a brilliance aura.

Spells

Spell set I
Slot1	Iron Shot (3d37)	Wizard flag
Slot2	Bolt of Cold (3d32)	Wizard flag
Slot3	March of Sorrows	Wizard flag
Slot4	Orb of Destruction (9d18)	Wizard flag

Tips & Tricks

• Boris is capable of one- or two-shotting careless characters. If you aren't confident you can handle him, run.
• Like all liches, Boris is weak to Silence and antimagic, only having a weak drain attack otherwise.
• Spellcasters should keep their distance (at least 5 squares to avoid Iron Shot, and 6 to avoid Bolt of Cold), haste themselves, and use their longest-range spells. He can't Haste himself, thankfully, and a concentrated heavy attack can take him down quickly.
• Blink in a different direction or summon some meat shields if Boris uses Orb of Destruction. If an Orb of Destruction hits another orb, it will create a small explosion; this means you can "cancel" Boris' orb with your own, but make sure to do this from a distance or you'll just catch yourself in the explosion. Be warned that this will make a lot of noise.
• Melee fighters should get into melee range with him as quickly as possible. Use a scroll of fog or lure him around a corner to avoid making a very painful charge. Plus, being at point blank range with him reduces the power of his Orb of Destruction immensely.
• Boris will not reappear on another level until he is killed. Thus, if you want to avoid encountering him again and again, just leave him where he is and he won't bother you again until you return to his floor.
• He lacks any summoning or area-of-effect spells, meaning that your own high-level summons should be able to bring him down. In addition, your summons will shield you from Iron Shot and Orb of Destruction.

Trivia

• Although never explicitly stated in game, examination of flavour text reveals that he once had a powerful artefact dagger called Morg and a familiar named Natasha. Reuniting him with his lost possessions doesn't have any special effect, however.
• Boris and Natasha together are a reference to the characters from "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends".

History

• Prior to 0.27, Boris did not gain buffs if you had the Orb.
• Prior to 0.25, Boris would not spawn as part of the orb run.