Stat zero
When one of a character's primary attributes (strength, intelligence, or dexterity) is lowered to 0 or below, the character suffers crippling penalties until that attribute is restored and stays above 0 for a period of time equal to: 10 + 1d10 + the number of turns it was below 0
(Max: 200 turns).
Contents
Causes
The following can all drain your attributes:
By 1 at a time:
- The Deterioration mutation.
- The melee attacks of certain monsters:
- 5
Quasit (dexterity only)
- y
Ghost moth
- W
Eidolon
- 5
- Decomposition from attempted mutation of an undead character.
By more than 1 at a time:
- Corrupting Pulse can give transient mutations, which can include Reduced Attributes.
- Brain Feed: this is really dangerous for players with low intelligence, as it can drain 1-3 in one go.
- Hell effects and mummy death curses.
- Casting spells while wielding the staff of Wucad Mu.
- Stepping on or being in view of a monster stepping on Zot traps.
As you gain experience, you regain stats lost through temporary drain or mutation.
Stats can be more permanently lowered by the following means:
- Mutations (such as from Malmutate) which affect attributes. This lasts until the mutation is removed somehow.
- Equipment with negative stat modifiers. But, you can remove the equipment to restore the stat.
Effects
The following effects occur when any stat reaches 0:
- You immediately suffer 2-4 turns of paralysis, which ignores a Formicid's stasis.
- You are slowed until the stat completely recovers.
The following effects are dependent on the specific stat which was drained to 0:
Collapse (Strength)
- You do not regenerate HP when monsters are in sight.
Brainless (Intelligence)
Clumsy (Dexterity)
- Your EV score is set to
2 + size_bonus + Repulsion field bonus
. - Your SH score is set to 0.
- Your stealth score is set to 0.
- You can't stab monsters.
Precautions
Any character with a particularly low attribute should be aware of the dangers involved. Any attribute below 5 could conceivably be reduced to 0 by a single unfortunate effect, and below 9 are vulnerable to stat zero from repeated effects.
Specifically, Hell effects, Zot traps, and mummy death curses can temporarily reduce an attribute by up to 4 in one go. You may wish to bring all of your attributes up to a minimum of 9 to guarantee that you can survive two worst-case scenario shot from either one. All three happen reasonably late in the game, so early level ups should not take stat zero into account (unless you find a great stat-reducing artefact).
History
- Prior to 0.28, zero intelligence only had an 80% chance to fail reading scrolls. Zero strength's -Regen was a flat regen/4 modifier.
- Prior to 0.19, sustain attributes existed which would halve stat damage. Hence, multi-point stat damage was roughly halved in 0.19.
- Prior to 0.17, taking further stat damage after a stat reached 0 would inflict HP damage.
- Prior to 0.15, items had mass, and strength determined your carrying capacity. The "collapse" status effect serious reduced this.
- Stat zero was added in 0.13, replacing stat death.