Silent spectre

Version 0.30: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

silent spectre W
HP	29-59
HD	8
XP	314
Speed	10
AC	5
EV	15
Will	40
Attack1	15 (hit: plain)
Resistances	rC+++ rPois+++ rDrown rMiasma rN+++ rTorm rSticky
Vulnerabilities	Holy
Habitat	Land
Intelligence	Human
Uses	Open doors
Holiness	Undead
Size	Medium
Type	wraith, silent spectre
Flags	Evil See invisible Flying Unbreathing Speaks Insubstantial No stairs

The bane of wizards, these terrible spirits bring an unearthly silence to the area around them, making it impossible to recite the magical incantations involved with casting spells or reading scrolls. “There is a silence where hath been no sound, There is a silence where no sound may be,— In the cold grave, under the deep, deep sea, Or in the wide desert where no life is found.” -Thomas Hood, “Silence”. Early 19th cent.

Useful Info

Silent spectres are weak, insubstantial undead that permanently radiate a 12-tile aura of Silence. This prevents use of spells, god abilities, and scrolls. They can be found in Tartarus, rarely inside the Abyss, in Tartarus-themed Ziggurat floors, and in various themed vaults.

Silent spectres cannot use stairs.

Tips & Tricks

• Silent spectres aren't a threat by themselves, but they make other monsters a lot more threatening. Most demons are unaffected by silence, and are free to torment or cast other spells. Even if you aren't a caster, you'll lose access to many emergency tools, which makes everything more dangerous.
• Remember that silence doesn't prevent use of weapons, evocables, potions, or natural abilities.
• Their presence is never a surprise - their aura extends well past your LOS. At the same time, this makes it nearly impossible to kill using spells. You'll need a 'lasting' effect (e.g. Summoning spells) or some other means of dealing damage to kill a spectre.
  • If you're a caster heading into extended, Throwing and/or Evocations can be good investments. Penetrating attacks (javelins, lightning rod) or AOE attacks (tin of tremorstones) are great at sniping spectres through other enemies.
• The silence can be used to your advantage - proper spellcasters, including all liches, are affected by silence.
• For Mega-Zig characters, Tartarus floors are one of the most deadly floors, almost entirely due to silent spectres. By the 10th Zig, you'll often be silenced on entry, putting you on a time limit before Necromutation runs out. It's important to buff yourself before entering each floor. Depending on the situation, you can use javelins, evocables, enter Tree Form, or unwield distortion to try and not die.

History

• Silent spectres were introduced in 0.8.