Draining

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

Draining is an effect that withers its victim, reducing their power. Its exact effect varies depending on whether the target is a monster or the player character.

Effect

Player

The Drained status temporarily reduces the player's maximum HP, dependent on the amount of draining. It can stack until you have 1 max HP left. Draining won't wear off over time, but it can be cured by gaining XP.

Elyvilon's Purification cures all draining.

Monster

The Drained status temporarily reduces monster hit dice, which lowers their spell power, melee accuracy, willpower, and a few other things. This effect can stack. For monsters, draining will wear off over time.

Sources

The following sources derive from negative energy, and can be resisted by Life Protection (rNeg):

• The titular draining weapon brand.
• Melee attacks of necrophages, wights, and some other monsters.
• Certain types of negative energy damage, like Bolt of Draining and necromantic miscasts.
• Death curses from a mummy.

The following sources are unrelated to negative energy:

• Removing an artefact with the *Drain property.
• Remaining airborne above lethal terrain after your temporary flight has expired.
• Evoking an item with the invisibility ego (regardless of success).
• Using Formicid's digging ability.
• Ru's divine abilities.
• Hell's mystical force.

Resistance

Any draining that is derived from negative energy is resisted by negative energy resistance. Monsters that are demonic, undead, nonliving, or have one level of rN+ are immune to negative energy, thus immune to any sort of draining the player can inflict. For players, rN+ reduces draining by 50% / 75% / 100% for 1 / 2 / 3 levels, respectively.

Anything unrelated to negative energy cannot be resisted by any means. Elyvilon's Purification still works, however.

Tips & Tricks

• Late-game characters that have had the misfortune to be heavily drained may wish to seek out a relatively non-threatening side branch (such as the Elven Halls) in order to recover some of their health. Of course, gaining more experience in a challenging branch tends to remove the draining more quickly.
• Against monsters, drain can be an effective debuff. Attacking over and over with a draining weapon will stack the status, greatly hindering the enemy. Draining weapons are ineffective against demonic/undead/nonliving foes, however.

History

• Prior to 0.30, the Zot clock inflicted drain instead of permanently reducing your maximum HP.
• Prior to 0.29, the Zot clock did not drain you or check draining.
• Prior to 0.28, plant-holiness monsters were innately immune to negative energy (thus, immune to draining as well).
• Prior to 0.26, draining temporarily reduced a player's skills instead of their maximum HP.
• Prior to 0.16, negative resistance lowered draining and negative damage by 33/66/100% as your resistance increased.
• Prior to 0.15, draining monsters would permanently reduce their HD, making them slightly less dangerous, reducing their XP value, and eventually killing them outright if they hit 0 HD.
• Prior to 0.13, getting drained would damage your character's experience, potentially forcing you down a level. This was permanent and was immediately lethal if you were ever reduced below 0 XP, but you could simply gain more experience to make up for it. This version of draining had no impact on your skills.