Launch Clockwork Bee

Trunk-only: This article pertains to a feature of Crawl which is being tested. It will likely change before the next release, and may even be removed entirely.

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Constructs a mechanical bee and winds its clockwork mechanisms over several turns before unleashing it against a targeted foe. The bee is swift and powerful, but its clockwork quickly winds down as it attacks, eventually leaving it helpless and unable to move. The caster may repair and rewind a dormant bee by attempting to move into it. Spellpower increases the number of attacks the bee may perform before going dormant.

Launch Clockwork Bee is a level 3 Forgecraft spell that creates a fast and powerful-for-its-level mechanical bee. Casting the spell requires a hostile target to point it at, and then winding the bee's clockwork requires channelling it for several turns before it launches. The bee will fixate its attacks on the selected target while it lives (similar to how Haunt and Soul Splinter work), but can perform only a limited number of attacks before running out of power.

When the bee runs out of power, it falls dormant to the ground. The player can wind it back up again by attempting to move into its tile, which will refill it with energy and even heal it a little (and is a lot faster than channelling 4 turns to launch a new one). This costs 1 MP. Otherwise, if a dormant bee blocks your path, you can deconstruct it by pressing Ctrl+direction or * + direction.

Forgewrights start with this spell in their library.

Strategy

This spell works well in corridors, as the bee is durable and heals a little when recharged. However, the channelling mechanic makes it dangerous to cast this spell when enemies are already able to attack you, whether they're in melee or have a ranged attack.

History

• In 0.33, this spell will be added to the game.