Transformation

Version 0.33: This article is up to date for the latest stable release of Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup.

Transformations are effects that completely alter the form of a creature's body. Most forms are willingly caused to help the player, but a few bad forms exist.

Useful Info

There are two major types of transformations:

• Talisman forms: Forms that use Shapeshifting skill. These are permanent, but can be overridden by a temporary form, and manually ended at will.
• Temporary forms: Includes bad forms and Shadow Form. These forms end after a certain amount of time - they cannot be ended manually. However, they can be ended early by a potion of cancellation and Quicksilver Bolt (the latter leaves 1 turn left on the duration).

Transmutations can cause the following changes, depending on the form:

• Modify Unarmed Combat
• Have innate properties, like bonus HP, AC, stats, or resistances.
• Have a different size or movement speed to your base form
• Meld certain types of equipment. Melded equipment ceases to have any effect, positive or negative. Melded items are not unequipped, rendering you safe from an artefact's Drain and Contam.
• Being in any form will also make you vulnerable to silver weaponry (+75% damage from silver weapons)

Undead creatures cannot be transformed, meaning that Revenants, Poltergeists, and Mummies cannot use forms.

Monsters cannot transform; any transformation effect will instead polymorph the creature permanently.

Table of Transformations

Tier 1 talisman (0-7 Skill)

Form	Suppressed Muts	Melded Gear	Special
Living Scroll Form	Anatomy, Substance	Body Armour	Increases magic skills, but can only cast lv. 1-4 spells. Gain MP on melee, weakened melee.
Quill Form	None	All aux	Deals damage back to melee attackers.

Tier 2 talisman (8-14 Skill)

Form	Suppressed Muts	Melded Gear	Special
Maw Form	None	None	Bite auxiliary attack. Heal on kill.
Medusa Form	None	Helmet, Cloak	On melee, can poison enemies within 2 tiles. Under 60% HP: attempt to petrify poisoned enemies.
Scarab Form	Anatomy, Bones	Weapons/Shield All armour	Creates Solar ember that follows, attacks with fire if you melee. Boosts success% of Fire Magic.
Yak Form	Anatomy	Weapon/Shield All armour	Attacking near walls deals cold damage. Boosts success% for Ice Magic.

Tier 3 talisman (12-20 Skill)

Form	Suppressed Muts	Melded Gear	Special
Aqua Form	Substance	Body Armour	Melee +2 range. Drowning ability. Slowed by cold damage.
Blade Form	None	Weapon/Shield Gloves	Boosts Unarmed significantly.
Fortress Crab Form	Anatomy, Bones	Shield All aux	Boosts body armour AC. Slow movement.
Serpent Form	Anatomy, Bones	Weapon/Shield All armour, -helmet	Constriction. Two head slots.
Spider Form	Anatomy, Bones	Weapon/Shield All armour	Unarmed stabs. Melee can create webs. Rampaging. Jump ability.
Werewolf Form	None	All aux	Slaying bonus + fear howling after killing.

Tier 4 talisman (17-25 Skill)

Form	Suppressed Muts	Melded Gear	Special
Dragon Form	Anatomy	Weapon/Shield All armour	Dragon breath. Draconians retain their traits.
Hive Form	None	Weapon/Shield Gloves	HP/MP Regeneration. Under 50% HP: create bees.
Sphinx Form	Anatomy, Bones	Wea;pon/Shield All aux, -barding/cloak	Boosts success% for Hexes. Applies Will- to enemies. Melee deals extra damage with open space.
Statue Form	Anatomy, Bones	Weapon/Shield All armour, -helmet	Nonliving. All actions 50% slower. Deal +50% melee dmg.
Vampire Form	None	Weapon/Shield All armour	Partly undead. Inhibited Regeneration, but stabs heal. Create minions on kill. Bat Form ability.

Tier 5

Form	Suppressed Muts	Melded Gear	Special
Storm Form	None	Weapon/Shield All armour	23-27 skill Cleaving + Elec. Blinkbolt ability.
Death Form	Anatomy, Substance	None	26-27 skill Undead. Torment ability.

Bauble

Form	Suppressed Muts	Melded Gear	Special
Flux Form	None	Weapon/Shield	Reduced damage, 3rd hit explodes+malmutates.

Divine

Form	Suppressed Muts	Melded Gear	Special
Slaughter Form	None	None	Demonic. Sent to Crucible of Flesh after it ends

Bad Forms

Form	Suppressed Muts	Melded Gear	Special
Bat Form	Anatomy	Weapon/Shield All armour Jewellery	Fast movement. No spells.
Fungus Form	Anatomy, Substance	Weapon/Shield All armour	Plant. Confuses in melee. Cannot move if enemy in LOS.
Pig Form	Anatomy	Weapon/Shield All armour Rings	Fast movement. No spells.
Tree Form	Anatomy, Substance	All armour	Plant. Cannot move, teleport, or blink
Wisp Form	Anatomy, Substance	Weapon/Shield All armour All jewellery	No spells. Many resistances.

History

• In 0.33, a bunch of new talismans will be added, several existing talismans will be reworked, and baubles were added as temporary forms. Also, the interactions between mutations and forms were standardized, with certain changes (e.g., Spriggans keep their fast movement speed; Barachim and Naga speeds are now tied to their legs/tail).

• Silver weapons will do full damage to the player in any form.

• In 0.32, Shadow Form was removed.
• In 0.31, transformations were reworked. Transmutations magic was replaced by talismans, which use Shapeshifting skill. Removed forms include Beastly Appendage, Spider Form, and Ice Form; the other good forms were largely overhauled.
• Prior to 0.28, plant based forms had 3 levels of Life Protection.
• Prior to 0.27, many forms had dedicated GDR ratios. Also, Hydra Form was replaced with Storm Form.
• Prior to 0.22, most forms could not use wands.
• Prior to 0.20, wands of polymorph could polymorph the player into most forms, not just the five bad forms. Porcupine form was removed in 0.20.
• Hydra Form was added in 0.16.
• Shadow Form was added with Dithmenos in 0.14.