Gastronok

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

For a list of all gastropods, see list of gastropods.

Gastronok wGastronok.png
HP 99-200
HD 20
XP 1495
Speed 5
AC 3
EV 1
Will 80
Attack1 40 (bite: plain)


Resistances rDrown
Vulnerabilities None
Habitat Amphibious
Intelligence Human
Uses Starting equipment
Open doors
Holiness Natural
Size Giant
Type elephant slug, elephant slug
Flags See invisible
No wand
Speaks
Unique
Male
A voracious and surprisingly intelligent slug, devoted to eating everything and everyone he comes across, with a pointed hat perched rakishly atop his head. He acquired the hat the same way he acquired his intelligence and his knowledge of spells: by consuming their former owner, a powerful wizard.

Useful Info

Gastronok the Ponderous is a unique elephant slug with access to dangerous spells. He's... sluggish, as you might expect, but can slow you down and speed himself up. His Airstrikes are brutal, though the slug is no slouch in melee, either. And with a massive HP pool, good willpower, and 20 HD, he's tough to take down. On the plus side, he is almost guaranteed to drop an enchanted hat (10% for the Hat of Pondering).

Location

Spells

Spell set I
Slot1 Airstrike (2d(18-34)) Wizard flag
Slot2 Slow Wizard flag
Slot3 Sprint Wizard flag
Slot4 Summon Small Mammal Wizard flag
Slot5 Cantrip Wizard flag

Tips & Tricks

  • Gastronok is slow. As long as you yourself aren't slowed, you can just run away.
  • In a sufficiently clear level, kiting is very effective. Ranged attackers can keep him just barely within line of sight. So long as you move back out of LOS before he can act, the slug can never cast a spell. Just make sure to have enough of empty floor available to retreat into.
    • Anything that lets you deal damage from outside his line of sight is perfect for kiting Gastronok. Fulminant Prism and Poison Magic are great options. Just be sure to have ample room to retreat to, as it'll take a while to whittle him down.
    • Not a caster? A stack of poisoned darts (or curare if you have them), and a few skill levels in Throwing will make you fast enough to shoot him and then take a step back in the time it takes him to pursue you.
  • Try not to fight Gastronok in the open: his Airstrike can deal 2d34 unavoidable damage when you're in totally empty space. That's enough to one-shot Spriggans, and mangle all sorts of characters. One misstep when kiting can mean taking 70 damage to the face.
  • Although he shakes off most Hexes easily enough, powerful Conjurations still get the job done. Necromancers may want to use Agony; although he may resist it a few times before it lands, it's still a huge amount of damage dealt.

History

  • Prior to 0.29, Gastronok's Airstrike could deal significantly less damage, 8-37 instead of 2d(18-34).
  • Prior to 0.14, Gastronok could eat food and corpses from the floor.
  • Prior to 0.6, Gastronok had Magic Dart.