Quicksilver dragon

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

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

quicksilver dragon D
HP	58-118
HD	16
XP	2549
Speed	15
AC	10
EV	15
Will	140
Attack1	25 (bite: plain)
Attack2	20 (claw: plain)
Resistances	rDrown
Vulnerabilities	None
Habitat	Land
Intelligence	Animal
Uses	Uses nothing
Holiness	Natural
Size	Giant
Type	dragon, quicksilver dragon
Flags	See invisible Flying Warm-blooded

A long and sinuous dragon, seemingly more neck and tail than anything else. Its skin shines like molten mercury, magical energies arc from its pointed snout, and it moves with terrifying swiftness. “On the other hand, Confucius is made to say to his disciples, ‘I know how birds can fly, how fishes can swim, and how animals can run. But the runner may be snared, the swimmer may be hooked, and the flyer may be shot by the arrow. But there is the dragon. I cannot tell how he mounts on the wind through the clouds, and rises to heaven. Today I have seen Lao-tsze, and can only compare him to the dragon.’” -Life of Confucius “This Dragon had Two furious Wings Each one upon each Shoulder; With a Sting in his Tail as long as a Flail, Which made him bolder and bolder. He had long Claws, and in his Jaws Four and forty Teeth of Iron; With a Hide as tough, as any Buff, Which did him round environ.” -“An Excellent Ballad of a most dreadful Combat, fought between Moore of Moore-Hall, and the Dragon of Wantley”, retold by Ambrose Philips, _A Collection of Old Ballads. Corrected from the Best and Most Ancient Copies Extant. With Introductions Historical, Critical, Or Humorous_. 1723.

Useful info

Quicksilver dragons are rare and dangerous dragons that move 50% faster than average and breathe irresistible status-dispelling energy bolts. They can be found in Vaults:5, Dis:7, a specific Snake:4 layout, and in or just outside the Realm of Zot.

Like other dragons, killing it may drop quicksilver dragon scales (33% chance).

Spells

Spell set I
Slot1	Quicksilver Bolt (3d20)	Natural flag, Breath flag, Noisy flag

Tips & Tricks

• Quicksilver Bolt will dispel any valid statuses, which can range from scary to lethal. Unexpectedly losing Haste, Tele, your transformation, etc. can make a dangerous situation that much worse. Keep note of buffs that can't be dispelled, such as berserk and all divine abilities.
  • While the bolts can't be blocked or resisted, they can be avoided; good EV and repulsion can reduce the likelihood of having your buffs dispelled.
• Quicksilver dragons on Snake:4 are very nasty. At 3d20 damage, their breath really hurts. They are fast, so you can't run normally. But their breath also dispels haste and teleport, so it's difficult to escape. And the "quicksilver temple" spawns with two of them! If you recognize the vault, consider not doing Snake:4 until much later. Even for a character in Zot, losing your buffs is a significant threat.
• Quicksilver dragons are not resistant to poison. Curare darts slow them down, making them a lot more manageable. A scroll of poison can deal significant damage, especially with Ignite Poison.

History

• In 0.27, the quicksilver temple layout was added to Snake:4.