Lurking horror

Version 0.21: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

lurking horror *
HP	1-2
HD	1
XP	0
Speed	12
AC	0
EV	10
Will	10
Attack1	1 (hit: plain)
Resistances	rPois+++ rDrown rMiasma rN+++ rTorm rSticky
Vulnerabilities	None
Habitat	Land
Intelligence	Brainless
Uses	Uses nothing
Holiness	Non-living
Size	Small
Type	lurking horror, lurking horror
Flags	Flying Unbreathing Insubstantial No experience gain

A formless mass of negative energy, bound to bring terrible torment once the forces holding it together dissolve. The alien presence of intruders to the Abyss is sure to unravel it, yet it seems perversely drawn toward them; still, it seems somehow reluctant to move while being observed.

Useful Info

Lurking horrors are orbs of potent negative energy which are simultaneously attracted to and repulsed by you. If you come across one at the edge of your line of sight it will usually stop moving until you can no longer see it, at which point it will track you like a wandering mushroom. The closer you get to it, however, the more likely it is to start chasing you, seeking to kamikaze into you like a ballistomycete spore. Should it crash into something or take any sort of damage, it will immediately burst, tormenting everything it can see. They can be found in the Abyss.

Tips & Tricks

• Characters with torment resistance can simply ignore them. Anyone else can attempt to leave them behind, as the shifting nature of the Abyss may cut off their ability to pursue you. However, if you have to turn around due to a dead end or a dangerous opponent you wish to flee, you'll almost certainly have to deal with the thing.
• If you can damage it beyond your line of sight, you can kill it safely. Any Cloud spell can accomplish this if cast around a blind corner, as can Fireball or a wand of iceblast. Be aware that most spells of this sort are noisy and may attract other forms of unwanted attention.

History

Lurking horrors were added in 0.12.