Difference between revisions of "Mercury Vapours"

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'''Mercury Vapours''' is a level 2 Alchemy/Air spell which causes [[smite-targeted]] poison on any non-resistant enemy within [[line of sight]], then attempts to [[weak]]en enemies in a 3x3 area.
 
'''Mercury Vapours''' is a level 2 Alchemy/Air spell which causes [[smite-targeted]] poison on any non-resistant enemy within [[line of sight]], then attempts to [[weak]]en enemies in a 3x3 area.
  
[[Alchemist]]s start with this spell.
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[[Alchemist]]s start with this spell in their libraries.
  
 
==Useful Info==
 
==Useful Info==
If the central target does not have [[poison resistance]], it inflicts <code>pow/25</code> (min. 1) poison "stacks" on it.<ref>{{source ref|0.30.0|spl-damage.cc|3539}}</ref> If the target isn't poisoned, 1 extra poison stack is inflicted. Monsters can have up to 4 stacks of poison at a time. Stacks decay over time.
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Inflicts [[poison]] on a central 'main' target, and has a chance to inflict weakness on the central target and all monsters adjacent (this excludes the player).
  
In addition, each monster in a 3x3 area (adjacent to, or on, the central target) has a <code>83% - (12 * [[HD]]) + (1.5 * power)</code> chance <!--spl-damage.cc-->
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The main target, if it doesn't have [[poison resistance]], gains <code>pow/25</code> (min. 1) poison "stacks".<ref>{{source ref|0.31-b1|spl-damage.cc|3566}}</ref> If the target does not currently have poison, 1 extra poison stack is inflicted. If the player is the central target, this spell inflicts 2d6 poison damage instead. Creatures with [[poison resistance]] cannot be poisoned at all by this spell.
  
Higher stacks mean more damage per turn, according to the following table:
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In addition, each monster in a 3x3 area has a chance to gain the [[weak]] status, which reduces melee damage by ×66%. The main target has a <code>(83% - <12 * [[HD]]> + <1.5 * power>) * 1.15</code> chance.<ref>{{source ref|0.31-b1|spl-damage.cc|3529}}</ref> Creatures adjacent to the central target get a reduced chance of <code>(83% - <12 * [[HD]]> + <1.5 * power>) * 1.15 * 2/3</code>.<ref>{{source ref|0.31-b1|spl-damage.cc|3589}}</ref> Poison resistance or immunity does ''not'' prevent the weakness.
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Higher poison stacks mean more damage per turn, according to the following table:
  
 
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Revision as of 07:30, 15 January 2024

Version 0.31: This article is up to date for the latest stable release of Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup.
Poisonous vapours.png Mercury Vapours
Level 2
School1 Air
School2 Alchemy
Source(s) Book of Vapours
Young Poisoner's Handbook
Casting noise 2
Spell noise 0
Power Cap 50
Range 3
Flags Not self, Target
Briefly transmutes the air around a target into gaseous mercury, poisoning those who breathe it in. Further, the target and adjacent creatures (living or otherwise) may be weakened by mere exposure to the alchemical substance.

Mercury Vapours is a level 2 Alchemy/Air spell which causes smite-targeted poison on any non-resistant enemy within line of sight, then attempts to weaken enemies in a 3x3 area.

Alchemists start with this spell in their libraries.

Useful Info

Inflicts poison on a central 'main' target, and has a chance to inflict weakness on the central target and all monsters adjacent (this excludes the player).

The main target, if it doesn't have poison resistance, gains pow/25 (min. 1) poison "stacks".[1] If the target does not currently have poison, 1 extra poison stack is inflicted. If the player is the central target, this spell inflicts 2d6 poison damage instead. Creatures with poison resistance cannot be poisoned at all by this spell.

In addition, each monster in a 3x3 area has a chance to gain the weak status, which reduces melee damage by ×66%. The main target has a (83% - <12 * HD> + <1.5 * power>) * 1.15 chance.[2] Creatures adjacent to the central target get a reduced chance of (83% - <12 * HD> + <1.5 * power>) * 1.15 * 2/3.[3] Poison resistance or immunity does not prevent the weakness.

Higher poison stacks mean more damage per turn, according to the following table:

Average poison damage per 1.0 turn
# Stacks Damage Description
Normal rPois-
1 0.75 1.75 Poisoned
2 1 3 Very poisoned
3 1.25 4.25 Very poisoned
4 2.5 6.5 Extremely poisoned

Strategy

Mercury Vapours never misses, ignores AC, and is one of the few ways to inflict the weak status. It can be useful even if you aren't into Alchemy. The downside is that it relies on poison - damage is done over time, and cannot damage foes with poison resistance. These shouldn't be dealbreakers, however. You can kite susceptible enemies: apply a few stacks of poison, then retreat a few tiles, allowing the poison to do its job.

At low skill levels, Sting deals more damage/MP, but this spell is perfectly accurate and inflicts weak. In the early game, you may want to cast Mercury Vapours once per monster (to inflict weak and the extra poison), then use Sting. Once you gain more spell power, though, Mercury Vapours is more efficient, so feel free to forget Sting.

Tips & Tricks

  • Ignite Poison is quite strong with any source of poison, including this spell. It converts poison stacks into instant damage, with a great increase in damage. The Ignite Poison + Mercury Vapours combo offers high reliability and MP efficiency for its level.
  • In Tiles, you can count poison stacks by the number of green poison drops on the monster. 1 drop is 1 stack (poisoned), 2 drops is 2-3 stacks (very poisoned), and 3 drops is 4 stacks (extremely poisoned).

History

  • Prior to 0.31, this spell was known as Poisonous Vapours. It was a level 2 Poison Magic/Air spell, had a range of 7, but did not have a chance to weaken foes. Also, it dealt power/15 stacks of poison, but with no bonus against non-poisoned foes.
  • Prior to 0.27, Poisonous Vapours would create a short lived cloud, and wouldn't work if there was a cloud already there (including from the spell itself). Also, Vehumet did not consider this spell "destructive".
  • Poisonous Vapours was added in 0.20.

References