Nessos
Version 0.28: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.
For a list of all centaurs, see list of centaurs.
Nessos c 
| |
|---|---|
| HP | 47-96 |
| HD | 9 |
| XP | 1325 |
| Speed | 15 |
| AC | 8 |
| EV | 7 |
| Will | 20 |
| Attack1 | 13 (hit: plain) |
| Attack2 | 5 (kick: plain)
|
| Resistances | None |
| Vulnerabilities | None |
| Habitat | Land |
| Intelligence | Human |
| Uses | Weapons & armour Starting equipment Open doors |
| Holiness | Natural |
| Size | Large |
| Type | centaur, centaur |
| Flags | Archer Speaks Warm-blooded Unique |
| A centaur warrior, skilled at warfare and deceit. They slew a mighty hydra, and now its deadly blood drips, still-fuming, from their arrows. |
Useful Info
Nessos the Markscentaur is a unique centaur generated with a longbow of flame and barding. In addition to the longbow's flaming, Nessos' shots are always poisoned. Wielding the longbow yourself won't give the poison effect.
Location
- The Dungeon:12-15
- The Orcish Mines:2
- The Lair:4-6
Spells
| Spell set I | ||
|---|---|---|
| Slot1 | Blink Range | Wizard flag |
| Slot2 | Haste | Wizard flag |
Tips & Tricks
- Without fire and poison resistance, Nessos is a very dangerous opponent, especially when hasted. A hasted Nessos can fire 2-3 times per turn, for {38 + weapon enchant + flame + venom} per shot. Even with both resistances, Nessos can be a tough foe to pin down.
- Nessos has very low willpower, so Hexes and hex wands are extremely effective. In particular, a wand of polymorph will at least get rid of the poison arrows, and Tukima's Dance gets rid of the bow entirely. With only 9 HD, Mephitic Cloud and other HD checks can also work.
- Like other centaurs, Nessos won't fire when in melee with the player; staying in melee range will greatly reduce their threat level. A potion of attraction can do just that, though watch for the usual risks of attraction. A killhole is slightly less effective, but safer overall.
- Going berserk is not recommended, as Nessos will just Blink away from you and fill you with arrows as your berserk runs out. Other buffs, such as a haste of your own, still work fine.
- Having some form of Repel Missiles and/or Reflection can be very useful here.
Trivia
Nessos is a reference to Nessus, an evil centaur that Heracles killed with a hydra-poisoned arrow after it attempted to rape his wife. It managed to kill Heracles in the process, however, by convincing his wife that Nessus' now-corrosive blood would make Heracles forever faithful to her if she would spread it on his clothing.
