Difference between revisions of "Orb of fire"

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(Cleaned up, expanded strategy)
(Clarified brand usefulness)
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*Battling one while [[haste]]d will significantly reduce the amount of time it has to roast or mutate you. Characters without proper defenses will definitely want to kill them as quickly as possible.
 
*Battling one while [[haste]]d will significantly reduce the amount of time it has to roast or mutate you. Characters without proper defenses will definitely want to kill them as quickly as possible.
 
*All orb of fire resistances are total ''except'' for [[cold]], which is only partial. [[Ice Storm]] is an excellent method for taking out orbs of fire; it can strike multiple enemies at once, and the majority of the spell's damage will still get through. [[Fire Storm]] can also deal decent damage to them due to the unresistable damage portion, but it's less effective. Unresistable [[Conjurations]], such as [[Orb of Destruction]], [[Iron Shot]], or [[Lehudib's Crystal Spear]], are also good options, but may not be enough if you have to deal with more than at a time. Even if you connect with every cast, it still takes four or five Orbs of Destruction to dispatch a single orb of fire.
 
*All orb of fire resistances are total ''except'' for [[cold]], which is only partial. [[Ice Storm]] is an excellent method for taking out orbs of fire; it can strike multiple enemies at once, and the majority of the spell's damage will still get through. [[Fire Storm]] can also deal decent damage to them due to the unresistable damage portion, but it's less effective. Unresistable [[Conjurations]], such as [[Orb of Destruction]], [[Iron Shot]], or [[Lehudib's Crystal Spear]], are also good options, but may not be enough if you have to deal with more than at a time. Even if you connect with every cast, it still takes four or five Orbs of Destruction to dispatch a single orb of fire.
*Melee fighters should use heavy [[antimagic]]-[[brand]]ed weapons to severely limit their ability to do anything. They can't guarantee spell failure, but they will still stop the majority of their actions. [[Freezing]], [[distortion]], or even [[vorpal]] weapons are also more effective than normal.
+
*Melee fighters should use heavy [[antimagic]]-[[brand]]ed weapons to severely limit their ability to do anything. This won't guarantee enemy spell failure, but it will still stop the majority of them. [[Freezing]], [[vorpal]], or even [[distortion]] weapons can also be effective against them, but provide no defensive benefits.
 
*Orbs of fire are [[chaotic]], so ranged weapon fighters can use [[silver]] ammunition to deal tremendous damage to them.
 
*Orbs of fire are [[chaotic]], so ranged weapon fighters can use [[silver]] ammunition to deal tremendous damage to them.
 
*The "glowing" colors the orb cycles through indicate merely that it has cast a spell; it bears no relation to the type of spell cast or about to be cast:  
 
*The "glowing" colors the orb cycles through indicate merely that it has cast a spell; it bears no relation to the type of spell cast or about to be cast:  

Revision as of 15:53, 11 January 2013

Version 0.11: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.


orb of fire *Orb of fire.png
HP 150
HD 30
XP 11437
Speed 15
AC 20
EV 20
Will Immune



Resistances damnation, rElec, rC+, rPois+,
rN+, rTorm, rRot, rConstr
Vulnerabilities Silver
Habitat land
Intelligence Normal
Uses Uses nothing
Holiness Non-living
Size Little
Type orb of fire, orb of fire
Flags Spellcaster
Flying
See invisible
Insubstantial
Glows
A globe of raw primordial fire, capable of impressive pyrotechnics, and of twisting the very flesh of creatures who come into its ken.

"There's not the smallest orb which thou behold'st
But in his motion like an angel sings,
Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubins."

-William Shakespeare, _The Merchant of Venice_, V, i. 1597.

Useful Info

Orbs of fire are fast, powerful, extremely durable horrors with access to brutal Fire Magic and the ability to inflict bad mutations. These end-game game-ending monsters have traumatized many adventurers who died just before reaching the Orb of Zot. They can occasionally be found in the Realm of Zot, and are almost always found in the Orb chamber of Zot:5.

Spells: Bolt of Fire (3d40), Fireball (3d43), Polymorph Other

Tips & Tricks

  • Silence has no effect on them.
  • Having rF+++ provides 80% fire damage reduction, making it much easier to survive their brutal Fire Magic. Wearing an amulet of resist mutation will prevent them from mutating you too heavily.
  • Battling one while hasted will significantly reduce the amount of time it has to roast or mutate you. Characters without proper defenses will definitely want to kill them as quickly as possible.
  • All orb of fire resistances are total except for cold, which is only partial. Ice Storm is an excellent method for taking out orbs of fire; it can strike multiple enemies at once, and the majority of the spell's damage will still get through. Fire Storm can also deal decent damage to them due to the unresistable damage portion, but it's less effective. Unresistable Conjurations, such as Orb of Destruction, Iron Shot, or Lehudib's Crystal Spear, are also good options, but may not be enough if you have to deal with more than at a time. Even if you connect with every cast, it still takes four or five Orbs of Destruction to dispatch a single orb of fire.
  • Melee fighters should use heavy antimagic-branded weapons to severely limit their ability to do anything. This won't guarantee enemy spell failure, but it will still stop the majority of them. Freezing, vorpal, or even distortion weapons can also be effective against them, but provide no defensive benefits.
  • Orbs of fire are chaotic, so ranged weapon fighters can use silver ammunition to deal tremendous damage to them.
  • The "glowing" colors the orb cycles through indicate merely that it has cast a spell; it bears no relation to the type of spell cast or about to be cast:
The orb of fire glows yellow.

The orb of fire glows bright magenta.
The orb of fire glows deep purple.
The orb of fire glows red.

The orb of fire emits a lurid red light.

History

In very ancient, pre-Stone Soup versions of Crawl, these monsters were instead called "Swords", as can be seen in this ancient changelog, in a reference to the Chronicles of an Age of Darkness by Hugh Cook. This explains the rather nonsensical (from a thematic standpoint) inclusion of Polymorph Other in their spell set, since they were originally very different monsters.