Tree Form

Version 0.28: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

You have been transformed into a tree and are rooted to the ground, unable to move or teleport. You have minimal evasion but increased health and natural armour, and are resistant to poison and immune to torment. Any equipped cloak, helmet, gloves, boots and body armour are melded.

Tree form is a bad form that can be inflicted on the player by wand of polymorph or the Polymorph spell. Its most notable feature is that it entirely prevents the player from moving or teleporting, but not from otherwise acting. Unlike most bad forms, it can be entered easily and voluntarily by quaffing a potion of lignification. While transformed into a tree, the player gains the following attributes:

Pros

• +50% HP
• +20+0.5×XL AC (+33 AC at level 27)
• Unarmed Combat base damage is set to 12
• Bonus to to-hit
• rPois
• Torment immunity
• Unbreathing

Cons

• Cannot move, but can cast spells, use abilities, and attack
• EV is reduced to basically nil: (2 + size_modifier/2 + EV from Repulsion Field mutation, the same as when you are paralyzed)
• Cannot teleport without divine intervention (Lugonu's Bend Space ability works as normal)
• Cannot fly
• All equipment other than shields, weapons, and jewellery are melded.

Strategy

Lignification is great at both the beginning and end of an adventure. Early on, the high AC, rPois, and unarmed branch attacks make it very useful for defeating tough and/or poisonous monsters like killer bees. In the extended portions of the game, immunity to torment and dispersal traps give it a dedicated use against enemies like curse toes. It's especially good in the Tomb, avoiding death curses and the aformentioned dispersal.

Species with armour restrictions (Felids, Octopodes, oddly-sized species) will enjoy the AC for a greater amount of time. Trolls have a special use for Tree Form, as its high AC and boosted, non-chopping unarmed attacks are perfect for taking out hydras.

Of course, this comes at a major cost - the complete lack of movement and teleportation - which should not be taken lightly. Hallways are as important as ever, for example. Ranged enemies will be able to strike you from impunity, too. A potion of cancellation will let you end Tree Form early, but such potions are rare and valuable; choose when to enter Tree Form carefully.

Tips & Tricks

• A potion of attraction will force reaching/ranged enemies, such as polearm wielding gnolls, to come closer.
• The inability to move also gives immunity to enemies that shove you around (wind drakes, swamp worms, monsters with Force Lance, Roxanne).
• Tree Form will negate the attack penalties of standing in shallow water.
• Keep in mind that transforming into Tree Form will suppress the innate abilities associated with your original species, leading to possibily unexpected results. Eg, if you were a formicid, quaffing the potion to fight an invisible enemy will be counter-productive, since you will lose your Antennae which allowed you to see invisible.

Tree Form

History

• Prior to 0.28, players in Tree Form were immune to negative energy (rN+++).
• Prior to 0.27, Tree Form gave fixed 48% GDR.
• Prior to 0.19, Tree Form greatly increased the player's Stealth modifier.
• Prior to 0.16, Tree Form also gave +10 strength.
• Prior to 0.15, players in Tree Form could not eat or drink, but did not hunger. Tree Form also greatly increased players' size.
• Prior to 0.14, it slowed the player by an amount based on your experience level ranging from 50% - 0%, prevented players from shouting, and followers of Fedhas Madash gained rF+ and rC+.
• Prior to 0.13, it made the player vulnerable to fire, and the AC bonus and the speed penalty didn't depend on XL.
• Like most bad forms, Tree Form was added in 0.12