Psyche

Obsolete: This article refers to an aspect of the game which has been removed. It is retained for historical reference only.

Psyche @
HP	26-54
HD	5
XP	428
Speed	13
AC	2
EV	12
Will	60
Attack¹	7 (hit: plain)
Resistances	None
Vulnerabilities	None
Habitat	Land
Intelligence	Human
Uses	Weapons & armour Starting equipment Open doors
Holiness	Natural
Size	Medium
Type	human, human
Flags	Speaks Warm-blooded Unique Female

A fair-haired mage, wandering and seemingly half-mad with grief and guilt.

“Let Psyche’s corpse be clad in mourning weed
And set on rock of yonder hill aloft;
Her husband is no wight of human seed,
But serpent dire and fierce, as may be thought,
Who flies with wings above in starry skies,
And doth subdue each thing with fiery flight.
The Gods themselves and powers that seem so wise
With mighty love be subject to his might.
The rivers black and deadly floods of pain
And darkness eke as thrall to him remain.”
-Apuleius, _Asinus aureus_, “Cupid and Psyche”. circa. 160 AD.
trans. William Adlington, 1566.

Useful Info

Psyche the Insane Magess is a fast-moving unique mage. Her Chain of Chaos spell can cause paralysis or banish you to the Abyss, making her deadly. She also spawns with either a chaos (75% odds) or distortion (25%) dagger, which can do the same things in melee.

Location

The Dungeon:8-12

Spells

Name	Damage	Range	Flags
Cantrip	—	—	Wizard flag
Polymorph	—	LOS	Wizard flag
Chain of Chaos	—	—	Wizard flag
Invisibility	—	—	Wizard flag

Tips & Tricks

Avoid her if at all possible. She's fast, so you can't just run away. Every time you are hit by Chain of Chaos, you'll have a 1% chance to be paralysed and 1% chance to be banished; both effects can lead to unavoidable death. Skipping a floor that has Psyche is often worth it.
- Unfortunately, she can spawn on the floors that Lair or Orc are on. If you decide to skip the floor, a scroll of magic mapping can scout out any branch entrances you'd be missing.
- Assuming you don't have amazing willpower, chaos is less likely to banish you than Erolcha or wizards, and less likely to paralyse you than ogre mages. If you find these kinds of threats (and are forced to fight one of them), Psyche is probably the lesser of two evils.
She has low HD, so Mephitic Cloud is particularly effective.

Trivia

Psyche is a character from the Greek myth of Eros and Psyche. In this myth, Psyche was a girl who fell in love with the god of desire, Eros, but needed to complete several impossible tasks before his mother Aphrodite would allow them to be wed.

History

In 0.34, Psyche was removed from the game.
Prior to 0.27, Psyche had the following spell set: Cantrip, Magic Dart, Throw Frost, Throw Flame, Haste, and Invisibility. Also, she only had 20 willpower.