Sphinx

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 It is retained for historical reference only.

sphinx H
HP	58-118
HD	16
XP	2257
Speed	12
AC	5
EV	5
Will	60
Attack¹	25 (hit: plain)
Attack²	12 (hit: plain)
Attack³	12 (hit: plain)
Resistances	None
Vulnerabilities	None
Habitat	Land
Intelligence	Human
Uses	Open doors
Holiness	Natural
Size	Giant
Type	sphinx, sphinx
Flags	See invisible Flying Speaks Warm-blooded

A large creature with a woman's head, a lion's body and the wings of a huge bird, able to cloud the minds of its foes and wield fell magics.

Useful Info

Sphinxes are hefty beasts with a large variety of Hexes. Their paralysis is a big threat if you don't have willpower, though their melee isn't bad either. They can be found in the Depths, the Vaults, or in a large pack inside Tomb:1. Out-of-depth sphinxes can rarely show up in the main Dungeon.

Spells

Name	Damage	Range	Flags
Confuse	—	LOS	Wizard flag
Paralyse	—	LOS	Wizard flag
Minor Healing	2d8+3	—	Wizard flag
Smiting	7-17	LOS	Wizard flag
Slow	—	LOS	Wizard flag

Tips & Tricks

High willpower (at least +++, preferably ++++) will render them almost incapable of disabling you.
- It takes 154 willpower in order to have a 0% chance to be hexed. (See the Paralysis#Paralysis Spell Table for what's needed to reach this.)
Strong summoned allies can usually take out a sphinx without trouble. In the worst case, you may be incapacitated by a spell, but your allies will kill or distract it until the effect wears off.
If you see a sphinx with several strong allies that you're not ready for, consider teleporting or using a scroll of fog and running away immediately. You may not get a second chance.
You can summon your own friendly sphinxes with the spell Monstrous Menagerie.

History

Sphinxes were split into sphinx marauders and guardian sphinxes in 0.33.
Prior to 0.31, sphinxes had 11 speed, but were slightly more likely to cast spells.
Prior to 0.27, sphinxes didn't appear in Shoals rune vaults.