Reaper: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 07:53, 6 October 2026

Version 0.34: This article is up to date for the latest stable release of Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup.

reaper 2
HP	46-95
HD	14
XP	1134
Speed	10
AC	15
EV	10
Will	100
Attack¹	36 (hit: drag)
Resistances	rC+ rPois+ rMiasma rN+++ rTorm
Vulnerabilities	Holy
Habitat	Land
Intelligence	Human
Uses	Starting equipment Open doors
Holiness	Demonic
Size	Medium
Type	reaper, reaper
Flags	Fighter See invisible Speaks Flying Evil

A haunting form wielding a giant scythe, ceaselessly harvesting the souls of the living.

“All our times have come.
Here but now they're gone.
Seasons don't fear the reaper,
Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain.
We can be like they are.
Come on baby, don't fear the reaper.”

-Buck Dharma, Blue Öyster Cult, “(Don't Fear) The Reaper”. 1976.

Useful Info

Reapers are tier-2 demons armed with randomly branded scythes. They lack magic, but have decent lasting power and their reaching melee attacks can deal heavy damage and drag you backwards. They can commonly be found in the Abyss, Pandemonium, and the Hells, but they also appear notably in some ice cave layouts. Some monsters can also summon them through the Summon Greater Demon spell.

Tips & Tricks

Their reaching attacks hit even harder than stone giants, and they have similar lasting power. Respect them, particularly if you encounter them early.
While melee fighters shouldn't have much trouble with them on their own, they can be devastating when allowed to attack from the back row while you deal with more immediate opponents. Be especially careful if their weapon brand suddenly turns out to be chaos or distortion.
Tiles players (and those who read monster descriptions) should beware: no matter how undead this monster looks/sounds, it is not. Dispel Undead and LRD will have no effect.
Be careful when fighting these demons near stairs or when stair dancing, because reapers can drag you away.

History

Prior to 0.34, reapers could not fly.
Reapers were given a dragging attack in 0.31. Their damage was slightly decreased to compensate.
Prior to 0.29, scythes were their own type of weapon instead of reskinned halberds. This gave reapers slightly higher damage but slightly lower accuracy.
Prior to 0.25, hostile reapers could be summoned by miscasting Necromancy spells and via death curses.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{monster
+{{version034}}
-|name=reaper
+{{monster info}}
-|glyph={{LightGrey|2}}
-|tile=[[File:Reaper.png]]
-|flags={{Fighter  flag}}<br>{{See invisible flag}}<br>{{Evil flag}}<br>{{Speaks flag}}
-|resistances={{Poison resistance}}, {{Cold resistance}}, {{Rot resistance}}, {{Negative energy resistance}}, {{Torment resistance}}
-|vulnerabilities={{Holy vulnerability}}
-|max_chunks=0
-|meat={{No corpse}}
-|xp=1553
-|holiness={{Demonic}}
-|magic_resistance=immune
-|hp_range=56 - 96
-|avg_hp=44
-|armour_class=15
-|evasion=10
-|habitat=land
-|speed=10
-|size={{Medium}}
-|item_use={{Starting equipment}}
-|attack1=32 ({{Hit type}}: {{Plain flavour}})
-|attack2=
-|attack3=
-|attack4=
-|hit_dice=14
-|base_hp=3
-|extra_hp=5
-|fixed_hp=0
-|intelligence={{High intelligence}}
-|genus=reaper
-|species=reaper
-}}
-{{Flavour|A skeletal form wielding a giant scythe.}}
-[[Category:Demon]]
 ==Useful Info==
-'''Reapers''' are [[tier-2 demon]]s armed with randomly [[brand]]ed [[scythe]]s. They lack magic, but have decent lasting power and their melee attacks can deal heavy damage, especially if their scythes are branded with something brutal. They can normally be found in [[the Abyss]], [[Pandemonium]], and the [[Hell]]s (most often in [[the Iron City of Dis]]), but they also appear on occasion as the result of [[Necromancy]] [[miscast effect#Necromancy|miscast effects]]. Some monsters can also summon them through the [[Summon Demon]] spell.
+'''Reapers''' are [[tier-2 demon]]s armed with randomly [[brand]]ed [[scythe]]s. They lack magic, but have decent lasting power and their [[reaching]] melee attacks can deal heavy damage and drag you backwards. They can commonly be found in [[the Abyss]], [[Pandemonium]], and the [[Hell]]s, but they also appear notably in some [[ice cave]] layouts. Some monsters can also summon them through the [[Summon Greater Demon]] spell.
 ==Tips & Tricks==
-*Reapers are definitely one of the least creative [[demon]]s, and can be defeated through any means except for Necromancy (sorry, [[Dispel Undead]] won't work no matter how undead they look) or pure [[cold]] damage spells.
+*Their reaching attacks hit even harder than [[stone giant]]s, and they have similar lasting power. Respect them, particularly if you encounter them early.
-*While melee fighters shouldn't have much trouble with them, be careful if their weapon brand suddenly turns out to be [[chaos]] or [[distortion]].
+*While melee fighters shouldn't have much trouble with them on their own, they can be devastating when allowed to attack from the back row while you deal with more immediate opponents. Be especially careful if their weapon brand suddenly turns out to be [[chaos]] or [[distortion]].
+*Tiles players (and those who read monster descriptions) should beware: no matter how undead this monster looks/sounds, it is not. [[Dispel Undead]] and [[LRD]] will have no effect.
+*Be careful when fighting these demons near [[stairs]] or when [[stair dancing]], because reapers can drag you away.
+==History==
+*Prior to [[0.34]], reapers could not fly.
+*Reapers were given a dragging attack in [[0.31]]. Their damage was slightly decreased to compensate.
+*Prior to [[0.29]], scythes were their own type of weapon instead of reskinned [[halberd]]s. This gave reapers slightly higher damage but slightly lower accuracy.
+*Prior to [[0.25]], hostile reapers could be summoned by [[miscasting]] Necromancy spells and via [[death curse]]s.
+[[Category:Demon]]