Spell slot flag: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 15:12, 30 March 2015

Version 0.16: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

Many of the monsters you'll encounter in DCSS know spells, but they have access to these spells in different ways. Depending on the source of a monster's spells, it may or may not function under various circumstances. The spell slot flag attached to each spell will let you know when a spell will be cast and how you can go about disabling it. Some spells can be subject to multiple flags.

Emergency flag

This spell slot will be used only when a monster is very clearly losing a fight (when its health is very low in comparison to the player's).

Natural flag

This spell is a natural process, such as a dragon's breath or an alligator's swiftness, and not really a spell. It cannot be affected by Antimagic, Silence or Sap Magic.

Magical flag

This spell is a magical ability of a creature. It requires no spoken words, but is still magical in nature. It can be affected by the antimagic brand, but not by Silence or Sap Magic.

Demonic flag

This spell calls on demonic forces inherent to the caster. It can be affected by the antimagic brand, but not by Silence or Sap Magic.

Wizard flag

This spell requires spoken words to cast, and is not something innately available to the caster. It can be affected by the antimagic brand and the Sap Magic enchantment, and cannot be cast while silenced.

Summons created by these spells won't necessarily have the same god as the summoner.

Priest flag

These are similar to Wizard flagged spells, but the magical force comes from a higher power, not the caster. This spell cannot be cast while silenced, but Antimagic and Sap Magic have no impact on them.

No Silent flag

A spell with this flag cannot be cast while silenced, regardless of the other flags on it.

Breath flag

Casting this spell leaves the caster breathless for a time. This spell has a breath timer which must reach 0 before it can be cast again.

History

These flags were added in 0.16, greatly clarifying the interaction between monster spells, holiness, and effects which interfere with magic.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{version016}}
-Monsters can be created with a set of spells they are able to cast. Each spell can be slightly modified by one, or more, of these flags.
+Many of the monsters you'll encounter in ''DCSS'' know spells, but they have access to these spells in different ways. Depending on the source of a monster's spells, it may or may not function under various circumstances. The '''spell slot flag''' attached to each spell will let you know when a spell will be cast and how you can go about disabling it. Some spells can be subject to multiple flags.
 ==Emergency flag==
-This spell slot will be used only in emergencies.
+This spell slot will be used only when a monster is very clearly losing a fight (when its health is very low in comparison to the player's).
 ==Natural flag==
-This spell is physiological, not really a spell. It cannot be affected by [[Antimagic]], [[Silence]] or [[Sap Magic]].
+This spell is a natural process, such as a dragon's breath or an alligator's swiftness, and not really a spell. It cannot be affected by [[Antimagic]], [[Silence]] or [[Sap Magic]].
 ==Magical flag==
-This spell is a generic magical ability. The probability of casting this spell can be affected by attacks with the [[antimagic]] brand, but not by [[Silence]] or [[Sap Magic]].
+This spell is a magical ability of a creature. It requires no spoken words, but is still magical in nature. It can be affected by the [[antimagic]] brand, but not by [[Silence]] or [[Sap Magic]].
 ==Demonic flag==
-The probability of casting this spell can be affected by attacks with the [[antimagic]] brand, but not by [[Silence]] or [[Sap Magic]].
+This spell calls on demonic forces inherent to the caster. It can be affected by the [[antimagic]] brand, but not by [[Silence]] or [[Sap Magic]].
 ==Wizard flag==
-The probability of casting this spell can be affected by attacks with the [[antimagic]] brand and the [[Sap Magic]] enchantment. It cannot be cast while [[silence]]d.
+This spell requires spoken words to cast, and is not something innately available to the caster. It can be affected by the [[antimagic]] brand and the [[Sap Magic]] enchantment, and cannot be cast while [[silence]]d.
-Summons created by this spell won't necessarily have the same god as the summoner.
+Summons created by these spells won't necessarily have the same god as the summoner.
 ==Priest flag==
-This spell cannot be cast while [[silence]]d. It is not affected by [[Antimagic]] or [[Sap Magic]].
+These are similar to Wizard flagged spells, but the magical force comes from a higher power, not the caster. This spell cannot be cast while [[silence]]d, but [[Antimagic]] and [[Sap Magic]] have no impact on them.
 ==No Silent flag==
-A spell with this flag cannot be cast while [[silence]]d.
+A spell with this flag cannot be cast while [[silence]]d, regardless of the other flags on it.
 ==Breath flag==
-This spell has a breath timer which must reach 0 before it can be cast again.
+Casting this spell leaves the caster breathless for a time. This spell has a breath timer which must reach 0 before it can be cast again.
 ==History==
-These flags were added in [[0.16]].
+These flags were added in [[0.16]], greatly clarifying the interaction between monster spells, holiness, and effects which interfere with magic.
 [[Category:Spells]]
 [[Category:Magic]]