Spatial maelstrom

Version 0.17: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

For a list of all vortices, see list of vortices.

spatial maelstrom v
HP	49-100
HD	10
XP	759
Speed	16
AC	0
EV	5
Will	∞
Attack1	20 (touch: distort)
Attack2	20 (engulf: distort)
Resistances	rF++ rC++ rElec rPois+++ rDrown rMiasma rN+++ rTorm rPetrify rSticky
Vulnerabilities	None
Habitat	Land
Intelligence	Brainless
Uses	Uses nothing
Holiness	Non-living
Size	Giant
Type	spatial maelstrom, spatial maelstrom
Flags	Flying Unbreathing Batty Insubstantial

A malevolent rift in reality, dissolving all terrain it passes by into swirling vortices. “In any composition, the solid narrates the anomalies generated by the void, or the infection of the void through the solid (where the void comes to the solid, it works as a convoluting plague, a coiling swirling epidemic rather than a nullifying process or a solid-annihilating agent); in a composition there is no pure solid but a defiled one, a diseased and deflowered solid. [...] The only way that the solid can initialize its architectonic and compositional activities (processes for survival, development, etc.) is by letting the void in. The dynamic traits of solid can only be actuated when solid is eaten, convoluted and messed up by the void. There is no other option for solid.” -Reza Negarestani, _Cyclonopedia: Complicity with Anonymous Materials_. 2008

Useful Info

Spatial maelstroms are a more advanced form of spatial vortex, no longer confused and capable of creating new spatial vortices by consuming walls and converting their matter into chaos (this randomly affects adjacent walls, and always affects walls they move into). Their better-than-spriggan speed, wall destruction, and rapid distortion hits make them high-profile threats within the branch, and almost impossible to escape on foot. They only appear in the Abyss and Abyss-themed Ziggurat floors - any other branch will quickly expel maelstroms back to the Abyss, even when generated via Lugonu's Corruption ability.

Tips & Tricks

• Spatial vortices are surprisingly rare in the Abyss outside of one exit vault and one rune vault. As such, seeing multiple spatial vortices wandering around might indicate the presence of a maelstrom beyond your field of vision, and is therefore your cue to consider going a different direction.
• Their distortion attacks can chew through your HP rapidly, send you into the more dangerous levels of the Abyss, or suddenly teleport you into unknown and potentially occupied terrain at low health. This, paired with their breeding habits and their speed, makes them top-priority threats; feel free to use consumables or heavy magic.
• If possible, try to lure them into wide open areas to reduce the number of spatial vortices they can produce. More often than not, however, you won't find them until they've already devoured a section of the Abyss.

History

Spatial maelstroms were added in 0.12.