Phantom

Version 0.30: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

phantom W
HP	17-36
HD	6
XP	104
Speed	10
AC	3
EV	13
Will	40
Attack¹	8 (hit: blink with)
Resistances	rC++ rPois+++ rDrown rMiasma rN+++ rTorm rPetrify rSticky
Vulnerabilities	Holy
Habitat	Land
Intelligence	Human
Uses	Open doors
Holiness	Undead
Size	Medium
Type	phantom, phantom
Flags	Evil Flying Unbreathing Insubstantial

A nearly-transparent undead spirit, suspected by some sages to be a degenerate form of ghost, with no memories of its former life. It rarely stays in one place for long.

“Who wondrous things concerning our welfare, And straunge phantomes doth lett us ofte foresee.”
-Spenser, _The Faerie Queene_ II. xii. 47

Useful Info

Phantoms are irritating undead spirits that harass young adventurers, blinking themselves and taking your character with them on melee attack. They have surprisingly high HP and damage output for a monster found in the early Dungeon.

Tips & Tricks

A phantom is essentially a walking dispersal trap, which has the potential to be very dangerous. For example, you could be hit once and be trapped between the phantom and an ogre. They can also prevent you from going up stairs, making escape risky. Always try to fight them in explored and cleared areas.
Phantoms are worth a lot of XP for such early monsters, so try to take them out if you are able. Just be careful about it; mashing Tab will almost certainly result in dangerous missteps, and make sure not to retreat into areas you haven't explored yet!

History

Prior to 0.29, phantoms dealt 10 base damage with their melee attacks.
Prior to 0.27, phantoms would blink randomly and independently, instead of blinking with you on a melee hit.