Ball python

Version 0.31: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

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

ball python S
HP	2-5
HD	1
XP	1
Speed	12 (swim: 60%)
AC	0
EV	9
Will	None
Attack¹	2 (bite: plain)
Attack²	1 (constrict: crush)
Resistances	rDrown
Vulnerabilities	None
Habitat	Amphibious
Intelligence	Animal
Uses	Uses nothing
Holiness	Natural
Size	Medium
Type	snake, ball python
Flags	Cold-blooded

A small snake that can augment its bite by constricting small creatures.

“The latter lived in the country, and before his house there was an oak, in which there was a lair of snakes. His servants killed the snakes, but Melampus gathered wood and burnt the reptiles, and reared the young ones. And when the young were full grown, they stood beside him at each of his shoulders as he slept, and they purged his ears with their tongues. He started up in a great fright, but understood the voices of the birds flying overhead, and from what he learned from them he foretold to men what should come to pass.”
-Pseudo-Apollodorus , _Library and Epitome_, 1.9.11. circa 150 BC.
trans. Sir James George Frazer, 1913.

“A snake, with mottles rare,
Surveyed my chamber floor,
In feature as the worm before,
But ringed with power.”
-Emily Dickinson, “In Winter In My Room”. circa 1860.

Useful Info

Ball pythons are tiny, fast snakes found in the early Dungeon. While weaker than a hobgoblin or quokka, ball pythons can constrict you with their attacks. Constriction prevents movement, lowers evasion, and deals minor damage every turn.

Tips & Tricks

Ball pythons are weak and frail, but if they manage to constrict you, you'll start taking damage quickly. Try to kill them fast, and try not to fight them around other monsters.
- Large species (Armataur, Naga, Oni, Troll) are too big to be constricted, so have little to fear from them.

History

Prior to 0.25 you could create your own ball pythons with the Sticks to Snakes spell.
Prior to 0.10, ball pythons were known as small snakes and had a weak poisonous bite instead of a constriction attack.