Storm talisman

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

Lightning trapped, impossibly, in a bottle. Lets the user walk through the air as a raging, lightning-filled tempest. The user's melee attacks electrified and strike all adjacent foes. The user also flies, gains immunity to poison, miasma, petrification, constriction, and sticky flame, and also resists electricity. They can launch themselves as a lightning bolt, blasting through everything in their way. While transformed, any equipped weapons and armour are melded. "Stormform is said to cause A tempest of winds and showers, Beware its powers, beware its powers. Though its coming brings the gods their night, It obliges a bloodred spren. Beware its end, beware its end." -Brandon Sanderson, "Words of Radiance". 2014

A storm talisman is a talisman that changes you into Storm Form.

Useful Info

When Put on, a storm talisman turns you into Storm Form, which lasts until you end the form. Entering a form takes 4 turns and exiting it takes 5.

Storm Form has the following effects:

Combat Bonuses

• Innate AC: Linearly scales from the following points, rounding down:
  • Below minimum: 0 AC (0 skill) - 12 AC (23 skill)
  • Above minimum: 12 AC (23 skill) - 15 AC (27 skill) ; +1 AC per 1.33 level
• Bonus EV: Linearly scales from the following points, rounding down, adding to your innate EV:
  • Below minimum: +0 EV (0 skill) - 20 EV (23 skill)
  • Above minimum: 20 EV (23 skill) - 27 EV (27 skill) ; +1 EV per 0.57 level
• Unarmed Combat: Gains electrocution brand and cleaving. Damage linearly scales from the following points:
  • Below minimum: 3 damage (0 skill) - 24 damage (23 skill)
  • Above minimum: 24 damage (23 skill) - 30 damage (27 skill) ; +1.5 damage per level
• Blinkbolt: Bolt-targeted ability that deals electric damage to everything in its path, then blinks you to the end. Has a cooldown.
  • Below minimum: 1d11 damage (0 skill) - 1d113 damage (23 skill)
  • Above minimum: 1d113 damage (23 skill) - 1d131 damage (27 skill)

Resistances

• Poison immunity
• rElec
• Innate flight.
• Non-living: Unbreathing, lacks blood, immune to sleep.
• Insubstantial: Immune to constriction / ensnarement, Sticky Flame, and petrification.

Restrictions

• Melded Gear: All armour, weapon and shield. (Can only wear jewellery)
• Suppresses many mutations. Species movement speed set to 1.0.

Storm Form has a minimum Shapeshifting skill of 23, below which you get an HP penalty, and the AC, EV, and UC bonuses scale down. Maximum skill is 27, which is the cap on Shapeshifting itself.

Sojobo may carry a storm talisman.

Strategy

Storm Form is the highest damage form in the game. Shapeshifting specialists can inflict immense damage per hit, much stronger than even an executioner's axe.

This form is surprisingly durable. You retain your natural EV, and gain bonuses to both EV and AC. Even though Dragon Form has 150% health, because it is giant, it loses EV; that hurts when your only defensive skills are Fighting and Dodging. In the end, Dragon Form is usually more durable, but Storm Form isn't far behind.

Compared to other forms:

• Death Form: Storm Form deals more damage and has cleaving. Death Form is arguably better against lone opponents, since it causes your melee attacks to inflict irresistible slowness. Death Form also allows all armour slots, allows Throwing, and has innate resistances of its own. However, it prevents potion use. The comparison largely depends on where you are.
  • Outside of the extended game, you may prefer Storm Form for its higher DPS and potion use. Those with high Dodging should definitely use Storm Form, due to how the bonus EV works. If you need a certain resistance, though, Death Form can see merit.
  • In the extended game, Death Form should be the go-to due to its crucial torment resistance. Storm Form does have a niche - if your character isn't strong enough to fight in Death Form, you may want this one.
• Dragon Form: Dragon Form has no cleaving, but has similar offense (due to +10 strength & aux attacks) and defense. More importantly, it takes less skill. Being a dragon is usually enough to handle orbs of fire, and if you can do that, you can win a 3-rune game. Thus, Dragon Form allows you to invest XP into other skills (without lacking in power).

Tips & Tricks

• Like other forms, Storm Form benefits greatly from support magic, such as Ozocubu's Armour and Manifold Assault.

Humanoid	Felid	Octopode

History

• Storm talismans were introduced in 0.31, along with talismans themselves. This form was previously implemented as a level 7 Air Magic/Transmutation spell, Storm Form. For the spell present in 0.30, see Storm Form (spell).