Silent spectre

Useful Info

Silent spectres are weak, insubstantial undead that permanently radiate a 12-tile aura of Silence. This prevents use of spells, god abilities, and scrolls. They can be found in Tartarus, rarely inside the Abyss, in Tartarus-themed Ziggurat floors, and in various themed vaults.

Silent spectres cannot use stairs.

Tips & Tricks

• Silent spectres aren't a threat by themselves, but they make other monsters a lot more threatening. Most demons are unaffected by silence, and are free to torment or cast other spells. Even if you aren't a caster, you'll lose access to many emergency tools, which makes everything more dangerous.
• Remember that silence doesn't prevent use of weapons, evocables, potions, or natural abilities.
• Their presence is never a surprise - their aura extends well past your LOS. At the same time, this makes it nearly impossible to kill using spells. You'll need a 'lasting' effect (e.g. Summoning spells) or some other means of dealing damage to kill a spectre.
  • If you're a caster heading into extended, Throwing and/or Evocations can be good investments. Penetrating attacks (javelins, lightning rod) or AOE attacks (tin of tremorstones) are great at sniping spectres through other enemies.
• The silence can be used to your advantage - proper spellcasters, including all liches, are affected by silence.
• For Mega-Zig characters, Tartarus floors are one of the most deadly floors, almost entirely due to silent spectres. By the 10th Zig, you'll often be silenced on entry, putting you on a time limit before Necromutation runs out. It's important to buff yourself before entering each floor. Depending on the situation, you can use javelins, evocables, enter Tree Form, or unwield distortion to try and not die.

History

• Silent spectres were introduced in 0.8.