Rupert

Useful Info

Rupert the Wild is a unique human berserker who always wields a branded two-handed weapon. He'll attempt to disable you before rushing in, dealing obscene damage when berserked.

Location

• The Dungeon:12-15
• The Lair:3-6
• The Orcish Mines:1-2
• The Snake Pit:1
• The Spider's Nest:1

Tips & Tricks

• All sources of paralysis are extremely deadly, and Rupert is no exception. You can be paralysed for up to 5 turns. During this time, Rupert can berserk, close 6 tiles of distance, and still get 1-2 attacks off. You might not die, but you'll be next to a berserk Rupert, who can deal 54+ damage per swing. Good willpower is recommended if you want to fight him.
  • A sudden Rupert appearance can turn a bad situation into a horrible one. Say you were having trouble against a hydra. Being paralysed next to said hydra is almost certain death.
• Even if you ignore the paralysis threat, he is a fairly dangerous opponent for Lair. He is strong enough to punch through melee fighters at this point in the game, and has enough HP to shrug off weaker attacks.
• Rupert has the resistances of a death yak: his willpower is great, and his HD is quite high. Hexes, hex wands, datura darts, and Mephitic Cloud are unlikely to be effective.
• Thankfully, he has no other resistances, beyond what equipment might give him.
  • Curare darts, if he isn't wearing poison resistance armour, will slow him down. This lets you keep pace with a berserk Rupert, and makes him weaker overall.
  • If he spawns with an axe, Rupert can mow down weak summons like its nothing. However, a few cactus giants are strong enough to take him down, axe or not.
  • Rupert cannot see invisible. If you need to get away, or get an edge in combat, a potion of invisibility can help.
  • If you got decent Evocations skill, a phial of floods prevents him from using Paralyse (but does not prevent berserk).
• Rupert has a chance of spawning with one of the rare two-handers, such as a triple sword or executioner's axe. It's great if you were looking for one, but actually taking it from Rupert is easier said than done.

History

• Prior to 0.28, Rupert could see invisible.
• While he and his spell set were unchanged, with the removal of the Berserker Rage player spell and the changing of Crusaders to Skalds, Rupert was restyled as a Trog worshiper in 0.9. The text for his Confuse and Paralyse spells was changed to match: apparently one can induce confusion and paralysis by yelling loudly enough.