Haunted Skull (dangerous)
| Haunted Skull (dangerous) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Monster |
| Location | Dangerous Mines |
| Floors | 71-79 and on dungeon floors |
| HP | 310 |
| Damage | 19-26 |
| Defence | 2 |
| Speed | 3 |
| XP | 15 |
The dangerous Mines put Haunted Skulls in the Bone Castle, the floors in the seventies where Skeletons and Skeleton Mages already make life difficult. This version carries three hundred and ten health and strikes for up to twenty six, and it keeps the awkward flight of the ordinary skull, breaking off and returning from a new angle. The loot leans towards rings, bombs and Artifact Troves, so a floor cleared of these is rarely a floor wasted, and the Bone Castle it guards is the last stretch before the bottom of the cave.
Behaviour
The flight is unchanged from the gentler skull. It closes in, swings away before it can be hit, and comes back from a different direction, which is the same trick that makes Bats and Serpents frustrating. All of its damage comes from contact, so the fight is won by timing rather than by positioning.
Health and damage are what make it serious. Three hundred and ten points mean several exchanges rather than one, and a hit near the top of its range takes a serious bite out of an unbuffed farmer. On the castle floors it arrives alongside dangerous Skeletons, who throw bones through walls, and Skeleton Mages, who cast from a distance, so standing still to trade blows with a skull is rarely safe.
A sword is still the answer. Its wide arc covers the air a skull flies through, while a dagger or club leaves gaps, and the block stance pushes a flier back without committing to a swing. Retreating until the group lines up on one side turns three attackers into one swing, and food that raises defence does more for survival here than another point of attack.
Location
These skulls hold Mines floors seventy one to seventy nine whenever the dangerous setting is active, through Mr. Qi's Danger in the Deep order or the Shrine of Challenge on floor one hundred and twenty, and they also appear on the dungeon floors that sometimes replace an ordinary floor. Under the dangerous setting those castle floors are rebuilt as a Bone Castle, and Frozen Tears begin to spawn there instead of across the whole frozen section.
Dungeon floors are the other place to meet one. Those replace an ordinary floor now and then, carry their own layout and hold skulls regardless of depth, which is why a run that was going well can turn into a fight without warning.
Drops
Rings lead the list. An Aquamarine Ring, which raises critical strike chance, and a Ruby Ring, which raises damage, each drop from a little over one skull in a hundred. Both are otherwise bought from Marlon for thousands of gold, and a second copy of either stacks with the first.
Explosives come easily. Mega Bombs drop at the same rare rate as the rings and plain Bombs far more often, which suits a farmer who intends to go on to the Skull Cavern, where bombs are the only way to finish a Mummy for good.
An Artifact Trove rounds out the list and is the most interesting line on it. A trove holds ancient relics and curiosities, and the blacksmith opens it, so a few skulls can fill Museum slots that artifact spots have refused to give up. The third Dwarf Scroll appears occasionally, with the fourth far rarer, and all four donated earn the Dwarvish Translation Guide.
Items this monster can drop when it is defeated, with the chance of each.
| Item | Image | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Aquamarine Ring | 
|
1.3% |
| Artifact Trove | 
|
1.3% |
| Bomb | 
|
2% |
| Dwarf Scroll III | 
|
0.5% |
| Dwarf Scroll IV | 
|
0.1% |
| Mega Bomb | 
|
1.3% |
| Rare Disc | 
|
0.1% |
| Ruby Ring | 
|
1.3% |
| Diamond | 
|
0.05% |
| Prismatic Shard | 
|
0.05% |
Notes
A Burglar's Ring doubles every roll on the list, which is the difference between an occasional ring and a steady stream of them.
Skulls can be fought for their own sake, but the castle floors are usually crossed on the way to floor one hundred and twenty for the Shrine of Challenge or a Qi order. Carrying a Staircase or two turns a bad fight into a quick exit, since stone is plentiful on the way down.
Combat experience from a dangerous skull matches the ordinary one, so the reason to fight these is the drop list and the floor itself rather than levels.
All Monsters
Every entry in this group, with its key details.
| Name | Image | Location | HP | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armored Bug | 
|
Skull Cavern | 1 | 8 |
| Armored Bug (dangerous) | 
|
Skull Cavern | 250 | 20-27 |
| Bats | 
|
The Mines & Skull Cavern | 24, 36, 80, 300,; 268, 277 | 06, 07, 15, 30, 13, 14 |
| Blue Squid | 
|
The Dangerous Mines | 310 | 18 |
| Bug | 
|
The Mines | 1 | 8 |
| Bug (dangerous) | 
|
Dangerous Mines | 250 | 15-16 |
| Carbon Ghost | 
|
Skull Cavern; The Dangerous Mines | 190 | 25 |
| Cave Fly | 
|
The Mines | 22 | 6 |
| Cave Fly (dangerous) | 
|
Dangerous Mines | 266 | 13-15 |
| Duggy | 
|
The Mines | 40 | 6 |
| Duggy (dangerous) | 
|
Dangerous Mines | 280 | 8 |
| Dust Sprite | 
|
The Mines | 40 | 6 |
| Dust Sprite (dangerous) | 
|
The Mines | 280 | 13-15 |
| Dwarvish Sentry | 
|
Volcano Dungeon | 300 | 18 |
| False Magma Cap | 
|
Volcano Dungeon | 290 | 15 |
| Ghost | 
|
The Mines | 96 | 10 |
| Grub | 
|
The Mines | 20 | 4 |
| Grub (dangerous) | 
|
Dangerous Mines | 265 | 12-13 |
| Haunted Skull | 
|
Quarry Mine; The Mines random dungeon floors | 160 | 15 |
| Haunted Skull (dangerous) | 
|
Dangerous Mines | 310 | 19-26 |
| Hot Head | 
|
Volcano Dungeon | 215 | 18 |
| Iridium Crab | 
|
Skull Cavern | 240 | 15 |
| Iridium Golem | 
|
Wilderness Farm | 430 | 15 |
| Lava Crab | 
|
The Mines | 120 | 15 |
| Lava Crab (dangerous) | 
|
Dangerous Mines | 340 | 19-26 |
| Lava Lurk | 
|
Volcano Dungeon | 220 | 15 |
| Magma Duggy | 
|
Volcano Dungeon | 380 | 16 |
| Magma Sparker | 
|
Volcano Dungeon | 310 | 15 |
| Magma Sprite | 
|
Volcano Dungeon | 220 | 15 |
| Metal Head | 
|
The Mines | 40 | 15 |
| Metal Head (dangerous) | 
|
Dangerous Mines | 280 | 19-26 |
| Mummy | 
|
Skull Cavern | 260 | 30 |
| Mummy (dangerous) | 
|
Skull Cavern | 445 | 38-55 |
| Mutant Fly | 
|
Mutant Bug Lair, Skull Cavern | 66 | 12 |
| Mutant Grub | 
|
Mutant Bug Lair | 100 | 12 |
| Pepper Rex | 
|
Skull Cavern | 300 | 15 |
| Putrid Ghost | 
|
The Dangerous Mines | 500 | 25 |
| Rock Crab | 
|
The Mines | 30 | 5 |
| Rock Crab (dangerous) | 
|
Dangerous Mines | 272 | 13 |
| Royal Serpent | 
|
Skull Cavern | 150 + (50 × tail segments) | 32-48 |
| Serpent | 
|
Skull Cavern | 150 | 23 |
| Shadow Brute | 
|
The Mines | 160 | 18 |
| Shadow Brute (dangerous) | 
|
Dangerous Mines | 370 | 22-32 |
| Shadow Shaman | 
|
The Mines | 80 | 17 |
| Shadow Shaman (dangerous) | 
|
Dangerous Mines | 310 | 21-30 |
| Shadow Sniper | 
|
The Mines | 300 | 18 |
| Skeleton | 
|
The Mines | 140 | 10 |
| Skeleton (dangerous) | 
|
Dangerous Mines, Quarry Mine | 655 | 16-18 |
| Skeleton Mage | 
|
Dangerous Mines, Quarry Mine | 355 | 20-25 |
| Slimes | 
|
The Mines, Skull Cavern, Quarry Mine, Secret Woods, Tiger Slime Grove, and Volcano Dungeon | Varies | Varies |
| Spider | 
|
The Mines (Shrine ON) | 200 | 15 |
| Squid Kid | 
|
The Mines | 1 | 18 |
| Squid Kid (dangerous) | 
|
The Dangerous Mines; Skull Cavern | 250 | 22-32 |
| Stick Bug | 
|
The Dangerous Mines | 700 | 20 |
| Stone Golem | 
|
The Mines | 45 | 5 |
| Stone Golem (dangerous) | 
|
Dangerous Mines | 283 | 13 |
| Truffle Crab | 
|
The Farm | 30 | 5 |
| Wilderness Golem | 
|
The Farm | 30 | 5 |