Medusa and Medusa Queen

Dungeon creatures
Level 1
Troglodyte
Infernal Troglodyte
Level 2
Harpy
Harpy Hag
Level 3
Beholder
Evil Eye
Level 4
Medusa
Medusa Queen
Level 5
Minotaur
Minotaur King
Level 6
Manticore
Scorpicore
Level 7
Red Dragon
Black Dragon
Towns

Medusas and Medusa Queens are level 4 creatures of Dungeon town. They are recruited from the Chapel of Stilled Voices.

"Armed with bows, medusas and medusa queens can attack at range to good effect. Their hand-to-hand attacks do the same damage and also have a 20% chance of petrifying their targets for three rounds. Petrified creatures cannot move, take 50% damage, and become unfrozen when attacked." ^{RoE manual}

User commentary

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Due to their small amount of shots it is highly recommended to upgrade them right away, and their building doesn't require any hard to get resource. The four extra shots are the main draw of Queens. Medusas and Medusa Queens themselves are also pretty cheap. The upgrade is only 10% of the base cost, which is rather forgiving. Medusas are the only 4 level unit which are sadly not a speciality of any hero. Despite their large bodies which occupy two hexes, they have notable little HP, comparable with many level 3 units. The lrge bodies also make them harder to shield than other shooters. Fortunatel, they do have average defense and speed to compensate. This paired with the threat of stone gaze and lack of melee penalty makes it risky to directly attack them with melee units. Medusas actually are weaker in both ranged and melee than Magi. However, the Stone Gaze ability does help to even the odds in a melee fight. Medusas also have an easier to build dwelling (which could mean earlier growth) and are significantly cheaper than magi, though their weekly growth is the same.

See also:

• List of creatures