The Chaunter Guide

The extensive Chaunter guide! This guide is here to give you insight and tips on our ghostly fellow and their quirks. (Currently WIP)

Overview: Chaunter, the Ghost

This is Chaunter. Say hi to them. :)
Chaunter is a ghostly characters added by the Synchrony DLC. They can possess enemies after killing them, but we'll get to that part later. Their starting stats and restrictions are the following:

• Chaunter starts with half a heart, a basic shovel and their lantern as a weapon.
  
• Chaunter cannot gain more health in any way, and although they may encounter heart containers, they cannot collect them in their usual form.
  
• In their usual form, Chaunter always floats.
  
• Chaunter cannot find nor equip a different shovel.
  
• Chaunter's Lantern attacks like a dagger that can't be thrown, dealing 1 damage to one adjacent enemy. The Lantern's damage can be buffed by equipment.
  
• Although Chaunter can find and equip all kinds of weapons, they cannot use them in their usual form and is forced to rely on their lantern.
  
• Chaunter's Lantern also passively provides a bit of light, about as much as a basic torch would.
  
• Chaunter can find and pick up all kinds of Torches, Armor, Helmets, Boots, Rings, Charms, Shields and Spells.

Chaunter is a glass cannon. On the one hand, any blood deal is fatal. Most mistakes other characters would brush off as just an annoyance could kill them. On the other hand, their constantly low health makes items like Risk Charm, Ring of Shielding or Blast Helm much more valuable.

Chaunter's mobility is special: they constantly float, which allows them to easily ignore almost all kinds of environmental hazard. But the fact that they can't upgrade their shovel limits their spelunking abilities.

Now I know, you can get all that from the Synchrony steam announcement... One thing it doesn't feature is extensive information about Chaunter's main gimmick: if Chaunter kills an enemy using their Latern, Chaunter will possess them!

Possession: Chaunter's main gimmick

That's right! Killing (almost) any enemy with the Lantern will have Chaunter take over their body and use their abilities to move, attack, cast spells, etc.

Here are a few things of note that apply to all possessions:

• Possessing a monster will grant Chaunter the monster's health as theirs.
  
  • Possessed monsters regenerate all their health and attributes, but cannot regenerate them into another monster
    (i.e. Skeletons will not gain a shield nor a ghost horse if they were killed without one.)
    
  • On the beat when the monster was possessed, Chaunter is invulnerable to damage.
    
  • The possessed monster's health can be increased by usual means, which makes them safe to use to take blood deals.
• Most monsters can attack without a weapon, using their own "innate attack" (the most common is bumping into something adjacent to hurt it ; referred to as "Basic" in the guide). The kind of attack performed and its damage depends on the monster and current equipment.
  
• As soon as Chaunter possesses a monster, a 24-ticks timer starts. It ticks down every beat. (except beats skipped because of the monster's cooldown)
  
  • When the timer reaches 0, the possessed monster is hurt for half a heart and the timer resets at 12. This does not end the groove chain.
    
  • Killing another monster will increase the timer by 2.
• Possessing a monster does not drop gold nor increase the coin multiplier, including when it dies! Killing monsters by other means still do, including when possessing a monster.
  
• Possessed monsters do not lose the groove chain if they are stuck in place as long as you hit a command on the beat. This includes attempting to dig something too hard.
  
• Possessed monsters that can bounce off bounce pads will automatically attack monsters that are blocking the bounce pad.
  
• Possessed monsters can be brought over to the next floor by reaching the stairs or through trapdoors.
  
• Getting the monster killed forces Chaunter back in their usual form.
  
  • This can be triggered manually at any time by pressing left + right (by default).
    
  • Chaunter do not lose their coin multiplier if they were ejected manually or by the timer.
    
  • Chaunter is invulnerable on the beat they are ejected and for the next beat.
• If a monster can or must move diagonally, then the key combos for placing bombs, using consumables and casting spells are all made unavailable when possessing it.
  
• Monsters may have extra spells that temporarily replace Chaunter's own spells when possessed.

Every monster has its own stats and quirks: health, base damage, types of movement, spells, etc. Those way be buffed by items and circumstances. Moreover, not all monsters fly, and those that don't may activate traps or get stuck in water or tar. Still, they are immune to hot coals, ice and ooze.

Possessed monsters can separated into two kinds:

Fast Monsters: Monsters that normally move every beat. When possessed, they can attack on every beat, however they cannot use weapons to fight. They have to rely on items and their own innate attack.


Slow Monsters: Monsters that move less often. When possessed, they can still move every beat, but they need to skip a certain amount of beat (called "Cooldown" in this guide) after attacking.
However, they can use any weapon Chaunter has picked up! (If they have none, they'll do a basic attack.)

Now that you get the gist of possessions, here is a list of each monster's unique quirks!

Glossary for describing monsters

Before I start, let me clarify a few points. In this guide, I'll describe monsters using the following template:

Monster's Name

Monster sprite
Base HP: --- | Attack: --- | Base Damage: ---
Mobility: --- | Cooldown: --- | Digging: ---
Abilities: ---

I will be using various terms to describe them, here's some clarifications:

• Base HP: The health the possessed monster brings to Chaunter, provided they don't have extra heart containers.
  
• Base Damage: How much damage a monster deals when attacking something, without equipment.
  
  
• Attack: The kind of attack the possessed monster does when bumping into an enemy. Equipment bonuses apply if possible. Common attacks include:
  
  • Basic: The simplest innate attack: the monster hurts an enemy right next to it. This does NOT count as a weapon attack.
    
  • Weapon: The monster attacks using Chaunter's current weapon. If they have no weapon, they revert to a basic attack. Some enemies have imposed weapons that are used instead of Chaunter's weapon.
    
  • Grapple: When bumping into an enemy monster, the possessed monster jumps onto its tile and grabs the enemy. Depending on the possessed enemy, you can perform various actions when grappling one.
    Ejecting in this state instantly kills the enemy, but doesn't drop gold.
    
  • Spray: The monster deals damage in the surrounding eight tiles around it.
  
  
• Mobility: How Chaunter can move around when possessing that kind of monster, with no extra equipment. Common movement options include:
  
  • Stationary: The monster can't move. They may be able to attack, but they can't move to another tile by themselves.
    
  • Normal: The monster can move cardinally (up, down, left, right), like any standard character.
    
  • Diagonal: The monster can only move diagonally by inputting double key combos. If this is the case, then you can't cast spells nor use items, and up+down is used to place bombs.
    
  • Omnidirectional: The monster can move both cardinally and diagonally by inputting double key combos. If this is the case, then you can't cast spells nor use items, and up+down is used to place bombs.
    
  • Charge: When triggered, the possessed monster will move towards one direction every beat without input from you, as if moving on ice. The monster will stop only if they hit something.
    May or may not prevent you from placing bombs, using items or casting spells.
  
  
• Cooldown: How many beats a monster will have to skip right after attacking. Skipping beats still requires input, but you won't do anything nor lose the groove multiplier.
  Fast monsters have no cooldown.
  
  
• Digging: The strongest kind of wall the possessed monster can dig. Attempting to dig a stronger wall will just make you bump into it (you won't lose your groove if possessing a monster).
  
  • None: The monster... can't dig anything. Not even doors.
    
  • Basic: The monster can dig dirt walls. This is also Chaunter's own dig strength, as he can't find shovels.
    
  • Sturdy: The monster can dig stone walls.
    
  • Reinforced: The monster can destroy brick walls.
    
  • Draconic!: The monster can destroy shop walls. Free cash!
  
  
• Abilities: Various extra quirks possessing the monster may bring, aside from unique weapons. These can be spells or passive abilities.
  Note: all monsters are unaffected by hot coals, ice, ooze or conduits, so I'm not mentioning it.
  Common abilities include.
  
  • Flight: The monster flies. Chaunter does too in base form. However, possessing a monster that doesn't means water and tar slow you down, and you have to avoid traps.
    
  • Phasing: The monster can move through walls, and can attack from inside one too. Most enemies can't target you when you're inside a wall.
    This comes at a cost however: you can't dig walls when possessing a phasing monsters.
    
  • Flinch: When hurts, you are knocked back one tile. Be wary of your positioning.
    
  • Heavy: Water, tar and traps can't impede the monster at all! Usually reserved to minibosses and slower monsters.
    
  • Float: Essentially a weaker version of Heavy, the monster can move through water and tar easily.

Zone 1 - Slimey Frienemies

Green Slime

HP: | Attack: Basic | Base Damage: 50 (yup)
Mobility: Stationary | Cooldown: None | Digging: Basic

Description
Ah the Green Slime, the strongest monster Chaunter can possess! Although they have low health, Green Slimes can OHKO pretty much anything with their base attack!
The Green Slime is the best monster to possess... is what I would say if it wasn't rooted to its spot. Use them to break crates or instakill minibosses that dare approach.

Note: Unless right next to you, angered Shopkeepers will flee if you possess a Green Slime. You'll have to lure them close enough in Chaunter's usual form first!

Blue Slime

HP: | Attack: Weapon | Base Damage: 2
Mobility: Vertical | Cooldown: 1 beat | Digging: Basic

Description
The Blue Slime can move! Although they can only move upwards or downwards... Welp, better than nothing. Blue Slimes are slow monsters and have to skip 1 beat after attacking. They also have more health, but really you better find a better possession.

Orange Slime

HP: | Attack: Basic | Base Damage: 1
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: None | Digging: Basic

Description
Orange Slimes are the most versatile slimes you'll find here. Although they are weaker than Blue Slimes, they're also faster and can actually move to the sides, woohoo! Don't expect to keep them alive for long though.

Note: Orange Slimes have a weird interaction with Shields: the shield will rotate clockwise everytime you move, regardless of the direction you moved!

(Blue) Bat

HP: | Attack: Weapon | Base Damage: 1
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: 1 beat | Digging: Basic
Abilities: Flight

Description
Bats are the first flying monsters you can possess. They're not great, though: they are slow and weak. On the first few floors, you might not even find a weapon to use with them.
So they are almost always outclassed by their cousins...

Red Bat

HP: | Attack: Basic | Base Damage: 2
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: None | Digging: Basic
Abilities: Flight

Description
... the superior Red Bats! Unlike lame Blue Bats, they can attack every beat and they're stronger! In my opinion, they're the second best monster you can possess in the first Zone.

Monkeys

HP: / increased to / when grappling
Attack: Grapple | Base Damage: None
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: None | Digging: Basic

Description
Hmmm, Monkeys...
Instead of attacking, Monkeys will grapple enemies by jumping on them. The enemy will be stuck in place and attack the Monkey if they attempt to move. This goes on until the monkey dies, which will instantly defeat both enemies and release Chaunter (whatever was the cause of death).

The best way to capitalize on this is to grab a strong enemy and eject right afterwards.
This does not drop gold, but it can be useful in a pinch.

Note: if Chaunter kills a Monkey that has grappled them in their usual form, they will possess the Monkey.

Skeletons

HP: / / | Attack: Weapon / Basic (headless) | Base Damage: 1/3/4
Mobility: Normal / Forced (headless) | Cooldown: 1 beat / None (headless) | Digging: Basic

Description
Skeletons are basic run of the mill slow monsters. White Skeletons are mundane, but Yellow and Black Skeletons deal enough damage to break crates early on.

Note: Yellow and Black Skeletons will lose their head when their health reaches half a heart, regardless of the reason! They're forced to run in one direction, often making you miss a beat.
My advice is to eject before the timer reaches 0 when at 1 heart.

Note: This does not happen to White Skeletons whose health has been buffed

Ghost

HP: | Attack: Basic | Base Damage: 2
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: None | Digging: Basic
Abilities: Flight, Intangibility

Description
Ghosts are in my opinion the best monster you can possess in the first Zone. They're quick, they're strong, they fly and they're easier to kill than Red Bats. They're just great!

Note: skipping a beat without moving will turn you intangible, which means nothing can hurt you. You will lose your multiplier bonus and the timer will keep decreasing, but on the bright side, you can survive anything!

Wraith

HP: | Attack: Basic | Base Damage: 1
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: None | Digging: Basic
Abilities: Flight

Description
The screeching bastards of the first floors. Wraiths are fairly ok, but get outclassed by Ghosts and Red Bats. If you're possessing one, it's probably because they keep pestering you at every corner!

Zombie

HP: | Attack: Weapon | Base Damage: 2
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: 1 beat | Digging: None

Description
Zombies are similar to White Skeletons, except they trade the ability to dig for more damage. If a Zombie bumps into something blocking them, it will simply turn back! That means they can't open doors, so you'll have to eject, eventually...

Note: Conga Line Zombies act mostly the same, but have some extra quirks. I'll get to it in the Boss minions section.

Zone 2, Part 1 - Mushroom Madness

Mushroom

HP: | Attack: None | Base Damage: 0
Mobility: Immobile | Cooldown: None | Digging: None
Abilities: Rooted

Description
It's a mushroom.
What did you expect.

Explosive Mushroom

HP: | Attack: None | Base Damage: 0 (explosion: 4)
Mobility: Immobile | Cooldown: None | Digging: None
Abilities: Explosive, Extreme Armor, Rooted

Description
If Chaunter hits a primed Explosive Mushroom, it won't explode and they will possess it.
It's still a mushroom, it can't do anything.

If Chaunter ejects now, then the mushroom will be left primed, unable to be possessed again.
If damaged once, the mushroom will be primed, which grants Chaunter a spell to instantly explode.
If damaged again or left alone for 3 beats, or if Chaunter casts the spell or ejects, the mushroom will explode on the spot.

Note: Blowing up as a mushroom won't hurt Chaunter.

(Spore) Mushrooms

HP: /| Attack: Weapon + Spores | Base Damage: 2/4
Mobility: Stationary | Cooldown: 3 beats / 2 beats (forced) | Digging: None
Abilities: Spray Attack, Rooted

Description
Blue and Purple Mushrooms have a bit more agency in their movement compared to the mundane mushrooms. They still can't move though. Every 4 beats (or 3 for Purple Mushrooms), Spore Mushrooms are forced to release spores all around them that hurt enemies.

They can only act at the same time as they would release spores, and may use weapons to attack instead of spores. Also, they can't dig (because they can't move) and cannot be moved by force (wind spells won't work).

Armored Skeletons

HP: / / | Attack: Weapon | Base Damage: 1/3/5
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: 1 beat | Digging: Basic
Abilities: Shield (1/2/3)

Description
Upgraded skeletons from the 2nd zone! Armored Skeletons carry a shield at all times, which will protect you from incoming damage from the front once, knocking you back. In the case of Yellow and Black Skeletons, the shield won't be destroyed unless the damage would've dealt 1 or 1.5 hearts, respectively.

Black Skeletons somehow deal more damage with a shield (go figure).
As expected, Yellow and Black Skeleton will lose their head when they reach half a heart and drop the shield in the process... (buffed White Skeletons still won't)

Note: The skeleton won't have a shield if it was killed after dropping it, which includes when Yellow and Black Skeletons lose their heads. If you want to possess them with shields, you'll have to deal enough damage at once!

Note: Equipped shields will be used before the Armored Skeleton's own shield.

Skeleton Mages

HP: / / | Attack: Wand of Attraction | Base Damage: 2/4/5
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: 1 beat | Digging: Basic

Description
A variant of skeletons encountered in Zone 2, Skeleton Mages deal more damage than normal ones without weapons and can't lose their head.

Their unique weapon, the Wand of Attraction, makes them cast a spell towards monsters that are two tiles in front of them if nothing is inbetween, bringing it closer!
Frankly, it's not that useful and replaces your weapon for another one...

Note: The Wand of Attraction will attempt to cast a spell even if the enemy cannot be moved at all, wasting time.

Golems

HP: / | Attack: Weapon | Base Damage: 4/6
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: 3 beats | Digging: Sturdy
Abilities: Heavy (cannot trigger traps ; can easily move through water and tar)

Description
Golems are one of the strongest monsters Chaunter can possess. They are very slow as they need to rest for 3 beats after attacking. However, they can easily wade through water and tar, cannot trigger traps and can dig rock walls.

Stone Golems are ok, but Dirt Golems boast the highest health and damage stats of all possessible monsters. In fact, Dirt Golems are so tough they can take a Red Dragon's direct hit, survive then kill it in one swipe without any buff.

Zone 2, Part 2 - Faster Monsters

Armadillos

HP: / | Attack: Charge | Base Damage: 2/3
Mobility: Charge only | Cooldown: None (1 beat at the end each Charge)
Digging: Sturdy (Charge) | Abilities: Rolling Charge

Description
Armadillos are odd enemies. They can act every beat if they are up, but if you attempt to move they will roll into a ball and charge in that direction. In this state, you cannot use items nor cast spells, but you are also immune to damage. Enemy attacks and bounce pads will redirect you (even in diagonal directions).

The charge continues until the Armadillo hits something. If it's an enemy, they will hurt it. If it's a wall, they will dig it if soft enough (dirt or rock). Regardless, the Armadillo will stop right in front and be stunned for 1 beat. This stun also happens if you attempt to attack/dig something right next to you.

Note: When it comes to missing beats, rolling as an Armadillo is like sliding on ice: pressing a command will make you miss. Except you can use items and cast spells on ice, while you can't when rolling.

Mole

HP: | Attack: Basic | Base Damage: 2
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: None (1 beat before attacking) | Digging: Basic
Abilities: Burrow (Intangibility)

Description
Moles are pretty bad enemies to possess... Sure, they're fast. Their burrowing ability allow them to stay intangible when moving, destroy traps and hazardous environment they come across.

But they need to come out (by bumping into something) if they want to attack or cast spells, leaving them vulnerable for at least 1 beat. Burrowing to move away will also take a beat! This makes attacking monsters as a Mole tedious.

Notes: Monsters still target you when burrowed. They can repeatedly bump into your mound to kill you right when you come out. Moreover, burrowed Moles destroy gold. If you do possess one, you won't be able to collect gold off the ground anymore!

Tar Monster

HP: increased to when grappling
Attack: Mobile Grapple + Drown in Tar | Base Damage: 0 (Drown in Tar: 3)
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: None | Digging: Basic
Abilities: Unsinkable, "Drown in Tar" spell

Description
Tar Monsters are grapplers like the Monkeys from Zone 1. However unlike Monkeys, after latching onto a monster, they can move around with it. They can cross Water/Tar tiles without sinking. On death, they leave a tile of Tar, removing any trap or other environment it might have been.

If they go into Water/Tar with an enemy, they can cast a special "spell" every beat to drown said enemy, dealing 3 damage. This is enough to break crates, so that's pretty useful.

Clone

HP: | Attack: Basic | Base Damage: 3
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: None | Digging: Basic

Description
Whether they look like Cadence or Chaunter, Clones are basic fast enemies. They're the strongest fast enemies of Zone 2, but they can't fly and don't have any extra ability.

Wight

HP: | Attack: Basic | Base Damage: 2
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: None | Digging: None
Abilities: Flight, Phasing

Description
Wights are the second screeching bastards you'll encounter, and probably one of the best possessions of Zone 2. They fly and can phase through walls, basically ignoring all environmental constraints. They can attack from inside a wall too, allowing them to say safe! (Although their attacks are normal.)

Their only downside is that, like all phasing entities, they can't dig. That can be annoying when trying to synchronize with enemies or unearthing treasures and hidden shops. If Chaunter is ejected from inside a wall, they will spawn on the closest empty tile.

Fake Wall

HP: | Attack: Basic | Base Damage: 2
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: None | Digging: Basic

Description
Just your run of the mill fast enemy. Fake Walls have nothing interesting to talk about, they're ok to possess and get outclassed by Clones.

Zone 3, Part 1 - Searing and Freezing

Cauldrons

HP: | Attack: None | Base Damage: None
Mobility: Immobile | Cooldown: None | Digging: None
Abilities: Leaves Hot Coals/Ice on death

Description
It's a cauldron. It's not even alive (nor undead).
On destruction, they leave a patch hot coals or ice.
Neither Chaunter nor possessed monsters are affected by those though...

Cauldron Mimics

HP: | Attack: Basic | Base Damage: 2
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: None | Digging: Basic
Abilities: Leaves Hot Coals/Ice on death

Description
Oh, these ones ARE alive! They're basically just Fake Walls but with a new coat of paint.
They also leave a patch of hot coals or ice on death, which can destroy traps and replace hazardous tiles. Still useless!

Fire and Ice Elementals

HP: | Attack: Weapon | Base Damage: 3
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: 2 beats | Digging: Sturdy
Abilities: Heavy, Hot/Cold trail, Leaves Hot Coals/Ice on death

Description
Fire and Ice Elementals are similar to Golems from Zone 2, except faster and weaker: they attack slowly, can dig rocks and deal significant damage.
Elementals constantly emit hot coals (Fire) or ice, which destroys traps and replace hazard tiles right before stepping on them. This effectively means they can step on any kind of trap (or hazard tile) without suffering any consequence!

Note: Although stepping on the opposite temperate tile create water instead of hot coals or ice, Elementals won't sink in it, so you won't lose a beat to get out (it'll be replaced by a patch of hot coals or ice anyway).

Fire and Ice Slimes

HP: | Attack: Basic | Base Damage: 3
Mobility: Diagonal | Cooldown: None | Digging: Sturdy
Abilities: Leaves Hot Coals/Ice on death

Description
The temperate Slimes from Zone 3 can ONLY move in diagonal directions: you must press key combos in order to move with them. They're decently fast, strong and can dig through rocks aswell to compensate for the fact that they can't move in cardinal directions.

On death, Fire Slimes leave a patch of hot coals, while Ice Slimes leave ice.
Despite being awfully similar to Orange Slimes, they don't have the same weird synergy with shields.

Beetles

HP: | Attack: Weapon | Base Damage: 3
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: 1 beat | Digging: Basic
Abilities: Igneous/Icy shell

Description
Beetles are standard monsters that have a thick shell on their back, which regrows when possessing one. The shell makes them immune to any form of damage, only knocking you back and spawning hot coals or ice on your tile and the 4 adjacent ones.

Note: You'll instantly lose the shell as soon as you get close to a monster (leaving a patch of hot coals or ice). You can't regrow it either, so really the shell is pretty useless unless you're trying to remove spike traps or fighting a Red Dragon from afar.

Hell Hound

HP: | Attack: Weapon | Base Damage: 3
Mobility: Omnidirectional | Cooldown: 1 beat | Digging: Basic
Abilities: Leaves Hot Coals one death

Description
Hell Hounds are one of the few monsters that can move both in cardinal and diagonal directions. Moreover, because they're slow monsters, they can use weapons to attack in either of the 8 directions (alone with the weapon's own range)!

This easily makes up for their low health and their cooldown, as they don't need as many beats to take sharp turns. They leave a patch of hot coals upon death.

Yeti

HP: | Attack: Weapon + Clap | Base Damage: 3
Mobility: Normal (slow) | Cooldown: 3 beats (1 beat for moving) | Digging: Sturdy
Abilities: Spray Attack (Clap), Heavy, Leaves Ice on death

Description
Yeti are slow monsters that cannot move on every beat. Everytime they move onto a new tile, they clap their hands together, releasing a spray attack similar to Spore Mushroom's spores from Zone 2. This forces them to rest for 1 beat after every move.

If they attack instead, they will have to wait 3 beats. They're pretty strong and can kill monsters all around them every beat, so you'd rather move as if you had the Golden Luth. On death, they leave a patch of ice.

Zone 3, Part 2 - Non-Elemental Enemies

Shove Monsters

HP: / | Attack: Squishy Piston | Base Damage: 1
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: None | Digging: Basic

Description
Ah, the Shove Monsters! Their basic attack uses a Squishy Piston, which simply pushes the monster right next to them further back one tile instead of damaging them. Pretty unusual, huh?

If the monster cannot be moved, either because something else blocks the way behind it or because it's stuck to the ground (mushrooms, cauldrons or monsters stuck due to ice spells...), it'll take 1 heart of damage. If the enemy dies, you'll move to that spot.

Note: The Shove Piston stuns enemies that are pushed back, similar to Flails except without dealing damage (unless the enemy can't move). This lets you push around Monsters continually without any risk for them to attack you.

Note: Swordmasters can't parry shoves. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Also shoving a pixie into the wall will not make it explode.

Goblins

HP: / | Attack: Basic | Base Damage: 4/6
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: None | Digging: Basic

Description
Goblins are vicious bastards that move real fast and hurt real good. They don't have any extra ability or gimmicks like the rest of the monsters from Zone 3, but damn are they strong. Grey Goblins are particularly egregious: they can deal as much damage as unarmed Red Dragons or Dirt Golems EVERY BEAT!

Probably the best monster to possess on Zone 3, provided you don't screw up because Goblins are squishy.

Skeleton Knights

HP: / / | Attack: Basic | Base Damage: 2/4/6
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: None | Digging: Basic
Abilities: Flight, Ghost Steed

Description
DISCLAIMER: Skeleton Knights can usually not be possessed in Zone 3, because hurting a Skeleton Knight will never kill it and instead degrade it into an Armored Skeleton. However, starting in Zone 4, one can exploit a possessed Warlock's unique ability to possess a Skeleton Knight.

Skeleton Knights are the final form of normal Skeletons. You can't normally kill them with the Lantern, but if you do manage to possess one anyway, they can move every beat, fly over traps and deal a lot of damage. Black Skeleton Knights are tied with other monsters for the most amount of damage dealt to enemies (6 hearts at once).

Getting hurt will not decrease the Skeleton Knight's health (unless because of the possession timer). Instead, you'll only lose the ghost steed and get knocked back, degrading into an Armored Skeleton. This acts sort of like a Glass Armor.

Ghast

HP: | Attack: Basic | Base Damage: 2
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: None | Digging: None
Abilities: Flight, Phasing

Description
Ghasts are the Zone 3 exclusive part of the screecher line. Just like Wights from Zone 2, they can phase through walls, attack enemies from them and deal 2 hearts of damage. Unfortunately, possessing them does not let you teleport behind your enemies' backs after getting attacked...

Zone 4, Part 1 - Frantic Foes

Blademaster

HP: / | Attack: Weapon | Base Damage: 1/2 (Parrying: 2/4)
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: 1 beat | Digging: Basic
Abilities: Parry

Description
Blademasters (apprentice or not) are common enemies in Zone 4. When possessing one, Chaunter will be almost unkillable. Getting attacked (by non-piercing damage) will not hurt you and instead knock you back a tile. Then you'll be able to counterattack on the next beat, lunging forward 2 tiles in any cardinal direction, damaging anything in your path.

Blademasters can't parry right after counterattacking though, you'll be vulnerable for a beat. If you're surrounded by enemies, you won't survive. You don't have to counterattack after parrying, you can cast spells or dig instead, avoiding the vulnerable beat.

Note: Although Blademasters can use weapons, parrying an attack doesn't use them. The counterattack deals double your base damage, plus other damage bonuses (without weapon bonuses).

Warlocks

HP: / | Attack: Weapon | Base Damage: 3/4
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: 1 beat | Digging: Basic
Abilities: Possession Swap

Description
The Warlocks!! Normally, they're uninteresting enemies that swap place with you as they die.
However, this teleport ability has a unique interaction when possessing them. See, the Warlock will swap place as it dies with the enemy that killed them, as expected. But Chaunter will not. This makes Chaunter instantly possess the monster that killed the possessed Warlock, even if you cannot possess it normally by attacking it!

Chaunter can exploit this to possess Skeleton Knights and Main Boss Monsters (although for them it's pretty useless because it can only happen at the end of zone 4), which normally can't be possess by killing them. So don't hesitate to jump in front of a strong enemy as a Warlock, you'll be able to take over them!

Harpy

HP: | Attack: Weapon | Base Damage: 3
Mobility: Cardinal Leaps + Diagonal | Cooldown: 1 beat | Digging: Basic
Abilities: Flight

Description
Harpies can fly and move through the floor very quickly. They can leap up to three tiles away or move diagonally, unless monsters block the way (or can be attack by the current weapon). This can't be turned off.

Here is a visualization of their range of action (assuming no valid target for the current weapon):

• Blue: You
  
• Red: Can move there, or attack/dig if obstructed
  
• Orange: Can move there, or dig if obstructed
  
• Yellow: Can only move there (unless obstructed)

Note: Harpies can't attack diagonally, unlike most monsters that can move diagonally.

Spider

HP: | Attack: Basic | Base Damage: 2
Mobility: Diagonal | Cooldown: None | Digging: Basic

Description
Spiders are pretty similar to the temperate Slimes from Zone 3: they must move and attack diagonally. They're a bit weaker though. To attack, you have to directly hop over a monster, which can be awkward as you have to jump back and forth to attack repeatedly.

Note: Although spiders normally take damage when attacking, you won't (unless the monster attacks at the same time). In previous versions, possessed spiders could scale walls, but it lead to bugs, so you can only dig/bump into walls now.

Goblin Sentry

HP: | Attack: Basic | Base Damage: 1
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: None (6 beats after digging) | Digging: Sturdy

Description
Oh how the mighty have fallen... Goblin Sentries are really weak compared to the Goblins encountered in Zone 3. Their attacks are weak, their health is still low. Their only redeeming quality is the fact that they can dig hard walls...
is what I would say if it didn't force you to skip 6 beats afterwards!! They flee from you anyway, so really just don't bother possessing them.

Goblin Bomber

HP: | Attack: Gob-omb| Base Damage: 4 (explosion)
Mobility: Diagonal | Cooldown: 1 beat (irrelevant) | Digging: Basic
Abilities: Living Bomb, Carry a torch

Description
Goblin Bombers on the other hand, are live bombs! They can only move diagonally and carry a bomb on their back. If they bump onto an enemy, they'll jump on them and the bomb will instantly explode, killing the Goblin and hurting anything in range for 4 hearts.

If they die for any other reason, they'll simply drop their bomb on the ground, which explodes in 4 beats. Chaunter cannot force the Goblin Bomber to detonate the bomb at will.

Note: Attacking will always kill the Goblin Bomber, regardless of its health or damage resistances (such as Blast Helm or damage prevention items like Glass Armor). The bomb left behind isn't affected by Blast Helm either.
Don't try to improve their survivability, try to blow up as many foes as you can instead!

Note: Goblin Bombers carry a normal torch by default, extending their range of vision compared to other possessed monsters (if Chaunter has no torch).

Sarcophagi

HP: / / | Attack: Weapon (huh? No innate attack) | Base Damage: 1
Mobility: Immobile | Cooldown: 12 beats (yep) | Digging: None
Abilities: Rooted, Spawn Skeletons

Description
It's a sarcophagus (or coffin?). It can attack if you picked up a weapon, confusingly enough...
When possessed, a sarcophagus will attempt to spawn charmed monsters every beat (unless in cooldown), namely Skeletons, Armored Skeleton, Skeleton Wizards or Skeleton Knights of their color. Charmed monsters attempt to hurt and kill other monsters.

Note: Possessed Sarcophagi will not spawn anything if there is already a Skeleton it spawned before, including Skeletons that aren't charmed, but excluding currently possessed Skeletons.

Pixie

Cannot be possessed :(
Hitting a Pixie with the Lantern will make it explode, and you can't use Warlocks to possess them because they heal you...

Zone 4, Part 2 - Returning Fiends

Black Bat

HP: | Attack: Basic | Base Damage: 2
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: None | Digging: Basic
Abilities: Flight

Description
Black Bats are just Red Bats that always target you if they can. Well guess what, possessing them is no different from possessing Red Bats.

Elite Monkeys

HP: / increased to / when grappling
Attack: Confusing Grapple / Teleporting Grapple | Base Damage: None
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: None | Digging: Basic

Description
The Monkeys encountered in Zone 4 have extra effects to their grapples. Green Monkeys will inflict confuse on the grappled enemy, forcing it to move randomly. Magic Monkey die instantly if hurt when grappling, so they can get rid of enemies faster that Zone 1 monkeys.

All tips that apply to mundane Monkeys apply to Elite Monkeys. In particular, dying when grappled onto another monster will also kill said monster instantly.

Note: Just like White Monkeys, Magic Monkeys are knocked back when hurt.

Mandarin Armadillo

HP: | Attack: Charge | Base Damage: 3
Mobility: Charge only (Omnidirectional) | Cooldown: None (1 beat after charging)
Digging: Sturdy (Charge) | Abilities: Omnidirectional Rolling Charge

Description
Mandarin Armadillos move just like the regular Armadillos from Zone 2, except they can start their charge in diagonal directions! Everything that applies to regular Armadillos and their rolling charge also apply to them, with one notable exception: Mandarin Armadillos can't cast spells anymore, as the key combinations are repurposed to move diagonally.

Ooze Golem

HP: | Attack: Weapon | Base Damage: 5
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: 3 beats | Digging: Sturdy
Abilities: Heavy, Bleeds Ooze

Description
Ooze Golems move and act like regular Stone Golems, although they deal a bit more damage. When attacked by normal means, Ooze Golems leave ooze under enemies that hurt them.

This effectively does not matter to Chaunter at all, as neither them nor possessed monsters are affected by ooze... but hey, it can destroy traps.

Skeleton Liches

HP: / / | Attack: Wand of Inversion | Base Damage: 2/3/4
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: 1 beat | Digging: Basic

Description
Skeleton Liches are quite similar to Skeleton Mages. They have the same stats as them and their own weapon: the Wand of Inversion. If a monster is two tiles in front of them, they'll cast a confusion spell that make said monster confused for 4 beats. (Reminder: confused monsters move in the opposite direction than the one they were planning to move towards.)

Moreover, the confusion spell will not be cast if the targeted monster is already confused. Arguably, the Lich's spell is less annoying to deal with than the Mage's spell, as it'll always work and can help you get some space when surrounded by monsters.

Ghoul

HP: | Attack: Basic | Base Damage: 1
Mobility: Omnidirectional | Cooldown: None | Digging: None
Abilities: Flight, Phasing

Description
The last form of the screeching bastards line of enemies, Ghouls retain the ability to phase and attack through walls. They trade off a bit of damage for the ability to move diagonally, which frankly isn't all that great. Just like Ghasts, you can't dodge the first attack thrown at you when possessing them... Although they can be useful in a pinch, you'd rather find a better monster or a miniboss to possess.

Gargoyle (chaser)

HP: | Attack: Basic | Base Damage: 4
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: None | Digging: Basic

Description
Of all the Gargoyles encountered within the heart of the crypt, only the "chaser" variant (large wings held close) can be possessed. They're basically the ultimate form of the Mimic line of monsters, with a whopping base damage of 4, twice as much as Fake Walls.

Note: You can't possess any of the other Gargoyles. The inert Gargoyles act like crates (which can't be possessed), the "windy" and "proximity mine" variants can't be hurt by the Lantern (respectively large wings spread out and pointy tail with no wings), while the "retaliating mine" variant (pointy tail with small wings) will explode right as you hit it.

Zone 5 (DLC) - Exhalting Electricity

Coming soon!

Minibosses, Zone 1 to 3 - Red Dragon goes Gr-BRAAAGH

Dire Bats

HP: / | Attack: Weapon | Base Damage: 3/4
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: 1 beat | Digging: Basic
Abilities: Flight

Description
Dire Bats are flying behemoths encountered only in the first zones. They act like standard bats, but have more health. Not much more to say, really.

Green Dragon

HP: | Attack: Weapon | Base Damage: 4
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: 1 beat | Digging: DRAGONLIKE!
Abilities: Heavy

Description
The Green Dragon, the very first miniboss you may encounter! To be fair, it's easily overshadowed by its red and blue bretheren as it's the weakest of the bunch. It doesn't have any extra attack.

Still, the Green Dragon share two traits with the other dragons:
1) It can't trigger traps nor sink in water or tar (like most minibosses, actually)
2) Its ability to dig through ANYTHING! Indeed, all Dragons can dig through shop walls! Free money!!

Red and Blue Dragons

HP: | Attack: Weapon | Base Damage: 6 (Fire Breath: 5)
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: 1 beat | Digging: DRAGONLIKE!
Abilities: Heavy, "fire/ice breath" spells

Description
It's them! The Dragons! The toughest miniboss of them all, encountered in all zones. Even if some enemies are stronger, Dragons are much more versatile than them: they have a lot of health, deal a lot of damage, can dig ANYTHING, resist traps and let you use their breath as "spells" (one "spell" for each side).

As you all know, the Red Dragon breath fire towards one side, hitting everything that lines up with them for 5 damage.
The Blue Dragon instead breath a chilly burst in a cone shape (3 tiles forward with increasing width, 5 tiles wide at its furthest) that'll freeze enemies in place for 4 beats.

These breath spells replace your own spells and recharge automatically every 3 beats. They are not affected by the Ring of Mana.
Casting the spell will immobilize you and shoot the breath on the next beat. The Dragon will be able to act again right afterwards.

Minotaurs

HP: / | Attack: Charge | Base Damage: 4/5
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: None (1 beat at the end of a charge) | Digging: Sturdy (Reinforced if charging)
Abilities: Heavy, Charge

Description
You'll usual encounter Minotaurs by Zone 1. They're pretty fast and can dig through rocks. If they line up with an enemy 3 or less tiles away, the possessed Minotaur will charge forward until it hits an enemy or wall.

The Minotaur will be stunned for 1 beat after hitting something, dealing damage to the enemy hit (or digging the wall if it's a catacomb wall or softer). The Minotaur is not invulnerable during the charge and can be hurt by other enemies, so be careful.

Note: As I mentioned it for the Armadillos, the charge attack is like sliding on ice: pressing a direction will make your miss a beat.
Moreover unlike Armadillos, Minotaurs can dig walls and break crates next to them without being stunned. Only attacking enemies next to you will stun you.

Banshees

HP: / | Attack: Basic | Base Damage: 4/6
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: None | Digging: Basic
Abilities: Flight

Description
Banshees are fast minibosses. Green Banshees are especially strong, hitting as hard as Red/Blue Dragons every beat. They're not particularly sturdy however and will flinch away when hit. A good monster to possess!

Nightmares

HP: / | Attack: Weapon | Base Damage: 4/5
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: 1 beat | Digging: DRAGONLIKE!
Abilities: Heavy

Description
Just like Dragons, Nightmares can dig through any kind of wall and aren't affected by traps, water or tar. However, they're impractical to possess because they have a constant Ring of Shadows effect without its benefits. You'd better ditch them for a Banshee or Dragon.

Minibosses, Zone 4 - Ogre goes BONK

Ogre

HP: | Attack: Clonking Stick | Base Damage: 5
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: 3 beat | Digging: Sturdy (Smash: DRAGONLIKE!)
Abilities: Heavy

Description
Ogres are big and stronk minibosses found in Zone 4. They have their own weapon in their hand: the Clonking Stick!

The Clonking Stick lets you smash the ground three tiles in front of you in any directions, dealing 5 damage and destroying any wall in the way. It works similar to throwing weapons: press "up-down" to prepare, then chose a cardinal direction to smash.

Note: Bumping into an enemy and smashing with the Clonking Stick deal the same amount of damage. While Smashing isn't instantaneous, as you need a beat to lift the stick, you can smash every 2 beat and it has a longer reach than a basic attack.

The Mommy

HP: | Attack: Weapon | Base Damage: 4
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: 3 beat | Digging: Basic
Abilities: Heavy

Description
The Mommy is the other miniboss encountered only in Zone 4. She's pretty slow, but she can spawn a Mummy anytime she moves if there are none currently on the floor. When possessing a Mommy, the Mummy spawned by her will be charmed and attack for you. How sweet!

Mummy

HP: | Attack: Weapon | Base Damage: 2
Mobility: Omnidirectional | Cooldown: 1 beat | Digging: Basic
Abilities: Heavy

Description
A Mummy is a teeny tiny spawn of the Mommy. They can move in all eight directions and can attack using weapons, similar to Hell Hounds. Unlike them however, they deal less damage and don't leave hot coals when they die.
Possessing a Mummy will make its Mommy spawn another one whenever she can.

Bosses, Minions - Yep, you can be a Tentacle

Coral Riff's Tentacles

HP: / | Attack: Weapon | Base Damage: 2/3
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: 1 beat | Digging: Basic
Abilities: Spill Water

Description
Any of Coral Riff's tentacles can be possessed if properly killed. They're typical slow monsters. The only noteworthy thing about them is that they leave patches of water wherever they are, destroying traps and hazard tiles with no consequence.

Conga Line Zombies

HP: | Attack: Weapon | Base Damage: 2
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: 1 beat | Digging: None
Abilities: Flight

Description
Conga Line Zombies are pretty much exactly like standard zombies: they're slow and can't dig. If you possess a Leading or middle Zombie, the tailing Zombies will follow you as their new lead without turning into either a Leading or Raving Zombie.

Raving Zombie

HP: | Attack: Basic | Base Damage: 2
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: None | Digging: None

Description
Raving Zombies are Conga Line Zombies that have lost sight of their conga line. They can attack on every beat, but can't use weapons anymore. They still can't dig and will just turn around if stuck.

Deep Blues Pawns

HP: / | Attack: Weapon (Chess Pawn) | Base Damage: 2
Mobility: Up only | Cooldown: 3 beats | Digging: None
Abilities: Pawn Attack, Promoted to Queen

Description
Pawns pieces are very limited in their movement: they have a long cooldown and the only way they can go is up. Moreover, true to Chess rules, Pawns can only attack enemies in front of them diagonally.

• Blue: You
  
• Red: Can only attack there
  
• Yellow: Can only move there (unless obstructed)

Granted, this includes enemies in range of your weapon if attacking diagonally upwards, but that effectively means you can't do much against anything right above you.

Note: If you reach a wall, you won't be able to dig it. But that doesn't really matter, because you will instantly turn into a Queen piece of the same color, with the possession timer resetting to 24 beats.

Deep Blues Rooks

HP: / | Attack: Weapon | Base Damage: 2
Mobility: Normal | Cooldown: 1 beat | Digging: Basic

Description
Rooks act basically like White Skeletons. Nothing much to say here.

Deep Blues Knights

HP: / | Attack: Weapon + Knight Attack | Base Damage: 2
Mobility: Chess Knight | Cooldown: 3 beat | Digging: Basic
Abilities: Knight Leaps and Attacks

Description
Knights are tricky to use effectively. For starters: they can attack enemies in range of your weapon (cardinal attacks only) and dig right next to them. If they can't do either of these actions, then they'll attempt to move like a Chess Knight. This means moving two tiles forward, one tile to the side, jumping over enemies/walls.


Pictured: the range of movement of a Knight piece. The arrows denote the key combination to move there.

If there is a wall on the landing tile, the Knight won't move. If there is an enemy, the Knight will attack it without leaving its original tile. It's a bit awkward to control, and they have quite a long cooldown, but they can cross entire floors in 4-5 beats.

Deep Blues Bishops

HP: / | Attack: Weapon | Base Damage: 2
Mobility: Diagonal | Cooldown: 3 beat | Digging: Basic

Description
Bishops are pretty bad monsters to possess. They must move diagonally and have a long cooldown. Possess them only if it could save you.

Deep Blues Queen

HP: / | Attack: Basic | Base Damage: 3
Mobility: Omnidirectional | Cooldown: None | Digging: Basic
Abilities: Flight

Description
The Queen is the fastest piece on the board for Deep Blues. Unlike the other pieces, she flies and can move, attack or dig on every beat in any direction. She can't use weapons, but she's also a bit stronger than other pieces (apart from the King himself).

Note: As said on the Pawns' entry, reaching a wall as a possessed Pawn will promote you instantly into a Queen of the same color.

Bosses, Main Boss - Crown yourself King!

Coming soon!
DISCLAIMER: Chaunter cannot possess the main Boss monsters by killing them with their Lantern. However, they can still possess Bosses by possessing a Warlock and exploiting its unique ability. Not that it really matters, as it can happen only at the end of Zone 4's boss fight.

Other Enemies - Odds and Ends (and Shopkeepers)

Coming soon!
This section will be for other enemies that Chaunter can encounter and possess, such as Chest Mimics, Shopkeepers or Leprechauns

Synergies and Strategy

Coming soonish.

Updates

V0.7 (current)

• Moved the Changelog to the back
  
• Remade the gifs for monsters in Zone 1.

V0.6

• Added all of the Boss Minions entries. We're close to having all the base game entries now!

V0.5.1

• Reuploaded some gifs because they disappeared from the guide.

V0.5

• Added the Zone 4 enemies (split in two sections: exclusive new monsters and upgraded old zones monsters). Only a few more sections to fill in and the guide will be complete!
  
• Added a future "Main Boss Monsters" section, as Chaunter can actually possess them through the use of Warlocks.

V0.4.1

• Split the miniboss section into Zone 1-3 Bosses and Zone 4. Might move the bosses around if I add more pictures.
  
• Added pictures to illustrate various mob specific weapons, spells, etc.
  
• Changed descriptions to match Chaunter's latest buff.

V0.4

• Added most minibosses in the miniboss section.
  
• Changed the possession section's detail to account for Chaunter's buff in Synchrony 3.3.0: Slow enemies only have to skip beats after attacking.

Last Words

Heya! I hope this guide helped you understand how Chaunter plays and the various intricate mechanics it brings on the table. I'm gonna try to update the guide and complete it whenever I can.

It's gonna take some time for two main reasons:
1) I'm reanimating (no pun intended) manually the various monsters sprites you see in this guide. (BTW feel free to use them, I didn't make the original sprite I merely turned them into high quality gifs.)
2) Some monsters are easier to possess and keep alive than others, so I have to gather info about those I don't possess often before talking about them.

If you have feedback about the guide, don't hesitate to comment down below.
Thanks for reading!

[Pastytastic]

Thanks Supershadow! Sounds like I'll be spending a lot of time in Zone 4!

[Supershadow30]

@Pastytastic Alright I've cracked it down:
You do have to get killed by teh Urn while possessing a Warlock (although that's hard to do solo on a legit solo run). For this, you need something to shove teh Urn into you, such as a bounce trap or another player.
When possessing it, Teh Urn can basically do nothing.

[Pastytastic]

Yeah, I was wondering if we had to do something weird with a Warlock...

I'll keep trying as well!

[Supershadow30]

@Pastytastic I've yet to find out how to possess teh urn, although I have several theories:

-Get enough dmg boost to one shot it with the lantern?
-Get Ring of Piercing to destroy it?
-Getting hurt by it while possessing a Warlock? (by getting teh urn knocked towards you)

I'll write it down when I'll have found it.

[Pastytastic]

Thanks for this! Have you found out to to use Chaunter to possess the urn now as well? Do we need lots of attack boosting items and then break it with the latern?

[happygiggi]

If you want an easier time to experiment, open a solo multiplayer lobby and press shift + F9 you'll open the debug mode. Write "posse" in filter and you can make possess duration infinite so you'll be able to peacefully test.

[Kevinmonster]

Possessed monsters with Blood weapons can one shot and heals, powerful when possessing weak monsters with low hearts and sustains your current monster.

[IHeartElephants]

Another random fact for the syngergies area: Berzerk lets you move mushroom lights, it's funny.

[IHeartElephants]

np

[Supershadow30]

Fixed, thx for the remark.