Difference between revisions of "Gyre and Gimble"

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{{flavour|Two quick blades joined by a chain. Swinging one compels the wielder to swing the other, as if they have minds of their own.}}
 
{{flavour|Two quick blades joined by a chain. Swinging one compels the wielder to swing the other, as if they have minds of their own.}}
  
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[[File:Gyre and Gimble.png]] '''''the +7 quick blades "Gyre" and "Gimble"'''''
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[[File:Gyre and Gimble.png]] '''''the +8 pair of quick blades "Gyre" and "Gimble"'''''
  
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+7 [[quick blade]]
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+8 [[quick blade]]
  
 
[[Protection]] [[brand]]<br>
 
[[Protection]] [[brand]]<br>
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Each swing attacks twice<br>
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Each swing attacks four times<br>
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Always [[handedness|two-handed]] (Except for [[formicid]]s)
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[[Handedness|Two-handed]] (except for [[Formicid]]s)
  
 
==Desirability==
 
==Desirability==
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Gyre and Gimble is an unusual weapon - thematically two separate weapons, they are treated in game as a single two-handed weapon that just happens to get twice as many attacks as a normal quick blade would. As quick blades already attack extraordinarily fast anyway, this amounts to an absurd number of hits before the enemy can react to you. At mindelay (requires a paltry 8 [[Short Blades]] skill), you'll essentially be getting in an attack every 1.5 auts. When [[haste]]d, this goes up to an attack every aut. In short, you'll be attacking very quickly, which also makes it easy to keep the [[protection]] brand active even if you take a turn here and there to cast a spell or reposition. Keep in mind protection only works after you've landed a hit, so you'll be vulnerable while you're closing to melee range.
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'''Gyre and Gimble'''<ref>{{source ref|0.30.0|art-data.txt|1431}}</ref> are an unusual weapon - thematically two weapons, they are treated as a single two-handed weapon that happens to attack four times per command (twice that of normal quick blades). With up to 8 attacks per 1 decaAut, Gyre and Gimble take the strengths of Short Blades to an extreme - they are impacted more by 'flat' bonuses and enemy [[AC]].
  
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However, the actual effectiveness of these attacks depends on two things: your [[slaying]] bonuses and the enemy's [[AC]]. A quick blade doesn't deal very much damage per hit unless it has a set damage brand, like [[distortion]], [[electrocution]], or [[pain]]; a [[protection]] brand, while helping increase the survivability of characters with lower AC, doesn't actually do anything to increase your damage output. Gyre and Gimble's rapid-fire weak attacks don't matter for low-AC opponents, as you'll simply spread the damage out over several hits, but you'll barely be able to scratch high-AC opponents. Enough slaying bonuses, liberal use of [[potions of might]], and easy access to [[berserk]]ing will overcome this issue, allowing Gyre and Gimble to be effective against armoured foes and absolutely devastating against the unarmoured. Good luck finding those slaying sources, however.
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*Flat bonuses, like [[slaying]], are amplified: dealing +1 damage/hit is four times as good if you attack four times as fast. Unfortunately, Gyre and Gimble, as protection weapons, are unable to benefit from flat damage brands like [[electrocution]] or [[pain (brand)|pain]].
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**Note that Gyre and Gimble can only perform 2 sets of [[auxiliary attack]]s per swing. Having an aux attack with G&G is as effective as any ordinary quick blade, which is still ''good'', just not twice-as-good.
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*Conversely, enemy [[AC]] reduces damage by a flat amount. You'll tear through low-AC monsters, but high-AC threats will often shrug off the blows. You can get past this by [[stab]]bing opponents or with liberal use of [[might]] and/or [[berserk]].
  
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Alternatively, if you happen to have a reliable, infinite source of [[invisibility]] (or [[Dazzling Spray|enemy blindness]]), Gyre and Gimble function as a phenomenally deadly source of [[stab]]bing damage. When invisi-stabbing your way through a pack of enemies that can't [[see invisible]], you'll be delivering lethal blows at terrifying speed, regardless of AC. [[Confusion|Confusing]] enemies also works ([[Confusing Touch]] being helpful against anything able to resist other methods of applying it and synergizing well with a high attack speed), though it's more helpful if you're fighting a single, strong enemy than when wading through a horde. However, these methods work adequately with any other type of short blade -- Gyre and Gimble's main advantage is simply their exceptional attack speed.
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As Short Blades, Gyre and Gimble are great at [[stab]]bing. A reliable, renewable way to stab ([[Hexes]], [[Mephitic Cloud]], [[Uskayaw]]...) can turn G&G into a phenomenally deadly weapon; [[Confusing Touch]] works especially well.
  
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Whether or not it's worth sacrificing use of your off-hand is up to you, but a well-branded, fully-enchanted quick blade and [[buckler]] of [[resistance]] may be the smarter choice in some cases. [[Formicid]]s, of course, don't have to worry about losing their shield slot.
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These stratagems apply to all Short Blades, not just Gyre and Gimble. Their main advantage is doubled attack speed - more power in exchange for the shield slot. A well-branded, fully-enchanted quick blade with a [[shield]] may be the smarter choice. [[Formicid]]s, of course, don't have to worry about losing their shield slot, but whether they'd prefer Gyre and Gimble over a heavy two-handed weapon is another question.
  
 
==Trivia==
 
==Trivia==
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Gyre and Gimble is a reference to the poem "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carrol.
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Gyre and Gimble are a reference to the poem "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jabberwocky Jabberwocky]" by Lewis Carrol.
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
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Gyre and Gimble were added in [[0.16]].
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*Prior to [[0.31]], Gyre and Gimble only made 2 attacks per swing, as regular [[quick blade]]s only made 1 attack per swing. However, all quick blades (including G&G) had lower attack delays, and Gyre and Gimble had a +12 enchantment.
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*Prior to [[0.29]], Gyre and Gimble had a +7 enchantment.
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*Prior to [[0.24]], Gyre and Gimble had a +5 enchantment, the [[vorpal]] brand, and a -3 penalty to [[dexterity]].
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*Gyre and Gimble were added in [[0.16]].
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==References==
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<references />
  
 
[[Category:Short blades]]
 
[[Category:Short blades]]
 
[[Category:Unrands]]
 
[[Category:Unrands]]

Latest revision as of 20:40, 15 January 2024

Version 0.31: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.
Two quick blades joined by a chain. Swinging one compels the wielder to swing the other, as if they have minds of their own.

Gyre and Gimble.png the +8 pair of quick blades "Gyre" and "Gimble"

+8 quick blade

Protection brand
Each swing attacks four times
Two-handed (except for Formicids)

Desirability

Gyre and Gimble[1] are an unusual weapon - thematically two weapons, they are treated as a single two-handed weapon that happens to attack four times per command (twice that of normal quick blades). With up to 8 attacks per 1 decaAut, Gyre and Gimble take the strengths of Short Blades to an extreme - they are impacted more by 'flat' bonuses and enemy AC.

  • Flat bonuses, like slaying, are amplified: dealing +1 damage/hit is four times as good if you attack four times as fast. Unfortunately, Gyre and Gimble, as protection weapons, are unable to benefit from flat damage brands like electrocution or pain.
    • Note that Gyre and Gimble can only perform 2 sets of auxiliary attacks per swing. Having an aux attack with G&G is as effective as any ordinary quick blade, which is still good, just not twice-as-good.
  • Conversely, enemy AC reduces damage by a flat amount. You'll tear through low-AC monsters, but high-AC threats will often shrug off the blows. You can get past this by stabbing opponents or with liberal use of might and/or berserk.

As Short Blades, Gyre and Gimble are great at stabbing. A reliable, renewable way to stab (Hexes, Mephitic Cloud, Uskayaw...) can turn G&G into a phenomenally deadly weapon; Confusing Touch works especially well.

These stratagems apply to all Short Blades, not just Gyre and Gimble. Their main advantage is doubled attack speed - more power in exchange for the shield slot. A well-branded, fully-enchanted quick blade with a shield may be the smarter choice. Formicids, of course, don't have to worry about losing their shield slot, but whether they'd prefer Gyre and Gimble over a heavy two-handed weapon is another question.

Trivia

Gyre and Gimble are a reference to the poem "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carrol.

History

  • Prior to 0.31, Gyre and Gimble only made 2 attacks per swing, as regular quick blades only made 1 attack per swing. However, all quick blades (including G&G) had lower attack delays, and Gyre and Gimble had a +12 enchantment.
  • Prior to 0.29, Gyre and Gimble had a +7 enchantment.
  • Prior to 0.24, Gyre and Gimble had a +5 enchantment, the vorpal brand, and a -3 penalty to dexterity.
  • Gyre and Gimble were added in 0.16.

References

  1. ↑ art-data.txt:1431 (0.30.0)
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