Confusion

Version 0.30: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

Confusion is a status condition that causes the victim to move and act randomly until it wears off. Confusion can be extremely dangerous: the victim may attack empty tiles or even allies when they attempt to fight, and may fall into deep water or lava if they attempt to move.

Effects of Confusion

When confused,

All creatures:

• Cannot cast spells, use wands, or use most special abilities. (Players can use abilities that cure confusion.)
• Cannot read scrolls.
• Cannot use shields (SH stat set to 0).
• Move in a random direction if they try to move or melee attack. Ranged weapons will be fired in a random direction. Behavior differs between players and monsters.
  • Players move in a completely random direction.
  • Monsters have a 33% chance of moving/attacking in the intended direction, else move in a random direction.

This can cause allies to be attacked by accident. The player is warned if this is possible.

Players:

• Have trouble moving up stairs.
  • Going upstairs: 50% chance of falling, losing 1 HP, and remaining on the level.
  • Going downstairs: 50% chance of falling and losing 1 HP, but you make it down the stairs.
  • If you are flying or using an escape hatch, these confusion penalties don't apply.

Monsters:

• Are vulnerable to low-tier stabs. (See the Stabbing article for more details)
• Cannot make attacks of opportunity.
• May fall into deep water or lava, instantly killing them.
• May attack themselves on accident.

Causes of Confusion

Confusion can be inflicted by:

• The spells Confusing Touch and Alistair's Intoxication. Monsters also have Confuse and Mass Confusion.
• Players being hit by a wand of charming or wand of light, in place of their usual effects.
• Clouds of noxious fumes generated by the Mephitic Cloud spell or some breath attacks (does not affect creatures that are poison-resistant).
• The backlash from failing to use the Staff of Wucad Mu.
• The attacks of certain monsters (wandering mushrooms, tarantellas, etc.).
• Evoking a piece from Xom's chessboard, which has a 10% chance to inflict confusion.
• Drinking a potion of ambrosia (also greatly increases health and magic regeneration while the confusion from it lasts).
• Xom. This method ignores clarity.
• "Overwhelming" divine retribution from any god, which has a 20% chance of occurring.

Dealing with Confusion

Ways to remove confusion include:

• Potion of curing.
• Elyvilon's Purification ability.
• Ru's Draw Out Power ability.

Resistance

The following all prevent confusion from occurring in the first place:

• Clarity allows you to resist all sources of confusion (except ambrosia).
• Zin's Vitalisation ability.
• The obsidian axe ends confusion while you are mesmerized.
• Nonliving monsters and plants
• Most monsters with infinite willpower can't be confused. Alistair's Intoxication checks HD instead, though poison resistance has a 66% chance of resisting, and poison immunity blocks it entirely.

Strategy

Avoid confusing creatures that may carry useful items near lava or deep water. Great items or artifacts that they carry may otherwise be lost forever.

Mummies should be particularly careful about becoming confused at the wrong time, as they lack access to most methods for removing it at will.

History

• Prior to 0.23, confused monsters didn't have a 33% chance to move normally.
• Prior to 0.21, confusion had its own specialized wand type.
• Prior to 0.20, it was possible to use wands while confused, though doing so would zap it in a random direction.
• Prior to 0.19, randart equipment could grant confusion if it spawned with {*confuse} ego.
• Prior to 0.18, Mass Confusion was a spell available to all players.
• Prior to 0.17, cleaving attacks didn't function under confusion. Gell's Gravitas was able to cause confusion, and all high-intelligence monsters were immune to drowning while confused.
• Prior to 0.16, confusion also came in the form of potions of confusion.