Paralysis

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

This page is about the status effect. For the monster spell, see Paralyse.

You are paralysed, and completely unable to act.

Paralysis is a status effect which renders a player or monster unable to move or act for a period of time.

Effect

When paralysed:

• Creatures are unable to act.
• EV is set to almost zero, 2 + size_factor, for players (plus Repulsion Field mutation). For monsters, EV is set to 0.
• SH is set to 0.
• Monsters are vulnerable to high-tier stabs.

Once paralysis ends, players get a brief (1-3 turns) period of immunity to paralysis. This applies to to all sources of paralysis except for hornets. Unlike sleep, paralysis doesn't end on hit. Unlike petrification, there is no special damage resistance.

Formicids are immune to paralysis due to their stasis.

Sources

There are several sources of paralysis. Some are resistible, while some are not.

Resistible sources of paralysis:

• The spell Paralyse, including wand of paralysis (2-5 turns for the player, must overcome the victim's willpower)
• The melee attack of a hornet (poison resistance blocks paralysis 2/3 of the time; poison immunity prevents it.)

Other sources are irresistible for non-Formicids:

• Stunning Burst (1 turn; 50% to resist with electricity resistance)
• Zot traps (2-5 turns)
• A floating eye's gaze attack (2-4 turns)
• Uskayaw's or Zin's wrath (2-5 turns)
• Cancelling Death's Door with Borgnjor's Revivification (2-5 turns)
• Stat zero (2-4 turns, ignores stasis)

Paralysed creatures are still able to teleport if the status is somehow inflicted on them. This means that if you see a source of paralysis you know you can't block (e.g. a floating eye), it may be a good idea to trigger a teleport the instant you see it. Just remember that random teleports may drop your paralysed character somewhere even worse.

Strategy

If paralysis can last on you for more than a single turn, it should be treated as instant death. Most monsters can kill you if you give them 4-5 free turns. Multiple monsters can definitely kill you in 4-5 turns. Even a single turn of paralysis can cause a huge spike of damage. Having your EV and SH set to almost 0 is just the cherry on top; it's nasty even for players with high AC.

Generally, you should avoid paralysis as much as possible. Even a < 1% chance of instant death is too much for streak play:

• The paralyse spell requires line of fire. Spells can't be cast when silences or waterlogged. Willpower can protect against it, though it takes high will to reach 0% success.

Racial willpower matters when reaching 0% success. A Human requires XL 19 and 2 external stacks of Will+, or 3 external stacks of Will+, to resist an orc sorcerer. An Ogre can resist at XL 14 with 2 external stacks of Will+.

• Hornets are fast enemies which can paralyse on melee. Wands can often kill or polymorph a hornet with some Evocations training. Lignification can make it very unlikely for a hornet to kill you by itself, due to Tree Form's rPois and increased AC.

• Floating eyes are extremely dangerous, with an irresistible paralysis that ignores willpower. However, floating eyes are frail, have almost no willpower of their own, and takes a minimum of 2 turns to charge. Attacks that pierce enemies and never miss are great. If all else, a scroll of fear has a 98% chance of working, allowing you to delay paralysis for a bit.

• Zot traps require a monster to step on it, and the trap has to be in your LOS in order for it to function. Zot traps have a number of other nasty effects, so should be avoided if at all possible.

Tips & Tricks

• The teleport status still applies on paralysed players. Against floating eyes, you can try to teleport in a last-ditch attempt to succeed. However, a scroll of fear is more likely to work.

History

• Prior to 0.29, the Paralyse spell and godly wrath could last from 2-7 turns.
• Prior to 0.27, berserking had a chance to paralyze the player after it ends, and both Trog and berserkitis would protect from it.
• Prior to 0.25, severe Hexes miscast effects could paralyse the player.
• Prior to 0.24, needles of paralysis existed.
• Prior to 0.18, paralysis could be prevented by an amulet of stasis.