Confusion

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, a character or monster:

• Cannot cast spells or use special abilities.
• Cannot use a shield (SH stat goes to 0).
• Moves in a random direction if they try to move/attack:
  • They may move into adjacent deep water or lava. (If a fatal move is possible, the player is warned when attempting to move confusedly.)
  • They may attack a friendly ally/summons; that ally, once hit, becomes hostile.
• May have trouble using stairs:
  • Going upstairs, 50% chance of falling, losing HP, and remaining on the level.
  • Going downstairs, 50% chance of falling and losing HP, but you make it down the stairs.
  • If you are levitating or using an escape hatch, these confusion penalties don't apply.
• Cannot read scrolls (attempting to do so will cause a scroll of random uselessness effect instead).
• Will zap wands in random directions.
• Might attack itself by accident (monsters only).
• Is vulnerable to stabbing (monsters only).

Causes of Confusion

Confusion can be inflicted by:

• Potions of confusion.
• A wand of confusion.
• The spells Confusing Touch, Confuse, Mass Confusion, or Alistair's Intoxication.
• Clouds of noxious fumes generated by the Mephitic Cloud spell or some breath attacks (if not poison resistant).
• Clouds generated from using the Evaporate spell on potion of slowing, potion of confusion, or potion of paralysis (if not poison resistant).
• The attacks of certain monsters (giant spores, wandering mushrooms, etc.).
• Evoking a crystal ball of energy, which always has a small possibility of causing irresistible confusion.

Dealing with Confusion

Ways to counter confusion include:

• Drinking a potion of curing.
• Elyvilon's "Purification" ability.
• Zin's "Vitalisation" ability.

Resistance

• Amulets of clarity and the clarity mutation allow you to resist confusion.
• Nonliving monsters, plants, and all magic immune monsters cannot be confused by any source. (Magic immunity resisting all forms of confusion is anomalous, but moot: no magic-immune creatures currently in the game are susceptible to Mephitic Cloud or Alistair's Intoxication anyway.)

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.