Paralyse
Paralyse is a monster-only spell which attempts to induce paralysis for 2-7 turns, temporarily rendering you unable to move, attack, or defend yourself. Your SH value is set to 0 for the duration while your EV is reduced to near-zero (the actual number depends on your size and a few other factors), giving any nearby enemies several turns to tear you to pieces (though your AC and GDR continue to function as normal). Fortunately, it first has to overcome your magic resistance, and Formicids are immune to the effect entirely. Also, if you were waiting for a teleport to kick in, that will still occur when enough time has passed. After being paralysed, the player gets a brief period of immunity to paralysis (1-3 turns). Like most Hexes, its spellpower is 4 × monster's HD, and after applying a stepdown function, it is compared to your magic resistance. If your magic resistance is 100 points greater than a monster's spellpower, you are immune to that monster's paralyse; if they are equal, there is only a 50% chance of resisting it.
Monsters
The following enemies cast Paralyse:
- L
Dread lich - &
Ereshkigal - 5
Grinder - O
Ogre mage - o
Orc sorcerer - @
Rupert - H
Sphinx - V
Vampire knight - D
Xtahua
The following enemies may be able to cast Paralyse, depending on their spell set:
- &
Pandemonium lord (3.4% chance)
Floating eyes do not cast this spell; their paralyzing gaze is a special ability that does not require line of fire and does not check magic resistance.
Player sources
Although the spell is not available to the player, you can duplicate its effect with a wand of paralysis or needle of paralysis.
History
- Prior to their removal in 0.18, you could wear an amulet of stasis to block paralysis.
- Prior to 0.4, Paralyse was also a player-available level 4 Enchantments spell which temporarily prevented a monster from moving or attacking. Paralyzed opponents were rendered defenseless, and additionally were vulnerable to Stabbing attacks, making the spell excellent for escaping powerful monsters or disabling them for quick dispatching. It also had to overcome magic resistance. It was removed in favor of Petrify.
