Spellbinder

Version 0.26: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

A weapon said to have once been used to keep unruly imprisoned wizards in line; it violently disrupts their ability to use magic, inflicting wild and unpredictable residual magical effects on those it strikes.

the +5 demon whip "Spellbinder"

+5 demon whip

Antimagic brand
+40 Will
Evil
Inflicts miscast effects on the target related to the target's spells on hit.

Desirability

Predictably enough, "Spellbinder" is useful when facing spellcasters, but somewhat unimpressive against more mundane opponents. A demon whip is a powerful weapon, but you can certainly find or enchant better, especially when you consider that its antimagic brand inflicts no additional damage and penalizes your own spellcasting abilities.

That being said, when used against spellcasters, it handicaps their ability to use magic against you and afflicts them with an unpredictable array of miscast effects, which more than makes up for Spellbinder's middling offensive capabilities. You'll probably want a different weapon for more general use, but keeping Spellbinder around as an alternative weapon for fighting spellcasters is an entirely valid option.

As an evil weapon, worshipers of the good gods will be penalized if they attack with it.

History

• Prior to 0.25, miscast effects could potentially harm creatures other than their target.
• Prior to 0.15, "Spellbinder"'s enchantment level was +3, +6.
• "Spellbinder" was added in 0.14.