Guile

Version 0.28: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

It weakens the willpower of the wielder any anyone they hex.

The Guile ego, exclusive to orbs, give you -80 (**) willpower. In exchange, monsters you target with Hexes or other willpower-checks will have an effective -80 willpower.

Strategy

• Losing willpower is quite risky. Paralysis, along with many other hexes, are very much lethal! However, this item may be safely used in situations where you are sure that these status conditions aren't a major concern. For example, when taking on ghost vaults on a cleared floor -- just make sure that the ghost can't try anything on you.
  • The early Dungeon, the Lair, and some of its branches (Spider, Snake, and Shoals), do not have many extremely deliberating hexes. After all, you aren't expected to have sufficent Wl yet. It's still a cost - petrification and mesmerization range from annoying to lethal, depending on the situation.
• Casters specializing in Hexes benefit most, especially as it takes the shield slot. However, any character can benefit with status wands and a little Evocations training.
• Sadly, it does not affect hexes from your allies (such as Hepliaklqana's ancestor).

History

The guile ego was introduced with orbs in 0.28.