Wand of paralysis

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

Type	Wand
Name	Wand of paralysis
Icon

A magical device which can render a creature immobile.

Using a wand of paralysis will attempt to paralyze a single target, rendering it unable to act, reducing its EV to 0, and making it susceptible to stabbing attacks for a few turns. This effect has to overcome the target's willpower to succeed, but having a high Evocations skill will increase your odds of success.

This wand and the wand of charming are mutually exclusive; only one may spawn in a given game.

Strategy

Paralysis is a very strong effect:

• Preventing an enemy from attacking for a few turns is valuable on its own. When you're swarmed by enemies, taking one fewer attack per turn can make a big difference. In a hallway, you can paralyse a weak enemy to prevent anything from coming through. A few free attacks can give you the edge you need to win a fight.
• Paralysed enemies have 0 EV and are vulnerable to high-tier stabs. If your character is competent in melee, you're likely to kill just about any (individual) monster before the duration runs out. No Stealth required.

Many dangerous creatures, even uniques, have low willpower. Examples include two-headed ogres, hornets, Nessos, and Sonja.

Tips & Tricks

• Just as paralysis is strong against monsters, paralysis is strong against you. Getting hit once by paralysis can kill you from 100% health.
• A scroll of vulnerability, preferably when no monster can hex you, allows for many more targets to be effectively neutralized. Big threats like Mara and Parghit can be stopped entirely by vulnerability -> paralysis. Of course, vulnerability reduces your own willpower, so mind the usual risks.

History

• In 0.29, this wand was made exclusive with the wand of charming.