Gyre and Gimble

Version 0.31: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

Two quick blades joined by a chain. Swinging one compels the wielder to swing the other, as if they have minds of their own.

the +8 pair of quick blades "Gyre" and "Gimble"

+8 quick blade

Protection brand
Each swing attacks four times
Two-handed (except for Formicids)

Desirability

Gyre and Gimble are an unusual weapon - thematically two weapons, they are treated as a single two-handed weapon that happens to attack four times per command (twice that of normal quick blades). With up to 8 attacks per turn, Gyre and Gimble take the strengths of Short Blades to an extreme - they are impacted more by 'flat' bonuses and enemy AC.

• Flat bonuses, like slaying, are amplified: dealing +1 damage/hit is four times as good if you attack four times as fast. Unfortunately, Gyre and Gimble, as protection weapons, are unable to benefit from flat damage brands like electrocution or pain.
  • Note that Gyre and Gimble can only perform 2 sets of auxiliary attacks per swing. Having an aux attack with G&G is as effective as any ordinary quick blade, which is still good, just not twice-as-good.
• Conversely, enemy AC reduces damage by a flat amount. You'll tear through low-AC monsters, but high-AC threats will often shrug off the blows. You can get past this by stabbing opponents or with liberal use of might and/or berserk.

As Short Blades, Gyre and Gimble are great at stabbing. A reliable, renewable way to stab (Hexes, Mephitic Cloud, Uskayaw...) can turn G&G into a phenomenally deadly weapon; Confusing Touch works especially well.

These stratagems apply to all Short Blades, not just Gyre and Gimble. Their main advantage is doubled attack speed - more power in exchange for the shield slot. A well-branded, fully-enchanted quick blade with a shield may be the smarter choice. Formicids, of course, don't have to worry about losing their shield slot, but whether they'd prefer Gyre and Gimble over a heavy two-handed weapon is another question.

Trivia

Gyre and Gimble are a reference to the poem "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carrol.

History

• Prior to 0.31, Gyre and Gimble only made 2 attacks per swing, as quick blades only made 1 attack per swing. However, all quick blades (including G&G) had lower attack delays. Also, Gyre and Gimble had a +12 enchantment.
• Prior to 0.29, Gyre and Gimble had a +7 enchantment.
• Prior to 0.24, Gyre and Gimble had a +5 enchantment, the vorpal brand, and a -3 penalty to dexterity.
• Gyre and Gimble were added in 0.16.