Guile

Version 0.29: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

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

The Guile ego, exclusive to orbs, gives 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, to say the least. Paralysis and Confusion, along with many other hexes, are quite 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 debilitating hexes. After all, you aren't expected to have sufficient Wl yet. It's still a cost - petrification and mesmerisation can range from annoying to very dangerous, 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.
  • Success rates rise dramatically, especially against high will foes, which are often ones you'd want to hex in the first place. Against death yaks, an Ensorcelled Hibernation might rise from 10% to 70%. Other monsters with Will++ / Will+++ are similarly vulnerable.
  • Guile can't bring monsters (or you) below 0 willpower, meaning that your uninvested, low base chance Hexes can only be so effective. Weaker willed monsters will see less extreme boosts, even if chances are low to begin with.
• 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.