Draft:Mace

Omega 0.90.4

Mace)Base damage rating12Base hit bonus+8Normal attack typeStrikingHands1Julie's price (Au)100Weight50

A mace is a one-handed striking weapon in Omega, usable in melee, as a projectile, or for tunneling. It offers more damage but less accuracy than several light starting weapons.

The ordinary mace is distinct from the mace of disruption, which also appears as mace before identification. The ordinary weapon does not inherit the special weapon's effects against spirits or its ability to deal unstoppable damage.

Generation

Julie's armorer shop in Rampart sells fully identified, uncursed +0 maces for 100 Au. Maces also occur as randomly generated weapons and in Knight's Pawn Shop's changing stock. Random copies may be enchanted or cursed. Weapon acquirement can produce one, with a blessed acquirement effect allowing the weapon type to be selected.

Militant priests normally start with a plain +0 mace. They may carry other random treasure as well, and their possessions are dropped when they die. They occur in temples and on the Magic Isle. Those in the druid temple initially remain peaceful, making theft an alternative to killing for their equipment.

Description

The mace's normal strike adds extra Strength damage, and it can also lunge. Riposte cannot be newly selected while holding a mace; changing weapons can nevertheless preserve an earlier combat sequence. See melee actions for the shared rules.

A mace can be thrown and recovered from an accessible landing square on ordinary ground. Its weight and damage rating do not make it a stronger spare projectile than a dagger while the same main weapon remains wielded: both follow the ordinary throwing calculation.

As a striking weapon, a mace avoids the weapon-damage check from ordinary tunneling mishaps. Its damage rating contributes 12 to the wall-breaking check, twice a club's contribution and equal to an epee's doubled contribution. This does not make every wall breakable or protect the mace from other kinds of damage.

Strategy

At equal enchantment, a mace matches a battle-axe's damage rating, hit bonus and weight, while Julie's charges 100 Au for the mace and 200 Au for the battle-axe. It also avoids the battle-axe's tunneling damage risk. A broad sword costs 180 Au and offers the same damage rating with one more hit point and ten less weight, trading the mace's excavation advantage for somewhat better melee accuracy and burden.

Compared with a short sword, the mace adds four damage points but loses three hit points and doubles the weight. It is attractive when you already connect reliably, especially if you also dig. An epee at the same price makes the opposite trade: much better accuracy and lower weight, but half the weapon damage rating. Different normal maneuvers and your attributes widen or narrow that difference.

A spare dagger is a lighter projectile than another mace and can use the mace wielder's combat scores. Keep the main weapon available for enemies that survive the throw rather than throwing it solely for its larger listed damage.

Stealing a priest's mace

Older hints attributed to Gunnar Radons recommend pickpocketing priests in the druid temple. In 0.90.4, this route depends on Dexterity and thief rank overcoming a level-8 target. Stand adjacent and use p toward the priest. Other carried treasure can be stolen before the mace, and each successful theft lowers alignment by one.

Stop once the mace is obtained: attempting to steal from an empty inventory makes the target hostile. Militant priests are powerful opponents, so this is an opportunistic route for a suitable character, not a substitute for a predictable 100 Au purchase. See Your first weapon for the shopping route.