Draft:Staff of missiles
| / | |
| Type | Wand |
|---|---|
| Base value (Au) | 50 |
| Item level | 1 |
| Weight | 80 |
| Unidentified appearance | Random wand appearance |
| Cursed name | Staff of missiles |
A staff of missiles fires a magical projectile which deals physical damage. Despite its magical origin, its attack checks normal-damage immunity rather than other-magic immunity.[1]
Generation
It is an item-level-1 random wand, normally with 1–20 charges, random blessing and +0 enchantment. Random loot, pawn-shop stock and acquirement can supply it.[2]
Ambrosias transforms manticore spikes into a blessed +4 staff with 20 charges for normally 40 Au. The enchantment does not raise its missile damage. The manticore's own ranged attack and its alchemical remains do not mean that it carries this staff as fixed loot.[3]
Description
| Property | Effect |
|---|---|
| Hit rating | 2 × current Dexterity + player level, against the creature's defense |
| Raw damage | Random 0–19 physical damage |
| Positive blessing or enchantment | No increase in damage or accuracy |
| Curse | Forces the projectile back onto the user |
The missile stops at its selected endpoint or first obstruction. Against a creature it makes the standard hit roll, including the natural-zero hit and natural-nineteen miss. Monster damage is not reduced by player-style armor absorption, but physical immunity prevents it. The charge is spent and the type revealed before aiming.[4]
Self-targeting is blocked by deflection. Otherwise player physical immunity or armor absorption applies; without immunity, the physical damage handler takes at least one HP even on a zero raw roll. Unlike fire and electrical bolts, a missile does not clear ordinary hedges or vaporize water.[5]
Strategy
The cheap manticore recipe can provide twenty ranged attacks without spending mana. This makes the staff useful as an inexpensive reserve, though a successful hit's 0–19 damage is modest against high-HP enemies. Spend charges where physical damage works; a ghost or another physically immune creature needs a different answer.[6]
Do not pay for enchantment expecting more damage. A stronger elemental bolt is useful against an enemy susceptible to its element; this staff remains an alternative when that element is blocked but physical damage is not. As with other aimed wands, cancel at item selection rather than trusting every targeting Escape path.
References
- ↑ iinit.h in Omega 0.90.4, line 376; itemf3.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 653–665; effect1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 245–249.
- ↑ item.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 7–41; item.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 254–262; site1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 1043–1052; effect1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 699–705.
- ↑ minit.h in Omega 0.90.4, line 127; site1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 845–869; itemf3.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 653–665.
- ↑ effect1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 253–329; util.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 53–59; util.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 73–85; util.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 206–268; mon.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 113–131; command2.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 459–488.
- ↑ effect1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 270–295; effect1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 330–348; aux1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 498–513.
- ↑ minit.h in Omega 0.90.4, line 81; mon.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 113–131.