Quick blade

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

Name	Quick blade
Skill	Short Blades
Damage	4
Accuracy	+6
Base delay (%)	7 (70%)
Min delay	3 at skill 8
Hands	1H
Size	One-handed
Ranged?	No

A carefully wrought dagger which is preternaturally well-balanced, making it much easier for even inexperienced handlers to attack with it quickly. "He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword... -Julia Ward Howe, "The Battle Hymn of the Republic". 1861

The quick blade is the fastest weapon in the game, with a minimum weapon delay of 3 aut. Either Finesse or Haste will bring min delay down to 2 aut. Quick blades with a pain, electrocution, or distortion brand are especially effective vehicles for damage. The low skill training to reach minimum delay is only a bonus. However, like any other short blade, its damage against armored opponents tends to be underwhelming.

Quick blades are rare, so are most commonly obtained by way of Trog and Okawaru's weapon acquirements. Failing this, a character with Short Blades skill will often receive one upon reading a scroll of acquirement. The Elven Halls also provide a good chance at quickblades: Deep elf blademasters have a 1/26 chance of receiving twin quick blades, and the Hall of Blades may spawn one. Some of the more powerful spriggans also can carry one.

	Quick blades
Mundane
Magical
Artifact
	Unrandarts
Gyre and Gimble
Vampire's Tooth

History

• Prior to 0.29, quick blades dealt 5 base damage and scaled with strength instead of dexterity.
• Prior to 0.27, Cheibriados disapproved of quick blades.