Hand axe

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

Name	Hand axe
Skill	Axes
Damage	7
Accuracy	+3
Base delay (%)	13 (130%)
Min delay	6 at skill 14
Hands	1H
Size	Small
Ranged?	No

A small axe. "'God speed the kiss,' said Max, and Katie sigh'd, With pray'rful palms close seal'd, 'God speed the axe!'" -Isabella Valencey Crawford, "Malcolm's Katie: A Love Story", Part I, _Old Spookses' Pass, Malcolm's Katie and Other Poems_. 1884.

The hand axe is a decent starting weapon. It is weaker than a mace or spear against single targets. But, like all axes, it allows the player to cleave.

Strategy

Axes in general deal less damage than comparable options, but allow the user to cleave (hit multiple enemies). As a "simple" starting weapon, hand axes are good if you don't care about single-target performance. For example, minotaurs have the power to plow through the earlygame, whether they use a hand axe or a mace.

Hand axes are the only axe with a minimum delay of 6 aut. Hand axes, in theory, are interesting with "flat" damage brands, like pain, electrocution, or distortion. However, past the early game, you'll be losing too much damage compared to a broad axe of the same brand.

	Image
Mundane
Magical
Artifact

History

• Prior to 0.14, hand axes could be thrown at enemies. That role was later filled by tomahawks.