Difference between revisions of "Dark maul"

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{{flavour|A large, iron-shod maul specialised for dealing massively powerful blows. Such power comes at a price: the maul's head is so heavy it takes a great length of time to lift it up for another swing.
{{flavour|This large iron-shod maul is just the tool you need, if you had some bridge stakes to drive in. It is made for dealing massing blows — we're not talking about a mere concussion, but about remnants of a helmet standing on shoes, or perhaps an outright wet stain. Alas, such power comes at a price: the maul's head is so heavy it takes forever to lift it up for another swing. The maul is sized for a human, so ogres may want to use their customary clubs instead, them being less unwieldy in their large hands.
 
  
 
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“This caliber should be appropriate.”<br>
 
“This caliber should be appropriate.”<br>
-Prince Dajmiech, “Kajko and Kokosz: The Battle with Dajmiech”, Janusz Christa
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-prince Dajmiech, “Kajko and Kokosz: The Battle with Dajmiech”, Janusz Christa
 
}}
 
}}
  
[[File:dark maul.png]] '''''the +6, +6 dark maul'''''
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[[File:dark maul.png]] '''''the +10 dark maul'''''
  
+6, +6 maul (44 damage, -2 accuracy, 300% speed)<br>
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+10 maul (modified [[great mace]]: 37 base damage, -2 base accuracy, 24 base delay)<br>
[[Vorpal]] brand<br>
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[[Heavy]] brand
Wieldable by human-size creatures
 
  
 
==Desirability==
 
==Desirability==
This weapon will crush through virtually anything, but even at 27 [[Maces and Flails]] skill, will still take 1.6 or 1.7 turns to attack.  Its damage output over time is actually decidedly inferior to most "typical" endgame weapons (it does a little less than twice as much damage as a +8 [[triple sword]] of [[freezing]], while taking almost 2.5x as long to attack), but its performance against well-armored targets will be much better than any other weapon. Most players would be well-advised not to wield this thing when not at or near max skill, and to combine it with [[Haste]] whenever possible.  Furthermore, make sure that there won't be multiple enemies attacking you while you swing it.
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A single swing from the '''dark maul'''<ref>{{source ref|0.32.1|art-data.txt|1314}}</ref> will crush through virtually any monster's armour for ultra-heavy damage, but even at maximum [[Maces & Flails]] skill, it will still take you 15 or 16 [[aut]]s to attack - over 2x the mindelay of the slowest normal weapons. In practice, every swing (at ''max'' skill) gives a 57.5% to pass your next turn. On the plus side, it has over 2.5x the base damage of [[giant club]]s, which most characters can't use.
  
Players with any significant amount of [[slaying]] should avoid this weapon: the slaying bonus is added less than half as often as it would be with a normal, base delay 7 weapon, making it a far less appealing choice.
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Is this trade-off actually worth it? High M&F skill is nearly essential. It reduces the attack delay to a tolerable level, and it also helps with accuracy. Each miss is much more punishing than a standard weapon; even with a +10 enchantment, you may miss often enough that it's a problem. Compared to a well-enchanted [[great mace]], the dark maul checks AC much less, but always risks an enemy double turn, and procs less [[auxiliary attack]]s. Basically, the maul is not a weapon to suddenly switch to Maces & Flails for - have high skill to make full use of the maul, and watch out for the delay.
  
True to its description, this weapon is pretty inferior to a good [[giant spiked club]].
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It’s important to know when to use the maul and when to put it away for something faster. Try to avoid using the dark maul in open areas or when facing multiple opponents at once, because the high delay makes it impossible to respond quickly to unexpected damage spikes or new enemies entering [[line of sight]].
  
Despite its immense weight and delay, [[formicid]]s can actually wield this weapon with one hand, since it is technically a modified [[great mace]].  Whether or not it is desirable for them to do so, what with their limited escape options, is a different question.
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[[Okawaru]] is a great god for the dark maul. Finesse can ''halve'' the delay of any weapon, making the maul a lot less risky to use, and Heroism helps boost skill levels. [[Manifold Assault]] can make the delay much more manageable, as you're swinging from a distance (not to mention potentially pasting multiple targets per swing).
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
Dark maul was added in [[0.14]].
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*Prior to [[0.30]], the dark maul had the [[vorpal]] brand, 52 base damage, and 30 base delay. It was changed to accommodate the [[heavy]] brand.
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*Prior to [[0.16]], the dark maul had only 44 base damage and a meager +6 enchantment level.
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*The dark maul was added in [[0.14]].
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==References==
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<references/>
  
 
[[Category:Unrands]]
 
[[Category:Unrands]]

Latest revision as of 01:08, 30 October 2024

Version 0.32: This article is up to date for the latest stable release of Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup.
A large, iron-shod maul specialised for dealing massively powerful blows. Such power comes at a price: the maul's head is so heavy it takes a great length of time to lift it up for another swing.

“This caliber should be appropriate.”
-prince Dajmiech, “Kajko and Kokosz: The Battle with Dajmiech”, Janusz Christa

Dark maul.png the +10 dark maul

+10 maul (modified great mace: 37 base damage, -2 base accuracy, 24 base delay)
Heavy brand

Desirability

A single swing from the dark maul[1] will crush through virtually any monster's armour for ultra-heavy damage, but even at maximum Maces & Flails skill, it will still take you 15 or 16 auts to attack - over 2x the mindelay of the slowest normal weapons. In practice, every swing (at max skill) gives a 57.5% to pass your next turn. On the plus side, it has over 2.5x the base damage of giant clubs, which most characters can't use.

Is this trade-off actually worth it? High M&F skill is nearly essential. It reduces the attack delay to a tolerable level, and it also helps with accuracy. Each miss is much more punishing than a standard weapon; even with a +10 enchantment, you may miss often enough that it's a problem. Compared to a well-enchanted great mace, the dark maul checks AC much less, but always risks an enemy double turn, and procs less auxiliary attacks. Basically, the maul is not a weapon to suddenly switch to Maces & Flails for - have high skill to make full use of the maul, and watch out for the delay.

It’s important to know when to use the maul and when to put it away for something faster. Try to avoid using the dark maul in open areas or when facing multiple opponents at once, because the high delay makes it impossible to respond quickly to unexpected damage spikes or new enemies entering line of sight.

Okawaru is a great god for the dark maul. Finesse can halve the delay of any weapon, making the maul a lot less risky to use, and Heroism helps boost skill levels. Manifold Assault can make the delay much more manageable, as you're swinging from a distance (not to mention potentially pasting multiple targets per swing).

History

  • Prior to 0.30, the dark maul had the vorpal brand, 52 base damage, and 30 base delay. It was changed to accommodate the heavy brand.
  • Prior to 0.16, the dark maul had only 44 base damage and a meager +6 enchantment level.
  • The dark maul was added in 0.14.

References