Wyrmbane

Version 0.16: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

An enchanted lance deadly to all dragonkind. It grows more powerful every time it inflicts a killing blow on a strong dragon. The more powerful it grows, the harder it will be to find a worthy opponent.

the +8 lance "Wyrmbane"

+8 lance (8 damage, +4 accuracy, 110% speed)

Dragon slaying brand
+5 AC
rF+
rPois
Allows berserk
Enchantment level rises when you kill dragons

Enchantment Mechanics

If a dragon slaying-vulnerable target is killed by the base damage of this weapon, it will gain +1 enchantment up to the HD of the dragon killed.

Examples:

• If you kill a fire dragon (HD 12) with the basic +8 Wyrmbane, it will become +9
• If you then use Wyrmbane to kill a swamp dragon (HD 9), Wyrmbane's enchantment will not change (the dragon was too weak to boost the enchantment).

The maximum enchantment Wyrmbane can gain this way is +18, though there are draconic monsters with higher HD. Even if you manage to kill something like the Serpent of Hell (HD 20) or Tiamat (HD 22) with Wyrmbane, its enchantment won't increase past +18.

The following creatures can raise the enchantment of Wyrmbane when slain, assuming its enchantment is not already greater than or equal to their HD. Any dragon slaying-vulnerable creature not listed here (steam dragon, fire drake, etc.) is too weak to affect even the base enchantment of Wyrmbane.

Tile	Name	HD
	Lindwurm	9
	Death drake	9
	Swamp dragon	9
	Fire dragon	12
	Ice dragon	12
	Any adult draconian	14
	Storm dragon	14
	Any professional draconian	16
	Quicksilver dragon	16
	Shadow dragon	17
	Iron dragon	18
	Pearl dragon	18
	Golden dragon	18
	Xtahua	19
	Bone dragon	20
	The Serpent of Hell	20
	Tiamat	22

Desirability

Extremely high. In almost all cases, a fully empowered "Wyrmbane" is the most powerful weapon in the game, given that it provides a high amount of irresistible damage coupled with excellent speed (5 min delay), the ability to wield a shield (in most cases; spriggans must wield it with both hands, though they may still find it worth using), and four useful intrinsics which help your survivability immensely. Be aware that the dragon slaying brand has little to do with its excellent performance; "Wyrmbane" works just fine against any opponent you may encounter in Crawl, particularly with haste, might, other slaying bonuses, or while berserk. Characters who are lucky enough to find this weapon should definitely consider switching to polearms; for a weapon as good as "Wyrmbane", 12 ranks of Polearms (all that is required to reach minimum delay) is very reasonable, even for those with abysmal aptitude for it.

Its base enchantment level of +8 does not keep it from being an extremely effective weapon, but in order to make the best use of Wyrmbane, one must first kill many dragons with it. Fortunately, this is an easier task than it might seem. Getting Wyrmbane up to +12 can be accomplished by hunting fire and ice dragons, which can be found throughout the Depths easily enough. Storm dragons, shadow dragons, gold dragons, and bone dragons will take you further, but are less commonly encountered. You can either dip into the Realm of Zot to hunt there (the draconians can also help you get a bit closer to maxed out), or into the Crypt, where skeletal or zombified dragons of very high HD tend to occur. The iron dragons of Dis are also viable targets, and you'll find more undead dragons in Hell, but exploring there is significantly more dangerous than the other options.

History

Prior to 0.15, Wyrmbane had a +9,+6 enchantment bonus.