Difference between revisions of "Mace of Variability"

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(Update to 0.22, add a section about the chain of chaos and rewrite the advice section.)
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{{flavour|A weapon with a peculiar reputation - said to be at times peerless in quality, and other times virtually useless. No one knows exactly who would have made such a weapon, or why, but Xom is probably to blame somehow.}}
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{{flavour|A large mace said to have appeared when Xom grew bored with the predictability of more ordinary instruments of chaos. Striking an enemy with this weapon will occasionally unleash arcs of chaos upon any creatures nearby, leaving the wielder unharmed.}}
  
[[File:Mace_of_variability.png]] '''''a Mace of Variability'''''<br>
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[[File:Mace_of_variability.png]] '''''the Mace of Variability'''''<br>
 
 
(-4 to +16) [[great mace]]
 
  
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+7 [[great mace]]<br>
 
[[Chaos]] brand<br>
 
[[Chaos]] brand<br>
Enchantment level rises or falls by 1 each turn that you wield it (40% chance)<br>
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20% chance to cast chain of chaos on hit<br>
 
Color changes each turn in console mode
 
Color changes each turn in console mode
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==Damage formula of chain of chaos==
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On 20% of attacks that hit an enemy but do not kill the enemy, the spell chain of chaos will be cast, with the following parameters:
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{{crawlquote|'''Spell power:''' 75 + random2avg(75, 2) (minimum 75, maximum 149, median 122)<br>
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'''Base damage:''' 3d(5 + power/6) (minimum 3d17, maximum 3d25) }}
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The spell arcs in the same way as [[Chain Lightning]], but will never damage the wielder. When an arc hits a target, the target is affected with [[chaos]].
  
 
==Desirability==
 
==Desirability==
The '''Mace of Variability''', like any chaos [[brand]]ed weapon, may occasionally produce dramatic and devastating results. The shifting enchantment level further magnifies its unreliably awesome power. As with other chaos weapons, however, it will almost certainly turn on you eventually, and it can very quickly go from being wonderfully well enchanted to miserably weak. Even if you find it in the early game where its damage outshines the alternatives, its skill requirement is too high for low-level characters. Unless you feel like making [[Xom]] happy, don't bother with it.
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The '''Mace of Variability''', like any chaos [[brand]]ed weapon, may occasionally produce dramatic and/or devastating results. On the one hand, it is a +7 great mace with a chain of chaos effect that does very reliably high damage to any affected target; on the other hand, its chaos brand and arcs have the potential to just make your situation worse, with enemies turning [[haste]]d and [[invisible]] all around you. By all means, use it, but use it with care.
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
This is one of the original five artefacts in the game (the others being the [[Wrath of Trog]], the [[Scythe of Curses]], the [[Singing Sword]], and the [[Glaive of Prune]]). It has evolved somewhat through the years, changing from a [[mace]] to a great mace and acquiring a chaos brand.
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Prior to [[0.22]], it did not cast chain of chaos and its enchantment was variable, ranging from -4 to +16, with a 20% chance to increase by 1 and a 20% chance to decrease by 1 for every turn wielded.
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This is one of the original five artefacts in the game (the others being the [[Wrath of Trog]], the [[Scythe of Curses]], the [[Singing Sword]], and the [[Glaive of Prune]]). It has evolved somewhat through the years, changing from a [[mace]] to a great mace, gaining a [[chaos]] brand and having its variable enchantment replaced with a chain of chaos effect.
  
 
[[Category:Unrands]]
 
[[Category:Unrands]]
 
[[Category:Maces & Flails]]
 
[[Category:Maces & Flails]]

Revision as of 10:53, 20 October 2018

Version 0.22: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.
A large mace said to have appeared when Xom grew bored with the predictability of more ordinary instruments of chaos. Striking an enemy with this weapon will occasionally unleash arcs of chaos upon any creatures nearby, leaving the wielder unharmed.

Mace of variability.png the Mace of Variability

+7 great mace
Chaos brand
20% chance to cast chain of chaos on hit
Color changes each turn in console mode

Damage formula of chain of chaos

On 20% of attacks that hit an enemy but do not kill the enemy, the spell chain of chaos will be cast, with the following parameters:

Spell power: 75 + random2avg(75, 2) (minimum 75, maximum 149, median 122)
Base damage: 3d(5 + power/6) (minimum 3d17, maximum 3d25)

The spell arcs in the same way as Chain Lightning, but will never damage the wielder. When an arc hits a target, the target is affected with chaos.

Desirability

The Mace of Variability, like any chaos branded weapon, may occasionally produce dramatic and/or devastating results. On the one hand, it is a +7 great mace with a chain of chaos effect that does very reliably high damage to any affected target; on the other hand, its chaos brand and arcs have the potential to just make your situation worse, with enemies turning hasted and invisible all around you. By all means, use it, but use it with care.

History

Prior to 0.22, it did not cast chain of chaos and its enchantment was variable, ranging from -4 to +16, with a 20% chance to increase by 1 and a 20% chance to decrease by 1 for every turn wielded.

This is one of the original five artefacts in the game (the others being the Wrath of Trog, the Scythe of Curses, the Singing Sword, and the Glaive of Prune). It has evolved somewhat through the years, changing from a mace to a great mace, gaining a chaos brand and having its variable enchantment replaced with a chain of chaos effect.