Devastator

Version 0.31: This article is up to date for the latest stable release of Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup.

A wooden cudgel, loaded with more than just lead.

the +6 shillelagh "Devastator"

+6 shillelagh (modified club; 8 base damage)
Causes a 3x3 explosion when damage is dealt

Mechanics

The explosion deals Nd(1.5 * weapon_dmg/3) additional damage to the target and all monsters adjacent to it. It does not affect invisible monsters, nor does it affect the player.

Like Shatter, the number of dice 'N' is dependent on the monster hurt:

Target	N
Monsters made from metal, stone or crystal	6
Insubstantial monsters	1
Petrifying/Petrified (reduced later by petrification reduction)	6
Monsters made from ice or bone	6
Slimy monsters	1
Flying monsters	1
All other monsters	3

Note that N is calculated for each individual monster, so targeting a metallic monster won't make the explosion cause more damage to flying monsters nearby. Against a regular non-flying monster, you can expect an average of +75% damage.

Desirability

Devastator is a well-enchanted club, with upgraded base stats and unavoidable splash damage.

Despite everything constantly blowing up in your face, it actually does no backlash damage to you. It's especially useful for quickly clearing out swarms of fragile enemies like bats or killer bees, but it deals with single enemies in the early- and mid-game just fine.

This artefact is more likely to spawn in the early game, where it is more likely to be useful.

History

• In 0.29, Devastator creates noise again, though is much quieter.
• Prior to 0.28, Devastator was not explicitly likely to spawn in the early-game.
• Prior to 0.27, Devastator's explosions were very loud instead of being completely silent.
• Prior to 0.15, Devastator had a +4, +8 enchantment level.
• Devastator was added in 0.10.