Demon whip

Version 0.31: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

Name	Demon whip
Skill	Maces & Flails
Damage	11
Accuracy	+1
Base delay (%)	11 (110%)
Min delay	5 at skill 12
Hands	1H
Size	Little
Ranged?	No

A terrible weapon, woven in the depths of the inferno. “With a terrible cry the Balrog fell forward, and its shadow plunged down and vanished. But even as it fell it swung its whip, and the thongs lashed and curled about the wizard's knees, dragging him to the brink. He staggered, and fell, grasped vainly at the stone, and slid into the abyss.” -J.R.R. Tolkien, _The Fellowship of the Ring_. II, 5, “The Bridge of Khazad-dûm”. 1954.

This weapon falls into the Maces & Flails category. It is a one handed weapon.

Demon whips are one of the best one-handed weapons. They have a superb mindelay and good damage output.

Worshippers of good gods cannot attack with them without suffering penance. However, worshippers of the Shining One can convert a demon whip into a sacred scourge, with better stats and the holy wrath brand. You can reverse the process with Kikubaaqudgha's or Lugonu's blessing.

Strategy

Demon weapons are often found on the hell knights in the Depths and the Vestibule of Hell, often with good enchantment levels and brands. They can also be found early in the hands of Amaemon.

Compared to eveningstar

The differences between demon whips and eveningstars are small. A +9 branded eveningstar is enough to win you the game, as is a +9 branded demon whip. Generally, the weapon you get first should be the one that you use. (The weapon you get first can benefit first from scrolls of enchant weapon).

There are cases where specific comparison is warranted, such as artefact weapons. Against a 0 AC opponent, a +0 demon whip is roughly 2.6% stronger than a +0 eveningstar. The demon whip attacks faster, so it is penalized more by AC, and conversely benefits more from slaying and auxiliary attacks. Characters with lots of auxiliary attacks, like Vine Stalkers and monstrous Demonspawn will prefer a demon whip. Otherwise, it is mostly even, slightly favored towards the eveningstar. This is independent of a character's strength or skill.

History

Prior to 0.14, demon whips dealt slightly more damage than normal in the hands of demonspawn characters.

Demon whip	Sacred scourge

	Image
Mundane
Magical
Artefact
"Spellbinder"