Slaying
Slaying is a term used to describe a property that increases a character's accuracy and damage in melee and ranged combat. Slaying does not affect spellcasting, wand use, or anything else that isn't melee or ranged combat. It is functionally identical to weapon enchantment, but affects unarmed attacks as well.
Mechanics
Accuracy
The total of all of a character's slaying bonuses are added to the player's to-hit number, in the same way as weapon enchantment. A random number from 1 to the player's total to-hit is checked against a monster's EV to determine if the player lands a blow; thus, it is not a flat accuracy increase that is provided, but an increase in accuracy on average.
Damage
The character's total slaying bonus is added to the enchantment of the player's weapon (and applies to unarmed combat as well). In combat, the player gets a damage bonus of 1d(enchantment+slaying). Unlike base damage, this bonus is not affected by the player's skill. The total damage done is then adjusted appropriately by the monster's AC, meaning that slaying can be very useful in helping to get past a monster's armour.
Sources
There are a number of sources of slaying bonuses:
- A ring of slaying.
- Artefacts may provide a bonus or penalty, displayed as {Slay ±X}.
- The spell Wereblood provides a variable amount of slaying, increasing by 1 for every monster killed.
- The Wu Jian Council's Heavenly Storm provides a variable slay and EV bonus, starting with 5 and increasing by 1 for every martial attack you perform.
- Gloves with hurling ego provide a +4 slaying bonus to Throwing weapons.
There are also a number of slaying-like effects:
- The glove ego Infusion gives a melee damage bonus of +2, though there is no accuracy boost.
- The effect Might gives a flat +1d10 bonus to melee damage. This is added straight to your damage, meaning that Might gives a more consistent damage bonus than 10 slaying would even if the average increase in damage is roughly the same.
- Ru's Sacrifice Eye functions like a -5 accuracy malus, though it affects magic too.
Strategy
Most characters will want as much slaying as they can get.
As slaying does not increase spell damage, it is generally a secondary priority for spellcasters, with properties such as wizardry or intelligence bonuses usually being preferable.
Melee characters should highly prioritize slaying, but be rational about it: a +2 slaying bonus does not make a -1 randart leather armour a worthwhile proposition on your MiBe.
History
- Prior to 0.26, the aptly named Song of Slaying gave slaying (like Wereblood).
- Prior to 0.15, there were separate slaying bonuses for accuracy and damage. Bonuses were shown in the form +x, +y, where x was the accuracy bonus, and y was the damage bonus
- Prior to 0.10, slaying bonuses for damage were added to the weapon's base damage, meaning that they would be increased by having high weapon/Fighting skill. When this was changed, slaying bonuses were generally increased to compensate.
