Throatcutter

Version 0.30: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

Taken from a paladin of the Shining One by the common cutpurse who murdered her, Throatcutter was used for a long series of increasingly sordid deeds thereafter. Blood, murder and betrayal stain its history and blade both, and little trace now remains of the blade which once stood between danger and the innocent.

the +7 Throatcutter

+7 long sword
Draining brand
Has a 33% chance to instantly kill a monster under 21 HP.
(The player is immune to this effect.)

Desirability

Throatcutter's +7 enchantment and draining brand are already enough to justify it in the early game; just the draining alone could make it a good weapon until the Lair. Its perk only serves to enhance its early usefulness, though enemies from the Lair onward will have enough HP to make the instant-kill less relevant. Having multiple or zero heads does not grant any resistance to the sword's abilities.

If this weapon instantly kills a hydra, all of its heads will be cut without regrowth. This is not a reliable way to kill hydras, as regular attacks will still regrow heads.

This artefact is more likely to spawn in the early game, where it is more likely to be useful. The unique monster Terence has a small (1%) chance of spawning with this sword.

History

• Throatcutter was added in 0.28.