Bloodbane
| A blade forged in Hell by the sacrifice of countless tortured souls. It inflicts the rage and suffering of those souls upon its wielder. |
the +8 demon blade "Bloodbane"
+8 demon blade
Vorpal brand
Allows berserk
Forces berserk (on 5% of attacks)
-50 stealth
Desirability
Similar to but somewhat weaker than the zealot's sword, Bloodbane is a very nice weapon if you can overcome its berserkitis. Being undead or worshiping Ashenzari will give you a bit more leeway for using this weapon, and the fact that it doesn't curse itself constantly means you can use it whenever a situation arises in which berserking would actually be useful. Just don't wield it all the time and you'll be fine.
History
Prior to 0.18, the forced berserk happened on 9% of attacks.
Prior to 0.15, stealth penalty was -20.
Truly a shapeshifting weapon, Bloodbane was originally a long sword, then a katana (even after katanas were removed in 0.9), and now a demon blade.
