Finisher

Version 0.24: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

A long and exceedingly sharp scythe, capable of eviscerating in a single blow. Its extraordinary speed is the work of a mad wizard, who spent years refining it before discarding it in a fit of rage.

the +5 scythe "Finisher"

+5 scythe

Speed brand
(50 - HD)/200 chance to instantly kill target on successful attack

Desirability

Scythes are usually very poor two-handed weapons, with the base damage of a one-handed weapon but the attack speed of the most powerful two-handed weapons. However, Finisher's speed brand essentially cancels out the high attack speed, and the chance to instantly kill the target makes this quite an appealing weapon. The instakill chance translates to around a 1/4 chance to kill popcorn and around a 1/10 chance to kill orbs of fire. As a scythe, it isn't so great later on in the game, when you can get a good glaive or bardiche with a good brand and much better base damage, but it's a weapon worth considering if you find it early.

Additionally, a spectral copy of the scythe can instantly kill enemies too.

History

• Prior to 0.23, Finisher did not have a chance to instantly kill, but did have +3 strength.
• Prior to 0.15, "Finisher" had a +3, +5 enchantment level.