Devastator

Version 0.31: This article is up to date for the latest stable release of Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup.

A wooden cudgel, loaded with more than just lead.

the +6 shillelagh "Devastator"

+6 shillelagh (modified club; 8 base damage)
Causes a 3x3 explosion when damage is dealt

Mechanics

The explosion deals Nd(5 + weapon_dmg/2) additional damage to the target and all monsters adjacent to it. It cannot miss. It does not affect invisible monsters if you can't see invisible, nor does it affect the player.

Like Shatter, the number of dice 'N' is dependent on the monster hurt:

Target	N
Monsters made from metal, stone or crystal	6
Insubstantial monsters	1
Petrifying/Petrified (reduced later by petrification reduction)	6
Monsters made from ice or bone	6
Slimy monsters	1
Flying monsters	1
All other monsters	3

Note that N is calculated for each individual monster, so targeting a metallic monster won't make the explosion cause more damage to flying monsters nearby.

Against a regular non-flying monster, you can expect an average of 7.5 + (75% * wpn_dmg) explosion damage, but unlike brands, it is affected by AC.

Desirability

Devastator is basically a well-enchanted club with a "brand" that deals extra splash damage. It's especially useful against swarms of fragile enemies, like killer bees, but it's still great against lone enemies in the early- and mid-game. Later on, you'll want to switch to an eveningstar or demon whip - these deal more damage against single targets.

This artefact is more likely to spawn in the early game, where it is more likely to be useful.

History

• In 0.29, Devastator creates noise again, though is much quieter.
• Prior to 0.28, Devastator was not explicitly likely to spawn in the early-game.
• Prior to 0.27, Devastator's explosions were very loud instead of being completely silent.
• Prior to 0.15, Devastator had a +4, +8 enchantment level.
• Devastator was added in 0.10.