Difference between revisions of "Ranged weapon"

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[[Ranged weapon]]s refer both to [[missile]]s and their [[Ranged weapons#Launchers|launcher]]s - basically, any [[weapon]] used to attack from a distance instead of in [[melee]]. 
 
  
==Thrown-Only Weapons==
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'''Ranged weapons''' include all [[weapon]]s capable of attacking any target within your [[line of sight]]. All of these require ammo to function, and most of them require you to wield a launcher. The ability to attack distant foes is very helpful, particularly for characters with fast [[movement]] speed (see [[kiting]]). However, ranged weapons are not without their drawbacks. Running out of ammo renders a ranged weapon nearly useless, and [[melee weapon]]s tend to have better overall stats.
These require no launcher, although some are more effective with one. They are governed by the [[Throwing]] skill.
 
*[[Dart]] - A small pointy weapon that is thrown by hand. Popular with [[kobold (monster)|kobolds]] and may come with various brands. Unbranded darts are also available from [[trap]]s.
 
*[[Stone]] - A common [[item]] found in piles in the dungeon. They don't come with brands and aren't any stronger than darts, but they cannot be eaten by [[list of jellies|jellies]]. May also be used with a sling.
 
*[[Javelin]] - A lethally sharp kind of spear built for throwing. [[Hunter]]s may choose to begin with them. Occasionally found in the dungeon, but not common, though [[merfolk javelineer]]s carry stacks of them. They may have any of several brands. Javelins are fairly heavy, especially when made of [[steel]].
 
*[[Large rock]] - A very heavy boulder-sized stone. [[Ogre]] and [[troll]] [[hunter]]s may begin with a small supply of them, and they are also carried by very large enemies such as [[cyclopes]] or [[stone giant]]s; otherwise they are uncommon. Large rocks are the most damaging thrown weapon available.
 
*[[Throwing net]] - These do no damage, but immobilize a creature until they break free. The net will be damaged or destroyed as the victim escapes. [[Gladiator]]s begin with them; more can be found, whether occasionally in the dungeon, through [[trap]]s, or in the possession of [[gnoll]]s or [[hill giant]]s.
 
*[[Tomahawk]] - Special kind of axes made for throwing. They don't hit as hard as [[javelin]]s. [[List of orcs|Orcs]] often carry them, sometimes with [[returning]] brand.
 
  
==Launchers==
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==Weapon attributes==
A launcher is a weapon which can [[fire]] matching ammunition when [[wield]]ed, often doing more damage than thrown weapons.
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The following is a table of all ranged weapons in ''Crawl''. Below is a short explanation of each field:  
*[[Sling]] - The simplest and most common launcher, it can throw stones or more powerful [[sling bullet]]s, a specially-made ammunition for the sling. Occasionally found on [[goblin]]s. They are governed by the [[Slings]] skill.
 
*[[Blowgun]] - A hollow tube used to fire [[needle|poisoned needle]]s of various types. It is a preferred weapon of [[kobold]]s. The needles come in several types with various effects, but most are simply [[poisoned]]. Monsters can resist needle effects, and needles do no other damage: the enchantment of the launcher increases accuracy and efficacy of needles. They are governed by the [[Throwing]] skill.
 
*[[Bow]]/[[Longbow]] - A preferred weapon of [[centaur]]s, who can do heavy damage with them. Inaccurate but fast, they fire [[arrow]]s and are governed by the [[Bows]] skill.
 
*[[Crossbow]] - Fairly rare in the early game, these are slower but more accurate and damaging than bows.  [[Yaktaur]]s use them to great effect, as well as the occasional [[kobold]]. They are governed by the [[Crossbows]] skill.
 
  
==Ammunition==
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{| class="wikitable"
Ammunition comes in a bewildering variety. Stones, large rocks, and nets are never branded (except when found in certain rare [[shop]]s), but other ammo (including darts, tomahawks and javelins) can have brands. Ammo brands include [[silver]] and [[steel]], which provide various benefits at the cost of increased weight.
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|-style="vertical-align: top;"
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!style="text-align: left;" | Name
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| The name of the item as it appears in Crawl.
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|-style="vertical-align: top;"
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!style="text-align: left;" | Damage
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| The base amount of damage the weapon does, before various bonuses and adjustments. 
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|-style="vertical-align: top;"
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!style="text-align: left;" | Hit
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| To hit modifier for the weapon, before any other adjustments.
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|-style="vertical-align: top;"
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!style="text-align: left;" | [[Weapon Speed|Speed]]
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| This is actually the attack delay, which is multiplied by 10 to get the "percentages" you see in-game.  (That is, attack delay 10 shows as 100%.)  Every 2 levels of weapon skill lowers the delay by 1 unit.  A weapon's minimum delay is half of its base delay (rounded down) or 7 (5 for [[cutlass]], 10 for [[hand crossbow]]s, [[arbalest]]s and [[triple crossbow]]s), whichever is lower.  Speed brand and haste cut delay by one third (round randomly up or down). These effects stack, ''after'' the base cap, but there's an absolute cap of 2 for attack delay.
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|-style="vertical-align: top;"
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!style="text-align: left;" | Skill
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| Which skill is required to effectively use this weapon.
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|-style="vertical-align: top;"
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!style="text-align: left;" | [[Handedness|One-handed min. size]]
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| Minimum size required to be able to use the weapon with one hand. The order is little, small, medium, large, big.
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|-style="vertical-align: top;"
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!style="text-align: left;" | [[Handedness|Two-handed min. size]]
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| Minimum size required to be able to use the weapon with two hands. When the player's size is equal or greater than 'Two-handed min. size', but less than 'One-handed min. size', the weapon cannot be used with a [[shield]].
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|-style="vertical-align: top;"
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!style="text-align: left; white-space: nowrap;" | Missile
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| The sort of ammo needed to use this weapon
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|-style="vertical-align: top;"
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!style="text-align: left; white-space: nowrap;" | Dam Type
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| What category of damage does the weapon deal?
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|-style="vertical-align: top;"
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!style="text-align: left;" | Prob
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| A larger number indicates higher probability of acquiring through scrolls of [[acquirement]].
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|}
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==Throwing==
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[[Throwing]] weapons can be further divided into two categories: thrown weapons and blowguns.
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Thrown weapons are unique among ranged weapons in that they do not require you to wield anything to use them; you simply hurl them without needing a free hand (Don't ask). This means you don't have to waste time in combat swapping weapons, saving turns and reducing frustration, you can wear [[shield]]s, and you can save many [[scrolls of enchant weapon]]. Thrown weapons need 27 skill levels to reach minimum delay, but despite this the average damage per turn of tomahawks, javelins, and large rocks is better than any other ranged weapon at the same skill level.
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*[[Stone]]
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*[[Tomahawk]]
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*[[Javelin]]
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*[[Throwing net]]
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*[[Large rock]] ([[troll]]s and [[ogre]]s only)
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Blowguns are very unusual ranged weapons. In spite of the fact that they are affected by your Throwing skill, they require you to wield a blowgun and fire [[needle]]s at the enemy. These deal no damage, but inflict devastating [[status effect]]s.
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{| class="wikitable"
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! Name || Dam || Hit || Speed || Skill || One-handed min. size || Two-handed min. size || Missile || Dam Type || Prob || Notes
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|-style="vertical-align: top;"
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| [[Blowgun]] || 0 || +2 || 10 || Throwing || Little || Little || [[Needle]] || None || 0 || Deals no damage, but inflicts [[status effects]]
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|}
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==Slings==
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[[Slings]] are ranged weapons which hurl [[sling bullet]]s (or [[stone]]s in a pinch) with great force. They are one-handed weapons for all but the [[spriggan|tiniest characters]] and require much less skill than most other weapons to reach min delay, but they are significantly less powerful than their slower, more cumbersome alternatives.
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{| class="wikitable"
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! Name || Dam || Hit || Speed || Skill || One-handed min. size || Two-handed min. size || Missile || Dam Type || Prob || Notes
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|-style="vertical-align: top;"
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| [[Hunting sling]] || 5 || +2 || 12 || Slings || Little || Little || [[Stone]] /<br/>[[Sling bullet]] || Non-melee || 10 ||
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|-style="vertical-align: top;"
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| [[Fustibalus]] || 8 || -1 || 14 || Slings || Small || Little || [[Stone]] /<br/>[[Sling bullet]] || Non-melee || 10 ||
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|}
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==Bows==
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[[Bows]] are a moderate player's choice of ranged weapon, firing [[arrow]]s at your opponents to deadly effect. They are universally more powerful than slings, and require only a reasonable skill investment to fire quickly. However, both kinds of bow require two hands to wield.
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{| class="wikitable"
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! Name || Dam || Hit || Speed || Skill || One-handed min. size || Two-handed min. size || Missile || Dam Type || Prob || Notes
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|-style="vertical-align: top;"
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| [[Shortbow]] || 9 || +2 || 13 || Bows || - || Little || [[Arrow]] || Non-melee || 10 ||
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|-style="vertical-align: top;"
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| [[Longbow]] || 15 || 0 || 17 || Bows || - || Medium || [[Arrow]] || Non-melee || 10 ||
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|}
  
==General Notes==
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==Crossbows==
*Darts, spears, arrows, bolts, needles, and throwing nets can be harvested in small numbers from dungeon traps. All trap ammo is unbranded (apart from needles, which are always merely poisoned).
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If you want a ranged weapon that tears into foes with the strength of a melee weapon, consider getting into [[crossbows]]. These contraptions are the largest, slowest ranged weapons available, but they launch their [[bolt]]s with unparalleled force. Unfortunately, they require the most skill of all ranged weapons to attack quickly, particularly in the case of the super-heavy [[triple crossbow]]. With the exception of the tiny [[hand crossbow]], crossbows are two-handed weapons and benefit much more from high [[strength]] than from [[dexterity]].
*Thrown-only missiles and ammunition will stack in your inventory.
 
*Missiles and launchers can carry a variety of brands, such as [[flame]] or poisoned. If both your launcher and your missiles have brands, the brand of the missile will usually override that of the launcher. However, in some situations the brand will not be implemented. For example, frost arrows used in a bow of flame will cancel each other out, producing normal arrows.
 
**The exceptions to this rule are launchers with the [[vorpal|velocity]] or [[speed (brand)|speed]] brands, which will stack with ammo brands.
 
  
==Ranged weapons table==
 
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
{| class="wikitable"
! Name || Dam || Hit || Speed || Mass || Str weight || Skill || Hands || Size || Missile || Throw || Dam Type || Prob
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! Name || Dam || Hit || Speed || Skill || One-handed min. size || Two-handed min. size || Missile || Dam Type || Prob || Notes
|-
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|-style="vertical-align: top;"
| [[Blowgun]] || 0 || +2 || 10 || 20 || 0% || Throwing || One || Little || Needle || No || Non-melee || 0
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| [[Hand crossbow]] || 12 || +5 || 15 || Crossbows || Little || Little || [[Bolt]] || Non-melee || 10 ||
|-
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|-style="vertical-align: top;"
| [[Sling]] || 0 || +2/~+7 || 11 || 20 || 10% || Slings || One || Little || Stone /<br/>Sling Bullet || No || Non-melee || 10
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| [[Arbalest]] || 18 || +2 || 19 || Crossbows || - || Little || [[Bolt]] || Non-melee || 10 ||
|-
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|-style="vertical-align: top;"
| [[Crossbow]] || 5 || +4 || 15 || 150 || 80% || Crossbows || Two || Medium || Bolt || No || Non-melee || 10
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| [[Triple crossbow]] || 22 || 0 || 23 || Crossbows || - || Small || [[Bolt]] || Non-melee || 2 ||
|-
 
| [[Bow]] || 3 || +1 || 11 || 90 || 20% || Bows || Two || Medium || Arrow || No || Non-melee || 10
 
|-
 
| [[Longbow]] || 6 || 0 || 12 || 120 || 30% || Bows || Two || Large || Arrow || No || Non-melee || 10
 
 
|}
 
|}
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==Brands==
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Ranged weapons and their associated ammunition are capable of carrying a wide variety of [[brand]]s which can greatly increase your lethality when used correctly:
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===Ranged Weapon Brands===
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*[[Electrocution]] - Deals additional [[electricity]] damage
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*[[Flame]] - Converts all damage to [[fire]], increases damage by 0-40%
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*[[Frost]] - Converts all damage to [[cold]], increases damage by 0-40%
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*[[Penetration]] - Projectiles can pierce through enemies, hitting everything along its trajectory
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*[[Speed (brand)|Speed]] - Attacks take 66.6% normal time
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*[[Venom]] - Poisons target
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*[[Vorpal]] - Increases damage by 0-40%
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===Ammunition Brands===
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*[[Needle|Confusion]] - [[Confuse]]s target
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*[[Curare]] - [[Poison]]s, [[slow]]s, and [[asphyxiate]]s target
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*[[Dispersal]] - Forces target to [[blink]] randomly
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*[[Exploding]] - Hits target and all adjacent tiles with a small unavoidable explosion
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*[[Flame]] - Converts all damage to [[fire]], increases damage by 0-40%
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*[[Frenzy]] - [[Berserk]]s target and temporarily turns it hostile to everything
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*[[Frost]] - Converts all damage to [[cold]], increases damage by 0-40%
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*[[Needle|Paralysis]] - [[Paralyse]]s target
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*[[Penetration]] - Projectiles can pierce through enemies, hitting everything along its trajectory
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*[[Poisoned]] - [[Poison]]s target
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*[[Returning]] - Ammo may return to the attacker, with chance based on player skill or monster [[HD]]
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*[[Silver]] - Deals massive damage to [[chaotic]] targets
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*[[Needle|Sleep]] - Puts target back to sleep
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*[[Needle|Slowing]] - [[Slow]]s target
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*[[Steel]] - Increases damage by 30%, [[mulch]]es much less often
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If both your launcher and your ammo have brands, the brand of the missile usually overrides that of the launcher. Exceptions include the vorpal and speed brands, which stack with any ammo, and the fire/cold damage brands, which cancel out each other when paired together.
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==Retired Weapons==
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Over the years, several weapons have been removed from the ''Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup'' arsenal.
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*[[Bow]]
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*[[Crossbow]]
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*[[Dart]]
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*[[Sling]]
  
 
==See also==
 
==See also==
* [[Ranged Combat]]
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*[[Ranged Combat]]
* [[Weapon]]
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==History==
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*Prior to [[0.18]], each weapon had a strength weight percentage that determined how the weapon would benefit from your strength and dexterity.
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*Prior to [[0.15]], ranged combat was significantly more complicated. Min delay was heavily influenced by your [[stats]], and there was a much smaller variety of weapons available.
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*Prior to [[0.14]], [[dagger]]s, [[spear]]s, [[hand axe]]s, and [[club]]s could be thrown.

Revision as of 19:10, 10 February 2017

Version 0.19: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

Ranged weapons include all weapons capable of attacking any target within your line of sight. All of these require ammo to function, and most of them require you to wield a launcher. The ability to attack distant foes is very helpful, particularly for characters with fast movement speed (see kiting). However, ranged weapons are not without their drawbacks. Running out of ammo renders a ranged weapon nearly useless, and melee weapons tend to have better overall stats.

Weapon attributes

The following is a table of all ranged weapons in Crawl. Below is a short explanation of each field:

Name The name of the item as it appears in Crawl.
Damage The base amount of damage the weapon does, before various bonuses and adjustments.
Hit To hit modifier for the weapon, before any other adjustments.
Speed This is actually the attack delay, which is multiplied by 10 to get the "percentages" you see in-game. (That is, attack delay 10 shows as 100%.) Every 2 levels of weapon skill lowers the delay by 1 unit. A weapon's minimum delay is half of its base delay (rounded down) or 7 (5 for cutlass, 10 for hand crossbows, arbalests and triple crossbows), whichever is lower. Speed brand and haste cut delay by one third (round randomly up or down). These effects stack, after the base cap, but there's an absolute cap of 2 for attack delay.
Skill Which skill is required to effectively use this weapon.
One-handed min. size Minimum size required to be able to use the weapon with one hand. The order is little, small, medium, large, big.
Two-handed min. size Minimum size required to be able to use the weapon with two hands. When the player's size is equal or greater than 'Two-handed min. size', but less than 'One-handed min. size', the weapon cannot be used with a shield.
Missile The sort of ammo needed to use this weapon
Dam Type What category of damage does the weapon deal?
Prob A larger number indicates higher probability of acquiring through scrolls of acquirement.

Throwing

Throwing weapons can be further divided into two categories: thrown weapons and blowguns.

Thrown weapons are unique among ranged weapons in that they do not require you to wield anything to use them; you simply hurl them without needing a free hand (Don't ask). This means you don't have to waste time in combat swapping weapons, saving turns and reducing frustration, you can wear shields, and you can save many scrolls of enchant weapon. Thrown weapons need 27 skill levels to reach minimum delay, but despite this the average damage per turn of tomahawks, javelins, and large rocks is better than any other ranged weapon at the same skill level.

Blowguns are very unusual ranged weapons. In spite of the fact that they are affected by your Throwing skill, they require you to wield a blowgun and fire needles at the enemy. These deal no damage, but inflict devastating status effects.

Name Dam Hit Speed Skill One-handed min. size Two-handed min. size Missile Dam Type Prob Notes
Blowgun 0 +2 10 Throwing Little Little Needle None 0 Deals no damage, but inflicts status effects

Slings

Slings are ranged weapons which hurl sling bullets (or stones in a pinch) with great force. They are one-handed weapons for all but the tiniest characters and require much less skill than most other weapons to reach min delay, but they are significantly less powerful than their slower, more cumbersome alternatives.

Name Dam Hit Speed Skill One-handed min. size Two-handed min. size Missile Dam Type Prob Notes
Hunting sling 5 +2 12 Slings Little Little Stone /
Sling bullet
Non-melee 10
Fustibalus 8 -1 14 Slings Small Little Stone /
Sling bullet
Non-melee 10

Bows

Bows are a moderate player's choice of ranged weapon, firing arrows at your opponents to deadly effect. They are universally more powerful than slings, and require only a reasonable skill investment to fire quickly. However, both kinds of bow require two hands to wield.

Name Dam Hit Speed Skill One-handed min. size Two-handed min. size Missile Dam Type Prob Notes
Shortbow 9 +2 13 Bows - Little Arrow Non-melee 10
Longbow 15 0 17 Bows - Medium Arrow Non-melee 10

Crossbows

If you want a ranged weapon that tears into foes with the strength of a melee weapon, consider getting into crossbows. These contraptions are the largest, slowest ranged weapons available, but they launch their bolts with unparalleled force. Unfortunately, they require the most skill of all ranged weapons to attack quickly, particularly in the case of the super-heavy triple crossbow. With the exception of the tiny hand crossbow, crossbows are two-handed weapons and benefit much more from high strength than from dexterity.

Name Dam Hit Speed Skill One-handed min. size Two-handed min. size Missile Dam Type Prob Notes
Hand crossbow 12 +5 15 Crossbows Little Little Bolt Non-melee 10
Arbalest 18 +2 19 Crossbows - Little Bolt Non-melee 10
Triple crossbow 22 0 23 Crossbows - Small Bolt Non-melee 2

Brands

Ranged weapons and their associated ammunition are capable of carrying a wide variety of brands which can greatly increase your lethality when used correctly:

Ranged Weapon Brands

  • Electrocution - Deals additional electricity damage
  • Flame - Converts all damage to fire, increases damage by 0-40%
  • Frost - Converts all damage to cold, increases damage by 0-40%
  • Penetration - Projectiles can pierce through enemies, hitting everything along its trajectory
  • Speed - Attacks take 66.6% normal time
  • Venom - Poisons target
  • Vorpal - Increases damage by 0-40%

Ammunition Brands

If both your launcher and your ammo have brands, the brand of the missile usually overrides that of the launcher. Exceptions include the vorpal and speed brands, which stack with any ammo, and the fire/cold damage brands, which cancel out each other when paired together.

Retired Weapons

Over the years, several weapons have been removed from the Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup arsenal.

See also

History

  • Prior to 0.18, each weapon had a strength weight percentage that determined how the weapon would benefit from your strength and dexterity.
  • Prior to 0.15, ranged combat was significantly more complicated. Min delay was heavily influenced by your stats, and there was a much smaller variety of weapons available.
  • Prior to 0.14, daggers, spears, hand axes, and clubs could be thrown.