Rocket launcher
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| |
|---|---|
| Name | rocket launcher |
| Appearance | rocket launcher |
| Damage vs. small | 1d2 |
| Damage vs. large | 1d2 |
| To-hit bonus | -4 |
| Weapon skill | firearms |
| Size | two-handed |
| Base price | 3500 zm (+10/positive enchant) |
| Weight | 750 |
| Material | iron |
A rocket launcher is a type of two-handed firearm that appears in SLASH'EM and SlashTHEM. It is a launcher that fires rockets, and is made of iron. A rocket launcher can fire multiple rockets per round, with the chance based on skill level and the launcher's enchantment.
Generation
Captains in the Yendorian Army have a 1⁄2 chance of generating with a rocket launcher.
Strategy
Rockets fired from a rocket launcher deal the most base damage of any projectile in the game, dealing d45 against small monsters and d60 against large ones - the rockets also explode for 3d8 fire damage when they hit a target. Unfortunately, the rocket launcher's extreme weight of 750 aum, along with the 200 aum weight of its projectiles, renders the weapon completely useless.
In SLASH'EM, the launcher alone takes up the mass majority of a strong character's carrying capacity before accounting for rockets themselves, even with no other inventory; in SlashTHEM, even the increases to carrying capacity do not stop the launcher and rockets from being incredibly cumbersome for most characters, short of those polymorphed into nymphs - assuming the maximum carrying capacity of 4000 aum, a rocket launcher on its own takes up around 1⁄5 of that weight, with a set of six rockets bumping that weight to nearly half of that total.
Additionally, in order to fire more than one rocket in a round, a rocket launcher would have to be enchanted far beyond a level that is probable for players to obtain: with expert skill, a +15 rocket launcher would fire two rockets with a 1⁄8 probability. Furthermore, the rocket launcher is hampered by its -4 to-hit penalty and inability to wear a shield while operating one, and its damage per turn is considerably lower than much lighter rapid-fire weapons such as assault rifles and submachine guns.
Origin
Rocket launchers were first used in China as early as the 1200s, and rockets have seen continuous use in warfare ever since. Based on its tile, the rocket launcher depicted in SLASH'EM appears to be some sort of multiple rocket launcher system. This may explain its high weight, given that such devices are usually vehicle-mounted, not man-portable. A typical shoulder-mounted rocket launcher (the bazooka being an iconic example) weighs around 13lb/6kg - roughly twice the weight of an assault rifle, rather than nearly twenty times heavier.
