Axe
) 
| |
|---|---|
| Name | axe |
| Appearance | axe |
| Damage vs. small | 1d6 |
| Damage vs. large | 1d4 |
| To-hit bonus | +0 |
| Weapon skill | axe |
| Size | one-handed |
| Base price | 8 zm (+10/positive enchant) |
| Weight | 60 |
| Material | iron |
An axe is a type of weapon that appears in NetHack. It is a one-handed melee weapon that is made of iron, and can be thrown without a to-hit penalty. An axe can also be applied to chop down doors or trees.
Eating a non-blessed tin while wielding an axe will use the weapon to open it in six turns at most.[1]
Contents
Generation
Barbarians have a 1⁄2 chance of starting the game with an axe as their secondary weapon.[2]
Axes make up about 4% of randomly generated weapons (on the floor, as death drops, or in shops). In addition to random generation, weapon shops and general stores can stock axes.
Ninja have a 1⁄4 chance of being generated with an axe.[3] Live dwarves that are generated with a dwarvish short sword have a 1⁄4 chance of generating with an axe.[4]
Axe skill
| Axe | |
|---|---|
| Max | Role |
| Basic | |
| Skilled | |
| Expert | |
Both the axe and the battle-axe use the axe skill. Cleaver is an artifact weapon battle-axe.
Axe-type weapons deal +d4 damage versus wood golems.[5] Any axe-type weapon can be applied to chop in a specified direction, attacking a monster in that direction or chopping through a door or a tree - the process of chopping with an axe is similar to digging with a pick-axe or dwarvish mattock, and tunneling monsters can do the same if they possess an axe.
Felling a tree with an axe has a 1⁄5 chance of generating a fruit comestible, independent of the odds of kicking fruit from a tree.[6] Attempting to chop through a shop door will produce a message and cause you to abort the attempt, though by constantly resuming you will eventually succeed and potentially anger the shopkeeper.[7] Applying an axe to chop into a statue will produce a unique message and may cause up to 2 points of damage.
Strategy
An axe is an unremarkable weapon in terms of damage, but is very useful as a means of breaking through locked doors, especially if you lack an unlocking tool.
Applying an axe to a door is a safer way to break one than kicking, since it cannot immediately destroy shop doors and incur a 400-zorkmid bill for damages - the message indicating that you are chopping a shop's door is slightly misleading, but will generally display enough that a player can catch on before it is too late. Do not attempt to chop through any doors and trees in view of a Minetown watchman, or you will instantly anger them.
History
The axe first appears in Hack121 and Hack for PDP-11, which are both based on Jay Fenlason's Hack, and it is included in the initial item list for Hack 1.0.
Messages
- This door seems too hard to chop through.
- You attempted to apply an axe-type weapon to a shop door.
- Halt, vandal! You're under arrest!
- A watchman saw you chop into a tree or door with an axe-type weapon.
- Sparks fly as you whack the statue.
- You attempted to apply an axe-type weapon to a statue.
- The axe-handle vibrates violently!
- You took some damage from the above attempt.
Variants
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, upgrading an axe will produce a battle-axe and vice versa.
An axe appears in the left center courtyard of the Yeoman quest locate level.
Giantkiller is an artifact axe that replaces Giantslayer from NetHack.
UnNetHack
In UnNetHack, the peaceful iron golem generated in the forest within the Ruins of Moria is always generated with an axe.
dNetHack
dNetHack and notdNetHack add the diskos and moon axe as weapons that use the axe skill, and all axes deal an extra d4 damage to plants and wooden enemies. The diskos uses the higher between a character's axe and polearms skills for damage if they are not twoweaponing or using a shield, and will otherwise default to axe skill if either is applicable.
Carrying The Air Crystal raises skill in axes by one level. Marionette, Puppet of Screams is a spirit that grants skill in axes while bound.
Giantslayer's base item is changed to an axe, and The Rod of Lordly Might and The Sceptre of Lolth can be invoked to take on the form of an appropriate axe.
SpliceHack
SpliceHack introduces the throwing axe as a weapon that uses the axe skill and can be multishot when thrown.
At a furnace, two axes can be combined to create a battle-axe, and an axe can be combined with a pick-axe to create a dwarvish mattock.
EvilHack
EvilHack adds the dwarvish bearded axe as a weapon that uses the axe skill.
An axe is always generated on the first floor of the Ice Queen's Realm and the third floor of Vecna's Domain at level creation.
An axe can be created at a forge by combining a dagger and a spear. Axes can be used to create a few items:
- An axe can be combined with a dwarvish short sword to create a dwarvish bearded axe.
- An axe can be combined with a broadsword to create a battle-axe.
- An axe can be combined with a ranseur to create a halberd.
- An axe can be combined with a spear to create a voulge.
SlashTHEM
In addition to SLASH'EM details, dwarven characters in SlashTHEM can reach a minimum of Skilled in axes.
Frostbite is an artifact weapon that uses the axe skill.
Hack'EM
Hack'EM adds the dwarvish bearded axe from EvilHack and the throwing axe from SpliceHack.
An axe can be upgraded to a throwing axe, and vice versa. In addition to EvilHack forging recipes, axes can be used in two other recipes:
- An axe can be combined with a dagger to create a throwing axe.
- Two axes can be combined to create a battle-axe.
Encyclopedia entry
"For ev'ry silver ringing blow,
Cities and palaces shall grow!"
"Bite deep and wide, O Axe, the tree,
Tell wider prophecies to me."
"When rust hath gnaw'd me deep and red,
A nation strong shall lift his head.
"His crown the very Heav'ns shall smite,
Aeons shall build him in his might."
"Bite deep and wide, O Axe, the tree;
Bright Seer, help on thy prophecy!"
References
- ↑ src/eat.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1497
- ↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 43
- ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 268
- ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 378
- ↑ src/weapon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 324
- ↑ src/dig.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 401
- ↑ src/dig.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 475: The check occurs after the digging effort has been applied, and if enough effort has been put in, the door will break as usual
