Broadsword
) 
| |
|---|---|
| Name | broadsword |
| Appearance | broadsword |
| Damage vs. small | 2d4 |
| Damage vs. large | 1d6+1 |
| To-hit bonus | +0 |
| Weapon skill | broadsword |
| Size | one-handed |
| Base price | 10 zm (+10/positive enchant) |
| Weight | 70 |
| Material | iron |
A broadsword is a type of weapon that appears in NetHack. It is a one-handed melee weapon that is made of iron.
For Samurai, the broadsword appears as a ninja-to.
Contents
Generation
The broadsword makes up 1⁄125 (0.8%) of all weapons that are randomly generated on the ground, in general shops or as death drops. Used armor dealerships and antique weapons outlets can also stock broadswords.
Some monsters can be generated with broadswords:
- Lieutenants have a roughly 1⁄2 chance of being generated with a broadsword.[1]
- Balrogs are always generated with broadswords.[2]
- Player monsters, including those generated on the Astral Plane, have a low 2⁄291 chance (effectively ~0.69%) of generating with a broadsword as their weapon before role-based replacements are applied.[3]
Broadsword skill
| Broadsword | |
|---|---|
| Max | Role |
| Basic | |
| Skilled | |
The following weapons use the broadsword skill:
- broadsword
- elven broadsword
- runesword
Three artifacts use the broadsword skill:
- Dragonbane (broadsword)
- Orcrist (elven broadsword)
- Stormbringer (runesword)
Strategy
Broadswords by themselves are serviceable if unremarkable weapons, but can usually be replaced by a better weapon such as an elven broadsword in short order. The broadsword skill in general is most often relevant for chaotic heroes seeking to obtain Stormbringer as early as possible, or else using an elven broadsword as a secondary option for two-weapon combat.
History
The broadsword first appears in NetHack 1.3d, where it is known as a broad sword. In NetHack 3.0.0, the item's name is changed to "broadsword".
From NetHack 3.0.0 to NetHack 3.0.10, the base item type of Stormbringer is a broadsword—NetHack 3.1.0 introduces the runesword and changes Stormbringer's base item to a runesword.
Origin
"Broadsword" is the modern name for the historical basket-hilted sword, a type of sword generally used for military purposes in the early modern era of the 16th century and seen as late as the early 20th. The eponymous guard used for the wielder's hand protection is developed from the standard "quillon" crossguard, and is the result of firearms rendering many forms of armor ineffective—"true" broadswords are double-edged, while those with single-edged blades and thickened backs are generally called "backswords".
The term "broad" contrasts the cutting and thrusting weapon with the rapier, which has a more slender blade and is designed primarily for thrusting alone; some rapiers feature a broadsword-like blade paired with typical rapier hilts and sometimes with similar crossguards. Many modern fantasy works incorrectly depict broadswords as a medieval-style weapon with a simple crossguard, similar to an arming sword. The weapon's presence in the hands of balrogs suggests that the developers of NetHack treat the weapon similarly, as a modern weapon like a real-world broadsword would be very out of place in Tolkien's Middle Earth: its tile also appears to depict a simple crossguard, rather than a full basket hilt.
The "ninja-to" or "ninjatō" is a shorter, broader sword sometimes compared to a katana that ninjas are depicted as using in popular culture. Historians doubt that it existed: it is not attested before the twentieth century, and no surviving examples from feudal Japan are known.
Variants
Some variants that incorporate the Convict patch usually include the role's designated first sacrifice gift: Luck Blade, a chaotic artifact broadsword that acts as a luck item while carried.
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, all broadsword-skill weapons can be poisoned.
A broadsword is generated next to the left sink on the Yeoman quest goal level during level creation.
Upgrading a broadsword successfully will produce an elven broadsword, and vice versa.
UnNetHack
In UnNetHack, Luck Blade is a chaotic artifact broadsword that acts as the first sacrifice gift for Convicts.
dNetHack
In dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, the broadsword is made more similar to its historical counterpart. dNetHack and its variants also add some weapons that use the broadsword skill, including making a separate weapon out of the ninja-to:
All broadsword-skill weapons other than force swords and beamswords can be poisoned by dipping them into appropriate potions.
The Water Crystal increases a hero's skill cap for broadswords by 1 while carried.
Several artifacts in dNetHack and its variants use the broadsword skill:
- Fire Brand and Frost Brand can generate in broadsword form, and can also be reshaped into a broadsword by dipping the artifact into a forge or fountain respectively, which requires the hero to either have a broadsword in their inventory or be at least Skilled in broadswords.
- The Fuma-itto no Ken is a chaotic broadsword that is permanently poisoned, grants +1 to-hit and +1d8 damage bonuses versus cross-aligned targets, and can be invoked to create a stack of shuriken.
- The Atma Weapon is an unaligned beamsword that can be applied to turn it on and off, and follows lightsaber rules with the following exceptions:
- While on, it deals 3d10+(3x enchantment) to both large and small monsters, with bonuses of +1d6 to-hit and +3d6 damage against nasty monsters.
- If wielded without drain resistance, Atma Weapon adds +1dx damage (where x is the wielder's current experience level) while severely reducing the wielder's natural healing rate, and scales its damage with their current HP percentage. Additionally, if Atma Weapon wielded while cursed and activated, or else it is activated while cursed or uncharged, it will drain an experience level and uncurse and/or charge itself.
- If wielded with drain resistance, its base damage is decreased to 2d10+(2x enchantment) against all monsters.
- Glamdring is a lawful elven broadsword that favors Nobles and is the first sacrifice gift for Dwarf Knights. It has +1d5 to-hit and deals +1d10 damage versus all monsters, along with dealing an additional +1d20 to orcs and demons and warning of both monster types while wielded. Glamdring cannot be knocked out of the hero's hands while wielded.
- The Rod of the Elvish Lords is a lawful elven Noble-favoring artifact that can take the form of an elven broadsword, and engraves at the same quality as an athame in this form.
DynaHack
In DynaHack, Luck Blade is an intelligent artifact and is otherwise the same as in UnNetHack.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, Monks and Rangers can train the broadsword skill: Monks can reach Basic, while Rangers can reach Skilled. Knights have their broadsword skill cap changed to Expert.
Luck Blade has the same traits as in UnNetHack, but is made of steel rather than iron. It is the first sacrifice gift for Convicts.
A broadsword can be created at a forge by combining a scimitar and a short sword. Broadswords can be used to create a few items:
- A broadsword can be combined with an axe to create a battle-axe.
- A broadsword can be combined with a long sword to create a two-handed sword
- A broadsword can be combined with a dagger to create a runesword.
- A broadsword can be combined with a spear to create a partisan.
Encyclopaedia entry
Bring me my broadsword
And clear understanding.
Bring me my cross of gold,
As a talisman.
Ninja-to
A Japanese broadsword.
References
- ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 5.0.0, line 207
- ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 5.0.0, line 504
- ↑ src/mplayer.c in NetHack 5.0.0, line 150: 1⁄2 to get a random weapon—the designated range of objects covers weapons from the spear to the bullwhip inclusively in objects.h, and uses normal generation odds
