Hits creatures as +x weapon
In SLASH'EM and SlashTHEM, both new and returning monsters can have the "hits creatures as a +x weapon" property, where x is an integer from 1 to 4 - monsters with the property will hit other monsters as a weapon of the described enchantment. This is derived from Dungeons & Dragons, alongside the "Need +x weapon to hit" property.
You can gain this property by polymorphing into an appropriate monster, though this does not confer the equivalent enchantment resistance.
Description
The "hits creatures as +x weapon" property treats the monster's attacks as coming from a weapon of a certain enchantment, with the exact level of enchantment governed using a set of flags describing that enchantment (e.g., MR_HITASONE, MR_HITASTWO and so on). A monster with a MR_HITASFOUR flag, for instance, will hit other monsters as a +4 weapon. It is also intrinsic to monsters with enchantment resistance: a monster that is not given a specific "hits as" flag 'implicitly' hits as the same enchantment of weapon that they resist[1] - e.g., the Aleax has the MR_PLUSTWO flag but no MR_HITASFOO, so Aleaxes require a +2 weapon or better to hit and hit as +2 weapons themselves.
When calculating damage in combat, if the attacker has this property, the property's level is checked against the level a target's enchantment resistance - this is done even if they are using an enchanted weapon, with some exceptions described in detail below. regardless of if they are wielding a weapon.
Polyself
If you are polymorphed into a monster with this property, the property's level will override the enchantment of your actual weapon; wielded artifacts (not just artifact weapons) gain a +2 bonus to "effective" enchantment for purposes of checking against your target's enchantment resistance, even while you are polymorphed into a monster with this property.[2] Magicbane is always counted as a +4 weapon for this purpose, effectively ignoring all forms of enchantment resistance when you attack with it.[3] A player polymorphed into an orc-captain (which hits as +1) cannot hit an Aleax (which needs +2 to hit) with any mundane weapon, though they can do so with a wielded artifact.
Monsters and weapons
Monsters wielding enchanted weapons that attack other monsters with the "needs +x weapon to hit" property are treated somewhat similarly - a monster without a "hits as +x" property has their weapon's enchantment checked against enchantment resistance: any enchantment of +0 or below is counted as 0, a +0 or lower artifact weapon hits as a +1 weapon, and a +1 or higher artifact weapon hits as a +2 weapon. A monster with the "hits creatures as a +x weapon" property overrides the enchantment of their weapon, and artifact bonuses are not applied;[4] it is unclear if this behavior is a bug.
Strategy
The ability to hit creatures as a +x weapon is of particular relevance to pet-keepers, especially pacifists who rely on their pets being able to reliably damage and kill monsters: see this strategy section for advice on obtaining pets with this property. It is also relevant to doppelganger characters, who often utilize polyself as a primary strategy and generally require specific knowledge of monster forms to deal with most situations they encounter.
Monsters gain nothing from higher-enchanted weapons if they have a "hits as +x" property, making equipping pets for the purpose of taking on hostile monsters with higher "needs +x to hit" properties somewhat counter-productive. Remember that for monsters, artifacts cap out at +2 weapons for purposes of hitting through enchantment resistance and are also overridden by "hits as +x" properties making them worse than ordinary weapons in some cases. To sum up with a few examples:
- A pet Elvenking, which possesses neither property, can hit any monster with a +4 dagger. That same Elvenking with the +7 Sunsword would not be able to hit a ki-rin, which has "needs +3 to hit" - Sunsword hits as +2 regardless of its actual enchantment.
- An orc-captain, which explicitly possesses "hit as +1", would not even be able to hit a lich even while wielding an artifact such as the +7 Doomblade - liches possess the "needs +2 to hit" property, and the orc-captain's "hits as +1" property overrides both the artifact's "effective" enchantment and its actual enchantment.
- Similarly, a pet vampire mage, which implicitly has "hits as +3", would not be able to hit an Archon, which has "needs +4 to hit", including with a +7 Doomblade.
- Meanwhile, a pet Archon or Solar, which both implicitly possess "hits as +4", can hit any monster regardless of wielded weapon.
Both properties also serve to make conflict somewhat less useful in the late game, since especially nasty spellcasters such as arch-liches cannot be reliably hit by most of the other monsters surrounding them, including low-MR score nasties that they can summon such as minotaurs and mastodons. Conflict still serves well as a distraction, but will not kill as many monsters as it would otherwise, and may require you to step in and kill some of the tougher hostiles yourself.
