Fly swatter

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) Fly swatter.png
Name fly swatter
Appearance fly swatter
Damage vs. small 1d10
Damage vs. large 1d2
To-hit bonus +2
Weapon skill paddle
Size one-handed
Base price 3 zm
(+10/positive
enchant)
Weight 10
Material plastic

The fly swatter is a melee weapon in SLASH'EM. It uses a new skill, called paddle, which it is the only weapon to use.

Generation

Fly swatters are randomly generated with a fairly low frequency. They are most commonly found in large weapon shops.

Properties

At 1d10, fly swatters have excellent base damage against small monsters: among one-handed weapons, only elven broadswords and crysknifes exceed them. Unfortunately, they only do 1d3 base damage against large monsters, making them one of the weakest weapons against creatures of such size. They do have an excellent +2 to-hit bonus, equivalent to a dagger.

Being made of plastic, they are not susceptible to rust or corrosion, but can be burnt or rotted. As with wooden elven weapons, this makes them nearly erodeproof naturally, as there are very few effects that will burn or rot a player's weapon.

Paddle skill

All roles except Ice mages, Necromancers, Rangers, and Valkyries can become attain at least Basic proficiency in the paddle skill. Somewhat amusingly, Priests can become expert, which evokes images of a strict theological school for children.

Paddle
Max Role
Basic
Skilled
Expert

Strategy

Overall, this is a very situational weapon. Its poor damage against large monsters makes it non-viable in the long run, but some starting characters might consider using it early on. Most probable among these would be Tourists: they can attain Basic proficiency, and unlike other roles they don't start with Basic skill in any other melee weapon. Tourists who elect to use a fly swatter will definitely want to use their darts against large monsters, such as baby dragons.