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'''Projectiles''' are any [[object]]s thrown or [[kick]]ed by [[you]] or a [[monster]], or shot with a launcher. Related but separate are [[ranged weapon]]s, which are [[weapon]]s monsters will attack you with from a distance.

To throw a projectile you can either [[throw]] {{kbd|t}} it, or [[quiver]] {{kbd|Q}} a stack of it and then [[fire]] {{kbd|f}} from that stack. There is no bonus or penalty for using the fire command; it is merely a convenience. (Gold is an exception.)

The [[autoquiver]] option can make firing simpler and works only with {{kbd|f}}.

A [[greased]] projectile has a chance of slipping when thrown or fired.  A [[BUC|cursed]] projectile may also slip or misfire.

== Thrown objects ==

Any item can be thrown (and thus be considered a projectile) if the entity throwing it is strong enough. Use the {{kbd|t}}hrow command to provide a list of readily-thrown items. You can expand this list to include your entire inventory by pressing {{kbd|*}}.

Some objects however are designed to be thrown:
*[[boomerang]]s
*[[dagger]]s
*[[dart]]s
*[[javelin]]s
*[[knife|knives]]
*[[shuriken]]
*[[spear]]s

The [[artifact weapon]] [[Mjollnir]] requires a [[strength]] of 25 to throw.{{refsrc|dothrow.c|85}} If thrown by a [[Valkyrie]], it will usually return to her hand.{{refsrc|dothrow.c|1021}} If that fails or if [[you]] are [[blind]], [[fumbling]], [[confused]], [[stunned]], or [[hallucinating]]{{refsrc|dothrow.c|867}}{{refsrc|dothrow.c|1026}} Mjollnir falls at your feet or you get hit.

Since 3.6.1 the humble [[aklys]] is a proper thrown weapon with a Mjollnir-like behavior. It has no strength or role requirements but also averages far less damage (including possibly to yourself) than the artifact. Some roles restricted in ranged weapon fighting but with the [[Club#Club_skill|club skill]] may find it useful.

These objects are unaffected by the use of a [[launcher]].

== Launchers and their ammunitions ==

Other objects, called ammunition projectiles, or shot projectiles, are designed to be used with a launcher.

{| class="prettytable"
! colspan="2" style="font-size:larger" | Launchers and their ammunitions
|-
! Launcher !! Ammunition allowed
|-
| Sling
|
* [[rock]]s, [[gem]]s, [[flint stone]]s, and other [[gray stone]]s
|-
| Bow
|
* [[arrow]]s, [[elven arrow]]s, [[orcish arrow]]s, [[silver arrow]]s, and [[ya]].
|-
| Crossbow
|
* [[crossbow bolt]]s
|}

To get the most out of the ammunition projectiles, you need to [[wield]] {{kbd|w}} the corresponding [[launcher]] before attempt to shoot the projectiles. Then you may [[throw]] {{kbd|t}} or [[quiver]] {{kbd|Q}} and [[fire]] {{kbd|f}} them just as you would the thrown projectiles.

These shot projectiles can also be thrown in the absence of a [[launcher]], but they will be less effective.

== Breakage ==

Some projectiles may break (or '''mulch''') when they score a hit. Misses and projectiles that do not cross paths with any monsters never break. 

[[Glass]] objects, including [[potions]], may also break when thrown regardless of whether they hit anything, but this is handled by a different code path which prints '''"An <object> shatters into a thousand pieces!"'''. Other projectile breakage of non-fragile objects is silent and prints nothing.

The projectiles subject to breaking are:
* [[arrow]]s, [[orcish arrow]]s, [[elven arrow]]s, [[silver arrow]]s, and [[ya]]
* [[crossbow bolt]]s
* [[dart]]s
* [[shuriken]]
* all [[gem]]s, [[rock]]s, and [[flint stone]]s

All other thrown objects, such as [[dagger]]s, [[spear]]s, [[javelin]]s, [[knife|knives]], [[boomerangs]], and the other [[gray stone]]s, never break when thrown.

[[Blessed|Blessing]] these projectiles lowers the chance of them breaking by an amount that depends on your [[Luck]]. [[Enchanting]] them also reduces this chance. [[Stone]]s and [[gem]]s cannot be [[enchanting|enchanted]], but if they are blessed they will benefit from the reduced chance of breaking due to Luck.

The chance of breakage can be calculated as follows:

# Compute <code>chance = 3 + erosion - enchantment</code>, where <code>erosion</code> is 3 if thoroughly [[erosion|eroded]], 2 if very eroded, 1 if just eroded, and 0 otherwise.  If the projectile has both types of erosion for its material, use the greater erosion only; erosions do not stack.
# If <code>chance</code> is at least 2, the projectile has a <code>(chance-1)/chance</code> chance of breakage.  Otherwise, it has a 1/4 chance. This effectively means that all non-eroded projectiles that are +2 or higher will always have this base 1/4 chance of breakage; enchanting it further will not help.
# If the projectile is blessed, it further decreases the chance of breaking, dependent on the character's luck. Specifically, if <code>[[rnl]](4)</code> evaluates to 0, the projectile will not break. {{refsrc|dothrow.c|1522|version=NetHack 3.6.0|comment=Breakage: Blessed projectiles}}  Multiply the value from step 2 by the value from the table below.  The result is the total chance of the projectile breaking.

{|class="prettytable"
!Luck Range
!Approximate chance of breakage (rnl(4) > 0)
|-
| -13 to -1
|99.3%
|-
| 0 to 1
|75%
|-
|2 to 4
|50.5%
|-
|5 to 7
|26.2%
|-
|8 to 13
|1.8%
|}

===Longevity===
If you have <math>n</math> projectiles and <math>p</math> is the chance of a projectile breaking on a single hit, the chance of the stack of projectiles lasting exactly <math>k</math> hits (where <math>n<k</math>) is:

<math>(1-p)^{(k-n)} * p^n * {k-1 \choose n-1}</math>

The median total number of uses you will get is approximately a little less than

<math>\frac{n}{p}</math>

For instance, if you have 50 projectiles, each with a 25% chance of breaking on each hit, you will get around 200 hits out of them. However, the distribution is fairly wide, so results may vary significantly.

== Multishot ==

{{main|Multishot}}

Multiple [[dagger]]s, [[dart]]s, [[shuriken]], [[arrow]]s, [[crossbow bolt]]s, [[spear]]s, [[gem]]s, [[rocks]], and [[gray stone]]s can be fired or thrown in one turn.

== Launchers and missiles in melee ==

If a launcher (bow, sling, or crossbow), a launcher's ammo (arrow, bolt, etc.), or a missile (boomerang, shuriken, dart) is used in melee, only 1d2 damage is usually done (regardless of enchantment), and the skill will not be trained.{{refsrc|uhitm.c|568}}

== Wishing ==

{{main|Wish#Quantity}}

All forms of [[arrow]]s, as well as [[dart]]s, [[crossbow bolt]]s, [[shuriken]], [[boomerang]]s, and [[rock]]s may be wished for up to 20 at a time. [[Gem]]s and [[gray stone]]s cannot be wished for in this way. (Note that this is generally not an effective use of wishes, although [[silver arrow]]s may be an exception under some circumstances.)

== Strategy ==

In fact, anything can be used as a projectile. [[Cockatrice]] [[egg]]s make popular missiles, and so do various [[potion]]s. (Bashing monsters with a [[wield]]ed one is more likely to score a hit, and will not petrify you.)

Projectiles are good for softening targets from afar. Almost anything can even be shot and thrown past [[boulder]]s, which is often advantageous in [[Sokoban]]. There is a major exception: when you are [[levitation|levitating]], you cannot throw [[arrow]]s or [[crossbow bolt]]s past [[boulder]]s unless you are wielding the appropriate [[launcher]].

You can throw almost anything at [[floating eye]]s or other enemies with only a [[passive attack]] (even your primary weapon, just be careful) if you lack the [[resistance]]s needed to attack them in melee.

To exercise your skill with a projectile weapon designed to be thrown or shot from a launcher, you must [[throw]] {{kbd|t}} or [[fire]] {{kbd|f}} it and successfully hit an enemy, dealing at least 1 damage. [[Spear]]s, [[javelin]]s, [[knife|knives]], [[aklys|aklyses]] and [[dagger]]s are the exceptions. Those skills are also exercised by [[wield]]ing the weapon and striking foes in melee.

{{stub|Something should be added, at least about skills. Exactly how does enhancing skill effect missile use? Does the damage you deal when wielding an arrow increase with higher bow skill? Perhaps the strategy section could feature more inter-missile comparisons?}}

[[Category:Weapons]]

==References==
<references/>

{{nethack-343}}
[[Category:Weapons]]