Samurai
The samurai are Japanese warriors who adhere to the discipline of bushido (honor) and fight their enemies using ancient martial arts. Therefore they start out lawful and human, and can be of either gender, male or female.
Contents
Equipment, abilities, and limitations
The Samurai is one of the strongest roles in the early game, and thus an excellent choice for beginners. They start the game extremely well armed with a +0 katana, a +0 wakizashi, a yumi, 26 to 45 ya, a +0 splint mail, and a blindfold (20% of the time). They gain the warrior type intrinsics of speed (at level 1), and stealth (at level 15), and can reach expert level in short sword, long sword, two-handed sword, bow (yumi), and throwing star (shuriken).
Game strategy
The samurai strategy is very simple. If it moves, stab it. The samurai are also good ranged warriors, receiving a bonus to hit and damage when shooting yas from a yumi. Samurai aren't good at spell casting. However, the katana and splint mail they start with makes the first few levels a breeze.
As far as weapons go, the samurai should not bother with any sword other than a long sword. The katana they start with is the finest one-handed non-artifact weapon in the game. Since the samurai can reach expert level in two-weapon combat they are better off swinging two long swords/katana than one of any larger non-artifact weapon.
Of course, the samurai becomes even more powerful WITH an artifact weapon. Early options include Snickersee, a buffed-up katana that you can get by sacrificing to your god, or better yet, Excalibur. which can be produced by dipping a long sword into a fountain after experience level 5. (Preferably level 7). Once you have a half-decent artifact, slide your original katana over to the secondary in two-handed combat, where it will continue to add it's damage to your attacks.
When starting out with two-weapon combat don't use the wakizashi. It's a short sword and is completely worthless. Find a long sword, which will share the skills you gained with the katana. Otherwise, a bardiche, halberd, or even a spetum is a good secondary weapon. Crysknifes are also good, but not worth the effort in creating them. Bear in mind that you should avoid advancing any weapon other than long sword past basic level if you can, as you may eventually want those slots for two-weapon, riding and/or spells.
The yumi is the best long distance damage weapon available, and is worth using regularly, especially since it can shoot 2 ya in a single turn. However, veteran players recommend that the bow skill should only be advanced to skilled level, not expert level. This is so you can save expert level slots for later.
In the long term, the best artifact weapon for the Samurai is Frost Brand. The most damaging all-purpose melee attack in the game comes from a samurai double wielding a +7 Frost Brand and a +7 katana. This assumes 18/** STR and expert level in both two-weapon combat and long sword. Next comes the Fire Brand, then Grayswandir, and then the Tsurugi of Murasama.
If you have some wishes to burn, consider the Magic Mirror of Merlin, or the Mitre of Holiness. Samurai don't have the magic resistance intrinsic, so any artifact that provides it is worth having. In the non-artifact category, gray (or possibly silver) dragon scale mail is a must-have, as is a good pair of fireproof speed boots.
Quest
The Samurai quest item is the Tsurugi of Muramasa, a powerful two-handed katana with the ability to bisect enemies (i. e. kill them outright) 10% of the time, much like the Vorpal Blade. The Tsurugi is an excellent weapon in the mid-game (i. e. from the Quest to Gehennom), but becomes weaker in the end-game because it doesn't d double damage like some other artifact weapons. (Frost Brand, Fire Brand, Grayswandir and the Staff of Aesculapius.) Once you have enough scrolls to enchanting your primary weapon up to +7. you'll want to make the Tsurugi your back up. But until then, happy bisecting!
Canonical Lists and Data
Japanese item names
Since the samurai are Japanese, some of the game items use Japanese names. The following is a list of those items with their Japanese names:
English | Japanese |
---|---|
bamboo arrow | ya |
booze | sake |
broadsword | ninja-to |
flail | nunchaku |
food ration | gunyoki |
glaive | naginata |
helmet | kabuto |
knife | shito |
lock pick | osaku |
long bow | yumi |
long sword (samurai) | katana |
long sword | tsurugi |
short sword | wakizashi |
throwing star | shuriken |
wooden harp | koto |
Weapon Skill Caps
daggers | basic |
knives | skilled |
axes | - |
pick-axes | - |
short swords | expert |
broadswords | skilled |
long swords | expert |
two-handed swords | expert |
scimitars | basic |
sabers | basic |
clubs | - |
maces | - |
morning stars | - |
flails | skilled |
hammers | - |
quarterstaffs | basic |
polearms | skilled |
spears | basic |
javelins | basic |
tridents | - |
lances | skilled |
bows | expert |
slings | - |
crossbows | - |
darts | - |
shurikens | expert |
boomerangs | - |
whips | - |
exotic weapons | - |
two-weapon combat | expert |
riding | skilled |
bare-handed combat | - |
martial arts | master |