Assault rifle
) 
| |
|---|---|
| Name | assault rifle |
| Appearance | assault rifle |
| Damage vs. small | 1d2 |
| Damage vs. large | 1d2 |
| To-hit bonus | -2 |
| Weapon skill | firearms |
| Size | one-handed |
| Base price | 1000 zm (+10/positive enchant) |
| Weight | 40 |
| Material | iron |
An assault rifle is a firearm that appears in SLASH'EM and SlashTHEM. It is a launcher that fires bullets at a high rate, and is one-handed.
Generation
Yendorian Army sergeants have a 1⁄2 chance of generating with an assault rifle, and captains have a 1⁄4 chance of generating with one.
Description
The assault rifle has three modes of fire: automatic mode (which is default), burst mode (1⁄3 rate of fire), or single-shot mode. You can apply an assault rifle to switch between modes.
Rate of fire
In fully automatic mode, the assault rifle's rate of fire depends on its enchantment and skill of the user.
| Enchantment | Unskilled & Basic | Skilled | Expert |
|---|---|---|---|
| −7 to −6 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| −5 to −3 | 5 | 5 | 1d2+4 |
| −2 to +2 | 5 | 1d2+4 | 1d3+4 |
| +3 to +5 | 1d2+4 | 1d3+4 | 1d4+4 |
| +6 to +8 | 1d3+4 | 1d4+4 | 1d5+4 |
| +9 | 1d4+4 | 1d5+4 | 1d6+4 |
Strategy
For a character seeking the optimal combination of weight and firepower from a firearm, the assault rifle is the best choice. It is one-handed, enabling the use of a shield, and it has a moderate weight at 40 (the same as a long sword); compared to the submachine gun, the rifle offers a considerably better rate of fire, in exchange for an insignificant weight and accuracy penalty.
The assault rifle is an excellent tool for clearing out monsters in the Astral Plane, or killing nasty covetous monsters such as arch-liches and demon princes before they can warp away or escape upstairs.
Origin
Assault rifles are a type of select-fire automatic rifle that use intermediate power cartridges. First emerging during World War II, they became common during the Cold War. Compared to earlier battle rifles and semi-automatic rifles, they traded accuracy at extreme ranges for lighter cartridges (enabling soldiers to carry more rounds) and higher rates of fire.
The iconic AK-47 is an assault rifle, as is the American M16. Most modern armies use an assault rifle as their standard service weapon.
