Assault rifle (SLASH'EM)
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| |
|---|---|
| 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 |
- For the weapon in dNetHack and its derivatives, see assault rifle (dNetHack).
An assault rifle is a type of weapon that appears in SLASH'EM, SpliceHack, SlashTHEM and Hack'EM. The assault rifle is a one-handed launcher that uses the firearms skill and is designed for use with bullets. It is made of iron.
In Hack'EM, it appears as a "broken crossbow" when unidentified, similar to the item in dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack.
Contents
Generation
Assault rifles are generated differently across variants.
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, assault rifles are not randomly generated, though they can be wished for or found in bones.
Sergeants have a 1⁄2 chance of being generated with an assault rifle and 2 different stacks of 3–32 bullets as ammo.[1] Captains have a 1⁄4 chance of being generated with an assault rifle and 2 different stacks of 3–62 bullets as ammo.[2]
SpliceHack
In SpliceHack, assault rifles are not randomly generated, though they can be wished for or found in bones.
SlashTHEM
In SlashTHEM, assault rifles are very rare and make up 1⁄1000 of weapons randomly generated on the ground, in general shops or as death drops.
Weapons outlets, used armor dealerships and gun stores can also stock assault rifles. Gun stores have a 3⁄100 chance of generating an assault rifle on each square.
Generation details for monsters are the same as in SLASH'EM.
Hack'EM
In Hack'EM, assault rifles are not randomly generated, though they can be wished for or found in bones.
Gun stores can stock assault rifles, and have a 3⁄100 chance of generating an assault rifle on each square.
Sergeants that have not been given racial monster weapons have a 1⁄3 chance of being generated with an assault rifle and 2 stacks of 3–32 bullets as ammo if they are not generated with an auto shotgun (an effective 1⁄6 chance). Lieutenants that have not been given racial monster weapons and are generated at the Castle have a 1⁄3 chance of being generated with an assault rifle and 2 stacks of 3–62 bullets as ammo if they are not generated with other firearm weapons (an effective 1⁄18 chance).
Description
The assault rifle has a maximum range of 20 squares with a base rate of fire of 5, but has a -2 to-hit penalty. Assault rifles have three modes of fire–automatic mode (uninhibited rate of fire), burst mode (1⁄3 rate of fire), and single-shot mode–and a hero wielding an assault rifle can cycle between them in the given order by applying it.[3]
Rate of fire
In fully automatic mode, the impact of an assault rifle's enchantment and the hero's firearms skill on its rate of fire is detailed in the table below:
| 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 hero that wants the optimal combination of weight and firepower, the assault rifle is the best choice: it is one-handed, allowing the use of a shield; its weight of 40 aum is the same as a long sword; and it offers a much better rate of fire than a submachine gun in exchange for a weight difference of 15 aum and an accuracy penalty that is relatively easy to overcome.
Even for roles normally restricted in firearms, the assault rifle is an excellent tool for many purposes from the mid-game on, from shooting down covetous monsters such as quest nemeses and liches before they can warp away or escape via stairs, to clearing out monsters in the Astral Plane.
Origin
An assault rifle is a select-fire rifle that uses an intermediate-rifle cartridge and a detachable magazine, and generally trades accuracy at extreme ranges for higher rates of fire and lighter cartridges (enabling soldiers to carry more rounds). Assault rifles were first put into mass production and accepted into widespread service during World War II: the first to see major usage was the German StG 44, a development of the earlier Mkb 42 that is generally considered the first popular selective-fire military rifle, and the modern usage of "assault rifle" refers to firearms sharing the same basic characteristics as the StG 44.
Designs for assault rifles that use the modern definition date back as far as 1915 with the Fedorov Avtomat, one of the world's first operational automatic rifles designed by Vladimir Grigoryevich Fyodorov, and considered by some to be an "early predecessor" or "ancestor" of the modern assault rifle. The term "assault rifle" itself is generally attributed to Adolf Hitler, who used the German word Sturmgewehr (which directly translates to "assault rifle") as the new name for the MP 43 (or Maschinenpistole, meaning "machine pistol"), subsequently known as the Sturmgewehr 44.
Allied propaganda suggested that the name was chosen for propaganda purposes, but the main purpose was to differentiate the Sturmgewehr from German submachine guns such as the MP 40. However, some other sources suggest that the Heereswaffenamt was responsible for the name Sturmgewehr, and Hitler had no input besides signing the production order; he was initially opposed to the idea of a new infantry rifle, as Germany lacked the industrial capacity to replace the 12,000,000 Karabiner 98k rifles already in service, only changing his mind once he saw it first-hand.
While NATO countries were equipped with battle rifles immediately after World War II and during the Cold War, the development of the M16 rifle during the Vietnam War prompted the adoption of assault rifles by the rest of NATO. By the end of the 20th century, assault rifles had become the standard weapon in most of the world's armies, replacing full-powered rifles and submachine guns in most roles. The two most successful modern assault rifles are the AK-47 and the M16 designs and their derivatives.
