Ya
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| |
|---|---|
| Name | ya |
| Appearance | bamboo arrow |
| Damage vs. small | 1d7 |
| Damage vs. large | 1d7 |
| To-hit bonus | +1 |
| Weapon skill | bow |
| Size | one-handed |
| Base price | 4 zm (+10/positive enchant) |
| Weight | 1 |
| Material | metal |
The ya is a projectile weapon that appears in Nethack. It is a type of arrow designed for use with a yumi. Ya arrowheads are made of metal, and ya appear as bamboo arrows when unidentified.
Generation
In addition to random generation, Samurai will always start the game with 26 to 45 ya.
Description
Samurai firing ya from a yumi gain a +1 multishot bonus.
Strategy
Ya are high-quality projectiles for most bow-wielding roles on paper: they deal the most base damage out of all arrows (1d7 versus 1d6 for normal arrows), are the only arrows to have a to-hit bonus and are inherently erosion-proof. Samurai are the most likely to get any use out of them in practice, due to their multishot bonus and starting stack of ya; while other bow-wielding characters such as Rangers may consider them, ya are only marginally better than the much more common elven arrows for those roles. Like with most projectiles that mulch, long-term use of ya requires gathering a fairly large stack of them, as well as maximizing luck and securing a luck item, before committing scrolls of enchant weapon to enchanting them.
History
The ya is introduced alongside the yumi in NetHack 3.1.0. In NetHack 3.0.10 and previous versions, including some variants based on those versions, Samurai start with a stack of shuriken.[1]
Origin
Ya are a real world arrow type used by Japanese archers, around 85-110 centimeters (33-43 inches) compared to the 75-90 centimeters (30-35 inches) of the 'standard' arrow. Their size is designed specifically for the very large yumi. The to-hit bonus may suggest ya with a bodkin point, a common medieval war-time arrow in many societies designed to penetrate armor (particularly chain mail).
Encyclopedia entry
The arrow of choice of the samurai, ya are made of very straight bamboo, and are tipped with hardened steel.
