Flintlock (Hack'EM)
) 
| |
|---|---|
| Name | pistol |
| Appearance | pistol |
| Damage vs. small | 1d2 |
| Damage vs. large | 1d2 |
| To-hit bonus | +0 |
| Weapon skill | firearms |
| Size | one-handed |
| Base price | 50 zm (+10/positive enchant) |
| Weight | 10 |
| Material | iron |
- For the firearm in dNetHack and its derivatives, see flintlock (dNetHack).
A flintlock is a type of firearm that appears in Hack'EM. The flintlock is a one-handed launcher, and that uses the firearms skill and is designed for use with bullets. It has a default material of iron and appears as a broken hand-crossbow when unidentified, similar to the item in dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack.
Generation
Pirates start each game with an uncursed +0 flintlock and 8-11 bullets as ammo.
Flintlocks are not randomly generated, although they can be wished for or found in bones.
Gun stores can stock flintlocks, and have a 3⁄100 chance of generating one on each square at level creation.
Pirate crewmates are always generated with flintlocks and 3–12 bullets as ammo.
Description
Flintlocks have a maximum range of 8 squares, and bullets fired or "thrown" from a flintlock have a 1⁄7 chance of misfiring, as if they were cursed.
A flintlock has a -2 rate of fire, meaning that a hero will normally be unable to fire more than one shot per turn with it.
A flintlock can be combined with an iron chain at a forge to create a pistol.
Origin
"Flintlock" is a general term for any firearm that uses a flint-striking ignition mechanism, the first of which appeared in Western Europe in the early 16th century. The term may also apply to a particular form of the mechanism itself, also known as the true flintlock, that was introduced in the early 17th century, and gradually replaced earlier firearm-ignition technologies such as the matchlock, the wheel-lock, and earlier flintlock mechanisms like the snaplock and snaphaunce. The true flintlock continued to be in common use for over two centuries, replaced by percussion cap and (later) the cartridge-based systems in the early-to-mid 19th century. Although long superseded by modern firearms, flintlock weapons enjoy continuing popularity with black-powder shooting enthusiasts.
Flintlocks may be any type of small arm: long gun or pistol, smoothbore or rifle, muzzleloader or breechloader. The flintlock as it appears in variants of NetHack is based on the flintlock pistol, which was historically used as a self-defense weapon and military arm: the effective range of flintlock pistols was short, and they were frequently used as an adjunct to a sword or cutlass—the stereotypical image of a pirate often depicts them with such weapons, including a sometimes-holstered flintlock pistol. Flintlock pistols were usually smoothbore firearms, although some rifled pistols were produced, and came in a variety of sizes and styles which often overlap and are not well-defined due to many of the names being applied by collectors and dealers long after the pistols were obsolete.
The smallest flintlock pistols were less than 6 inches (15 cm) long and the largest were over 20 inches (51 cm)—from around the beginning of the 1700s, larger pistols became got shorter, with the largest ones of the late 1700s around 16 inches (41 cm) long. The smallest flintlock pistol would fit into a typical pocket or a hand warming muff and could easily be carried by women, while the largest would be carried in holsters across a horse's back just ahead of the saddle. Arguably the high point of the mechanical development of the flintlock pistol was the British dueling pistol: it was highly reliable, water-resistant and accurate, and while external decoration was minimal, the craftsmanship was evident and the internal works were often finished to a higher degree than the exterior. Dueling pistols were the size of late 1700s horse pistols, around 16 inches (41 cm) long, and were usually sold in pairs along with accessories in a wooden case that included compartments for each piece.
