Hellfire (SLASH'EM)

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)   Hellfire   (No tile)
Base item crossbow
Damage vs. small 1d2 +7 (+2d6)
+1d7 (+2d6) in Hack'EM
Damage vs. large 1d2 +7 (+2d6)
+1d7 (+2d6) in Hack'EM
To-hit bonus +5
+1d5 in Hack'EM
Bonus versus (any)
Weapon skill crossbow
Size one-handed
Affiliation
When carried

(none)

When wielded
When invoked

(none)

Base price 4000 zm
Weight 50
Material wood

Hellfire is an artifact weapon that appears in SLASH'EM, SlashTHEM and Hack'EM. It is chaotic for generation purposes, and its base item is a crossbow.

Generation

A randomly generated crossbow on the ground has a base 120 chance of being made into Hellfire. Chaotic characters can receive Hellfire as a sacrifice gift.

In SlashTHEM, Hellfire is one of the many artifacts that can be requested at The Forge.

Description

Hellfire has a flat +5 to-hit bonus and +7 damage, and grants fire resistance while wielded; in Hack'EM, this is changed to +1d5 to-hit and +1d7 damage. Crossbow bolts fired from Hellfire explode upon hitting a monster, dealing an additional +2d6 to monsters in a 3x3 radius centered on the target. Bolts a monster fires from Hellfire are always consumed, but those fired by a player mulch at normal rates; this may be a bug.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

Strategy

In theory, Hellfire is great for a character who wants to do a lot of ranged fighting, as it turns ordinary crossbow bolts into potent weapons. However, several caveats apply:

  • Due to the range of the explosions, firing Hellfire at a target that is either point-blank range or adjacent to non-hostile targets such as pets, aligned priests, and shopkeepers can be dangerous. Fire resistance (which Hellfire grants) will protect you against the damage, but items in your inventory may still be destroyed or damaged.
  • Crossbows are two-handed weapons in SLASH'EM and its variants, making shields of any kind an obstruction - SLASH'EM's increased blasting damage also means that cross-aligned players should avoid Hellfire in particular, as switching from melee to ranged combat and constantly re-wielding the weapon will incur significant blasting damage.
  • Moreover, the presence of rapid-fire assault rifles and other firearms make Hellfire less powerful than some mundane alternatives for most roles.

With all of this in mind, Rogues and Rangers are likely to benefit the most from discovering Hellfire - they can reach expert in crossbow skill, making Hellfire a viable alternative to firearms for them. An early Hellfire can be very useful in the Gnomish Mines, whose inhabitants will provide a plentiful supply of bolts and tend to bunch into clusters.

References