Hits creatures as +x weapon
In SLASH'EM and SlashTHEM, both new and returning monsters can have the "hits creatures as a +x weapon" property, where x is an integer from 1 to 4 - monsters with the property will hit other monsters as a weapon of the described enchantment. This is derived from Dungeons & Dragons, alongside the "Need +x weapon to hit" property.
You can gain this property by polymorphing into an appropriate monster, though this does not confer the equivalent enchantment resistance.
Description
The "hits creatures as +x weapon" property treats the monster's attacks as coming from a weapon of a certain enchantment, with the exact level of enchantment governed using a set of flags describing that enchantment (e.g., MR_HITASONE, MR_HITASTWO and so on). A monster with a MR_HITASFOUR flag, for instance, will hit other monsters as a +4 weapon. It is also intrinsic to monsters with enchantment resistance: a monster that is not given a specific "hits as" flag 'implicitly' hits as the same enchantment of weapon that they resist[1] - e.g., the Aleax has the MR_PLUSTWO flag but no MR_HITASFOO, so Aleaxes require a +2 weapon or better to hit and hit as +2 weapons themselves.
When calculating damage in combat, if the attacker has this property, the property's level is checked against the level a target's enchantment resistance - this is done even if they are using an enchanted weapon, with some exceptions described in detail below. regardless of if they are wielding a weapon.
Polyself
If you are polymorphed into a monster with this property, the property's level will override the enchantment of your actual weapon; wielded artifacts (not just artifact weapons) gain a +2 bonus to "effective" enchantment for purposes of checking against your target's enchantment resistance, even while you are polymorphed into a monster with this property.[2] Magicbane is always counted as a +4 weapon for this purpose, effectively ignoring all forms of enchantment resistance when you attack with it.[3] A player polymorphed into an orc-captain (which hits as +1) cannot hit an Aleax (which needs +2 to hit) with any mundane weapon, though they can do so with a wielded artifact.
Monsters and weapons
Monsters wielding enchanted weapons that attack other monsters with the "needs +x weapon to hit" property are treated somewhat similarly - a monster without a "hits as +x" property has their weapon's enchantment checked against enchantment resistance: any enchantment of +0 or below is counted as 0, a +0 or lower artifact weapon hits as a +1 weapon, and a +1 or higher artifact weapon hits as a +2 weapon. A monster with the "hits creatures as a +x weapon" property overrides the enchantment of their weapon, and artifact bonuses are not applied;[4] it is unclear if this behavior is a bug.
Strategy
The ability to hit creatures as a +x weapon is of particular relevance to pet-keepers, especially pacifists who rely on their pets being able to reliably damage and kill monsters: see this strategy section for advice on obtaining pets with this property. It is also relevant to doppelganger characters, who can utilize polyself and specific knowledge of monster forms to deal with certain situations that they encounter.
Monsters gain nothing from higher-enchanted weapons if they have a "hits as +x" property, making equipping pets for the purpose of taking on hostile monsters with higher "needs +x to hit" properties somewhat counter-productive. Remember that for monsters, artifacts cap out at +2 weapons for purposes of hitting through enchantment resistance and are also overridden by "hits as +x" properties making them worse than ordinary weapons in some cases. To sum up with a few examples:
- A pet Elvenking, which possesses neither property, can hit any monster with a +4 dagger. That same Elvenking with the +7 Sunsword would not be able to hit a ki-rin, which has "needs +3 to hit" - Sunsword hits as +2 regardless of its actual enchantment.
- An orc-captain, which explicitly possesses "hit as +1", would not even be able to hit a lich even while wielding an artifact such as the +7 Doomblade - liches possess the "needs +2 to hit" property, and the orc-captain's "hits as +1" property overrides both the artifact's "effective" enchantment and its actual enchantment.
- Similarly, a pet vampire mage, which implicitly has "hits as +3", would not be able to hit an Archon, which has "needs +4 to hit", including with a +7 Doomblade.
- Meanwhile, a pet Archon or Solar, which both implicitly possess "hits as +4", can hit any monster regardless of wielded weapon.
Both properties also serve to make conflict somewhat less useful in the late game, since especially nasty spellcasters such as arch-liches cannot be reliably hit by most of the other monsters surrounding them, including low-MR score nasties that they can summon such as minotaurs and mastodons. Conflict still serves well as a distraction, but will not kill as many monsters as it would otherwise, and may require you to step in and kill some of the tougher hostiles yourself.
