Javelin
) 
| |
|---|---|
| Name | javelin |
| Appearance | throwing spear |
| Damage vs. small | 1d6 |
| Damage vs. large | 1d6 |
| To-hit bonus | +0 |
| Weapon skill | spear |
| Size | one-handed |
| Base price | 3 zm (+10/positive enchant) |
| Weight | 20 |
| Material | iron |
A javelin is a type of weapon that appears in NetHack. It is a stackable one-handed weapon that can be used in melee or thrown as a projectile, and uses the spear. It is made of iron, and appears as a throwing spear when unidentified.
Generation
Javelins make up 1⁄100 (1%) of all weapons that are randomly generated on the ground, in shops and as death drops. Used armor dealerships and antique weapons shops can also stock javelins.
Player monsters that are not monks and are created on the Astral Plane have an effective 5⁄291 chance (~1.72%) of being generated with a stack of up to 4 javelins as their initial weapons before role-based replacements are applied.[2][3][4]
Description
A javelin inflicts piercing damage, and deals 1d6 damage versus all monsters. Javelins have a +2 to-hit bonus when thrown and can be multishot, and have a separate +2 to-hit bonus against kebabable monster classes.[5][6][7][8] Cave Dwellers get a +1 multishot bonus for throwing javelins.[9]
In terms of monster weapon preference, monsters using ranged weapons will prefer a javelin to shuriken and will prefer an orcish spear or better to the javelin, while monsters using melee weapons will prefer a javelin to an aklys and will prefer a quarterstaff or better to the javelin.[10][11]
Strategy
Javelins are somewhat lighter in weight at 20 aum versus 30 for the next-lightest spear weapon, while having generally weaker average damage in most cases. Most players will not consider utilizing a javelin as the hero's primary weapon unless they come across a viable-enough on in the early game and are capable of training the skill, and while it is serviceable as an early primary or backup weapon, it will more than likely be replaced upon reaching the mid-game.
History
The javelin first appears in NetHack 1.3d. From this version to NetHack 3.3.0, including some variants based on those versions, the javelin uses the spear skill, while from NetHack 3.3.1 to NetHack 3.4.3 it instead uses a separate skill that is exclusive to the javelin: this is meant to reflect the intended use of spears for thrusting attacks in melee, compared to the javelin's use as a ranged weapon. NetHack 3.6.0 merges the javelin skill into the spear skill again via commit 54bbb38e in order to make its use less cumbersome.
Origin
A javelin is a light spear designed primarily for throwing as a ranged weapon. The word comes from Middle English and is derived from Old French javelin, a diminutive of javelot ("spear"). A warrior or soldier armed primarily with one or more javelins is a "javelineer". A javelin is nearly always thrown by hand, although there are launchers designed to increase the distance of thrown javelins, such as spear-throwers or the amentum.
The javelin is often associated with classical Greece and ancient Rome and is used by several other cultures throughout various periods of human history, with archaeological evidence that javelins and throwing sticks were already in use around the end of the Lower Paleolithic era. The most recent use of javelins as a weapon in the modern era is as the primary choice of warriors of the Zulu nation in southern Africa. The modern javelin is also predominantly used for sporting purposes, naturally including the javelin throw.
Variants
Some NetHack variants based on NetHack 3.4.3 and earlier versions may retain the javelin's unique skill, while other variants based on later versions typically do not.
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, the javelin uses its own skill as it does in NetHack 3.4.3 and previous contemporary versions. This also applies to SlashTHEM.
dNetHack
In dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, the javelin deals 1d8 damage to all monsters and can be poisoned by dipping it in an appropriate potion. All three variants also merge the javelin skill into the spear skill.
The atlatl serves as a launcher for javelins and other spears.
Amhimitl is a neutral artifact javelin made of bone that acts as the crowning gift for neutral Archeologists. It has +1d5 to-hit and deals +1d8 fire damage against monsters without fire resistance, along with +3d4 holy or unholy damage when blessed or cursed respectively. Amhimitl returns to the quiver when fired and can be multishot, which causes it to be thrown immediately after returning multiple times in quick succession—the artifact does not return if it misfires, and any multishot is aborted if this occurs.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, a javelin can be created at a forge by combining 2 crossbow bolts and a spear, and a javelin can be combined with a glaive at a forge to create a lance.
Encyclopedia entry
- they come together with great random, and a spear is brast,
and one party brake his shield and the other one goes down,
horse and man, over his horse-tail and brake his neck, and
then the next candidate comes randoming in, and brast his
spear, and the other man brast his shield, and down he goes,
horse and man, over his horse-tail, and brake his neck, and
then there's another elected, and another and another and
still another, till the material is all used up; and when you
come to figure up results, you can't tell one fight from
another, nor who whipped; and as a picture of living, raging,
roaring battle, sho! why it's pale and noiseless - just
ghosts scuffling in a fog. Dear me, what would this barren
vocabulary get out of the mightiest spectacle? - the burning
of Rome in Nero's time, for instance? Why, it would merely
say 'Town burned down; no insurance; boy brast a window,
fireman brake his neck!' Why, that ain't a picture!
Twain ]
References
- ↑ include/objects.h in NetHack 5.0.0, line 174-L392
- ↑ src/mplayer.c in NetHack 5.0.0, line 150: 1⁄2 to get a random weapon—the designated range of objects covers weapons from the spear to the bullwhip inclusively in objects.h, and uses normal generation odds[1]
- ↑ src/mplayer.c in NetHack 5.0.0, line 199: monks will always have either shuriken or no weapon
- ↑ src/mplayer.c in NetHack 5.0.0, line 267-L271: Stackable thrown weapons may be generated in multiples
- ↑ src/weapon.c in NetHack 5.0.0, line 70-L72
- ↑ src/weapon.c in NetHack 5.0.0, line 167-L168
- ↑ src/dothrow.c in NetHack 5.0.0, line 1432
- ↑ src/dothrow.c in NetHack 5.0.0, line 2184-L2185
- ↑ src/dothrow.c in NetHack 5.0.0, line 48-L52: Cave Dweller multishot
- ↑ src/weapon.c in NetHack 5.0.0, line 499-L500
- ↑ src/weapon.c in NetHack 5.0.0, line 698
