Lucern hammer
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| |
|---|---|
| Name | Lucern hammer |
| Appearance | pronged polearm |
| Damage vs. small | 2d4 |
| Damage vs. large | d6 |
| To-hit bonus | +0 |
| Weapon skill | polearm |
| Size | two-handed |
| Base price | 7 zm (+10/positive enchant) |
| Weight | 150 |
| Material | iron |
A lucern hammer is a type of weapon that appears in NetHack. It is a two-handed polearm that is made of iron, and appears as a pronged polearm when unidentified.
Contents
Generation
In addition to random generation, general shops and antique weapons outlets can sell lucern hammers.
Watchmen and soldiers may be generated with a lucern hammer.[1]
A strong humanoid monster with a weapon attack, the ability to wield weapons and no other ruleset governing its monster starting inventory has a chance of generating with a lucern hammer, unless they are being generated on the Rogue level: the base odds are 1⁄14 for normal monsters, 1⁄12 for a monster that is a lord or nasty, 1⁄10 for a monster that is an overlord or both a lord and nasty, and 1⁄8 for a monster that is both nasty and an overlord.[2]
Strategy
The lucern hammer is tied for the heaviest polearm with the halberd at 150 aum, and while its average damage against small monsters is stellar by polearm standards, its average damage against large monsters is the lowest among the weapon type, and several other polearms offer similar or better damage in both respects while weighing far less.
History
The lucern hammer is introduced with all other polearms in NetHack 1.3d.
In NetHack 3.0.0, two artifact lucern hammers are introduced, named Ogresmasher and Thunderfist - Ogresmasher has its base item changed to a war hammer in NetHack 3.0.3, while Thunderfist is replaced with Mjollnir in that same version.
Origin
The Lucerne hammer is a type of polearm that was popular in Swiss armies during the 15th to 17th centuries, and was named for the Swiss city where many polearm weapons were discovered and originated from. It consisted of a three-to-four-pronged 'hammerhead' (hence its appearance in NetHack) that bears a long spike on its opposite side, and has an even longer spike extending from the top; some are occasionally found to have spikes on the side of the head as well. The hammerhead is mounted atop a 2-meter-long (6.5 foot) polearm shaft, with the forward-pointing spike used for spearing, and the long pole increased the velocity of the head, making the hammer more effective at puncturing or smashing armour as well as dismounting opponents like most (if not all) polearms.
The lucern hammer is sometimes confused for the more "traditional" and blunt war hammer, which among other things may have been responsible for the creation of Thunderfist.
Variants
dNetHack
In dNetHack and notdNetHack, the lucern hammer has its weight reduced to 85 aum.
The Hammer of Barquiel is an artifact large lucern hammer that is lawful, intelligent and made of silver. It grants +1d7 to-hit and +1d10 damage versus all monsters, and while wielded it grants automatic searching and blindness resistance, and acts as a light source; targets that it strikes may be blinded, gremlins are reduced to dust, and trolls are petrified.
NetHack Fourk
NetHack Fourk removes the lucern hammer and many other polearms.
xNetHack
xNetHack removes the lucern hammer and many other polearms, and gives the lucern hammer's damage dice to the bec de corbin.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, the lucern hammer is the only polearm that is not off-limits to Priests, who are forbidden from using any form of piercing or slashing weapon at risk of a major penalty to alignment record.
A lucern hammer can be created at a forge by combining a heavy war hammer and a spear.
All of the above information also applies to Hack'EM.
Encyclopedia entry
- See the encyclopedia entry for polearm.
