Sharpened pencil
| ) File:Sharpened pencil.png | |
|---|---|
| Name | sharpened pencil |
| Appearance | sharpened pencil |
| Damage vs. small | 1d2 |
| Damage vs. large | 1d2 |
| To-hit bonus | +0 |
| Weapon skill | dagger |
| Size | one-handed |
| Base price | 4 zm (+10/positive enchant) |
| Weight | 10 |
| Material | wood |
A sharpened pencil is the starting "weapon" for the Graduate role in SlashTHEM, carried over from the Geek role in NetHack-- 3.0.10 (not to be confused with the Geek role in NetHack: The Next Generation).
As a weapon, the sharpened pencil uses the dagger skill, but only deals 1d2 damage to large and small monsters alike, making it inferior to a real dagger. Its redeeming quality is that it can be used to engrave without getting dull, making it a kind of poor hacker's athame. This means that Graduates can reliably engrave Elbereth from the start of their game. Even after they find a better weapon, they may wish to keep the pencil as an engraving tool, fireproofing it if desired.
Pencils cannot be used to write scrolls; a magic marker is still required to do that.
References
- NetHack-- 3.0.10 objects.c line 200
- SlashTHEM u_init.c line 265