Shotgun shell
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| |
|---|---|
| Name | shotgun shell |
| Appearance | shotgun shell |
| Damage vs. small | 1d30 |
| Damage vs. large | 1d45 |
| To-hit bonus | +0 |
| Weapon skill | firearms |
| Size | one-handed |
| Base price | 10 zm (+10/positive enchant) |
| Weight | 1 |
| Material | iron |
A a shotgun shell, sometimes referred to simply as a shell, is a projectile introduced in SLASH'EM. It is the ammunition used with two specific firearms: shotguns and auto shotguns.
Generation
Shotgun shells are not randomly generated. Shopkeepers are guaranteed to have a stack of 3d20 shells.[1] Later on, sergeants have a 1⁄2 chance of generating with a stack of 2d10 shells [2], while captains have a 1⁄2 chance of generating with 2d20[3].
Mechanics
Similar to bullets, shotgun shells will not do their base damage when simply thrown; to be effective, they must be fired from an appropriate launcher. When fired from a shotgun or auto shotgun, they will always mulch. On average, they do 50% more base damage than bullets.
Strategy
While shotgun shells do significantly more damage than bullets, they are also harder to come by: they generate on fewer Yendorian army members, and they generate in smaller stacks than bullets. Moreover, their two launchers both have major drawbacks:
- The shotgun has a low rate of fire.
- The auto shotgun is two-handed.
- Both launchers have very low range.
Overall, this makes bullets a better proposition in the long run. An early character might find a shotgun useful, given its to-hit bonus, but acquiring one requires killing a shopkeeper, a feat likely out of reach for most starting characters.
Origin
A shotgun shell (or shotgun cartridge) is similar in construction and purpose to an ordinary modern firearm cartridge, that is, it consists of a case (or hull) holding some form of projectile, propellant, and primer, and its purpose is to provide a single object to load into a gun, while containing and directing the expanding gas generated by the exploding propellant ignited by the primer. However, a shotgun cartridge is considerably larger than a cartridge on a conventional firearm, and modern shotgun cartridges are generally plastic-hulled, rather than brass-hulled. They can fire a variety of projectiles, but most commonly use a large number of small pieces of metal, referred to as shot. Other options include single large projectiles (known as slugs), and less-lethal options such as rock salt or rubber balls.
The low range and high accuracy of SLASH'EM's shotguns indicates that its shells are likely firing shot, as the spread of small projectiles makes a direct hit unnecessary. However, the range in SLASH'EM is exaggeratedly short: real-world shotguns are effective to ranges measured in tens of meters, similar to some pistols.
