Sniper rifle (SLASH'EM)
) 
| |
|---|---|
| Name | sniper rifle |
| Appearance | sniper rifle |
| Damage vs. small | 1d2 |
| Damage vs. large | 1d2 |
| To-hit bonus | +4 |
| Weapon skill | firearms |
| Size | two-handed |
| Base price | 4000 zm (+10/positive enchant) |
| Weight | 50 |
| Material | iron |
- For the weapon in dNetHack and its derivatives, see sniper rifle (dNetHack).
A sniper rifle is a type of weapon that appears in SLASH'EM, SpliceHack, SlashTHEM and Hack'EM. The sniper rifle is a two-handed launcher that uses the firearms skill and is designed for use with bullets. It is made of iron.
In Hack'EM, it appears as a "broken crossbow" when unidentified, similar to the item in dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack.
Contents
Generation
Sniper rifles are generated differently across variants.
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, sniper rifles are not randomly generated, though they can be wished for or found in bones.
A sniper rifle and stacks of uncursed +3 bullets and uncursed +4 bullets are placed on the square of the top hostile soldier near the inner walls of Grund's Stronghold at level creation, with each having a 2⁄5 chance of being generated.
SpliceHack
In SpliceHack, sniper rifles are not randomly generated, though they can be wished for or found in bones.
SlashTHEM
In SlashTHEM, sniper rifles are very rare and make up 1⁄1000 of weapons randomly generated on the ground, in general shops or as death drops.
Weapons outlets, used armor dealerships and gun stores can also stock sniper rifles. Gun stores have a 3⁄100 chance of generating a sniper rifle on each square.
In addition to generation details for monsters and level creation in SLASH'EM, Draco the Sharpshooter is always generated with a sniper rifle and 2 different stacks of 3–52 bullets as ammo.
Hack'EM
In Hack'EM, sniper rifles are not randomly generated, though they can be wished for or found in bones.
Gun stores can stock sniper rifles, and have a 3⁄100 chance of generating an assault rifle on each square.
As in SLASH'EM, sniper rifle and stacks of uncursed +3 bullets and uncursed +4 bullets are placed on the square of the top hostile soldier near the inner walls of Grund's Stronghold at level creation, with each having a 2⁄5 chance of being generated.
Description
The sniper rifle has a maximum range of 25 squares (which is the highest among firearms) and a +4 to-hit bonus, but also has a base rate of fire of -3. As exemplified by the short table below, multishot is impossible without raising the weapon's enchantment to dangerously high levels via scroll of enchant weapon:
| Enchantment | Unskilled/basic | Skilled | Expert |
|---|---|---|---|
| +8 or lower | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| +9 | 1 | 1 | 1d6-4 (min. 1) |
Strategy
Though the sniper rifle is a very accurate and very long-ranged weapon, its low rate of fire and two-handedness make it nearly useless for a majority of heroes, who will prefer maximizing per-bullet damage without a risk of the curse items monster spell costing them the use of their hands. While it can be sold for a high amount of gold due to its 4000zm base cost, this is not likely to be significant by the time a played reaches Grund's Stronghold. Additionally, the rifle's absurdly long range is unlikely to come up in most scenarios, and the assault rifle and submachine gun are more than adequate at half the required distance among other qualities.
Origin
A sniper rifle is a high-precision, long-range type of rifled firearm that is chambered for a high-ballistic performance centerfire cartridge, designed to be accurate at extremely long ranges when in the hands of a skilled sharpshooter. Some sniper rifles are derived from ordinary service weapons, usually assault rifles or semi-automatic rifles, while others are designed from the ground up as specialist weapons. Their distinguishing characteristics can generally include the following:
- A telescopic sight or scope
- An exceptional length
- A stock designed for firing from a prone position
- Accessories focused on enhancing accuracy and reliability (such as a bipod for stability)
- Portability for movement
- Concealment, for combat scenarios
The earliest known example of a sniper rifle is arguably the Whitworth rifle, designed in 1854 by prominent British engineer Sir Joseph Whitworth: it used barrels with hexagonal polygonal rifling, which meant that the projectile did not have to "bite" into the rifling grooves as with conventional rifling. His rifle was far more accurate than the Pattern 1853 Enfield, which had shown weaknesses during the Crimean War. The Whitworth rifle was able to hit the target at a range of 2,000 yards (around 1,830 meters), whereas the Enfield could only manage it at a distance of 1,400 yards (around 1,280 meters). The Crimean War also saw the production of the first optical sights designed for fitting onto the rifles, and much of this pioneering work was the brainchild of a Colonel D. Davidson, using optical sights produced by Chance Brothers of Birmingham. By the 1870s, the perfection of breech loading magazine rifles led to sniper rifles having "effective accurate" ranges of up to a mile away from their target.
Modern sniper rifles are divided into two very broad categories: military and law enforcement. Sniper rifles manufactured for military service are often designed for very high durability, range, reliability, sturdiness, serviceability, and repairability under adverse environmental and combat conditions, at the sacrifice of a small degree of accuracy—military snipers and sharpshooters may also be required to carry their rifles and other equipment for long distances, making it important to minimize weight. Sniper rifles built or modified for use in law enforcement are generally required to have the greatest possible accuracy, but do not need to have as long of a range—they are usually employed in non-combat (often urban) environments, so they do not have the requirement to be as hardy or portable as military versions, and may also be smaller due to the decrease in required range.
