Dwarvish mattock
) 
| |
|---|---|
| Name | dwarvish mattock |
| Appearance | broad pick |
| Damage vs. small | 1d12 (1-12) |
| Damage vs. large | 1d8+2d6 (3-20) |
| To-hit bonus | −1 |
| Weapon skill | pick-axe |
| Size | two-handed |
| Base price | 50 zm (+10/positive enchant) |
| Weight | 120 |
| Material | iron |
A dwarvish mattock is a type of weapon that appears in NetHack. It is a two-handed weapon-tool that is made of iron and uses the pick-axe skill, and appears as a broad pick when unidentified.
Contents
Generation
Dwarven characters start the game with knowledge of the dwarvish mattock. There is a line of code that gives any dwarven character in a role starting with a pick-axe a dwarvish mattock instead, though the line is currently commented-out.[1]
Dwarvish mattocks make up about 1.3% of all randomly generated weapons. General stores, antique weapon outlets and used armor dealerships can sell dwarvish mattocks.
Live dwarves generated with a dwarvish short sword and dwarvish iron helm have an effective 1⁄8 chance of being generated with a dwarvish mattock.[2] Watchmen and soldiers that generate with a polearm as their primary weapon (1⁄3 chance) may receive dwarvish mattocks.[3]
Player monsters, including those on the Astral Plane, have a ~1.1% chance of generating with a dwarvish mattock as their initial weapon before role-based replacements.[4]
The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that it is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate this information.
Per commit da859c5e, mattocks no longer generate as starting weapons on watchmen and soldiers.Description
As with a pick-axe, a dwarvish mattock can be applied or wielded to dig through walls or floors, as well as break boulders and statues; shopkeepers will also prevent you from entering a shop with a mattock in your inventory. Buying or selling a dwarvish mattock will auto-identify it, as will attempting to enter a shop with one, or else removing it from a container in your inventory while inside.
Strategy
A dwarvish mattock can be an effective weapon, as it deals far more damage than a pick-axe, especially against larger monsters - it is also much heavier and requires both hands free to wield, and their -1 to-hit penalty can make hitting with one difficult early in the game until you boost your Luck. Archeologists and other roles planning to utilize a mattock as their primary weapon can use their starting pick-axe and train to Skilled to offset the penalty.
As with a pick-axe, applying a mattock to wield it does not use up a turn, which can be advantageous when combined with other wielded items: as an example, you can apply a bullwhip at a monster to disarm it, then immediately attack on your next turn by applying a mattock, without having to take a turn to wield it.
Enchanted mattocks are among the best naturally-occurring weapons that can be given to a strong pet with a weapon attack - they are also the deadliest weapon that early characters and pets can encounter, where they are the hands of hostile dwarves that can do upwards of 20 damage per swing.
Average damage calculation
The average damage calculations in the following table do not include bonuses from weapon skills, strength, or from using a blessed weapon against undead or demons.
| Weapon | Small monster | Large monster |
|---|---|---|
| +0 dwarvish mattock |  |
|
| +7 dwarvish mattock |  |
|
History
The dwarvish mattock first appears in NetHack 3.0.0.
Variants
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, upgrading a pick-axe will produce a dwarvish mattock and vice versa.
This makes it possible to enchant any weapon to +127 by polymorphing the weapon of choice until it turns into a mattock: the mattock can then be upgraded to a pick-axe and polymorphed again until it becomes a tinning kit or an expensive camera; after charging the resulting item until it has 127 charges, it will become a +127 weapon upon reverting completely, since charges and enchantment are stored with the same variable. A +127 long sword can be turned into Excalibur for a lawful character, while a +127 bow or other launcher can fire 40 or more projectiles at once.
dNetHack
In dNetHack, the dwarvish mattock can be thrown with no to-hit penalty.
Slave to Armok is a lawful artifact mattock that favors dwarves and grants +1d5 to hit and double damage against elves, orcs, always-peaceful monsters, and monster lords - it is bloodthirsty, with a sanity-based chance of attacking adjacent monsters each turn.
SpliceHack
In SpliceHack, a dwarvish mattock can be created by combining a pick-axe and an axe at a furnace.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, a dwarvish mattock can be created at a forge by combining a dwarvish short sword and a pick-axe.
Hack'EM
In Hack'EM, upgrading a pick-axe will produce a dwarvish mattock and vice versa, as in SLASH'EM, and forging recipes are the same as in EvilHack.
Encyclopedia entry
A mattock is an agricultural tool similar to a mining pick.
It is distinguished by the head terminating in a broader blade
rather than a narrow spike, which makes it particularly suitable
for breaking up moderately hard ground. ... During the Middle
Ages of Europe, the mattock served as an improvised shafted
weapon for the poorer classes.
References
- ↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 228: Race-based substitutions for initial inventory
- ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 367: sword and helm have 1⁄4 chance of being hiven, followed by 1⁄2 chance of a mattock
- ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 191: eligible weapons are those listed from partisan to bec de corbin in objects.c, which includes mattocks
- ↑ src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 155: 1⁄2 to get a random weapon - the designated range of objects covers weapons from the spear to the bullwhip inclusively in objects.c, and uses normal generation odds
