| Arak's Guard ( ( ) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Item Type | Weapon |
| Artifact? | Yes |
| Weight | 100s |
| Danger Level | 8 |
| Material | Iron |
The rune-covered halberd "Arak's Guard in a non-guaranteed two-handed artifact pole arm. Its to-hit, damage, and Toughness bonus gradually increase as it is used to damage monsters, but drop back to their base values over time. It appears as a halberd when unidentified, making it indistinguishable from normal iron halberds.
Constructs, insects, jellies, plants, undead, dwarven chaos knights, chaos knights, molochs, greater molochs, and emperor molochs, apparently do not have blood, and thus will not power up this weapon.
The maximum bonus appears to be around +19 to accuracy and +18 to damage, giving it an average of 42 damage per hit. The decay is fairly slow, encouraging active exploration but not creating undue pressure.
Desirability[]
While its toughness bonus makes it stronger defensively than most other two-handed weapons, it deals fairly unimpressive damage compared to the heaviest-hitting ones as long as it is not fed with blood. In this state, it is a somewhat useful weapon, especially if received early-on.
If the maximum bonus can be achieved and is not lost to decay, which quickly happens in dense situations with human enemies, it outclasses other melee weapons. However, the lack of slaying properties may still may put other weapons ahead.
Guaranteed/Common sources[]
It can be granted as a precrowning gift or a reward for making use of a potion of uselessness, generated in a surge of power or greater vault, or generated as random loot (albeit very rarely).
Greater Identify information[]
-------- blessed rune-covered halberd "Arak's Guard" (+4, 6d7+1) [-2,...------- It is an artifact. When wielded it modifies DV by -2 and PV by +0. When used in melee combat it grants a +4 bonus to hit and causes 6d7+1 points of damage. When used as a missile it grants a -8 bonus to hit and causes 2d4+2 points of damage. It modifies your toughness attribute by +5. It sucks blood from the wounds of your enemies in order to grow in might. It uses the blood of your enemies to increase its precision in melee. It uses the blood of your enemies to increase its lethality in melee. It uses the blood of your enemies to enhance your toughness.