| Axe of the minotaur emperor ( ( ) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Item Type | Melee weapon |
| Artifact? | Yes |
| Weight | 1200s |
| Danger Level | N/A |
| Material | Iron |
The Axe of the minotaur emperor is a 'guaranteed' artifact in ADOM. It is a two-handed axe of colossal size and damage potential, that provides confusion resistance and has a 40% chance to score critical hits in melee.
In ADOM version 1.2.0, the axe was upgraded — seemingly as part of this RFE. Notably, it has the highest damage potential of all weapons in the game; the axe now has a damage potential of 4d20+16 [20-96], compared to the Trident of the Red Rooster's damage of 6d12+18 [24-90]. It now also grants the see invisible intrinsic.
It appears as a great axe in its unidentified form; its weight and the fact that it is dropped by the minotaur emperor easily distinguishes it from regular great axes, though.
Desirability
With an unsurpassed damage potential and increased chance to land critical hits, the axe is stellar at dealing damage. Whilst it may be the holy grail for PCs depending on melee combat using weapons — particularly those not attempting an ultra ending — obtaining and using the axe might pose problems for some PCs.
Firstly, PCs wielding the axe are likely to suffer from low DV scores — due to both the DV penalty imposed directly by wielding the axe, and by its inability to be used with a shield. This tends to be a major problem in the mid to late game as many powerful monsters tend to punch through armor — making DV perhaps even more important than PV. Secondly, the axe is extremely heavy — weighing much more than Big Punch, or even an anvil or a huge rock for that matter. This makes it particularly undesirable for PCs with mediocre strength scores to carry, and even problematic for very strong PCs to carry.
Furthermore, the axe is hard for many PCs to obtain as it is heavily guarded at the bottom of the Minotaur Maze. Whilst the reward may still be attractive to PCs that rely on fighting with weapons, for those PCs devoted to spellcasting getting the axe is usually more trouble than it's worth.
Guaranteed/Common sources
Unsurprisingly, the axe of the minotaur emperor is carried by the minotaur emperor. He must be found at the lowest level of the Minotaur Maze and defeated for the artifact to appear, meaning that PCs that have reached level 30 outside of the maze without retrieving the artifact will never be able to obtain it.
Greater Identify information
v. 1.2.0
------------------------------- blessed great axe------------------------------ The blessed great axe is actually a blessed axe of the minotaur emperor (+12, 4d20+16) [-6, +4]. It is an artifact. When wielded it modifies DV by -6 and PV by +4. When used in melee combat it grants a +12 bonus to hit and causes 4d20+16 points of damage. When used as a missile it grants a -12 bonus to hit and causes 5d6+16 points of damage. It is very good at scoring critical hits in melee. It grants the ability to see invisible things. It grants resistance to confusion attacks.
v. 1.1.1
------------------------------- blessed great axe------------------------------ The blessed great axe is really a blessed axe of the minotaur emperor (+12, 3d20+16) [-6, +4]. It is an artifact. When worn it modifies DV by -6 and PV by +4. When used in melee combat it grants a +12 bonus to hit and causes 3d20+16 points of damage. When used as a missile it grants a -12 bonus to hit and causes 3d6+16 points of damage. It is very good at scoring critical hits in melee. It grants resistance to confusion attacks.