Weapon skill reflects the character's familiarity with certain types of weapons, melee or missile, as well as shields. The weapon skill screen, accessible with Ctrl-"w", will display the character's weapon skills, including the benefits they provide and how many marks are needed to achieve the next weapon skill level. There are 16 levels, ranging from unskilled to Grand Mastery.
Wishing for "better marks" increases all weapon marks for melee and ranged weapons as well as shields. The higher the level, the more additional marks are required to level up. A wish typically provides enough to reach the next level. Past level nine, with average learning score of 20, at least two wishes are required to advance to level ten. The amount of marks received per wish depends on learning attribute - for learning score of 1, each wish seems to only add a couple hundred marks. For learning score of 99, it may well level up marks by three or four levels using a single wish, starting from skills level 1. It's possible to reach grand mastery in all categories using wishes alone but even with Le:99, it would take approximately 120 wishes, a feat not unheard of for archmages, but virtually impossible for any other character.
Increasing skill in using a certain type of equipment will grant the PC passive bonuses:
- Melee weapon skills grant to-hit, extra damage and DV boni, as well as reducing the energy cost of performing an attack with weapons of the corresponding types;
- Missile/ranged weapon skills grant to-hit and extra damage, as well as reducing the energy cost of shooting/throwing and increasing the maximum possible range of the attack;
- Shield skill grants extra DV bonus.
Melee weapons
Aside from type-specific bonus progression, melee weapon skills provide a reduction for attack energy cost:
Skill 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Cost 1000 980 960 940 920 895 870 845 820 790 760 730 700 665 630 595
Unarmed fighting
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 To-Hit Modifier 0 +1 +2 +2 +3 +3 +3 +4 +6 +6 +9 +10 +10 +10 +12 +12 To-Damage Modifier 0 0 0 +1 +1 +2 +2 +3 +3 +4 +6 +6 +8 +10 +10 +12 DV Modifier 0 0 0 0 +1 +1 +2 +2 +3 +3 +4 +5 +6 +8 +10 +12
Unarmed fighting is typically viable only for Monks and (necessary) for Beastfighters: these classes feature different base unarmed damage and to-hit values which progress with experience levels, whereas all other classes use 1d3 base damage (3d3 with the Thorns corruption). Certain items as well as high Strength and Dexterity will help to increase the efficiency of unarmed attacks, but this style of fighting is typically a rather poor choice. Necromancers who reach experience level 25 gain the Shadow Touch ability which will drain HP or PP from monsters on successful unarmed attacks, but this ability is somewhat situational unless the PC is well equipped and trained to use his/her fists effectively.
Daggers & Knives
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 To-Hit Modifier 0 +1 +2 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 +7 +9 +10 +12 +14 +16 +18 +20 To-Damage Modifier 0 0 0 +1 +1 +2 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +10 +11 +12 DV Modifier 0 0 0 0 0 +1 +1 +1 +2 +2 +3 +3 +4 +4 +4 +5
Daggers & Knives category consists of a somewhat extensive range of very light weapons which, however, deal below-average damage. Thanks to their low weight and slightly better to-hit rewards for weapon skills, daggers are commonly used as an off-hand weapon for PCs specializing in two weapon combat. Unlike most other weapon types daggers feature several highly specializing items granting additional abilities, such as knives of endurance which boost Toughness score and grant a source of regeneration while wielded and phase daggers which penetrate through monsters' PV and are thus highly effective against armored opponents (molochs, diamond golem, steel golems etc.) and finally bloody daggers which have a high base critical rate and are thus comparable to slaying weapons.
Daggers also get a greater damage modifier from backstabbing than other types of weapons[1], thought to be a x5 damage modifiers for level 12+ Thieves and Assassins and x3 for other classes.
Artifact-wise, daggers feature the incredibly mediocre Cat's Claw (commonly considered to be one of the worst artifact weapons) and the quite powerful Serpent's Bite which slays humanoids and poisons all living opponents. Finally, the game features a set of dual daggers, Sting and Needle which are guaranteed but require the PC to be very far into the game progression due to the difficulty of opponents which need to be dealt with (Srraxxarrakex and the assassin prince). Each of these daggers is mediocre on their own, but they become incredibly powerful when equipped together. This, however, will introduce increased energy cost penalties (usual for two weapon combat); achieving high weapon skill with the Daggers & Knives category will help eliminate this problem to a certain degree.
Thieves and Assassins receive relatively powerful daggers (adamantium dagger of penetration and poisonous adamantium dagger respectively) as a Heir gift and will likely to use them throughout early-to-mid game (possibly later in Thieves' case) leading to a reasonably well trained Daggers & Knives weapon skill.
Clubs & Hammers
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 To-Hit Modifier 0 +1 +2 +2 +3 +3 +4 +5 +6 +7 +9 +10 +12 +14 +16 +18 To-Damage Modifier 0 0 0 +1 +1 +2 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +10 +11 +12 DV Modifier 0 0 0 0 +1 +1 +1 +2 +2 +3 +3 +4 +4 +4 +5 +6
Clubs & Hammers provide a basic set of weapons without any specialized items. Slightly different from other weapons damage die distribution for warhammers and large hammers can synergize well with certain weapon prefixes and/or suffixes but the lack of any items which are powerful on their own makes this weapon group somewhat underwhelming. Two NPCs in the game — Glod and Kherab — are however, guaranteed to drop eternium warhammers.
Artifact-wise, ADOM provides two one-handed weapons — overall (with the exception of Toughness bonus) mediocre Black Thumb and respectable humanoid-slaying Skullcrusher; hammer of the gods is the only two-handed weapon in this category and while far from lacking in firepower it hurts defensive capabilities rather significantly.
Maces & Flails
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 To-Hit Modifier 0 +1 +2 +2 +3 +3 +4 +5 +6 +7 +9 +10 +12 +14 +16 +18 To-Damage Modifier 0 0 0 +1 +1 +2 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +10 +11 +12 DV Modifier 0 0 0 0 +1 +1 +1 +2 +2 +3 +3 +4 +4 +4 +5 +6
Maces & Flails category is roughly comparable to Clubs & Hammers but features two powerful weapons — undead-slaying maces of disruption and high-damage maces of destruction. Eternium flails have even better potential synergy with damage increasing prefixes/suffixes.
Artifact-wise, Maces & Flails are represented by three one-handed weapons - guaranteed Big Punch which boasts high damage but is very heavy, incredibly powerful Purifier which slays undead, constructs and demons covering the majority of end-game monsters, and finally the Sceptre of Chaos which, unfortunately is more of an accessory for ordinary chaos god ending than a weapon due to the sheer number of negative features as well as significant amount of trouble necessary to retrieve it.
Swords
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 To-Hit Modifier 0 +1 +2 +2 +3 +3 +4 +5 +6 +7 +9 +10 +12 +14 +16 +18 To-Damage Modifier 0 0 0 +1 +1 +2 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +10 +11 +12 DV Modifier 0 0 0 0 +1 +1 +1 +2 +2 +3 +3 +4 +4 +4 +5 +6
Swords category is the most extensive in ADOM, boasting 6 types of base items (each having higher metal variations) as well as highly acclaimed swords of sharpness. In practice more base items yield more swords than other weapons and thus increase the chance to obtain powerful prefixes/suffixes. Some high rank chaos followers (chaos knights and chaos warriors) have a high chance to drop eternium long swords and can be hunted indefinitely in the wilderness (as soon as the PC reaches experience level 25) if the player so desires. As of version 1.2.0 the chaos diplomat will reward the PC with predefined eternium scimitar of mayhem for killing the ice queen (typical stats of 4d8+13) thus guaranteeing players a high-damage one-hander if they choose to complete the quest.
Artifact-wise, there are multiple alternatives for sword fighters: aptly named Kinslayer which provides respectable damage, minor defense bonuses and humanoid slaying powers at the expense of being autocursing, defense-oriented Trusted One which grants various intrinsics and increases DV and PV considerably, rapier of the needle with its great Dexterity bonus and increased critical hit chance. Paladins who receive Justifier as a crowning gift (or happen to obtain it in some other way) become almost unstoppable thanks to artifact's hidden ability, while other classes will unfortunately find it seriously lacking in damage output. Thanks to this it may generally be a reasonable plan to focus on sword-training for Paladins in hopes of getting their most treasured item. Finally, there are two guaranteed artifact swords which can be obtained very early on: Death's Sting, the reward for becoming the champion of the Arena and the Sword of Nonnak which is found on the lower level of the Dwarven Graveyard, buried with the remains of Griff Bloodax. Death's Sting is severely lacking in damage and does not provide any benefits aside from minor DV and PV increase and a boost to speed. The Sword of Nonnak is likewise underwhelming for extensive melee combat, but is useful for spellcasting classes and Mindcrafters thanks to its respectable Willpower bonus (as well as resistance to death rays which is typically hard to obtain without sacrificing important item slots).
Axes
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 To-Hit Modifier 0 +1 +2 +2 +3 +3 +4 +5 +6 +7 +9 +10 +12 +14 +16 +18 To-Damage Modifier 0 0 +1 +1 +2 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +10 +12 +14 +16 DV Modifier 0 0 0 0 0 +1 +1 +1 +2 +2 +3 +3 +3 +4 +4 +4
Axes category provides few alternatives in common weapons for mid-to-late game with only battle axes made of higher metals. There are no special weapons which means that the PC has to find a good prefixes/suffixed weapon to have high melee potential. In the early game various axes serve relatively well with higher than average damage. Battleaxes and orcish battle axes may be obtained from (large) gnolls and hill orc sergeants respectively. Clearing the vault on the 6th level of the Puppy Cave may leave the PC with a large number of battleaxes to choose from if it happens to contain gnoll/hyena combination.
Artifact-wise, Axes category offers a choice of three weapons ranging from good to excellent. Rolf's Companion is guaranteed to lawful characters from the dwarven mystic and can be complemented by Rolf's Saviour (possible reward for Thrundarr's 4th quest) for extra combat damage (players need to be sure to equip the shield in the right hand and the axe in the left). It lacks slaying powers but provides a great defense boost without sacrificing too much of offense. Hammerhead packs a punch comparable to eternium quality weaponry while granting minor DV/PV increase and a boost to Toughness; it also doubles as an unbreakable pickaxe which will be of great use to players who are planning to do a lot of smithing. Finally, Executor is one of the best one-handed weapons in the game despite granting Cursed intrinsic — high damage, passive Strength and speed boni and excellent slaying powers targeting humanoids and demons all in one weapon.
Whips
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 To-Hit Modifier 0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 +8 +10 +12 +14 +16 +18 +20 +22 +24 To-Damage Modifier 0 0 +1 +1 +2 +2 +3 +4 +5 +7 +9 +11 +13 +15 +17 +19 DV Modifier 0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +9 +10 +11 +12 +13 +14 +15
Despite significantly increased weapon skill bonuses whips are very rarely used due to a number of factors which boil down to the following one: focusing on this category is very unreliable. Early on only whips and scourges can be found and these weapons boost close-to-zero combat capabilities. More powerful whips are very rare and incredibly vulnerable to item destruction on account of being made of leather. On average, their primary function is to fix the PC's alignment — sadly, the efficiency of this technique is not affected by the weapon skill.
Polearms
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 To-Hit Modifier 0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +9 +10 +12 +14 +16 +18 +20 To-Damage Modifier 0 0 0 +1 +1 +2 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +10 +11 +12 DV Modifier 0 0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 +8 +10 +12 +14 +16 +18 +20 +22
Polearms category is the primary focus among weapon skills for many players despite being not possessing powerful specialized weapons generally thanks to one significant reason — DV bonus. One-handed spear & shield combination provides incredible defensive capabilities and offense efficiency is typically only a matter of finding a good suffix/prefix for an eternium spear. Moreover, all two-handed polearms share the weapon skill with their one-handed counterparts making a strategy of raising the weapon skill with spear & shield combination and switching to halberds for higher damage output perfectly viable. Another early-game factor for polearms' popularity is the ease of obtaining orcish spears (by milking orc scorchers) which generally out-damage starting equipment on top of the higher weapon skill boni.
Artifact-wise, one-handed spears do not transition to the late game very well on the account of the wrong slaying powers. Both scorched spear and Bugbiter feature higher than eternium-quality damage, but grant rather useless intrinsics and slay plants and insects respectively — and both of these monster type varieties are very limited in ADOM.
Two-handed artifact polearms feature a wide variety of weapons: somewhat mediocre Long Sting and Soaker (which are, however, good as one-shot missiles), guaranteed but very rarely used Moon Sickle (mostly due to corruption issues), very powerful rune-covered trident which can be normally obtained only at experience level 36 unless the PC was born under the sign of Raven (in which case it becomes almost a game-breaking quality item). Finally, the legendary Trident of the Red Rooster, a tremendously powerful endgame weapon also benefits from this weapon skill.
Twohanded weapons
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 To-Hit Modifier 0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +10 +12 +14 +16 +18 +20 To-Damage Modifier 0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +6 +8 +9 +10 +12 +14 +16 +18 +21 +25 +30 DV Modifier 0 0 0 +1 +1 +1 +2 +2 +3 +3 +4 +4 +4 +5 +6 +8
Twohanded weapons are focused on dealing as much damage as possible while sacrificing defensive capabilities of the PC. Thankfully weapons provided are very efficient for this strategy and, as of version 1.2.0, benefit more significantly from the PC's Strength than one-handed weaponry. Two-handed swords are quite powerful on their own and become absurdly efficient with the necessary prefixes/suffixes. For more defense-oriented players, swords of parrying are an interesting choice, packing respectable damage and keeping a certain level of DV.
Artifact-wise ADOM offers a wide range of weapons for players who are ready to turn their PCs into glass cannons. Heavy-weight and -damage Death's Blade is great at taking on death ray-wielding enemies, Grod provides high damage improved by its innate increased critical chance (as well as giant-slaying powers), Vanquisher's modest base damage (only in comparison with other high-quality two-handers) is alleviated by slaying powers that work on every type of monster in the game except animals, plants and insects. Guaranteed and buffed as of version 1.2.0 axe of the minotaur emperor is comparable to the Trident of the Red Rooster and twin daggers Sting and Needle in terms of raw damage; its only downside is the necessity of traversing the Minotaur Maze to actually obtain it. Added as of version 1.2.0 Foeslammer (exclusive for Chaos Knights) features high damage, increased crit chance and situationally powerful terror effect.
Staves
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 To-Hit Modifier 0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +9 +10 +12 +14 +16 +18 +20 To-Damage Modifier 0 0 0 0 +1 +1 +2 +2 +3 +3 +5 +6 +6 +7 +8 +10 DV Modifier 0 +1 +2 +3 +5 +7 +9 +11 +14 +17 +20 +23 +26 +30 +35 +40
Staves are a class of weapons more or less opposite to two-handers in terms of combat strategies. They offer a very powerful defensive boost but meagre to-damage bonus — making them, as intended, a spellcaster-oriented weapon group. This is further punctuated by a variety of useful bonuses several unique staves have to offer — powerful speed boost of quicksilver quarterstaves, PP-boosting Mana bonus of the staves of the magi, spell damage/range-boosting Willpower bonus of the staves of power. There are nevertheless several combat-oriented staves, such as staves of smiting and eternium-shod quarterstaves (with powerful suffixes/prefixes).
Despite the obvious defensive advantages, a common opinion (backed by actual numbers) is that staves are worse than a onehander & shield combinations. Things are further worsened for the staves category by the fact that only base quarterstaves have higher metal variations — thus a good weapon can be lost due to item destruction.
Artifact-wise, ADOM offers a choice of three staves: good in defensive capabilities and relatively competent (compared to all other staves) in damage output staff of the Wanderer which also features some intrinsics and a Toughness bonus, mediocre staff of the archmagi with almost non-existent damage output but high Mana bonus (generally not that powerful even for spellcasters). Finally, as of version 1.2.0 mist elven characters have a chance to receive the staff of Creation, which provides fire immunity and a stellar Willpower bonus, which greatly increases offensive magic potential.
Shields
Weapon skill in shields provides a DV bonus equal to double the skill level. A player can only gain a bonus from said skill equal to twice the DV value of the shield, regardless the actual skill level (e.g. a [+3, +1] wooden shield will only grant 6 (3*2) DV, even with Grand Mastery). Furthermore, a shield's flat DV bonus determines up to which level it can train the skill - a [+9, +4] medium crystal shield can only increase it up to level 9, no matter how much it is used.
More details about using shields can be found on the corresponding page.
Ranged weapons
ADOM features the following ranged/missile weapon categories:
- Slings
- Bows
- Crossbows
- Thrown axes & hammers
- Thrown daggers
- Thrown rocks & clubs
- Thrown spears
- Boomerangs & Scurgari
Each of these categories can be trained as usual; however, there is no difference in weapon skill progression:
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 To-Hit Modifier 0 +2 +4 +6 +8 +10 +12 +14 +16 +18 +20 +22 +24 +26 +28 +30 To-Damage Modifier 0 +1 +3 +4 +6 +7 +9 +10 +12 +13 +15 +16 +18 +19 +21 +22 Range Modifier 0 0 0 +1 +1 +1 +2 +2 +2 +3 +3 +3 +4 +4 +4 +5
Missile weapon skills yield a +2 to hit and +1 to damage for every skill level and an additional +1 to damage for skill levels 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14. Missile weapon skills have no effect on the character's DV, but instead, the range of your missiles is increased by +1 for every 3 skill levels. as the benefits are the same for all of these. Somewhat unexpectedly, the same bonuses also apply to throwing shields; it will not only train the shield skill, but also benefit from it like below and regarding energy cost, with the exception of missile range.