) 
| |
|---|---|
| Name | sling |
| Appearance | sling |
| Damage vs. small | d2 |
| Damage vs. large | d2 |
| To-hit bonus | +0 |
| Weapon skill | sling |
| Size | one-handed |
| Cost | 20 zm (+10/positive enchant) |
| Weight | 3 |
| Material | leather |
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"How much damage do launched items do?"
A sling is a weapon that allows you to throw projectiles such as rocks, gems, and gray stones. Slings are often dropped by hobbits; in addition, the Caveman role starts with one.
Sling skill
| Sling | |
|---|---|
| Max | Role |
| Basic | |
| Skilled | |
| Expert | |
The sling is the only launcher to use sling skill. The following types of ammo use it:
- all gems
- all gray stones
- rocks
There are no artifact slings, but the Heart of Ahriman is slightly more effective than a regular luckstone when slung.
Strategy
Improving sling skill is generally a waste of skill slots.
Origin
Real-world Shepard slings, which are the most likely type of sling the DevTeam meant, are nowhere near as dinky as NetHack would make them out to be. Slings remained an important weapon in hunting and warfare despite the advent of the bow, where a skilled slinger could still easily trump the speed at which a skilled bowman could fire arrows. The hurled stones, themselves, were also nowhere near as puny as they're often portrayed—sling and bullet can often be as dangerous as bow and arrow.
This problem can be traced to most games, books, and any media, in fact, that contain a sling. Media portrayals of slings tend to greatly understate their abilities, viewing it as a pathetic weapon. This is quite far from the truth, and seen in most games that have any sort of sling weapon, least of all NetHack. This misconception may have come about from the fact that slings and bullets were, indeed, a much cheaper weapon than bow and arrow, using more common materials and less intensive construction. The trade-off, here, being that a sling is actually a rather difficult weapon to use effectively.
A large portion of the uselessness in NetHack derives from the large weight of the projectile, making it very encumbering to carry the necessary ammunition. The heavy weight of the stones violates much basic sense, where a spear weighs 15 units, and a simple rock 10. The arrows used in warfare tended to be very large—a fairer weight would actually have them about the same as arrows, crossbow bolts, or darts. Canonical D&D, from which NetHack is based, had the weights on par with the others. Though the damage was still puny, they at least weren't a counter-productive weapon as they are in NetHack.
Slings remain used to this day, though stones are no longer the primary fodder hurled. In the modern age, slings are instead used to hurl incendiary devices, such as Molotov cocktails, as well as grenades. Their primary function is no longer the kinetic force, but the added range they provide.
Encyclopedia entry
And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and
drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward
the army to meet the Philistine.
And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone,
and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that
the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face
to the earth.
So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with
a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there
was no sword in the hand of David.