) Nighthorn 
| |
|---|---|
| Base item | Unicorn horn |
| Damage vs. small | 1d12 |
| Damage vs. large | 1d12 |
| To-hit bonus | +1 |
| Bonus versus | (none) |
| Weapon skill | Unicorn horn |
| Size | one-handed |
| Affiliation | |
| When carried |
(none) |
| When wielded | |
| When invoked |
(none) |
| Cost | 10000 zm |
| Weight | 20 |
| Material | bone |
Nighthorn is a lawful artifact unicorn horn obtained at the end of the Lawful Quest in SLASH'EM. It inflicts no extra damage, but provides reflection when wielded.
Generation[]
Nighthorn will never be randomly generated, but is instead found upon killing Nightmare on the single-level Lawful Quest, a portal to which is found between levels 15 and 19. It will only be found if the manner of Nightmare's death would have otherwise left a corpse - disintegrating her or digesting her will not get you Nighthorn. Note that the Key of Law will still be found, though. The dropped Nighthorn will always be cursed and +0, so be very careful before wielding or applying it!
Usefulness[]
Overall, Nighthorn is in general more useful than the Neutral Quest artifact, the Eye of the Beholder, but considerably less so than the chaotic one, the Hand of Vecna.
As a unicorn horn[]
To neutrals or chaotics, this is likely to be very nearly useless. It provides no benefit from being carried, and the 8d6 blasting damage it will inflict one-fourth of the time it is used makes it difficult, if not impossible, to use as a unicorn horn. For lawful characters who have not yet enchanted a unicorn horn, though, it might be useful.
As a weapon[]
A mid-game character might find this a useful weapon, as reflection becomes a larger and larger priority as the game goes on. Lawfuls in particular might benefit from having it function as both a unicorn horn and a weapon, since enchanting helps both of these functions. However, even a neutral or chaotic who really needs reflection and is not restricted in the unicorn horn skill might find it handy. Unfortunately, Nighthorn simply does not do enough damage to be a contender in SLASH'EM's later game. It is also two-handed; while it does provide the same property that a shield of reflection provides, it does not provide the same 6 or 7 AC bonus of a well-enchanted shield.