Short Blunt Skill
| Short Blunt | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Skills |
| Type | Skill |
| Skill Group | Combat - Melee |
| Max Level | 10 |
| Total XP | 32,775 |
| Best Occupation | Construction Worker (+2) |
The Short Blunt Skill governs fighting with short blunt weapons such as hammers, pipes and pans. It raises attack speed and damage with them and reduces the muscle strain of each swing. It belongs to the Combat - Melee group.
Short blunt weapons are everyday objects. Hammers, pipes and frying pans all count, so many survivors fight with them from the first day. The Construction Worker starts with the most of this skill. The Carpenter, DIY Expert, Security Guard and Blacksmith each start with a smaller head start.
The skill matters because short blunt weapons are the easiest to find. A hammer sits in nearly every garage and toolbox. A pan waits in nearly every kitchen. These weapons hit softly compared with axes and long blades, so the skill does a lot of work in making them deadly. A trained character turns a plain hammer into a dependable sidearm.
How to Level Short Blunt
Short Blunt experience comes from hitting enemies with a short blunt weapon. Every blow that lands on a zombie counts. A hammer or pipe in steady use is the main way to train.
The early levels fill fast, and the later ones need many more hits. Fighting small groups that the character can handle safely is the steadiest training.
The Fast Learner trait raises the experience rate to 130 percent. The Slow Learner trait lowers it to 70 percent. The Reluctant Fighter trait lowers it to 75 percent for every combat skill.
Short weapons force close fights. Each zombie gets near enough to grab or bite before it falls. That makes careful training more important than fast training. Fight one or two zombies at a time and keep endurance high between fights.
Broken weapons make good training tools. A bat or plank that snaps often leaves a broken short blunt piece behind. That piece still trains the skill, so nothing goes to waste.
Strength and Fitness rise during long training sessions too. Strength adds melee damage, which helps a weapon group with low base damage. Fitness speeds up attacks and slows the onset of exhaustion.
The XP each Short Blunt level asks for, with the running total from level 0.
| Level | XP Needed | Total XP |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 75 | 75 |
| 2 | 150 | 225 |
| 3 | 300 | 525 |
| 4 | 750 | 1,275 |
| 5 | 1,500 | 2,775 |
| 6 | 3,000 | 5,775 |
| 7 | 4,500 | 10,275 |
| 8 | 6,000 | 16,275 |
| 9 | 7,500 | 23,775 |
| 10 | 9,000 | 32,775 |
Short Blunt Level Effects
Each level makes short blunt swings faster and harder. Damage climbs with the skill, so a trained fighter needs fewer blows per zombie. Critical hits also become more common.
A higher level raises the chance of pushing off a zombie that grabs from the front. That shove can save a character caught in a bad spot.
Muscle strain falls at higher levels, so long fights tire the arms less. These bonuses apply only to weapons in the short blunt group.
A critical hit can kill a zombie in one blow. At low levels a hammer takes many hits to drop a single zombie. At high levels the faster swings and higher damage close that gap. The chance of losing weapon condition on a hit also depends on Maintenance, so raising both keeps a favourite weapon going.
Short Blunt Starting Levels
The Construction Worker begins with two levels of Short Blunt. The Carpenter, DIY Expert, Security Guard and Blacksmith each begin with one level.
A starting level means more damage and faster swings in the first fights. It also skips the quickest part of the training.
The occupations that start with this skill mostly work with tools. A Carpenter or Construction Worker spends the game holding a hammer anyway. Fighting with that same hammer saves a weapon slot and a little weight. The Security Guard head start fits the same close, defensive style.
These occupations and traits start a character with levels in Short Blunt.
| Name | Image | Type | Levels | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction Worker | 
|
Occupation | +2 | -2 |
| Blacksmith | 
|
Occupation | +1 | -6 |
| Carpenter | 
|
Occupation | +1 | -2 |
| DIY Expert | 
|
Occupation | +1 | -2 |
| Security Guard | 
|
Occupation | +1 | -2 |
Short Blunt Weapons
The skill covers small, one-handed blunt objects. Tools such as the Claw Hammer, Ball-peen Hammer, Club Hammer and File belong here. So do the Iron Pipe, Lead Pipe, Fireplace Poker and Mace.
Kitchen gear counts too. The Frying Pan, Griddle Pan and Copper Saucepan are all short blunt weapons.
Many broken weapons fall into this group. A Broken Baseball Bat or Broken Plank still trains the skill. Simple crafted weapons such as the Bone Club, Chair Leg with Nails and Medium Handle with Nails also use it.
A hammer is the most practical choice for many characters. It builds barricades and furniture between fights and smashes skulls during them. Carrying one tool for both jobs saves space when inventory is tight. A pipe hits a little harder than a hammer and works well as a dedicated weapon. A pan is a stop-gap for an emergency rather than a weapon to rely on.
The hardest-hitting weapons that Short Blunt governs. Every one of them is listed under Short Blunt.
| Name | Image | Damage | Weight | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bone Club with Spikes | 
|
0.6 - 1.4 | 2 | /additem Base.BoneClub_Spiked
|
| Mace | 
|
0.8 - 1.4 | 1.5 | /additem Base.Mace
|
| Scrap Metal Morningstar - Short | 
|
0.7 - 1.4 | 2.25 | /additem Base.Morningstar_Scrap_Short
|
| Short Bat with Rake Spikes | 
|
0.7 - 1.4 | 1.5 | /additem Base.ShortBat_RakeHead
|
| Stone Mace | 
|
0.8 - 1.3 | 1.5 | /additem Base.Mace_Stone
|
| Short Bat with Nails | 
|
0.7 - 1.3 | 1.5 | /additem Base.ShortBat_Nails
|
| Broken Baseball Bat with Nails | 
|
0.7 - 1.2 | 1.5 | /additem Base.BaseballBat_Broken_Nails
|
| Block Mace | 
|
0.5 - 1.2 | 2.5 | /additem Base.BlockMace
|
| Lead Pipe | 
|
0.7 - 1.2 | 1.5 | /additem Base.LeadPipe
|
| Short Bat with Spikes | 
|
0.6 - 1.2 | 2 | /additem Base.SpikedShortBat
|
| Broken Table Leg with Nails | 
|
0.6 - 1.2 | 1.5 | /additem Base.TableLeg_Broken_Nails
|
| Tree Branch with Nails | 
|
0.7 - 1.2 | 2 | /additem Base.TreeBranch_Nails
|
| Broken Banjo Neck | 
|
0.6 - 1.1 | 1.5 | /additem Base.BanjoNeck_Broken
|
| Fireplace Poker | 
|
0.7 - 1.1 | 1.5 | /additem Base.FireplacePoker
|
| Firewood with Nails | 
|
0.6 - 1.1 | 1.5 | /additem Base.Firewood_Nails
|
Notes
- A Claw Hammer doubles as a tool and a short blunt weapon.
- Broken long weapons often become short blunt weapons.
- The Construction Worker has the best start in this skill.
- Kitchen pans make usable weapons when nothing better is at hand.
- Short reach means every fight happens at grabbing distance, so pick fights carefully.
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