Returning

Version 0.12: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

A skilled user can throw it in such a way that it will return to its owner.

Weapons with the returning brand will return to the user's inventory when thrown or otherwise launched. The chance of it returning successfully depends on the attacker's Throwing skill:

• At 0 skill, the weapon never returns.
• At 1 skill, 33% chance of not returning.
• At 2 skill, 20% chance.
• At 3 or more skill, (1/(4 + skill))% chance of not returning.
  • At 6, 10% chance.
  • At 16, 5% chance.
  • At 27, 3.22% chance.

Weapons of returning wiggle slightly when wielded. These weapons are especially useful when you need to quickly deal with jellies and other monsters that devour items; the weapon will (usually) inflict its damage and return to your inventory before the monster has a chance to eat it.

Normally, only daggers, hand axes, spears and javelins can have the returning brand. Branded ammunition shops may offer other missiles with this brand, such as arrows, bolts and large rocks.