Morning Star (Weapon)

The Morning Star is a custom Weapon found in MORNING STAR. The Morning Star appears to be a medieval flail consisting of a stick and star connected by a chain. It functions like a grappling hook, allowing the player to cling to surfaces and get to areas they otherwise would be unable to reach.

Much like the Axe, the Morning Star does not require Ammo and is part of the starting inventory loadout (meaning every player can use it without needing to find it in the world). The player can use either a key dedicated to the Morning Star, impulse 21, or toggle between the Axe and this Weapon.

The player model still will show the player holding an Axe; trying to change the Ranger mesh would have required a lot of work due to each individual animation needing to be changed.

Strategy
According to the designer, this Weapon is relatively simple to use, but can be a challenge to properly use it. The primary use of this Weapon is to traverse somewhere that would otherwise be hard to access, such as something high above the player, by firing the star into a surface. If the star projectile collides with a surface, it will pull the player towards said location. Note that the player must hold down the attack button at all times while grappling a surface; releasing the attack button shall remove the star and will also cancel the grapple. Used strategically, this means the player can time their placement. The chain can be quite useful for this, allowing players to determine direction and relative distance to the star. If the player goes through a Teleporter or dies, the star shall release automatically.

Furthermore, the player can remain stuck to a wall without holding down a key by simply swapping to another Weapon while keeping the attack button held down. Once swapped, the player is relatively safe, though they do not have the ability to move unless they swap back to the Morning Star and can therefore be easy pickings for the Rocket Launcher. Swapping back to the Morning Star will unhook it. Note that while the designer felt this mode was overpowered and that he was just catering to a community that wished for too powerful weaponry, the focus on continual movement in Deathmatch means that this tends to be more of a disadvantage than an advantage in combat.

Using the jump key can result in a slight shift upwards, which can be useful in maneuvering around platform edges or stairs. While generally not needed, this can be the difference between being stuck on a ledge and being able to climb onto said ledge.

Note that the Morning Star can also be used as a Weapon by firing it at opponents. However, this requires perfect accuracy, meaning it is quite difficult to pull off in the average Deathmatch game. Even if the player gets hooked and starts taking incremental damage from the grind attack, grinding also results in the attacker needing to be directly next to their target. This means it is quite easy for a player to strike said opponent with an Axe, which causes far more damage per second. Needless to say, this Weapon is intended mostly as an alternative method of navigation, not as something to fight opponents with.

Advantages

 * Always on the player, meaning it is always an additional choice
 * Doesn't require ammo, meaning it can be spammed as needed
 * Allows the player to bypass areas and create new shortcuts
 * Can cause damage to Enemies if it hits them
 * Does not require being held down if swapped to another Weapon.

Disadvantages

 * Even more than the Rocket Jump, this can cause the player to skip entire portions of a level in Singleplayer or Cooperative.
 * Due to the relative slowness of the projectile, it is unlikely to save a player that was going to fall into a Lava pit.
 * If angled incorrectly, can put the player directly in the line of some Hazard.
 * Attack is weak and additional damage requires the player to be in front of their opponent.
 * If toggled to a different Weapon, the player can become a sitting duck.
 * This Weapon permits players to camp, which can be quite controversial depending on the server and can result in bans.
 * Falling damage still exists.

Death Messages

 * "Player" was disemboweled by "Attacker"