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The '''Unarmed Combat''' ('''UC''') skill determines the effectiveness of all attacks made with your character's fists, [[claws]], [[Octopode|tentacles]], and other forelimbs. It increases the damage, [[accuracy]], and [[attack speed|speed]] of your unarmed attacks. It does not boost [[auxiliary attack]]s, except for the off-hand punch done without a shield.

Your fists do not normally benefit from weapon [[brand]]s and definitely don't have [[artefact]] properties. However, training Unarmed Combat gives a special bonus to base damage, and can benefit from [[talisman]] forms.

{{skill aptitudes}}

==Useful Info==
===Base stats===
By default, Unarmed Combat has a base damage of 3, [[to-hit|accuracy]] of +6, [[attack delay|base delay]] of 1.0 decaAut, and a [[mindelay]] of 0.5 decaAut (reached at 27 skill). UC itself functions like any other [[melee weapon]], though your fists cannot be [[enchant]]ed or [[brand]]ed normally.

While using Unarmed Combat, [[Manifold Assault]] only strikes half as many targets, and the damage formula for [[Detonation Catalyst]] is changed.

===Skill bonuses===
Each level of Unarmed Combat gives different benefits than other weapon skills:
* '''Damage:''' Each level of UC adds +1 to base damage, which is then multiplied by [[strength]] and [[Fighting]], instead of the usual +2% per level boost.
* '''Attack speed:''' Unarmed starts at 1.0 delay, and reaches its [[mindelay]] of 0.5 at 27 skill. This means that every 5.4 levels of UC reduces attack delay by 0.1 decaAut, and each level of UC reduces delay by ~0.0185 decaAut) - this is worse than regular weapons. Like other weapons, this is rounded to the tenths place in the weighted fashion.
* Increases [[#Offhand punch|offhand punch]] damage and its chance to activate.
*The [[to-hit]] boost is the same as other weapon skills (+0.5 to-hit per level).

===Offhand punch===
Offhand punches are an [[auxiliary attack]]. Most species are unable to use the offhand punch unless their offhand is empty, which means not wearing a [[shield]] or wielding a [[handedness|two-handed weapon]]. In addition, you can't make these punches in [[Flux Form]] or [[Serpent Form]]. [[Octopode]]s get tentacle slaps instead of offhand punches, and may slap even when their offhand is occupied.

If offhand punches/slaps are available, then increasing Unarmed skill increases the chance of an attack. At 0 skill, you have a 5% chance per attack to throw a punch, at 27 skill, you have a 50% chance. It scales linearly, meaning you are 1.67% more likely to proc a punch per skill level.

Offhand punch damage equals:<ref>{{source ref|0.30.0|melee-attack.cc|1019}}</ref>
5 + (UC / 2)
+ 1d3 × [[Claws]] rank
+ 6 under [[Blade Form]]

==Damage Modifiers==
Unarmed Combat's base damage is modified by most [[transformations]], as well as the [[Claws]] mutation. In addition, many transformations have other special effects.

'''General Modifiers'''
{| class="prettytable" style="border:none; text-align: center; margin:0; padding:0;"
! Condition || Damage || Special
|-
| Base damage || 3 || N/A
|-
| [[Claws]] || +2 × level || Wearing [[gloves]] negates this<br>[[Revenant]]: Claws 1, [[Troll]]: Claws 3
|-
| [[Felid]] || 5 || Works well for [[stab]]bing
|}

'''[[Talisman]] Forms:'''
{| class="prettytable" style="border:none; text-align: center; margin:0; padding:0;"
! Form || Dmg || Skill Range || Special
|-
|Base (No Form)
|3
|
|
|-
|[[Maw Form]]
|5
|
|Bite [[auxiliary attack]]
|-
|[[Yak Form]]
|7
|
|Attacking near walls deals cold damage
|-
|[[Blade Form]]
|15-23
|12-20
|Buffs off-hand punch
|-
|[[Fortress Crab Form]]
|8-13
|12-20
|
|-
|[[Spider Form]]
|3
|
|Works well for [[stab]]bing
|-
|[[Serpent Form]]
|10
|
|[[Constriction]]
|-
|[[Dragon Form]]
|17-27
|17-25
|Listed damage includes Claws; +5 STR; aux attacks
|-
|[[Statue Form]]
|8
|
|<nowiki>+</nowiki>50% all melee damage, 50% slower; +7 STR
|-
|[[Storm Form]]
|24-30
|23-27
|[[Elec]], [[Cleaving]]
|-
|[[Death Form]]
|9
|
|All melee can inflict status conditions
|}

''For forms that scale with skill, the listed damage range assumes you are at min and max skill, respectively. Going under min skill will reduce damage accordingly.''

'''[[Bad Form|Other Forms]]'''
{| class="prettytable" style="border:none; text-align: center; margin:0; padding:0;"
! Form || Damage || Special
|-
| [[Bat Form]] || 1 || N/A
|-
| [[Fungus Form]] || 12 || [[Confusion]]
|-
| [[Pig Form]] || 1 || For damage, skill has 1/5 impact
|-
| [[Tree Form]] || 12 || N/A
|-
| [[Wisp Form]] || 5 || Uses (XL/2) for dmg instead of UC skill
|}

==Strategy==
Unarmed Combat has three main advantages. You don't need to find a weapon, meaning dungeon RNG can't screw you over. Unarmed Combat scales better with skill, so skill 27 unarmed is one of the strongest things in the game. And unarmed can be boosted further with various [[talisman]] forms. The downsides are, as mentioned, the inability to enchant or brand fists, and the poor stats at low skill.

The skill scaling of Unarmed Combat should be put into perspective. At 16 skill:
*Unarmed Combat deals 19 base damage, and attacks a bit slower than 0.7 delay.
*A +0 unbranded [[morningstar]] deals 17 damage (after M&F skill), and attacks at 0.7 delay. In addition, a morningstar can be [[enchant]]ed and [[brand]]ed. A +0 morningstar with just about any brand will surpass UC at this skill level.

At high enough skill, Unarmed Combat is around the level of the strongest two-handed weapons (before considering forms). But there is a huge chunk of the game where you are weaker, equal to, or just slightly better than a weapon wielder.

Many forms have high base damage, so you don't need to train ''that'' much Unarmed Combat skill to effectively use them. For example, [[Dragon Form]] starts at 17 base damage at its minimum skill; not a lot of actual UC skill is required to pulverize your enemies. Of course, you should still train at least some skill, to boost accuracy and speed of your attacks.

==History==
*Prior to [[0.31]], Unarmed Combat only had a base accuracy of +2. However, having [[Claws]] or being in most [[transformation]]s provided a hidden extra bonus to accuracy.
*Prior to [[0.20]], certain forms ([[Blade Hands]], [[Statue Form]], [[Dragon Form]]) scaled their unarmed damage with [[strength]].
*Prior to [[0.17]], unarmed combat attack delay was penalized by [[body armour]]. Also, trolls' claws could inflict the now-removed [[bleeding]] status.
*Prior to [[0.11]], Unarmed Combat gave a chance to perform kick and headbutt [[auxiliary attack]]s, if you didn't already have [[Hooves]] / [[Horns]] to do so. The off-hand punch was slightly weaker (<code>5 + UC/3</code>).
*Prior to [[0.7]], Unarmed Combat improved the performance of your non-punch auxiliary attacks, giving all melee fighters a reason to train it.

==References==
<references/>

{{Skills}}

[[Category:Skills]]

Unarmed Combat - Revision history

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