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Spoilers for Books 1–8
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Ammunition · Introduced in Book 3
Bolt of Ophiotaurus
The Bolt of Ophiotaurus briefly removes a deity’s invulnerability if it hits the god directly in the eye. Landing that shot is the difficult part of using this rare crossbow bolt.[1]
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A brief opening, not an automatic kill
Princess Formidable sends Katia a hundred bolts in a Silver Benefactor’s Box, with the Ophiotaurus bolt hidden among them. Outside its special condition it behaves like ordinary ammunition. The important effect triggers only when it strikes a deity directly in the eye.
The description gives sixteen seconds without divine invulnerability. That removes one extraordinary defense; it does not promise that the target will be easy to kill, that every other protection disappears, or that the attacker can survive long enough to exploit the interval. Accuracy, timing and a follow-up attack remain essential.[1]
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Why Carl suspects a political motive
A weapon specifically suited to hurting a god carries implications beyond its combat statistics. Carl reads Formidable’s gift in the context of hostility among the relevant divine family and their sponsors. That is his interpretation of the choice of present, not a direct confession from the giver.
The bolt’s rarity also encourages restraint. Having a possible answer to invulnerability is different from having a repeatable technique that Carl can use in every encounter.[1]
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The separate Dart of Ophiotaurus
The Dart of Ophiotaurus belongs to a different mechanism described in Odette’s earlier crawl. It requires a living sacrifice to summon a worshipped deity before that deity’s normal invulnerability begins. The bolt instead attacks an already present deity through a direct eye hit.
The shared name should not merge their histories or instructions. A successful summoning sacrifice does not demonstrate that the crossbow bolt can summon gods, and the bolt’s temporary opening does not make the dart ordinary anti-god ammunition.[2]
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Sixteen stated, fifteen observed
The original bolt description gives a sixteen-second opening. In the later Emberus encounter, the narrated effect is reported as fifteen seconds. Those are the two source statements; the later observation should not silently replace the original description or become a claim that the item has a documented new upgrade.
A separate Danforth bolt pins the target. That action is distinct from the Ophiotaurus strike, even though the attacks contribute to the same confrontation.[3]
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History
Book 3
The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook
Held in reserve during the Grull plan
Katia receives it from a benefactor. Learning about Soul Armor makes it a possible weapon against Grull, but Carl resolves that encounter by moving the god through different vessels. He keeps the bolt unused.[4]
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Book 6
The Eye of the Bedlam Bride
Used in preparing Paz
After recovering Paz’s inactive card, Katia uses the bolt to improve his equipment before he attacks Ysalte. She does not personally fire it into the goddess’s eye in that scene.[5]
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Book 8
A Parade of Horribles
Donut strikes Emberus
Donut later fires the bolt identified as Katia’s into Emberus. He loses his invulnerability for fifteen seconds, while a separate Danforth bolt pins him. The party has only that short window to continue the attack.
The account does not explain how the bolt passes from the earlier preparation of Paz to this later shot. No recovery or replacement mechanism is confirmed.[3]
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Sources
References are to Matt Dinniman’s novels. Book links open our recap guides.
- The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook, Chapter 29.
- The Eye of the Bedlam Bride, Prologue.
- A Parade of Horribles, Chapter 96.
- The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook, Chapters 29, 32–34.
- The Eye of the Bedlam Bride, Chapter 72.