Pimpernel

The  is a   Maliwan sniper rifle.

Special Weapon Effects
When the bullet impacts it splits into five lower-damage elemental energy balls that are cast out in a circular distribution parallel to ground from the point of impact for additional damage.

Usage & Description
On initial inspection the Pimpernel seems little different than any other blue-rarity Maliwan sniper rifle, having the same base damage and accuracy. On its first use however the differences become quickly apparent. Each shot from the Pimpernel produces a scatter of five energy balls, distributed evenly and horizontally (parallel with the ground) from just above the point of impact. Though each does a lower amount of damage than the initial bullet, the damage is dealt in addition to the base bullet damage. As the damage of each energy ball is approximately one-third the damage of the bullet, this can nearly triple the damage output of the weapon without factoring in critical hits. It also dramatically increases the chance of inflicting an elemental status effect, or even multiple status effects at once.

The true advantage of the Pimpernel lies in its ability to strike a target for multiple critical hits with one shot. Using unconventional sniper rifle aiming techniques, a shot from the Pimpernel can strike the enemy once near the midsection and anywhere from one to a full five times in the head area, resulting in multiple critical hits. Loaders are particularly vulnerable to this, as a shot to one of the leg joints will frequently result in critical hits to the eye or arm joints, in addition to the critical hit from shooting the leg joint. Furthermore, while the base damage of each energy ball is lowered compared to the initial projectile, critical hit damage is not. This results in a massive increase in effective damage output if a shot results in multiple critical hits, especially if the weapon has the "Gentleman's" prefix and the associated +120% Critical Hit damage bonus.

For smaller enemies, shooting low or near the pelvis area will usually result in two to three hits from the weapon. For larger enemies such as Badass Constructors, Roscoe, or any larger boss, a direct hit with the Pimpernel may result in massive damage, as the energy balls will spawn close enough that most, if not all, will strike the enemy for additional damage and critical hits.

The Pimpernel is also useful against enemies with defenses against direct attacks with bullets, such as Nomad Taskmasters or even Shield Surveyors. While the initial projectile will still be stopped or even deflected towards the player, the energy balls will be created based on the point of deflection, bypassing the defense and damaging the enemy.

Trivia

 * The name and flavor text of the gun is a reference to the fictional character The Scarlet Pimpernel, an English nobleman who saved French royalty from the Guillotine during the French Revolution, who occasionally exclaims "Sink me!"

Pimpernelle Врунгель