The Afflox is a spiked metal ball attached to a foot-long haft by a variable-length wire. It is a favorite weapon of the techno-barbarian gangs on PlanetSkar.
When stored, the wire is retracted and the weapons appears as a mace. During combat the wire is deployed, and the operator swings the ball in a circular motion, lengthening the wire to send the ball crashing into the target. This results in a kinetic boost similar to that of a charge mace but considerably more effective. A skilled operator can strike a traget up to ten feet away, and can also use the Afflox to trip or disarm.
Note: This weapon appears in the novel The Face by Jack Vance.