Projectiles are damaging actors which are launched as an attack. In the Wolfenstein 3D family of games there are some enemies, usually bosses, who attack with visible projectiles instead of bullets or melee attacks. In the Mac family of games the player can also obtain weapons which fire projectiles.
Projectiles
Syringe
The thrown syringe full of mutant serum.
The syringe, or needle, is a projectile thrown exclusively by Doctor Schabbs, the boss of the second episode. It deals massive damage and moves at an astounding speed.
Because the syringe is full of Schabbs's mutant serum, the syringe has the unique ability of any enemy attack of giving the player an alternate death face on the HUD. Instead of the typical depiction of BJ's bloodied face, a death by syringe results in BJ's face turning grey and his expression grim, a sign that he has been converted into a mutant.
Fake Hitler Fire
A fireball from the Fake Hitler
The Fake Hitler's fire moves at roughly half the speed of the syringe or rocket and deals a medium amount of damage per hit. What makes this a far more devastating attack is that it is often delivered in volleys of 8 in a row, creating a stream of inferno which can quickly kill the player if they aren't careful.
Due to a bug in how the original actor was coded, the fireball does not move according to the game's "thinker" timeline system but rather the action system. The result is that on faster systems the fireball moves at an incredibly slow speed (roughly 16% of its original speed) and bunches up when originally fired. This can be seen as a blessing or a curse, as it means that the fireballs are much easier to dodge, but also linger much longer in more compressed and damaging form.
This is the only projectile in the Wolfenstein 3D family of games that is fired by an enemy that is not a unique boss.
Rocket
A rocket and its trail
Mission Packs rocket and trail
The rocket is the only projectile in the Wolfenstein 3D family of games shared by multiple bosses and games.
The rocket first appears as the method of attack for Otto Giftmacher at the end of Episode 4. It later appears again as one of two attacks used by General Fettgesicht in the final level of Episode 6. In Spear of Destiny it is one of two attacks used by Barnacle Wilhelm and a version of it whose sprites are raised higher toward the ceiling is used in devastating volleys by The Death Knight; respectively, this is mimicked (with new sprites) by Professor Quarkblitz and The Robot in The Spear Mission Packs.
The behavior of the rocket is very similar to the syringe: they travel the same speed and the rocket only deals slightly higher damage (roughly 119% of the syringe damage). Despite featuring an explosion animation on detonation, the rocket does not deal splash damage.
The smoke trail is an additional actor which animates for four frames before destroying itself, being created every one and a half step by the rocket.
The Death Knight's and Robot's rockets have different sprites from the normal robots, but they are just the same sprites as Barnacle Wilhelm's and Professor Quarkblitz's rockets, respectively, raised several pixels to match the positioning of their launchers. Behaviorally, their rockets are identical to any other rockets ingame.
The rockets in The Spear Mission Packs are sometimes referred to as "chemical rockets" due to their turquoise payload and colorful smoke trail and explosion, as well as their use as experimental weapons in the Nazi laboratories in the Mission Packs' lore.
Energy Ball
The Angel of Death's energy ball
The Devil Incarnate's energy ball
The energy ball (or spark, plasma ball) is the projectile used by the Angel of Death in Spear of Destiny and by the Devil Incarnate in the Mission Packs. The Angel of Death's energy ball is a green orb housing sparkling electrical current surrounded by a glowing green halo, while the Devil Incarnate's energy ball is a bright gaseous orb which cycles between being magenta, green, turquoise, and blue.
The energy ball travels at the same speed as a rocket or syringe and deals roughly 102% of the damage a rocket deals. It is usually lobbed by its attacker 1-3 in a row.
Compared to other projectiles, the sprite for the energy ball is a little off-center (several pixels to the left), which may cause the player to overshoot or undershoot dodging it.