Chain mail
[ chain mail 
| |
|---|---|
| Appearance | chain mail |
| Slot | body armor |
| AC | 5 |
| Special | |
| Base price | 75 zm |
| Weight | 300 |
| Material | iron |
Chain mail is a type of body armor that appears in NetHack. It is made of iron.
Contents
Generation
While any orcish player that would start with chain mail receives orcish chain mail instead, there are no roles that begin the game with chain mail, and thus none available to orcs that make use of this substitution.[1]
Cheftains, pages, roshi, and warriors have a 2⁄3 chance of generating with chain mail.[2]
Player monster Barbarians, Knights, Priests, and Valkyries have a 1⁄2 chance to force a random suit of body armor instead of dragon scale mail, and a 1⁄8 chance for that body armor to be chain mail - effectively a 7⁄128 or ~5.47% chance to be generated with one.[3][4][5][6]
The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that it is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate this information.
Pelias, the Barbarian quest leader starts with +5 chain mail.Description
When worn, chain mail provides 5 base AC and MC1.
Strategy
Chain mail is a decent set of armor, but blocks spellcasting and is heavy as well. Roles looking to shore up their AC early can make good use of a set of chain mail until they find options that are lighter (e.g., mithril-coats) and/or more conducive to spellcasting (e.g., studded leather armor or dragon scale mail).
History
Chain mail has been present in the game since Hack 1.21, a variant of Jay Fenlason's Hack, and is among the various types of armor in the initial item list of Hack 1.0. From this version to NetHack 3.2.3, the Priest role started with +0 chain mail; this was replaced by the robe in NetHack 3.3.0.
Origin
Chain mail is made of small metal rings interlocked to form a mesh, and was widely used in Europe, Asia, and North Africa, from pre-Roman times until as late as the 19th century. In medieval sources, this type of armor was described simply as "mail" - the use of the term to describe other types of armor (and the invention of "chain mail" to distinguish it from those) began in 19th-century historical fiction.
The stats for chain mail are derived from its appearance in Dungeons & Dragons.
Variants
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, the Undead Slayer has a 1⁄4 chance to start with chain mail as their body armor. A chain mail can also be found in the lawful temple within the goal level of the Yeoman quest.
dNetHack
In dNetHack, dwarven Binders always start with a thoroughly rusty chain mail. Dwarven and female half-dragon Nobles will always start with standard chain mail, as do all non-Incantifier Knights.
Any orcish player that would start with chain mail receives orcish chain mail instead.
xNetHack
In xNetHack, Croesus has a 7⁄8 chance to generate wearing gold chain mail.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, aligned champions and ronin have a 1⁄3 chance of generating with chain mail.
Chain mail may also be generated as part of various kits for player monsters, including centaurs.
