Uruk-hai shield
[ Uruk-hai shield 
| |
|---|---|
| Appearance | white-handed shield |
| Slot | shield |
| AC | 1 |
| Special | (none) |
| Base price | 7 zm |
| Weight | 50 |
| Material | iron |
A Uruk-hai shield is a type of shield that appears in NetHack. It is made of iron and appears as a white-handed shield when unidentified.
The orcish shield is a near-identical shield with a different appearance.
Contents
Generation
Orcish characters start the game with knowledge of the Uruk-hai shield.[1]
Uruk-hai have a 1⁄3 chance of being generated with an Uruk-hai shield;[2] orc-captains have a 1⁄2 chance of being generated with Uruk-hai armor, giving them an effective 1⁄6 chance of generating with Uruk-hai shields.[3]
Description
While worn, an Uruk-hai shield grants 1 base AC.
Strategy
Like orcish shields, Uruk-hai shields are fairly heavy and provide no more AC than a small shield while significantly inhibiting spellcasting - they may suffice to fill out the shield slot momentarily, but should ideally be replaced with a lighter or better shield as soon as possible.
The Uruk-hai shield is mainly useful as racial equipment for racial conducts involving orcs.
History
The Uruk-hai shield first appears in NetHack 3.0.0.
Origin
The basis for the Uruk-hai of NetHack are the orcs that served under the wizard Saruman in J. R. R. Tolkien's world of Middle-earth, particularly the company that guarded the tower of Isengard. The shields of these Uruks bore a small White Hand of Saruman centered on a black field, as opposed to the red-eyed shields of Sauron's armies: Saruman's white hand symbol was a deliberate imitation of the red eye used by Sauron. In NetHack, this is reflected in the shield's unidentified appearance and default tile.
Variants
Some variants distinguish the orcish and Uruk-hai shields, and others may give orcs (including orcish characters) an AC bonus for wearing Uruk-hai shields.
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, Uruk-hai shields can be upgraded into elven shields, and upgrading an elven shield will produce either an orcish shield or an Uruk-hai shield, with an equal chance of each item.
UnNetHack
In UnNetHack, Uruk-hai shields grant +1 AC to orcish monsters that wear them, including orcish characters.
dNetHack
In dNetHack, Uruk-hai shields grant 2 base AC, 0 DR and MC1 while worn. Like all shields, they add their full enchantment to AC while giving no bonus to DR.
xNetHack
In xNetHack, Uruk-hai shields count as bulky for purposes of spellcasting penalties, while orcish shields do not.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, Uruk-hai shields grant +1 AC to orcish monsters that wear them, including orcish characters.
An Uruk-hai shield can be created at a forge by combining two orcish shields.
Hack'EM
In Hack'EM, Uruk-hai shields grant +1 AC to orcish monsters that wear them, including orcish characters.
Encyclopedia entry
They were armed with short broad-bladed swords, not with the
curved scimitars usual with Orcs: and they had bows of yew,
in length and shape like the bows of Men. Upon their shields
they bore a strange device: a small white hand in the centre
of a black field; on the front of their iron helms was set an
S-rune, wrought of some white metal.
References
- ↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 862
- ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 412: armor and weapons for Uruk-Hai
- ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 400: switch for orc-captains
