Gauntlets of dexterity
[  [  [  [  gauntlets of dexterity | |
|---|---|
| Appearance | random |
| Slot | gloves |
| AC | 1 |
| Special |
|
| Base price | 50 zm |
| Weight | 10 |
| Material | leather |
Gauntlets of dexterity, sometimes abbreviated to GoD, are a type of magical gloves that appear in NetHack. They are made of leather, and have a randomized appearance when unidentified—the default appearance associated with them is a pair of "fencing gloves".[1]
Contents
Generation
Gauntlets of dexterity make up 1⁄125 (0.8%) of all armor that is randomly generated on the ground, in general shops or as death drops. Used armor dealerships and antique weapon outlets can aksi stock gauntlets of dexterity.
Player monsters on the Astral Plane that do not generate with a war hammer have a 7⁄8 chance of generating with a random pair of gloves and a 1⁄5 chance of those gloves being gauntlets of dexterity, for an effective 7⁄40 chance (17.5%).[2]
Description
While worn, gauntlets of dexterity grant 1 base AC, and a hero wearing them modifies their dexterity based on the gloves' enchantment, up to a maximum of 25. Wearing or taking off gauntlets of dexterity that have a non-zero enchantment will auto-identify them.
Strategy
Gauntlets of dexterity fairly uncommon choices in most character kits (including ascension kits): while far from useless to most heroes, leather gloves are usually found first and are often sufficient. While higher dexterity can improve a hero's to-hit chances for spells, attacks and thrown items, most players can also raise their spell or combat accuracy through other means, commonly by training the appropriate weapon skill or maximizing luck.
Gauntlets of dexterity can be ideal for spellcasting heroes seeking to improve their hit rates on attack spells such as magic missile and finger of death—Monks may favor them for both general use with martial arts and to offset the -20 to-hit penalty for worn body armor or wielded weapons.
Worn gauntlets of dexterity can help in reliably hitting high-priority hostile targets with thrown cockatrice eggs or potions of paralysis, since to-hit for throwing non-weapon objects can only be improved by a higher dexterity score; though wielded footrice egg or potion of paralysis can be more reliable if the situation allows, wearing a ring of free action is recommended when using the wielded potion. Highly-enchanted gauntlets can make for solid accuracy with thrown eggs and potions: at 23 Dexterity (assuming a hero with 18 dexterity and +5 gauntlets), there is a relatively low 12% chance of the item missing, and throwing a potion of paralysis at a distance also removes the need to wear a ring of free action.
History
Gauntlets of dexterity first appear in NetHack 3.0.0.
Variants
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, upgrading leather gloves successfully has a 1⁄2 chance of producing gauntlets of dexterity, and upgrading gauntlets of dexterity successfully will always produce leather gloves.
The Gauntlets of Defense are a neutral artifact pair of gauntlets of dexterity that provide half physical damage while worn, and can be invoked to toggle invisibility.
Dexterity improves a hero's AC at higher values, making gauntlets of dexterity much more attractive to the point that they feature fairly often in SLASH'EM ascension kits. It is debatable whether they are worth spending a wish on since they are much more available through mundane means, especially for gnomish heroes who have the ability to tinker.
NetHack brass
In NetHack brass, gauntlets of dexterity set the wearer's dexterity to their race or role's maximum similar to gauntlets of power, and they will always auto-identify when worn or removed.
dNetHack
In dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, gauntlets of dexterity grant 2 base AC, 0 base DR and add their enchantment to the wearer's dexterity while worn, which in turn contributes to a SLASH'EM-styled bonus to AC.
Drow Anachrononaut women start each game with a +1 pair of gauntlets of dexterity.
Gauntlets of dexterity can be used to repair the dexterity servos of imperial elven gauntlets, granting a bonus to the hero's dexterity equal to the enchantment of the imperial elven gauntlets while they are worn.
There are two pairs of artifact gauntlets of dexterity:
- The Shield of the Resolute Heart are an unaligned artifact that can be enchanted to +7 and grant half physical damage when worn, and can be invoked to bless and repair themselves, also raising their enchantment to +3 if it is below that threshold.
- The Claws of the Revenancer are a neutral artifact that act as the crowning gift for neutral female drow Nobles, Priests, Rangers, Rogues, and Wizards. The Claws of the Revenancer are made of silver and have several effects related to life draining and undead.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, a hero's dexterity grants bonuses to AC while they are unburdened, in a manner somewhat similar to SLASH'EM—this makes gauntlets of dexterity more desirable, though to a lesser extent.
Gauntlets of dexterity are generated as part of various kits for player monsters, including centaurs of several roles and monks of all races.
SlashTHEM
In SlashTHEM, in addition to SLASH'EM details, The Pickpocket's Gloves are a chaotic artifact pair of gauntlets of dexterity that grant stealth and automatic searching while worn, and additionally provide a +20 bonus to stealing from monsters via the #borrow extended command.
Hack'EM
In Hack'EM, upgrading gauntlets of dexterity will produce gauntlets of fumbling and vice versa. All details from EvilHack also apply.
References
- ↑ src/objects.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 497
- ↑ src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 289: gloves are generated after a playermon's weapon is determined
