Iron shoes - Revision history

Umbire the Phantom: word choice

2026-04-15T00:37:10Z

word choice

Umbire the Phantom: /* Strategy */ expand this section a bit

2026-04-15T00:27:50Z

‎Strategy: expand this section a bit

Umbire the Phantom: /* Description */ upcoming

2026-04-15T00:23:50Z

‎Description: upcoming

Umbire the Phantom: thank you, follow up and clarify a couple others

2026-03-24T12:06:23Z

thank you, follow up and clarify a couple others

Tomsod: /* Description */ upcoming: some clarifications

2026-03-24T11:58:48Z

‎Description: upcoming: some clarifications

Umbire the Phantom: starting knowledge

2026-03-23T23:29:22Z

starting knowledge

Umbire the Phantom: /* Hack'EM */ word choice, etc.

2026-03-23T21:54:14Z

‎Hack'EM: word choice, etc.

Umbire the Phantom: /* xNetHack */ word choice

2026-03-23T20:38:27Z

‎xNetHack: word choice

Umbire the Phantom: 3.7.0

2026-03-23T20:33:09Z

3.7.0

JASON10668: /* Generation */ typo fix

2025-05-26T03:46:07Z

‎Generation: typo fix

@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 [[Barbarian]]s, [[Knight]]s, [[Monk]]s, [[Samurai]], and [[Valkyrie]]s start the game with knowledge of the pair of iron shoes' appearance.
-Iron shoes makes up {{frac|7|1000}} (0.7%) of all armor randomly generated on the ground, in [[shop]]s or as [[death drop]]s. General stores, used armor dealerships and antique weapon outlets can stock iron shoes.
+Iron shoes make up {{frac|7|1000}} (0.7%) of all armor that is randomly generated on the ground, in general [[shop]]s or as [[death drop]]s. Used armor dealerships and antique weapon outlets can also stock iron shoes.
-Live [[Dwarf (monster attribute)|dwarves]] have a {{frac|6|7}} chance of being [[generated with]] iron shoes, and [[Uruk-hai]] have a {{frac|3}} chance of generating with them.{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|417|version=NetHack 3.6.7|comment=Uruk-hai armor and weapons}}{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|370|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} [[Orc-captain]]s have a {{frac|2}} chance of being generated with Uruk-hai armor, giving them an effective {{frac|6}} chance of generating with the boots.{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|402|version=NetHack 3.6.7|comment=switch for orc-captains}}
+Non-[[undead]] [[Dwarf (monster attribute)|dwarves]] have a {{frac|6|7}} chance of being [[generated with]] iron shoes, and [[Uruk-hai]] have a {{frac|3}} chance of generating with them.{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|417|version=NetHack 3.6.7|comment=Uruk-hai armor and weapons}}{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|370|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} [[Orc-captain]]s have a {{frac|2}} chance of being generated with Uruk-hai armor, giving them an effective {{frac|6}} chance of generating with the boots.{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|402|version=NetHack 3.6.7|comment=switch for orc-captains}}
 [[Player monster]]s on the [[Astral Plane]] have an effective ~4.68% chance of generating with iron shoes.{{refsrc|src/mplayer.c|134|version=NetHack 3.6.7|comment=<tt>special</tt> is only set to true when generating player monsters on the Astral Plane}}{{refsrc|src/mplayer.c|294|version=NetHack 3.6.7|name=mk_mplayer_armor|comment=this line requires <tt>if (special)</tt> and selects boots from all available types listed in objects.c}}

@@ Line 33: / Line 33: @@
 ==Strategy==
-Iron shoes and [[high boots]] are the only boots to grant 2 base AC: iron shoes are much easier to find, particularly in the [[Gnomish Mines]], but weigh more and incur a small [[spellcasting]] penalty. They are additionally vulnerable to [[erosion]] by rusting and corrosion, which among other things can make encounters with [[rust monster]]s annoying.
+Iron shoes are one of only two types of boots to grant 2 base AC, and are one of only two types of boots to be [[metallic]]: [[high boots]] also grant 2 AC, while [[kicking boots]] are also metallic. Iron boots are much easier to find compared to high boots, particularly in the [[Gnomish Mines]], but have a higher [[weight]] in comparison. Being metallic, wearing them incurs a small [[spellcasting]] penalty and they are vulnerable to [[erosion]] by rusting and corrosion, which among other things can make encounters with [[rust monster]]s annoying.
-In the early phases of the game, melee roles with low interest in spells and casters looking to prioritize AC will likely grab one of the many pairs of iron shoes they encounter in the Mines, and may swap them for high or low boots as necessary. Their spellcasting penalty is low enough that a character can usually retain comfortably low spell failure rates if they are the only metallic armor worn.
+In the early phases of the game, melee-focused heroes that have low interest in spells and spellcaster heroes that are looking to prioritize AC will likely grab one of the many pairs of iron shoes they encounter in the Mines, and may swap them for [[high boots]] or low boots as necessary. Their spellcasting penalty is low enough that a character can usually retain comfortably low spell failure rates if they are the only metallic armor worn.
 ==History==

@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 * A hero or monster wearing iron shoes will not be damaged by the spikes in [[spiked pit]]s, also preventing the spikes from causing poisoning.
 * A hero or monster wearing iron shoes with a positive [[enchantment]] will be protected from [[anti-magic trap]]s, which will instead drain one point of enchantment from those shoes.
-* A hero or monster wearing iron shoes that steps on a [[polymorph trap]] will polymorph only their shoes, turning them into a pair of [[Magical item#Boots|magical boots]] (with an equal probability for each type of magical boots to occur).
+* A hero or monster wearing iron shoes that steps on a [[polymorph trap]] will polymorph only their shoes, turning them into a pair of [[Magical item#Boots|magical boots]] (with an equal probability for each type of magical boots to occur). Per {{commit|89473216ae083b14f876532aec8ee30b3689eef9}}, this is reworked so that they will only polymorph into [[kicking boots]].
 * A hero or monster wearing iron shoes that steps on a [[land mine]] will take reduced damage from the resulting explosion (min. 1), though they will still end up with wounded legs.}}

@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 {{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Per {{commit|b6df17f34252a2e3170acd2e42edacab10a6a5eb}}, worn iron shoes grant at least partial protection against several floor-based [[trap]]s:
-* A hero or monster wearing iron shoes will not be damaged or suffer [[wounded legs]] from being caught in [[beartrap]]s.
+* A hero or monster wearing iron shoes will not take damage or suffer [[wounded legs]] from being caught in [[beartrap]]s.
-* A hero or monster wearing iron shoes will not be damaged by the spikes in [[spiked pit]]s, also preventing them from being poisoned.
+* A hero or monster wearing iron shoes will not be damaged by the spikes in [[spiked pit]]s, also preventing the spikes from causing poisoning.
 * A hero or monster wearing iron shoes with a positive [[enchantment]] will be protected from [[anti-magic trap]]s, which will instead drain one point of enchantment from those shoes.
-* A hero or monster wearing iron shoes that steps on a [[polymorph trap]] will polymorph only their shoes, turning them into a pair of [[magical item#Boots|magical boots]] (with all seven boot types equally likely).
+* A hero or monster wearing iron shoes that steps on a [[polymorph trap]] will polymorph only their shoes, turning them into a pair of [[Magical item#Boots|magical boots]] (with an equal probability for each type of magical boots to occur).
-* A hero or monster wearing iron shoes that steps on a [[land mine]] will take reduced damage from the resulting explosion (min. 1), though they will still end up with [[wounded legs]].}}
+* A hero or monster wearing iron shoes that steps on a [[land mine]] will take reduced damage from the resulting explosion (min. 1), though they will still end up with wounded legs.}}
 ==Strategy==

@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 {{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Per {{commit|b6df17f34252a2e3170acd2e42edacab10a6a5eb}}, worn iron shoes grant at least partial protection against several floor-based [[trap]]s:
-* A hero or monster wearing iron shoes will not be caught in [[beartrap]]s.
+* A hero or monster wearing iron shoes will not be damaged or suffer [[wounded legs]] from being caught in [[beartrap]]s.
 * A hero or monster wearing iron shoes will not be damaged by the spikes in [[spiked pit]]s, also preventing them from being poisoned.
 * A hero or monster wearing iron shoes with a positive [[enchantment]] will be protected from [[anti-magic trap]]s, which will instead drain one point of enchantment from those shoes.
-* A hero or monster wearing iron shoes that steps on a [[polymorph trap]] will polymorph only their shoes, turning them into another pair of boots&mdash;[[low boots]] and [[high boots]] cannot be produced by this polymorph.
+* A hero or monster wearing iron shoes that steps on a [[polymorph trap]] will polymorph only their shoes, turning them into a pair of [[magical item#Boots|magical boots]] (with all seven boot types equally likely).
 * A hero or monster wearing iron shoes that steps on a [[land mine]] will take reduced damage from the resulting explosion (min. 1), though they will still end up with [[wounded legs]].}}

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:29, 23 March 2026
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	==Generation==		==Generation==
		+	[[Barbarian]]s, [[Knight]]s, [[Monk]]s, [[Samurai]], and [[Valkyrie]]s start the game with knowledge of the pair of iron shoes' appearance.
		+
	Iron shoes makes up {{frac\|7\|1000}} (0.7%) of all armor randomly generated on the ground, in [[shop]]s or as [[death drop]]s. General stores, used armor dealerships and antique weapon outlets can stock iron shoes.		Iron shoes makes up {{frac\|7\|1000}} (0.7%) of all armor randomly generated on the ground, in [[shop]]s or as [[death drop]]s. General stores, used armor dealerships and antique weapon outlets can stock iron shoes.

@@ Line 72: / Line 72: @@
 ===Hack'EM===
-[[Hack'EM]] splits iron shoes into dwarvish and orcish boots similar to EvilHack.
+[[Hack'EM]] splits iron shoes into dwarvish and orcish boots, similar to EvilHack.
-[[Upgrading]] a pair of [[high boots]] will produce a pair of dwarvish boots. As in EvilHack, a pair of dwarvish boots can be created at a forge by combining a dwarvish short sword and a pair of gauntlets.
+[[Upgrading]] a pair of [[high boots]] successfully will produce a pair of dwarvish boots. As in EvilHack, a pair of dwarvish boots can be created at a forge by combining a dwarvish short sword and a pair of gauntlets.
 ==References==

@@ Line 59: / Line 59: @@
 ===xNetHack===
-[[xNetHack]] renames iron shoes to "dwarvish boots" and retains the odds of Uruk-hai generating with them, with a comment in makemon.c suggesting that they stole their boots from dwarves.
+[[xNetHack]] renames iron shoes to "dwarvish boots" and retains the odds of Uruk-hai generating with them, with a comment in the relevant code suggesting that they stole their boots from dwarves.
 ===EvilHack===

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
    |material=iron
 }}
 A pair of '''iron shoes''' is a set of [[boots]] that appear in ''[[NetHack]]''. They are naturally made of [[iron]], and appear as '''hard shoes''' when unidentified.
@@ Line 18: / Line 17: @@
 Live [[Dwarf (monster attribute)|dwarves]] have a {{frac|6|7}} chance of being [[generated with]] iron shoes, and [[Uruk-hai]] have a {{frac|3}} chance of generating with them.{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|417|version=NetHack 3.6.7|comment=Uruk-hai armor and weapons}}{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|370|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} [[Orc-captain]]s have a {{frac|2}} chance of being generated with Uruk-hai armor, giving them an effective {{frac|6}} chance of generating with the boots.{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|402|version=NetHack 3.6.7|comment=switch for orc-captains}}
-[[Player monster]]s on the [[Astral Plane]] have an effective ~4.68% chance of generating with iron shoes.{{refsrc|src/mplayer.c|134|version=NetHack 3.6.7|comment=<code>special</code> is only set to true when generating player monsters on the Astral Plane}}{{refsrc|src/mplayer.c|294|version=NetHack 3.6.7|name=mk_mplayer_armor|comment=this line requires <code>if (special)</code> and selects boots from all available types listed in objects.c}}
+[[Player monster]]s on the [[Astral Plane]] have an effective ~4.68% chance of generating with iron shoes.{{refsrc|src/mplayer.c|134|version=NetHack 3.6.7|comment=<tt>special</tt> is only set to true when generating player monsters on the Astral Plane}}{{refsrc|src/mplayer.c|294|version=NetHack 3.6.7|name=mk_mplayer_armor|comment=this line requires <tt>if (special)</tt> and selects boots from all available types listed in objects.c}}
 ==Description==
 While [[worn]], a pair of iron shoes grants 2 base [[AC]], and protects a [[hero]] against the [[xan]]'s [[Wounded legs|leg-wounding]] sting {{frac|2|5}} of the time.{{refsrc|src/mhitu.c|1220|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}
 ==Strategy==

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 ==Generation==
-Banded mail makes up {{frac|7|1000}} (0.7%) of all armor randomly generated on the ground, in [[shop]]s or as [[death drop]]s. General stores, used armor dealerships and antique weapon outlets can stock iron shoes.
+Iron shoes makes up {{frac|7|1000}} (0.7%) of all armor randomly generated on the ground, in [[shop]]s or as [[death drop]]s. General stores, used armor dealerships and antique weapon outlets can stock iron shoes.
 Live [[Dwarf (monster attribute)|dwarves]] have a {{frac|6|7}} chance of being [[generated with]] iron shoes, and [[Uruk-hai]] have a {{frac|3}} chance of generating with them.{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|417|version=NetHack 3.6.7|comment=Uruk-hai armor and weapons}}{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|370|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} [[Orc-captain]]s have a {{frac|2}} chance of being generated with Uruk-hai armor, giving them an effective {{frac|6}} chance of generating with the boots.{{refsrc|src/makemon.c|402|version=NetHack 3.6.7|comment=switch for orc-captains}}