Shield
A shield is a form of armor that appears in NetHack, and is one of seven armor slots available to the hero and certain monsters.
Description
Wearing a shield is incompatible with wielding a two-handed weapon or performing two weapon combat; wearing a shield also prevents the hero from dealing staggering blows, and prevents a Monk from receiving a to-hit bonus for martial arts.
Wearing any shield reduces the hero's spellcasting success rate - the small shield has the lowest reduction.
Any monster with hands that can wear armor and is not wielding a two-handed weapon can wear a shield.[1]
If the hero or a monster is subject to a blast of disintegration and they do not have reflection, any shield they are wearing will be destroyed first without affecting them or their worn body armor.
List of shields
| Shield | Unidentified Description | Cost | Weight | AC | Material | Special properties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small shield | small shield | 3 | 30 | 1 | wood | Lower spellcasting penalty than other shields. |
| Elven shield | blue and green shield | 7 | 40 | 2 | wood | Can be enchanted to +7. |
| Orcish shield | red-eyed shield | 7 | 50 | 1 | iron | |
| Uruk-hai shield | white-handed shield | 7 | 50 | 1 | iron | |
| Large shield | large shield | 10 | 100 | 2 | iron | |
| Dwarvish roundshield | large round shield | 10 | 100 | 2 | iron | |
| Shield of reflection | polished silver shield | 50 | 50 | 2 | silver | Provides reflection. |
Strategy
Any shield that is non-cursed is safe to try on. In the early game, obtaining armor class is a priority, and most shields are useful to that end: the starting +3 small shield of a Valkyrie is a significant advantage over other roles, to the point that a non-Valkyrie hero who finds Valkyrie bones often benefits from wearing the shield, even if it is cursed. Monks have more than a few advantages from not wearing shields, including better to-hit and staggering blows.
In the mid-game, the relative value of armor class declines enough that most players in roles that can two-weapon (including Valkyries) will gladly give up a few points of AC from their shield for the damage increase - spellcasters focused on constant combat or utility spells may also forgo shields as well.
Popular shield choices from the mid-game to the ascension run are:
- shield of reflection -- reflection is an important extrinsic property
- small shield -- minimal spellcasting hindrance
- elven shield -- has a niche use for its ability to be safely enchanted to +7
Heroes who keep a strong pet often give them a shield of reflection.
