Small shield
[ small shield 
| |
|---|---|
| Appearance | small shield |
| Slot | shield |
| AC | 1 |
| Special | (none) |
| Base price | 3 zm |
| Weight | 30 |
| Material | wood |
A small shield is a type of shield that appears in NetHack. It is made of wood.
Contents
Generation
Knights and Priests start each game with a +0 small shield.[1][2] Valkyries start each game with a +3 small shield.[3]
Lines of code are present that would give Dwarvish, elven and orcish characters in roles that start with small shields a race-appropriate shield instead - of these, only the line regarding orcs and orcish shields is not commented out, and this line has no applicable roles.[4][5][6]
Mercenaries have a 2⁄3 chance of being generated with small shields.[7] Aligned priests, high priests and the Arch Priest always generate with a small shield.[8]
Description
When worn, a small shield grants 1 base AC and inhibits spellcasting. The spellcasting penalty for a small shield is much lower than other shield types due to its low weight.[9]
Strategy
The small shield is the best shield by far for spellcasters and characters with low carrying capacity - characters in other roles or builds may consider sticking with a highly-enchanted small shield in the long term if they have reflection covered by other slots. An elven shield may be a superior option depending on a character's exact needs: it has higher base AC and can be enchanted safely from +5, in exchange for weighing 10 more aum and inhibiting spellcasting more than the small shield.
A Valkyrie's starting small shield is worth wearing for a long time due to its high enchantment, though many of them eventually ditch the shield so they can twoweapon.
History
The small shield first appears in NetHack 3.0.0, where it replaces the shield from NetHack 2.3e and previous versions - this shield is somewhat similar to the small shield, but is metallic and susceptible to rust.
Variants
In variants with object materials systems, shields larger than the small shield may be exempt from additional spellcasting penalties if they are made of a lightweight, non-metallic material such as bone or wood.[9]
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, priests start the game with a small shield enchanted to +2 instead of +0.
dNetHack
In dNetHack, the small shield is renamed to the buckler, and grants 1 base AC and 0 DR when worn.
xNetHack
In xNetHack, small shields are surpassed as the ideal shield for spellcasting by elven shields, since they work identically due to spellcasting system changes - the small shield's slightly lower weight is one of its few advantages in comparison.
SpliceHack
In SpliceHack, a small shield can be combined with an amulet of reflection at a furnace to create a shield of reflection.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, mercenaries that are not elves, drow or orcs have a 2⁄3 chance of being generated with small shields.
A small shield can be created at a forge by combining a dagger and a helmet; a small shield and an elven dagger can be combined to create an elven shield.
The November NetHack Tournament
In The November NetHack Tournament, the deathmatch opponent can generate with a +4 or +5 small shield if they do not have an item in the shield slot and are not a monk, wizard, healer, priest, or barbarian.
SlashTHEM
In SlashTHEM, in addition to SLASH'EM details, Warriors and Paladins start each game with a +0 small shield. Dwarvish, elven and orcish characters in roles that start with small shields will start the game with a race-appropriate shield instead.
Hack'EM
In Hack'EM, upgrading a small shield will produce an elven shield and vice versa. Elven Knights start the game with a small shield instead of an elven shield, which they can upgrade to easily.
References
- Jump up ↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 78
- Jump up ↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 103
- Jump up ↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 155
- Jump up ↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 210
- Jump up ↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 219
- Jump up ↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 227
- Jump up ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 639
- Jump up ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 694
- ↑ Jump up to: 9.0 9.1 src/spell.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 1802: extra shield penalty doesn't apply for small shields
