Cloak of invisibility
[  [  [  [  cloak of invisibility | |
|---|---|
| Appearance | random |
| Slot | cloak |
| AC | 1 |
| Special | |
| Base price | 60 zm |
| Weight | 10 |
| Material | cloth |
A cloak of invisibility is a type of magical cloak that appears in NetHack. It is made of cloth and has a randomized appearance when unidentified; the default one associated with it is an opera cloak.[1]
Contents
Generation
In addition to random generation, cloaks of invisibility are sold in armor shops.
Player monsters that are not monks, including those generated on the Astral Plane, have an effective ~14.83% chance of generating with a cloak of invisibility as their initial cloak before role-based replacements.[2][3] Priests have a 3⁄4 chance of forcing a robe instead, reducing their effective chance to ~3.71%, while wizards have a 1⁄2 chance of forcing a cloak of magic resistance, reducing their effective chance to ~7.42%.[4][5]
Description
While worn, the cloak of invisibility provides 1 base point of AC and confers invisibility and MC1. Wearing the cloak will auto-identify it if the wearer is not already invisible, as will taking off the cloak without any other source of invisibility active.
Strategy
The cloak of invisibility is often the first source of the property for many characters, and is a useful survival aid early on since monsters will take a to-hit penalty and attack squares where they believe you to be. You can exchange this cloak once you find a much better cloak and/or another source of indefinite or permanent invisibility, such as a ring of invisibility or a wand of make invisible.
Displacement, e.g. from the cloak of displacement, lacks the to-hit penalty applied for invisibility, but has better long-term applications for most characters: while many later monsters have the ability to see invisible, few if any monsters will reliably hit through displacement.
Avoid wearing random cloaks in shops without at least testing their beatitude - if the cloak is a cursed cloak of invisibility, you may not be able to leave the shop without some difficulty and an angered shopkeeper.
History
The cloak of invisibility is introduced in NetHack 3.0.0. From this version to NetHack 3.4.3, including variants based on those versions, the cloak of invisibility grants MC2 while worn. This is changed to MC1 in NetHack 3.6.0.
Variants
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, the cloak of invisibility provides MC2 while worn. A game that randomizes them to appear as an "opera cloak" will result in invisible vampires, which are annoying if not more difficult to fight unless a character has see invisible.
Upgrading a cloak of invisibility has a 1⁄2 chance of producing an elven cloak, and upgrading an elven cloak or oilskin cloak has a 1⁄4 chance of producing a cloak of invisibility.
dNetHack
In dNetHack, the cloak of invisibility confers 1 AC, 0 DR, invisibility, and MC2 while worn. Male drow Anachrononauts start with a +0 cloak of invisibility.
The Veil of Latona is a neutral intelligent artifact cloak of invisibility, and is the crowning gift for neutral Rangers that are human, incantifier or half-dragon. While carried, it grants drain resistance, and while worn it grants magic resistance and reflection in addition to invisibility.
The Mantle of Heaven and The Vestment of Hell are artifact cloaks that always have a specific randomized appearance, making it possible for them to be cloaks of invisibility.
Wizard driver Amm Kamerel have a 1⁄3 chance of generating with a cloak of invisibility. One map of the Grue's Cavern has a treasure pile with a cursed -1 cloak of invisibility.
A cloak of invisibility can be used to repair the active camoflauge system of imperial elven body armor.
Encyclopedia entry
Cloaks are the universal outer garb of everyone who is not a Barbarian. It is hard to see why. They are open in front and require you at most times to use one hand to hold them shut. On horseback they leave the shirt-sleeved arms and most of the torso exposed to wind and Weather. The OMTs [ Official Management Terms ] for Cloaks well express their difficulties. They are constantly _swirling and dripping_ and becoming _heavy with water_ in rainy Weather, _entangling with trees_ or _swords_, or needing to be _pulled close around her/his shivering body_. This seems to suggest they are less than practical for anyone on an arduous Tour.
