Shield

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A shield is a form of armor that appears in NetHack, and is one of seven armor slots available to the hero and certain other monsters.

Description

Shields can be worn by any intelligent monster that has hands. Wearing a shield prevents two weapon combat and the use of two-handed weapons, and also increases spellcasting failure rates, although the penalty is lower for a small shield.

List of shields

Shield	Unidentified Description	Cost	Weight	AC	Material	Special properties
Uruk-hai shield	white-handed shield	7	50	1	iron
Orcish shield	red-eyed shield	7	50	1	iron
Large shield	large shield	10	100	2	iron
Dwarvish roundshield	large round shield	10	100	2	iron
Elven shield	blue and green shield	7	40	2	wood	can be enchanted to +7
Small shield	small shield	3	30	1	wood	low spellcasting penalty
Shield of reflection	polished silver shield	50	50	2	silver	provides reflection

Strategy

Shields are often employed most in the early game and sometimes through the mid-game, where AC is a higher priority for a majority of characters; most players using roles that can two-weapon and secure enough AC from other armor slots and sources will most often elect to forego a shield in favor of the damage increase from two-weaponing. Characters in roles that cannot two-weapon, such as Cavemen and Rangers, will typically wear a shield of some kind unless they prefer a two-handed weapon.

The small shield is often the shield of choice for roles with a spellcasting focus or low carrying capacity: they have the lowest spellcasting penalty and the lightest weight, and roles tailored for spellcasting typically cannot perform two-weapon combat. Melee-focused characters that elect for a shield will prefer the small shield for its weight, the elven shield for its weight and ability to safely enchant them to +7, or the shield of reflection to cover the reflection property and keep slots open for other armor and amulets. The shield of reflection is often a candidate for ascension kits in general, and works for both melee builds and even some spellcasting builds that do not seek to cast frequently mid-combat; it is also a good choice for pets that can equip a shield.

Most of the other shields are overlooked and generally rarely used, though they may be considered for some conducts that make it difficult to find good armor.