Body parts
The body parts of NetHack characters are used during the game in many ways. If polymorphed into a monster, you may lack a body part and be unable to perform some task. Such tasks include wearing armor, so if you polymorph into a handless monster, your gloves will fall off.
Hands
You have two hands. Each can wield a weapon, or a single weapon can be wielded in both if it is two-handed (such as a dwarvish mattock, a quarterstaff, or a unicorn horn).
A ring can be worn on each of your two ring fingers. There is no difference between your left and right ring fingers, except all characters are naturally right-handed, so a cursed wielded weapon will occupy your right hand, making it impossible to put on or remove a ring from that hand's finger.
If not wielding a weapon, you fight with your bare hands. This is fatal when fighting cockatrices or chickatrices. To avoid touching the monster, wear gloves.
You cannot put on or remove rings when wearing cursed gloves.
A shield occupies one hand, but does not hinder ring operations.
Head
Your head can be fitted with a helmet, which offers limited protection against falling objects and mind flayer tentacles.
There is also room on your head for something around your eyes: a blindfold, towel, pair of lenses, or The Eyes of the Overworld.
Your eyes can be blinded in a number of ways:
- wearing a blindfold or towel
- being hit by or quaffing a potion of blindness
- being hit by or applying a cream pie.
- a monster casting the blindness spell at you
- succumbing to an Archon's radiant gaze
Body
On your body you can wear a shirt (T-shirt or Hawaiian shirt), body armor, and a cloak, in that order. You must take them off in reverse order.
Feet
Your feet can wear a pair of boots. They are otherwise bare, so are subject to the same dangers as bare hands.
