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).
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.
A shield occupies one hand, but does not hinder ring operations.
Fingers
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.
However, if you encounter an incubus or succubus, the ring of adornment is a special case. Succubi like to put one into a female character's left hand, replacing whatever ring there currently is. This may be fatal for example if you are floating over some water because of wearing a ring of levitation.
You cannot put on or remove rings when wearing cursed gloves.
Head
Your head can be fitted with a helmet, which offers limited protection against falling objects and mind flayer tentacles.
Eyes
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.
