Elven leather helm

[   elven leather helm
Appearance	leather hat
Slot	helm
AC	1
Special	(none)
Base price	8 zm
Weight	3
Material	leather

An elven leather helm is a type of helm that appears in NetHack. It appears as a leather hat when unidentified, and is naturally made of leather.

Generation

Elves of various types are often generated with this item in their starting inventory.

Any elven player character that would start the game with a helmet will start with an elven leather helm instead - currently, there are no applicable roles where this substitution would occur.

Effects

The elven leather helm grants 1 AC when worn. Being a non-metal helm, it doesn't interfere with spellcasting; however, it also provides no protection from falling rock traps or scrolls of earth.

Like all elven armor, the elven leather helm can be enchanted from as high as +5, whereas most other armor may be destroyed if enchanted while above +3.

Strategy

The elven leather helm is the lightest available helm that does not impede spellcasting. Early in the game, a metal helm of some sort is usually preferable for non-spellcasters in order to avoid falling rock traps, and may be temporarily removed as needed in order to cast depending on the spell. Monks and Priests can get away with metal helms thanks to the spellcasting bonus from their robes, but Healers and Wizards might find the elven leather helm their best option for a long time.

Elven leather helms make excellent polyfodder since they can be enchanted safely from +5; they are also likely to be part of a spellcaster's kit from the mid-game on, and may even make it into their ascension kits - the helm of brilliance and cornuthaum (for Wizards) are difficult to find, and all other useful helms interfere with spellcasting. There is a high risk that your leather helm may be burnt in Gehennom, though you will only lose 1 point of base AC, making it usually optional to fireproof.

History

The elven leather helm first appears in NetHack 3.0.0.

Variants

In variants with object materials systems, the elven leather helm may be referred to as simply an elven helm.

dNetHack

In dNetHack, the Ruined Temple of the Chaos Temple Quest contains an uncursed +0 leather hat in one of its chests.