Shield
A shield is a form of armor that appears in NetHack. It is carried in the off-hand.
Wearing any shield increases spellcasting failure rates, although the penalty is lower for a small shield.[1] When using a shield, you are unable to wield two-handed weapons or use the #twoweapon skill.
Generation and usage
Valkyries start with a +3 small shield, and Priests and Knights start with a +0 small shield.
Many humanoid monsters are generated with shields, and will pick up and use them; of specific note are Archons, Angels and Aleaxes. All Archons are generated with a shield of reflection, whereas Angels and Aleaxes have a 25% chance of having one.
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 | |
| Shield of reflection | polished silver shield | 50 | 50 | 2 | silver | provides reflection |
Strategy
For roles that do not lend themselves well to spell casting, shields may be much higher on their priority list, particularly if you do not plan to two-weapon or wield two-handed weapons. The shield of reflection is often a candidate for ascension kits, and is paired with a source of magic resistance.
References
- ↑ spell.c#line1216 (extra shield penalty doesn't apply for small shields)
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