Helm of telepathy

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[ Plumed helmet.png[ Etched helmet.png[ Crested helmet.png[ Visored helmet.png
helm of telepathy
Appearance random
Slot helm
AC 1
Special
Base price 50 zm
Weight 50
Material iron

A helm of telepathy is a type of magical helm that appears in NetHack. It is made of iron and has a randomized appearance; the default one associated with it is a visored helmet.[1]

Generation

Player monsters, including those on the Astral Plane, have a 7200 chance (3.5%) of generating with a helm of telepathy as their initial helm before role-based replacements.[2] Player monster healers and priests each have a 38 chance of their initial helm being replaced with a helm of telepathy, raising their effective odds of generating with one to ~39.69%.[3][4]

Description

When worn, the helm grants 1 base AC before enchantment and extrinsic telepathy, but does not auto-identify. Though it is a mind-enhancing helm, it has the same adverse effects on spellcasting as most other metal helms.

Strategy

Main article: Telepathy

Extrinsic telepathy is a useful property for an ascension kit, though not an essential enough one to warrant a wish - the helm of telepathy is usually superseded for this purpose by quest artifacts such as The Platinum Yendorian Express Card or The Eye of the Aethiopica.

A non-chaotic character may consider wearing this helm in some unusual cases where they intend to murder peaceful humans such as shopkeepers or priests, depending on how much easier it is for them to recover Luck and alignment record than intrinsic telepathy.

Identification

The helm of telepathy has the same base price of 50zm and base weight of 50 aum as the other two randomized magical helms, the helm of brilliance and the helm of opposite alignment.

While wearing the helm does not auto-ID it, its effect may become obvious after a short while if you are not blind, and you can confirm if a freshly-worn helm is telepathy by far looking the next monster that becomes visible to you. If it is not mindless, and you have no other source of extrinsic telepathy such as an amulet of ESP, then your helm is a helm of telepathy. Long durations of intrinsic monster detection may interfere with this, though using far look on monsters will still make clear what methods they are being seen through.

History

The helm of telepathy first appears in NetHack 3.0.0.

Variants

SLASH'EM

In SLASH'EM, upgrading a dwarvish iron helm has a 12 chance of producing a helm of telepathy, and upgrading a helm of telepathy will produce a dwarvish iron helm.

The Crown of Saint Edward is an artifact helm of telepathy that serves as the Yeoman quest artifact, and also provides magic resistance and half spell damage. It is possible to informally identify a helm of telepathy by attempting to name a magical helm "The Crown of Saint Edward" and seeing if it succeeds.

Grund's Stronghold has a 13 chance of a blessed helm of telepathy generating in a chest within a hidden area in the level's southwest corner.

SporkHack

In SporkHack, it is possible for the helm of telepathy to have the randomized appearance of a tin foil hat - tin foil hats protect you from the psychic blasts employed by mind flayers but also block your own telepathy, including the helm's telepathy should this occur.

dNetHack

In dNetHack, the helm of telepathy grants 1 AC, 1 DR and telepathy while worn; its weight is reduced to 30 aum, and it can also appear in band form, which is known as a tiara of telepathy.

The All-seeing Eye of the Fly is a lawful large-sized intelligent artifact helm of telepathy that Baalzebub will always generate with. While worn by a character, it grants passive monster detection, and using far look on monsters will show their DR breakdown as well as their current inventory. Invoking the artifact lets you case an area-of-effect "death spell", which is flavored as a disintegration field and acts similarly to the effect of breaking a wand of death.

SpliceHack

In SpliceHack, a helm of telepathy can be created at a furnace by combining a plain helmet and an amulet of ESP.

notdNetHack

In notdNetHack, Dantalion is generated with a helm of telepathy when summoned by an Illithanachronounbinder.

Hack'EM

In Hack'EM, upgrading a tinfoil hat will produce a helm of telepathy and vice versa.

The Crown of Saint Edward is made of steel so that it can safely be worn by elven Yeomen.

Grund's Stronghold retains the chance of generating a blessed helm of telepathy in the chest within the hidden area in the southwest.

References

  1. src/objects.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 470
  2. src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 159: Default equipment; the helm is chosen from within the designated object classes inclusively in objects.c
  3. src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 193: Helm replacement for healers
  4. src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 219: Helm replacement for priests