Crystal helm (dNetHack)
| [ crystal helm | |
|---|---|
| Appearance | fish bowl |
| Slot | helm |
| Base size | medium |
| AC | 2 |
| DR | 5 |
| MC | 0 |
| Magical item? | no |
| Properties | |
| Base price | 300 zm |
| Default weight | 150 |
| Base material | glass |
- This article is about the item in dNetHack and its offshoots. For the item that appears as a "crystal helmet" in NetHack, see helm of brilliance.
A crystal helm is a type of helm that appears in dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack. Its default material is crystalline glass, and it appears as a fish bowl that always displays its current material when unidentified.
The crystal helm is the base item for the artifact Apotheosis Veil.
Generation
Crystal helms are not randomly generated and cannot be duplicated by any form of smithing though they can be wished for or found in bones.
For gnomish Madpeople, a crystal helm is found among the tiny diamond armor that is included within the tiny crystal skull stored inside the special box on their quest.
Crystal helms can be generated in the magic item vaults within the Avatar of Lolth's lair during level creation if the lair appears as the second Abyss level.
Some monsters can be generated with crystal helms:
- Myrkalfar are always generated with crystal helms.
- Myrkalfar warriors are always generated with non-cursed crystal helms that have a bonus of +0, +1 or +2 applied to their enchantment with equal probability.
- Elven monsters generated in the future (i.e. the Anachrononaut quest and Android quest) are always generated with crystal helms.
- Humans generated in the future (i.e. the Anachrononaut quest and Android quest) are always generated with crystal helms.
- Cassilda the Iron Maiden is always generated with a cursed and black-colored iron "crystal" helm.
- Tulani Eladrin are always generated with crystal helms.
- Carcosan courtiers generated in the future (i.e. the Anachrononaut quest and Android quest) have a 1⁄5 chance of being generated with a set of armor that includes a +5 crystal helm.
- Ancients of ice are always generated with crystal helms.
- The lilitu disguised as an aligned priest that is found tending to a coaligned temple in the lair of the Avatar of Lolth (if it appears as the second Abyss level in Gehennom) is always generated with a crystal helm upon transforming.
- Anachrononauts slated for "good" equipment are always generated with crystal helms.
- Incantifiers generated in the future (i.e. the Anachrononaut quest and Android quest) have a roughly 1⁄2 chance of being created with a crystal helm.
- Ymir is always generated with a +7 crystal helm when summoned by an Illithanachronounbinder.
Description
While worn, a crystal helm grants 2 base AC and 5 base DR, and like other crystal armor it can be enchanted to +7 and gains a full bonus to AC and DR from its enchantment. Wearing or taking off a crystal helm takes two actions.
A worn crystal helm covers the wearer's entire head and face: this "faceless" behavior completely prevents them from eating, quaffing or applying items to their face (including putting on or removing items such as lenses) if the helm is cursed or they do not have a free hand, and it will always block their bite attacks and tentacle attacks, but it will also block any intelligence drain attacks or similar attacks that target the wearer's head. Due to the helm being translucent, crystal helms interact with gaze attacks differently than other "faceless" helms unless they are made of an opaque material.
A crystal helm can be used with an upgrade kit to repair the visor of an imperial elven helm: while worn, the upgraded helm will suppress blindness (as with The Eye of the Overworld), protects against intelligence-draining tentacle attacks and attacks to the eyes, and grants +1 bonuses to AC and DR.
Origin
The crystal helm of dNetHack is based primarily on the Apollo/Skylab space suit, a class of space suits used in the Apollo and Skylab missions and sometimes called the "Apollo 11 Spacesuit". In both missions, the space suit was referred to as the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU). The Apollo EMU consisted of a Pressure Garment Assembly (PGA) and a Portable Life Support System (PLSS) that was more commonly called the "backpack". The A7L was the PGA model used on the Apollo 7–14 lunar missions: Apollo 11 made the A7L the most iconic suit of the program with one of its most memorable elements being the "fishbowl helmet", so called because of its resemblance to the simple and rounded style of aquarium. Various forms of media often depict space-traveling characters with similar suits to the A7L that include a fishbowl-like headpiece, or alternately with an actual fishbowl on their head (which is generally commonplace in less-grounded cartoons and similar fare).
