Elven shield
[ elven shield 
| |
|---|---|
| Appearance | blue and green shield |
| Slot | shield |
| AC | 2 |
| Special | (none) |
| Base price | 7 zm |
| Weight | 40 |
| Material | wood |
An elven shield is a type of shield that appears in NetHack. It is made of wood, and appears as a blue and green shield when unidentified.
Contents
Generation
Elven heroes start the game with knowledge of the elven shield - a commented-out line of code would give an elven character in any role that starts the game with a small shield an elven shield instead, which would only apply for elven Priests.[1]
Elven shields make up 1⁄500 (0.2%) of all randomly-generated armor. General stores, used armor dealerships and antique weapons outlets can sell elven shields.
Live elves have an effective 5⁄12 chance of being generated with an elven shield.[2]
Description
When worn, an elven shield grants 2 base AC. Like all elven armor, an elven shield can be safely enchanted from +5, whereas most other armor may be destroyed if enchanted while above +3—this gives it a maximum practical enchantment of +7.
The elven shield is considered bulky, and wearing one has the same penalty to spellcasting as all shields except the small shield.
Strategy
The elven shield is the lightest 2 AC-shield available at 40 aum, making it one of the most preferable for early characters (minus Valkyries that still have their starting shield): it is the second-best shield in this regard after the much rarer shield of reflection, though it is subsceptible to erosion via burning or rotting, and in the long-term it provides the greatest possible AC from the shield slot, as it can be safely enchanted to +7. Spellcasters will likely prefer a small shield, but other shield users who have reflection covered via the amulet or silver dragon scale mail will likely want an elven shield for their ascension kit.
History
The elven shield first appears in NetHack 3.0.0.
Variants
Some variants may give elves (including the player) an AC bonus for wearing an elven shield.
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, upgrading an elven shield will produce either an orcish shield or an Uruk-hai shield, with an equal chance of each item; upgrading an orcish shield or Uruk-hai shield will produce an elven shield.
UnNetHack
In UnNetHack, elven shields grant +1 AC to elven monsters that wear them, including elven players.
dNetHack
In dNetHack, an elven shield grants 2 AC, 0 DR and MC2 when worn, and its weight is reduced to 30 aum.
The Shield of Yggdrasil is an unaligned artifact elven shield that favors elves. It grants regeneration and poison resistance while worn, and can be safely enchanted to +7. Invoking The Shield of Yggdrasil heals you in a similar manner to The Staff of Aesculapius.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, elven shields grant +1 AC to elven monsters that wear them, including elven players. Elven Knights start the game with an elven shield; hobbits are an additional race that start the game with knowledge of their appearance. Elven mercenaries can generate with elven shields.
An elven shield can be created at a forge by combining a small shield and an elven dagger; chain mail can be combined with an elven shield to create elven chain mail.
SlashTHEM
In SlashTHEM, elven Paladins, Priests and Warriors start the game with an elven shield in place of the role's standard small shield. Pookas have a 1⁄3 chance of generating with an elven shield.
Hack'EM
In Hack'EM, elven shields grant +1 AC to elven monsters that wear them, including elven players.
Upgrading a small shield will produce an elven shield, and vice versa. Elven Knights start with a small shield instead of an elven shield, which they can upgrade to easily - all other details from EvilHack are applicable.
References
- ↑ src/u_init.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 210: Race-based substitutions for initial inventory
- ↑ src/makemon.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 232: 1⁄12 chance for first case, 1⁄6 chance each for second and third cases
