Gauntlets of dexterity
[  [  [  [  gauntlets of dexterity | |
|---|---|
| Appearance | random |
| Slot | gloves |
| AC | 1 |
| Special |
|
| Base price | 50 zm |
| Weight | 10 |
| Material | leather |
Gauntlets of dexterity, sometimes abbreviated to GoD, are a type of magical gloves that appear in NetHack. They are made of leather, and have a randomized appearance when unidentified; the default one associated with them is a pair of "fencing gloves".[1]
Contents
Generation
Gauntlets of dexterity make up 1⁄125 (0.8%) of all randomly-generated armor. General stores, used armor dealerships and antique weapon outlets can stock gauntlets of dexterity.
Player monsters on the Astral Plane that do not generate with a war hammer have a 7⁄8 chance of generating with a random pair of gloves and a 1⁄5 chance of those gloves being gauntlets of dexterity, for an effective 7⁄40 chance (17.5%).[2]
Description
While worn, gauntlets of dexterity grant 1 base AC and modifies the wearer's dexterity based on its enchantment, up to a maximum of 25. Wearing or taking off gauntlets of dexterity with a non-zero enchantment will auto-identify them.
Strategy
Higher dexterity improves a hero's chances of hitting with spells and attacks, but most players can maximize their chances to hit successfully through other means, particularly weapon skill and Luck. This makes gauntlets of dexterity fairly uncommon in most character kits, especially ascension kits where leather gloves often suffice. Gauntlets of dexterity can still be of use to spellcasters seeking to improve their hit rates on attack spells such as magic missile and finger of death—Monks may prefer them for both general use with martial arts and for offseting the -20 to-hit penalty should they choose to wear body armor or wield weapons.
Other uses for these gauntlets include hitting with a thrown cockatrice egg or a potion of paralysis, as odds of hitting with thrown objects can only be improved by a higher dexterity score. Though hitting with a wielded egg or potion in melee is more reliable if the situation allows for it, highly-enchanted gauntlets can make for solid accuracy with thrown eggs and potions: at 23 Dexterity (assuming a hero with 18 dexterity and +5 gauntlets), there is a relatively low 12% chance of the item missing.
History
Gauntlets of dexterity first appear in NetHack 3.0.0.
Variants
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, upgrading leather gloves has a 1⁄2 chance of producing gauntlets of dexterity when successful, and upgrading gauntlets of dexterity always produces leather gloves.
The Gauntlets of Defense are a neutral artifact pair of gauntlets of dexterity that provide half physical damage while worn, and can be invoked to toggle invisibility.
Dexterity improves a hero's AC at higher values, making gauntlets of dexterity much more attractive to the point that they feature in ascension kits. It is debatable whether they are worth spending a wish on, since they are much more available through mundane means, especially for gnomish heroes who have the ability to tinker.
NetHack brass
In NetHack brass, gauntlets of dexterity set the wearer's dexterity to their race or role's maximum similar to gauntlets of power, and they will always auto-identify when worn or removed.
dNetHack
In dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, gauntlets of dexterity grant 2 base AC, 0 base DR and add their enchantment to the wearer's dexterity while worn, which in turn contributes to a SLASH'EM-styled bonus to AC.
Female drow Anachrononauts start each game with a +1 pair of gauntlets of dexterity.
Gauntlets of dexterity can be used to repair the dexterity servos of imperial elven gauntlets, granting their enchantment as a bonus to dexterity while the gauntlets are worn.
There are two pairs of artifact gauntlets of dexterity:
- The Shield of the Resolute Heart, an unaligned artifact that can be enchanted to +7 - they confer half physical damage when worn, and can be invoked to bless and repair themselves, also raising the enchantment to +3 if it is below that threshold.
- The Claws of the Revenancer, a neutral artifact that acts as the crowning gift for neutral female drow Nobles, Priests, Rangers, Rogues, and Wizards. The Claws of the Revenancer are made of silver and have several effects related to life draining and undead.
EvilHack
In EvilHack, a hero's dexterity grants bonuses to AC while they are unburdened, in a manner somewhat similar to SLASH'EM—this makes gauntlets of dexterity more desirable, though to a lesser extent).
Gauntlets of dexterity are generated as part of various kits for player monsters, including centaur player monsters of several roles and monks of all races.
SlashTHEM
In SlashTHEM, in addition to SLASH'EM details, The Pickpocket's Gloves are a chaotic artifact pair of gauntlets of dexterity that grant stealth and automatic searching while worn, and additionally provide a +20 bonus to stealing from monsters via the #borrow extended command.
Hack'EM
In Hack'EM, upgrading gauntlets of dexterity will produce gauntlets of fumbling and vice versa—all EvilHack details apply.
References
- ↑ src/objects.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 497
- ↑ src/mplayer.c in NetHack 3.6.7, line 289: gloves are generated after weapon is determined
