Helm of opposite alignment

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Appearance	random
Slot	helm
AC	1
Special	autocurses opposite alignment
Base price	50 zm
Weight	50
Material	iron

A helm of opposite alignment is a type of magical helm that appears in NetHack. It is made of iron, and has a randomized appearance when unidentified.

Generation

In addition to random generation, general shops and used armor dealershops can sell helms of opposite alignment.

Helms of opposite alignment have a ⁹⁄₁₀ chance of generating as cursed.

Description

As indicated by the name, wearing a worn helm of opposite alignment will switch the hero's alignment to the opposite one, autocurse and auto-identify the helm, remove any divine protection, and set their alignment record to zero, even if it was previously negative. A lawful hero donning the helm will become chaotic, and a chaotic hero donning the helm will become lawful, while a neutral hero has an equal chance of the helm switching them to lawful or chaotic, with the alignment always being the same for each individual helm. Taking off the helm will restore the hero's original alignment and remove any protection obtained—wearing or removing the helm will never restore any lost points of protection or alignment record.

Attempting to wear the helm of opposite alignment while in the hero's Quest branch will always fail, with a specific message depending on if they are permanently converted or not, and auto-identify the helm—this will still remove any divine protection, but does not affect alignment record.

If the hero's god was angry prior to wearing the helm, their "new" god will retain the previous god's anger status. Gods will not consider a worn cursed helm of opposite alignment as a trouble, and will not uncurse a worn helm of opposite alignment in order to prevent switching allegiance to a different god. Ascending while wearing a helm of opposite alignment will cut the player's final score by ¹⁄₃.

Monsters can wear this helm, which will cause it to autocurse as it does for the hero but does not change their alignment—aligned priests and minions, whose alignments are linked to their god, will never put one on.

The following information pertains to an upcoming version (3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that the information below is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate it.

Per commit 0c9e3483 and commit cd047809, if a hero wears a helm of opposite alignment, their alignment is also abused and they are left confused for a few turns after changing alignment. A roll versus their current alignment abuse is also made prior to shifting alignment—if the hero fails the roll or is on the Astral Plane, an erinys is summoned.

Strategy

Helms of opposite alignment are among the many reasons that randomly use-testing unidentified helms is a bad idea—they also share the same base cost as the useful helm of brilliance and helm of telepathy. However, most helms of opposite alignment will generate cursed and can be avoided with relative ease, especially through methods such as pet-testing. Even so, be sure to formally identify a suspected helm of opposite alignment as soon as possible: the 10% chance of one generating noncursed can prove a nasty surprise for an early-game player, who usually lacks any forms of curse removal and will find prayer rendered unreliable.

One primary use of a helm of opposite alignment is for lawful heroes to weaken the mysterious force during a speed ascension, since chaotic heroes are not teleported by as many floors when using staircases. Another is on the Astral Plane, where a hero willing to use the helm effectively has a ²⁄₃ chance of ascending on the first altar they find, which is naturally lower for neutral heroes compared to other alignments.

The helm has some niche other applications as well: for example, a chaotic hero may become lawful to safely traverse the Gnomish Mines in the early game, and the helm can be used to obtain artifacts of other alignments, including dipping for Excalibur. While pets can wear the helm, it serves no useful purpose beyond AC since their actual alignment will not change.

The following information pertains to an upcoming version (3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that the information below is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate it.

Erinyes are significantly buffed to further resemble their inspirations in the Furies: their ability to appear in response to a hero wearing the helm represents a major hazard to both stronger heroes that actively plan to use the helm and hapless ones that put on the non-cursed and unidentified helm. Erinyes can also gain additional traits, properties and even attacks based on your character's alignment abuse, and the confusion from switching alignments via the helm makes them them more difficult to fight and/or escape as well; attempting to make them extinct through repeated uses of the helm will only make existing and newly-generated erinyes stronger.

Erinyes that are empowered enough to gain teleport control are even more difficult to get rid of: per commit 10a1befc, a teleported erinys has a ¹²⁄₁₃ chance of appearing on a square adjacent to the hero as with the Riders, and commit 6d29efcf makes it so a hero cannot sacrifice while confused (e.g. after they have just put on a helm of opposite alignment). Combined with the above, this may completely scupper attempts to ascend on a cross-aligned high altar, since you will need at least one turn to clear confusion, which gives the erinys and other monsters time to strike and a chance for hostiles with knockback to force your hero off the altar.

History

The helm of opposite alignment first appears in NetHack 3.0.0. From this version to NetHack 3.4.3, including some variants based on those versions, a neutral hero will randomly become lawful or chaotic each time they wear the helm, with the result not tied to the individual object. Wearing or removing the helm also does not alter the hero's alignment record, and it is possible for prayer to uncurse a worn helm of opposite alignment.

The current mechanics for the helm of opposite alignment are introduced in NetHack 3.6.0, except for prayer no longer uncursing a worn helm of opposite alignment, which is added in NetHack 3.6.1.

Messages

Your mind oscillates briefly.

You put on a helm of opposite alignment and changed your alignment, identifying the helm.

You narrowly avoid losing all chance at your goal.

As above while in your Quest branch, which prevents the hero wearing the helm.

You are suddenly overcome with shame and change your mind.

As above, while in the Quest branch and already perma-converted.

Variants

SLASH'EM

In SLASH'EM, the helm of opposite alignment functions as it does in NetHack 3.4.3.

A chaotic or neutral hero can take advantage of the helm of opposite alignment to get tamed lawful minions from sacrifice and prayer - including ki-rins, Archons, Planetars, and Solars.

SporkHack

In SporkHack, wearing a helm of opposite alignment halves the hero's alignment record and inverts it, e.g. if their alignment record was positive at the time of wearing, it becomes negative, and a negative alignment record becomes positive; taking off a worn helm of opposite alignment also inverts the hero's alignment record. For example, if you have an alignment record of 20 and wear a helm of opposite alignment, then your alignment record becomes -10; if you uncurse or destroy the helm immediately after, your alignment record then becomes 10.

As a result, using a helm of opposite alignment to ascend carries a significant risk in terms of score: if your alignment record is not positive after offering the Amulet of Yendor (which boosts your alignment record by 10), you are denied the status of demigod(ess) and forced to escape in celestial disgrace.

UnNetHack

In UnNetHack, a cursed -2 helm of opposite alignment is generated on the up stair of Asmodeus' Lair at level creation.

dNetHack

In dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, the helm of opposite alignment grants 1 base AC and 1 base DR while worn, can appear in band form as a tiara of treachery, and their base weight is reduced to 30 aum. Helms of opposite alignment essentially function as they do in NetHack 3.4.3.

FIQHack

In FIQHack, wearing or removing a helm of opposite alignment causes the hero to gradually lose 1 point of alignment record per turn, and alignment conversion occurs once their alignment reaches −100. Taking the helm off after a complete conversion from it also causes the hero to gradually lose alignment in the same way until they regain their original alignment. Alignment conversions reset the hero's piety (which FIQHack uses to determine gift threshold and crowning) and divine protection, incurs a −3 luck penalty and increments prayer timeout by 300 (more) turns.

xNetHack

In xNetHack, ascending using a helm of opposite alignment will always result in a dishonorable ascension.

SpliceHack

In SpliceHack, a cursed -2 helm of opposite alignment is generated on the up stair of Asmodeus' Lair at level creation, as in UnNetHack.

EvilHack

In EvilHack, it is now possible to convert alignment while already converted through other means, and several mechanics related to the helm of opposite alignment are also altered:

• In addition to not uncursing a worn helm of opposite alignment, a hero's god will never gift the helm as a sacrifice gift.
• Knights cannot use the worn helm to obtain Excalibur, which can only be obtained by dipping if the hero is a lawful Knight, or Dirge, which can only be obtained when a chaotic Knight performs same-race sacrifice while wielding a compatible long sword item.
• Infidels that wear a helm of opposite alignment are always converted to lawful, as they are typically unaligned. This allows them to make holy water while wearing the helm.
• Attempting to offer the Amulet to a different deity while using a helm of opposite alignment has a ¹⁄₃ chance of the hero's original god noticing the deception, incurring many severe penalties: the original god is angered, a −5 penalty to alignment and luck is applied, and the helm is destroyed. Successfully ascending while converted to a different alignment using the helm will be treated as an ascension "in dishonor", with a ¹⁄₃ score reduction; ascending while using the helm to convert back to the character's starting alignment grants a 1.5x score bonus, compared to the 2x bonus obtained from remaining loyal.