Helm of caution
[  [  [  [  helm of caution | |
|---|---|
| Appearance | random |
| Slot | helm |
| AC | 1 |
| Special | |
| Base price | 50 zm |
| Weight | 50 |
| Material | iron |
The helm of caution is a type of helm that appears in NetHack. It is a magical helm that is made of iron and has a randomized appearance when unidentified—the default one associated with it is an etched helmet.[1]
Generation
Helms of caution make up 3⁄500 (0.6%) of all helms that are randomly generated on the ground, in general shops or as death drops. Used armor dealerships and antique weapon outlets can also stock helms of caution.
Description
While worn, the helm of caution grants 1 AC and warning.
Strategy
The helm of caution is a somewhat decent item to employ for detecting hostile monsters, though the helm of telepathy may be preferable as a long-term kit choice. Helms of caution have some advantages over helms of telepathy in the late game and end game: some players will have builds with extrinsic telepathy from a quest artifact, and certain dangerous monsters such as air elementals and green slimes are mindless and cannot be detected via telepathy.
History
The helm of caution is introduced in NetHack 5.0.0 via commit f9a35132, where it was added to fill the randomized helm appearance left unused by the helm of brilliance when it was changed to a non-randomized glass helm and given a fixed appearance.
