Leo Nemaeus hide
[ Leo Nemaeus hide 
| |
|---|---|
| Appearance | lion skin |
| Slot | body armor |
| Base size | large |
| Body armor type | light |
| AC | 0 |
| DR | 5 |
| MC | 0 |
| Magical item? | yes |
| Properties | |
| Base price | 1200 zm |
| Default weight | 60 |
| Base material | dragonhide |
A Leo Nemaeus hide is a type of magical cloak that appears in dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack. It has a base material of dragonhide that is special-cased to be "lionhide", and appears as a lion skin when unidentified.
Generation
Leo Nemaeus hides are not randomly generated normally, though they can be wished for or found in bones.
A Leo Nemaeus hide has a 3⁄5 chance of being placed randomly on the Anachrononaut quest locate level during level creation, and another has a 1⁄10 chance of being placed randomly on each of the quest's lower filler levels during level creation. This also applies for the Android quest, but the cloak on the locate level only has a 3⁄10 chance of generating.
Some monsters can be generated with Leo Nemaeus hides:
- Shaman Karnov is always generated with a blessed +5 Leo Nemaeus hide.
- Jrt Netjer always generate with a blessed, holy and anarchic Leo Nemaeus hide.
- Priest mummies have a 1⁄20 chance of generating with a leather Leo Nemaeus hide.
- Eve is always generated with a Leo Nemaeus hide when she is summoned by an Illithanachronounbinder.
A son of Typhon has a 1⁄3 chance of dropping an uncursed Leo Nemaeus hide upon death, which is reduced to 1⁄20 if the monster was revived.
Description
While worn, a Leo Nemaeus hide grants 0 base AC, 5 DR and the half physical damage property. Wearing or removing a Leo Nemaeus hide takes one action.
Uncontrolled polymorph while wearing a Leo Nemeaus hide will turn the wearer into a son of Typhon.
Origin
The son of Typhon is based on the Nemean lion, a creature in classical Greek folklore that is one of the many offspring of Typhon and Echidna according to Apollodorus. Some sources and tellings give a different origin for the beast: Hesiod describes the Nemean lion as the offspring of Orthus and an ambiguous "she" (often understood as possibly referring to the Chimera, Echidna or even Ceto), sent by Hera to terrorize the hills of Nemea; the tradition held by Aelian, Epimenides and Hyginus states that the lion was "sprung from" the moon-goddess Selene, who threw him from the Moon at Hera's request. Its golden fur was impervious to attack, it could not be killed with mortal weapons, and its claws were sharper than swords and could cut through any strong armour.
Heracles (or Hercules) was tasked with slaying the Nemean lion as the first of his many Labors set by his cousin King Eurystheus. Heracles was tasked with searching for the Nemean lion, and found that it was invulnerable to his arrows; he instead opted to chase the lion back to its cave, where he had blocked one of the entrances and snuck in through the other. Upon meeting the Nemean lion in close quarters, Heracles stunned it with his club and strangled it to death—he then made a pelt out of its hide, using one of the lion's claws per Athena's advice, and wore it for the rest of his days. An excerpt from one telling of the myth serves as the encyclopedia entry.
Encyclopedia entry
"Leo Nemeaus hide" and "lion skin" share an encyclopedia entry.
"My next perplexity was to draw the shaggy hide from the dead beast's limbs: a very taxing labour, for to attempt it I had neither knife of iron nor stone nor other means. Then a god put into my head to slit the lion's skin with the lion's own claws; with these I soon had it off and wrapped it around my frame to serve as a shield against the cut and thrust of the battle-rout. And there, my friend, you have that tale of the fate that befell the lion of Nemea, that was once the cause of many a sorrow to flocks and to men."
