Gauntlets (EvilHack)

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Appearance	random
Slot	gloves
AC	1
Special	(none)
Base price	50 zm
Weight	30
Material	iron

For the item in dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, see Gauntlets (dNetHack).

For the various types of 'gauntlets' in general that have secondary effects when worn, see gloves.

A pair of gauntlets is a type of gloves that appears in EvilHack and Hack'EM. They have a base material of iron in both EvilHack and Hack'EM, and they have a randomized appearance when unidentified.

For Samurai, gauntlets appear as a pair of tekko.

Generation

All (Dark) Knights that are not elven or drow begin the game with a non-cursed pair of +0 gauntlets: elven Dark Knights are given a +0 pair of leather gloves instead, while drow Dark Knights are given a +0 pair of dark elven gloves. Barbarians, Knights, Monks, Samurai, and Valkyries start the game with knowledge of the pair of gauntlets' randomized appearance.

Gauntlets make up ³⁄₂₅₀ (1.2%) of all armor randomly generated on the ground, in general shops or as death drops. Used armor dealerships and antique weapon outlets can also stock gauntlets.

Gauntlets can appear in the preset kits of various player monsters and racial monsters, particularly centaur and giant player monsters, and they can also generate in the kits of player monster monks.

Gauntlets can be created at a forge by combining a mace and a helmet.

Description

While worn, gauntlets grant 1 point of base AC with their base material, and also incur a -2 to-hit penalty when shooting from a bow. Unarmed attacks performed using worn gauntlets and either bare hands or martial arts will apply any relevant bonuses from material hatred, e.g. silver gauntlets deal +1d20 damage against major demons and vampires among other monsters.

Gauntlets can be used at a forge to make a couple of items:

• A pair of gauntlets can be combined with a dwarvish short sword to create a pair of dwarvish boots.
• A pair of gauntlets can be combined with an orcish short sword to create a pair of orcish boots.

Strategy

Metallic gauntlets are usually not susceptible to burning and rotting as with leather gloves, but will also interfere with spellcasting, making them more ideal for martial-focused roles and other builds that are not as reliant on using bows or casting around hostile monsters. Conversely, bone or wood gauntlets are more ideal for early casting-focused characters and bow users.

Origin

A gauntlet (much less commonly spelled "gantlet") is a type of glove that protects the hand, wrist and sometimes the forearms of a combatant. They are not to be confused with bracers, which cover the wrists and forearms but not the hands—"gauntlets" in Western women's fashion can refer to an extended cuff with little or no hand covering that are sometimes worn as elements of an evening gown or by brides at weddings, and these are closer to bracers than gauntlets in design and appearance. In the Roman Catholic Church, the full-fingered gloves traditionally worn by the pope or other bishops are also known as 'gauntlets' or episcopal gloves, though their use has largely been relaxed since Paul VI.

Gauntlets as armor originate in the early 14th century alongside fully-articulated plate mail. In the 12th century, chain mail shirts began to feature longer and narrower sleeves that occasionally included chain mail mittens or "muffs" resembling fingerless gloves: these mittens also featured a pocket for the thumb, though some had complete fingers as well. The mittens attached to the armor at the lower edge of the sleeve and protected the wearer's hands from cuts and lacerations during combat, but offered no protection against crushing blows. The designing of fully-articulated plate armor brought with it the development of hand protection in the form of gauntlets made of overlapping plates of steel.

These early gauntlets were created both in the fingerless "mitten" style–which offered plate armor protection and allowed the fingers to share heat, but limited the wearer's ability to move those fingers–as well as the fully fingered "glove" style, which was still ungainly and less comfortable in cold weather but permitted full use of all fingers. A variety of gauntlet called a "demi-gauntlet" or "demi-gaunt" also came into use around this time, which only protects the back of the hand and the wrist and are worn with gloves made from chain mail or padded leather. Demi-gauntlets allow better dexterity and are lighter than a full set of gauntlets, but the fingers are not as well protected.

Modern protective gloves called "gauntlets" continue to be worn in various professions: metal workers and welders use heat-insulated gauntlets that lack metal plates, and similar varieties are worn by automotive technicians to protect their hands when handling car components; meat and fishery butchers often wear chain mail gauntlets to protect their hands from the sharp edges of knives; motorcyclists wear leather gauntlets to protect their hands from abrasion; snowmobile drivers wear fingerless nylon gauntlets to protect their hands from wind and cold temperatures; falconers wear leather gauntlets to protect their hands from the sharp claws of the birds of prey that they handle; and lastly, modern fencers (particularly those competing with the épée) routinely wear fingered gauntlets to protect their hands from their opponents' weapons.

Encyclopedia entry

A type of armored glove designed to protect the wrist and hand,
usually made of metal or hardened leather and intended to be
worn as part of a full suit of armor.