Protection

Version 0.15: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

Weapon: It protects the one who wields it against injury (+5 to AC). Shield: It protects its wearer from harm (+3 to AC).

Unlike most brands, weapons of protection do not offer the wielder any additional damage output. Instead, the wielder gains a +5 bonus to AC, significantly improving your ability to mitigate injury. Shields of protection function similarly, except that they only offer a +3 bonus.

Desirability

This is a nice brand for casters who don't use their weapon much, as even the most powerful offensive brand doesn't matter if you don't have the skill to land a hit reliably. An enhancer staff is likely more desirable for most combat casters, but that shouldn't rule protection out as a swap when spell power is less critical.

Characters who actually intend to use their weapons for offensive purposes benefit from protection as well, particularly in the early game where many characters have next to no defense to speak of. The damage output sacrificed by choosing a defensive brand can be significant, but staying alive is more important than being able to kill things a turn or two faster.

History

Prior to 0.6, ranged weapons would generate with the protection brand instead of evasion.