Shadow dragon scales

Version 0.31: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

Name	Shadow dragon scales
Size to wear	Any
Armour Class	11
Encumbrance rating	15
Maximum Enchantment	+11
Grants	Stealth++++
Time to Wear	5

The scales of a great umbral dragon. It is heavier than most dragon-scale armours, but despite this, blends in so well with the shadows as to provide a substantial benefit to the wearer's stealth.

Shadow dragon scales are a moderately heavy suit of armour. They offer more AC than plate armour, but oddly enough, boosts the wearer's stealth.

This item has a 33% chance to generate when you slay a shadow dragon.

Desirability

Most characters who wouldn't mind the casting or EV penalties from encumbrance also won't mind being unstealthy. So by the time shadow dragons are common, these characters often have better alternatives. Plate armour can be found (and enchanted) much earlier; storm and gold dragon scales are found at around the same time, and have more useful properties for melee brutes. But, at the very least, an early set of scales will surpass plate armour.

Stabbers may appreciate these scales, as a heavy option that won't hinder stealth. While many stabbers rely on Dodging and/or spells, it can be an interesting option for those 1. with high strength and/or Amour skill and 2. who don't care about casting high-level spells. E.g. if a hexer wants to switch to Long Blades melee for the late-game, these scales can be a highly protective choice.

Note that the normal encumbrance stealth penalty still applies, so for stealth purposes, this armour is similar to a robe with Stlth+.

History

• Prior to 0.29, shadow dragon scales only provided 10 AC.
• Shadow dragon scales were known as shadow dragon armour before 0.19. They were created by using a scroll of enchant armour on a shadow dragon hide.
• Shadow dragon armour was added in 0.16.

Shadow dragon scales	Image
Mundane
Artefact