Skin of Zhor
| The smelly skin of some strange animal, native to cold and distant lands. It radiates the chill of its native habitat, slowing creatures from warmer climes. |
the +4 skin of Zhor
+4 animal skin
Passive Metabolic Englaciation
rC+++
See invisible
Englaciation mechanics
When monsters are nearby, there is a 1 in 7 chance every turn that Metabolic Englaciation will be cast with a spell power of 30[1]. This requires no action from the player, no skills to be trained, and will not hamper stealth. However, because of the low spell power, it can be resisted by high-HD monsters.
Desirability
The skin of Zhor[2] provides an advantage to the player in many situations. Being almost immune to cold is a game changer in frost-themed branches or when facing monsters with powerful cold attacks; it's an excellent choice if you find it in time to explore an Ice Cave.
Furthermore, any enemy that doesn't resist cold will periodically be slowed by the chilling effect. Any character wearing the skin of Zhor will have an easier time in battle without having to spend time or experience on learning Metabolic Englaciation on their own; this is especially effective against cold-blooded enemies like reptiles. See invisible is also nice to have, making the skin of Zhor a respectable choice for characters that rely on evasion to defend themselves.
However, players that rely on their AC won't benefit much from this armour outside of a few niche situations like the aforementioned Ice Cave. Lightly armoured characters that have already found sources of cold resistance or see invisible may also want to look for a piece of armour that provides different intrinsics. Finally, the free Metabolic Englaciation will be less effective in the late game as monster HD rises and more cold-resistant foes appear.
History
- The skin of Zhor gained SInv and a passive Metabolic Englaciation effect in 0.23.
- Prior to 0.14, the Skin of Zhor only provided rC++.
References
- ↑ art-func.h:1354 (0.29.1)
- ↑ art-data.txt:897 (0.29.1)
