Protection is the name of a number of effects which reduce your AC by magical means.
If you have any source of protection, you will receive the enlightenment message, "You are protected." ("You are ineffectively protected." if your total protection is negative.)
Extrinsic protection[]
The following are sources of extrinsic protection:
- The spellbook of protection gives a spell that temporarily lowers AC.
- A ring of protection lowers AC by its enchantment when worn. Thus, a +1 ring of protection lowers AC by 1, and a -2 ring of protection raises AC by 2. Rings of protection with negative enchantment are often also cursed.
- The cloak of protection gives you extrinsic protection (appears in enlightenment list), which has no effect.
Intrinsic protection[]
The following are sources of intrinsic protection:
- Donating to an aligned priest in a temple.
- As a favor from prayer.
- Gained by eating a ring of protection.
Strategy[]
All of these types of protection stack; you can buy protection from a temple (more than once), wear two rings of protection, and cast the spell, if you need a large temporary AC boost.
SLASH'EM[]
SLASH'EM adds natural protection to the Monk class and to the Doppelganger and Lycanthrope races. Note that these bonuses will stack for Doppelganger Monks. Monks will have their AC lowered by level/2 + 2, with a maximum of 11 bonus AC at level 18 if they are not wearing a shield, body armor (robes are allowed), and are not wielding a weapon. Doppelganger and Lycanthropes will have their AC lowered by level/4 + 1 if they are not wearing any body armor (robes are not allowed), even if they are in a form that would not be able to wear body armor anyways (and thus would likely have lowered natural AC already to compensate).
