[Crawl] YASD - Rob the DSWz

[Rob]

Archived from groups: rec.games.roguelike.misc (More info?)

I've been experimenting with Wizards lately. I find them an interesting
challenge - they're kind of jacks-of-all-trades, masters of none at
first. Anyway, I managed to get this guy up to level 27 and cleared the
Lair, the Swamp, the Mines, the Snake Pits, the Halls, the Slime Pits
(no teleport control - never got the goodies), the Vaults, the dungeon
down to level 27, killed Geryon... then stuck my nose into Gehenna,
promptly got cast into the Abyss, and spent a very long time looking for
an exit that I never found... got surrounded and died before my latest
teleport kicked in.

Fun character, though - I was tired of Vehumet and picked Xom this time
around, and between him and being a DS, I was mutating all over the
place. Besides the mutations below that he died with, this DSWz had at
one point or another: a strength bonus; an intelligence bonus and later,
dopey; carnivore (lost it, got it again, lost it again); cold
resistance; fast metabolism (twice); deformed (2 levels at one point,
lost both, gained one back); an extra level of "breathe flames"; horns
(gained and lost twice); strong but stiff muscles; forgetfulness
(twice); temper; blurry vision (twice); frail (twice, got it again from
a neqoxec just before dying); exhale a cloud of poison; and at one
point; two levels of yellow scales. Whew!

My favorite YAFM from this game:
The imp says, "I'll never leave you."
The imp blinks.

This guy gets #2 in my high score list! Too bad he met his end... I had
high hopes for this one. Dump follows:

Dungeon Crawl version 4.0.0 beta 26 character file.

Rob the Devastator (Demonspawn)
(Level 27 Wizard)

Play time: 16:13:27 Number of turns: 158314

Experience : 27/1248367
Strength 16 Dexterity 12 Intelligence 30/32
Hit Points : -9/124 (dead) Magic Points : 39/45
AC : 18 Evasion : 12 Shield : 0
// AC = 30 with O's Armour
GP : 2454
// Nothing good to buy...

You are in the Abyss.
You worship Xom.
// Wish I'd played one more with Vehumet, in hindsight.
You are hungry.

Inventory:
Hand weapons
a - a +6,+4 quarterstaff of protection (weapon)
b - a +8,+9 dagger of slicing
Armour
d - a +4 leather armour of fire resistance (worn)
C - the -1 cloak "Nuw Tuw Tumece" (worn)
It partially protects you from negative energy.
It protects you from magic.
It lets you levitate.

G - a +1 pair of gloves of strength (worn)
H - a +2 plumed helmet of intelligence (worn)
Magical devices
n - a wand of fireball (3)
q - a wand of flame (0)
D - a wand of digging (0)
E - a wand of cold (0)
F - a wand of fireball (0)
K - a wand of confusion (8)
O - a wand of teleportation (3)
P - a wand of polymorph other (13)
Q - a wand of disintegration (0)
R - a wand of lightning (9)
S - a wand of slowing (2)
T - a wand of draining (6)
W - a wand of fire (0)
X - a wand of magic darts (0)
Z - a wand of healing (1)
// Bah... forgot that healing wand had one more charge! Might have only
delayed the inevitable, however. Only found one ?recharging all game, too.
Comestibles
B - a bread ration
N - a royal jelly
// Depleted from my stay in the Abyss... dozens more rations and things
stashed
Jewellery
e - a ring of see invisible (left hand)
k - a ring of sustenance
u - the amulet of Yqerybo
This amulet protects its wearer from some forms of mental confusion.
It affects your dexterity (-3).
It protects you from fire.

v - an amulet of warding (around neck)
x - a ring of poison resistance
A - an amulet of conservation
I - the cursed ring "Ixobeje" (right hand)
This ring brings its wearer more in contact with the powers of cold and
ice. He or she gains resistance to cold and can use ice magic more
effectively, but becomes more vulnerable to the effects of fire.
It affects your intelligence (+3).
It affects your damage-dealing abilities (+3).
It insulates you from electricity.
It has a curse placed upon it.
// Yummy.
V - a +4 ring of evasion
// No "oG this game, or teleport control.
Potions
h - a potion of levitation
// used up all my healing and heal wounds in the Abyss, plus a bunch of
other potions... was pulling out all the stops trying to keep this guy
alive!
Books
s - a manual of Spellcasting
// Woo! Too bad I died before making much use of this.
Magical staves
c - a staff of conjuration


You have 356 experience left.

Skills:
+ Level 3 Fighting
- Level 1 Short Blades
- Level 2 Staves
- Level 7 Dodging
- Level 4 Stealth
- Level 1 Unarmed Combat
+ Level 17 Spellcasting
+ Level 26 Conjurations
+ Level 9 Enchantments
+ Level 1 Summonings
+ Level 4 Translocations
+ Level 3 Divinations
+ Level 19 Ice Magic
+ Level 4 Air Magic
+ Level 4 Evocations
//I spent much more effort than usual tweaking skills this game; I was
turning magic skills on and off until Spellcasting, Conjurations and Ice
Magic were all around level 15, then just let them increase at their own
paces. I started training Fighting (looking for the extra HP and some
flexibility) a little later than I had planned, since Xom kindly gave me
a bad temper and I couldn't afford too many more rages on top of the
ones he was granting me as dubious favours...


You have 2 spell levels left.
You know the following spells:

Your Spells Type Success Level
a - Magic Dart Conjuration Perfect 1
b - Throw Frost Ice/Conjuration Perfect 2
c - Bolt of Cold Ice/Conjuration Perfect 5
d - Deflect Missiles Air/Enchantment Good 6
e - Ozocubu's Refrigeration Ice Perfect 5
// Didn't use much... would like to experiment with it some more. Seems
handy when you have cold resistance, but I ended up losing more potions
than I liked.
f - Freezing Cloud Ice/Air/Conjuration Excellent 7
l - Lightning Bolt Air/Conjuration Great 6
// For use against cold-resistants.
v - Venom Bolt Poison/Conjuration Excellent 5
// Ditto.
B - Controlled Blink Translocation Very Good 4
M - Repel Missiles Air/Enchantment Excellent 2
N - Blink Translocation Great 2
O - Ozocubu's Armour Ice/Enchantment Perfect 3
Q - Silence Air/Enchantment Excellent 3
// Never really used... was experimenting.
R - Detect Creatures Divination Great 2
S - Slow Enchantment Excellent 3
// Didn't use much... don't remember why I bothered memorizing it.
T - Detect Traps Divination Great 2

Mutations & Other Weirdness
You have tough skin (AC +1).
* You are protected by plates of bone (AC + 2, dex - 1).
Your system is immune to poisons.
Your natural rate of healing is unusually fast.
Armour fits poorly on your deformed body.
You can spit poison.
* You can breathe fire.
// This was HUGE for this character... pretty powerful, and handy
against cold-resistant monsters.
You are frail (-10 percent hp).
* You can summon demons to your aid.
* You can raise the dead to walk for you.
* You can control demons.
// Delayed the inevitable in the Abyss a bit more.
* You can channel magical energy from Hell.
You have sharp fingernails.
You have hooves in place of feet.

 

[Rob]

Archived from groups: rec.games.roguelike.misc (More info?)

Erik Piper wrote:
> Rob wrote:
>
>>I've been experimenting with Wizards lately. I find them an
>
> interesting
>
>>challenge - they're kind of jacks-of-all-trades, masters of none at
>>first.
>
>
> They're really dependent on what they find and how early they find it.

Very true. This guy was lucky to find a Book of Conjurations relatively
early, to get Bolt of Cold. The direction you take is also affected a
lot by which book of Minor Magic you start with, I find.

>
>
>>Anyway, I managed to get this guy up to level 27 and cleared the
>>Lair, the Swamp, the Mines, the Snake Pits, the Halls, the Slime Pits
>
>
>>(no teleport control - never got the goodies),
>
>
> If you have an unlimited source of teleportation, you can just teleport
> at random until you get into all four. Pretty boring, though.
>
> It's a rare game that lacks teleport control, but it's also a rare game
> that doesn't lack at least SOMETHING you want.

I had a ring teleportation that I let shoot me around the level for a
while, but I did get pretty bored, and figured I'd come back as soon as
I found a ring of teleport control...

>
>
>>the Vaults, the dungeon
>>down to level 27, killed Geryon... then stuck my nose into Gehenna,
>>promptly got cast into the Abyss, and spent a very long time looking
>
> for
>
>>an exit that I never found... got surrounded and died before my
>
> latest
>
>>teleport kicked in.
>
>
> Ouch. About the only thing that helps against a "tackle" there is haste
> or swiftness. Sometimes levitation can help you shake pursuers by
> taking you over lava, but it's a bit of a small hope.
>
> You can't be sent to the Abyss while levitating (because it sends you
> there by creating a gate and trying to make you enter it, which you
> can't do if you're levitating), but I doubt it's worth it to levitate
> throughout the Hells.
>
> Many of my trips to the Hells involve detours through the Abyss,
> although I've been luckier with the length of my stays there than you
> were.
>

Used up all my !speed, I'm afraid. Should have learned Haste, I guess...
Deflect Missiles had just become usable, I suppose Haste would've
been, too. I've not been too lucky with the Hells, so far, but I really
want to clear at least one of them out at some point! Guess that'll be
killing off promising characters for a few more months.

>
>>GP : 2454
>>// Nothing good to buy...
>
>
> There never is, unless you're broke.

>
>
>>You worship Xom.
>>// Wish I'd played one more with Vehumet, in hindsight.
>
>
> Nice for wizards in that you pretty quickly get some help for locking
> in to the conjurer focus, if that's your thing.

I've been treating them mostly as conjurers so far, although I had an
interesting one who got into Necromancy early. (Fell in with the wrong
crowd, I guess. ) Summoning seems another possibility, but I'm not a
fan of the style of game that results; a strong fighter/enchanter is
another possibility I've tried a bit.

>
>
>> C - the -1 cloak "Nuw Tuw Tumece" (worn)
>> It partially protects you from negative energy.
>> It protects you from magic.
>> It lets you levitate.
>
>
> Other than the levitating, not a very good cloak (magic resistance is
> pretty weak, and draining is more annoying than it is
> life-threatening).

Agreed - not much better out there, though. Though I guess a plain old
non-randart cloak, enchanted a couple times, might just beat this out,
in hindsight.

>
>
>> B - a bread ration
>> N - a royal jelly
>>// Depleted from my stay in the Abyss... dozens more rations and
>
> things
>
>>stashed
>
>
> Conjurer-likes have it pretty tough in there as far as food
> requirements go, a shame since they tend to be weak (though Demonspawn
> aren't). It's most true if you worship Vehumet, as you can conserve
> other resources in there just by being willing to burn food.
>
> Most of the time, you can neglect carrying an "Abyss stock" of food if
> you're really careful about traps and weapon-IDing, but when touring
> the Hells, you pretty much have to count on doing some sightseeing
> there.

Good point - if I had found my way out of the last scrum there,
starvation would have become a concern sooner rather than later.

[snip skills and spells - short on time!]

>>* You can channel magical energy from Hell.
>
>
> NICE! You've got the key "tactical" benefit of a Vehumite built in. Did
> it help in the Abyss?

Didn't come up much in the Abyss - I spent most of my time running, and
just kept O's Armour and Deflect Missiles on. I used it every now and
then to get an extra Bolt of Cold or something in; also handy when you
have friends keeping them busy and you can afford to sit and channel for
a few turns. It seemed to get better as the game wore on (ie, more MP
gained per use), but I wasn't sure... is the effectiveness of DS
mutations governed by character level, or by one of the skills?

Rob

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.roguelike.misc (More info?)

Rob wrote:
Erik wrote:

> > [Wizards are] really dependent on what they find and how early they
find
> > it.
>
> Very true. This guy was lucky to find a Book of Conjurations
relatively
> early, to get Bolt of Cold. The direction you take is also affected a

> lot by which book of Minor Magic you start with, I find.

I almost mentioned that. I must admit I even go so far as
restarting when I take a wizard and get the summoning-focused book. I
hate summoning.

Wizards who plan to conjure have the advantage of being guaranteed a
few support spells, and if they can please Vehumet fast enough, they
eventually still are guaranteed to get the real conjuring books anyway.
> >> [Sent to the Abyss from Hell and died]
> > [Some thoughts on this, and the utility of swiftness/hasting]

> Used up all my !speed, I'm afraid. Should have learned Haste, I
guess...
> Deflect Missiles had just become usable, I suppose Haste would've
> been, too. I've not been too lucky with the Hells, so far, but I
really
> want to clear at least one of them out at some point! Guess that'll
be
> killing off promising characters for a few more months.

Swiftness is actually more useful in the Abyss since you don't end up
radioactive from having it on almost non-stop. If you're levitating
while swift, you even get 167% of normal movement speed, if I
understand things correctly. And moving is most of what you do in the
Abyss.

I'd say Cocytus is the easiest hell, though I've found it seems to kick
me into the Abyss a bit more often than the others. Though sometimes
I've gotten lucky and have been on the bottom "moat" level and thus
levitating for non-slimy reasons (levitating to avoid banishment is I
believe generally considered a little slimy, though I'll sometimes do
it myself I admit... if Crawl's gonna be unfair, so will I) when the
banishment torture arrives. Interestingly, it teleports you before
trying to banish you, so in such cases you end up levitating over an
Abysmal gate somewhere on the other end of the level. Hopefully NOT
somewhere right next to Antaeus and three Ice Fiends.

> >>You worship Xom.
> >>// Wish I'd played one more with Vehumet, in hindsight.
> >
> >
> > Nice for wizards in that you pretty quickly get some help for
locking
> > in to the conjurer focus, if that's your thing.
>
> I've been treating them mostly as conjurers so far, although I had an

> interesting one who got into Necromancy early. (Fell in with the
wrong
> crowd, I guess. )

I think with a Demonspawn, you've already fallen in with the wrong
crowd.

> Summoning seems another possibility, but I'm not a
> fan of the style of game that results; a strong fighter/enchanter is
> another possibility I've tried a bit.

Fighter-necro or necro-fighter are definitely worth checking into a
little more when the relevant books turn up, as demonspawns learn
necromancy a somewhat quicker than most things. I've played a lot of
Kenku fighter-necros (necro first until it's solidly built up

One nice thing about "Death Knights" is that the tradeoff inherent in
one of the most useful necro spells, Vampiric Draining, is an easy one
to take for a semi-fighter: you can only use it when adjacent to the
victim, but you happen to be plenty buff enough to withstand that
(especially since you're gaining back HP with every attack, and may
well have Regeneration on too).

Fighter-enchanters are a bit tough without the Book of War Chants in my
experience. Most enchantments outside that book are for trickery or
defense, and (at least in the beginning), if most of your XP is going
to something that doesn't help kill stuff, well, you can't defend the
enemy to death. Later on defensive enchantments become quite useful
indeed, of course.

> >> [Not much food left by the time I died]
> >
> > [A Short Treatise Concerning Some Interesting Features of Food, the

> > Respeckted Proffeffion of Conjurers, and the Realms of the Abyss]

> Good point - if I had found my way out of the last scrum there,
> starvation would have become a concern sooner rather than later.

I learned about to always carry lots of food or always detect traps the
hard way once in the Snake Pits through a Zot trap. Now I always detect
traps.

> [snip skills and spells - short on time!]
>
> >>* You can channel magical energy from Hell.
> >
> >
> > NICE! You've got the key "tactical" benefit of a Vehumite built in.
Did
> > it help in the Abyss?
>
> Didn't come up much in the Abyss - I spent most of my time running,
and
> just kept O's Armour and Deflect Missiles on. I used it every now and

> then to get an extra Bolt of Cold or something in; also handy when
you
> have friends keeping them busy and you can afford to sit and channel
for
> a few turns.

IIRC the time just after you are served a fresh new level of the Abyss
is also a good time, as are the little cubbyholes you sometimes find.

> It seemed to get better as the game wore on (ie, more MP
> gained per use), but I wasn't sure... is the effectiveness of DS
> mutations governed by character level, or by one of the skills?
>
> Rob

Well, the failure rate goes down based on character level:

case ABIL_CHANNELING: // these both refer to the relevant
case ABIL_BOLT_OF_DRAINING: // Demonspawn abilities - Erik
failure = 30 - you.experience_level;
break;

But the power doesn't seem to based on a quick check:

case ABIL_CHANNELING:
mpr("You channel some magical energy.");
inc_mp(1 + random2(5), false);
break;

Vehumet's channeling works differently than this: the failure rate goes
down with rising Int and Invocations skill, and the amount channeled
is:

1 + (some randomizer run over your_Invocations/4+2)

inc_mp(1 + random2(you.skills[SK_INVOCATIONS] / 4 + 2), false);

OK, now it's me who's gotta run.

Erik