[Crawl] Yet another introduction

[Guest]

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

I discovered crawl about two weeks ago, and the number of starting
character possibilities piqued my interest. I've played nethack (and
hack before that) and it looks like the programmer did a good job
rivaling the complexity, but I can't tell yet, I've yet to get to even
the 4th dungeon level (unlike nethack, it's not uncommon for the first
monster I come across to kill me, or run me right back up the stairs,
so it seems a bit tougher ); of course, I could probably make a run
for the downstairs, but I'm sure my life expectancy wouldn't be much
longer than if I hung around the second level.

I'm guessing it's both a bit tougher than NH, and there's a food
chain-er learning curve that I'm at the bottom of? Of course, most of
my characters have been demonspawn necromancers (just sounds right)
and just can't seem to get off the ground before a hobgoblin with a
club gets in a lucky shot.

 

[Guest]

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

In article <27e1b836.0404291059.642d45f7@posting.google.com>,
Jason Northrup <jasonnorthrup@yahoo.com> wrote:
>I'm guessing it's both a bit tougher than NH

Yes, in that the early and late games are more dangerous. On the flip
side, there are fewer insta-deaths in Crawl.

> and there's a food
>chain-er learning curve that I'm at the bottom of?

That's true of all roguelikes, isn't it?

>Of course, most of
>my characters have been demonspawn necromancers (just sounds right)
>and just can't seem to get off the ground before a hobgoblin with a
>club gets in a lucky shot.

That's your problem right there. Necromancers are hard to start. If you
want to playa combat-oriented one, you'll need to just have enought
plain dumb luck to survuve to the point where you can learn Vampiric
Draining. An easier way to survive the early game is to rely completely
on raised servants: turn every single thing you kill into an animated
skeleton. By the time you descend to level 2 you should be trailing an
army of 10 or more skeletons.

If you want to explore the game with a slightly easier character, try a
warrior type (Troll Berserkers are good), or an offensive mage (Deep Elf
Fire Mage, but watch those hp!).

There's a short strategy guide up at
http://www.swallowtail.org/crawl/tutorial.shtml

--
Mark Mackey
The Association for the Advancement of Dungeon Crawling
Hints, tips and spoilers
http://www.swallowtail.org/crawl/

 

[Guest]

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

Mark Mackey <markm@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote in message news:<9sf*prijq@news.chiark.greenend.org.uk>...

> That's your problem right there. Necromancers are hard to start. If you
> want to playa combat-oriented one, you'll need to just have enought
> plain dumb luck to survuve to the point where you can learn Vampiric
> Draining. An easier way to survive the early game is to rely completely
> on raised servants: turn every single thing you kill into an animated
> skeleton.

Well, I knew that, but to kill something first, it's either pain or
melee, and both options are generally as bad for me as for them.
afterwards, hope for a body, and hope nothing else saw me, sit around
and wait for it to rot...

it's also a matter of learning the difficulties of monsters anew. I
just hope I run into a rat or bat first, not a hob.

 

[Guest]

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

Mark Mackey <markm@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote in message news:<9sf*prijq@news.chiark.greenend.org.uk>...

> That's your problem right there. Necromancers are hard to start. If you
> want to playa combat-oriented one, you'll need to just have enought
> plain dumb luck to survuve to the point where you can learn Vampiric
> Draining. An easier way to survive the early game is to rely completely
> on raised servants: turn every single thing you kill into an animated
> skeleton. By the time you descend to level 2 you should be trailing an
> army of 10 or more skeletons.

speaking of which, aside from wearing armor, does simply filling up
the inventory affect my ability to cast or damage creatures with
"pain"?

 

[Guest]

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

Jason Northrup wrote:
> Mark Mackey <markm@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote in message news:<9sf*prijq@news.chiark.greenend.org.uk>...
>
>
>>That's your problem right there. Necromancers are hard to start. If you
>>want to playa combat-oriented one, you'll need to just have enought
>>plain dumb luck to survuve to the point where you can learn Vampiric
>>Draining. An easier way to survive the early game is to rely completely
>>on raised servants: turn every single thing you kill into an animated
>>skeleton. By the time you descend to level 2 you should be trailing an
>>army of 10 or more skeletons.
>
>
> speaking of which, aside from wearing armor, does simply filling up
> the inventory affect my ability to cast or damage creatures with
> "pain"?

I'm not sure what you are asking here. Why would you think that your
inventory would affect either spell success rate or power?

Graeme Dice
--
"Crash programs fail because they are based on the theory that,
with nine women pregnant, you can get a baby a month."
-- Wernher von Braun

 

[Guest]

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

Please note that pain is a ranged magical attack.
You can strike them down as soon as they enter your visual range.

As well, Pain causes pain to you, as well, so use caution with it to
be sure you dont go critical or put yourself in a low HP position
after casting it. Im not sure if it will kill you if you're at 1HP,
but dont test it with your best character.

When you play demonspawn you get free, *good* mutations as you gain
levels. This means you can be a demonspawn necromancer completely
covered in white scales (+5 AC) or could breathe fire, or could summon
minor demons or control teleports or repulse missiles... or have a
pair of horns on your head for a extra melee attack.

As well, when you find a skeleton of a slain foe, DONT cast animate on
it immediately. Take it and carry it with you. When you need a summon,
drop skeletons *ONE AT A TIME* and cast away. If you drop 8 and try to
summon them all, you'll only get 2-4 because the other bones turned to
dust before you could enchant them (dead body -> rotting body ->
skeleton -> dust; which is unusable so, at dust, the bones simply
dissapear.)

Be sure when you go melee, you have a good weapon with you (+# or a
"of 'foobar'" ) FYI Foobar can mean anything: Protection, venom,
draining, '+27,+27', etc.

 

[Guest]

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

Graeme Dice <grdice@sasktel.net.NOSPAM> wrote in message news:<QgFkc.328386$oR5.261513@pd7tw3no>...
> I'm not sure what you are asking here. Why would you think that your
> inventory would affect either spell success rate or power?
>
> Graeme Dice
well, the restriction on wearing armor apparently applies to leather,
so I assume it contributes not by being metal, but by encumbering the
user's movements; likewise a heavy pack could encumber movements

 

[Guest]

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

Jason Northrup wrote:
> Graeme Dice <grdice@sasktel.net.NOSPAM> wrote in message news:<QgFkc.328386$oR5.261513@pd7tw3no>...
>
>>I'm not sure what you are asking here. Why would you think that your
>>inventory would affect either spell success rate or power?
>>
>>Graeme Dice
>
> well, the restriction on wearing armor apparently applies to leather,
> so I assume it contributes not by being metal, but by encumbering the
> user's movements; likewise a heavy pack could encumber movements

Leather armour makes spellcasting more difficult because it has an
evasion penalty.

Graeme Dice
--
"In Paris they simply stared when I spoke to them in French; I never did
succeed in making those idiots understand their own language."
-- Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad, 1869

 

[Loonie]

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

Jason Northrup .-- .-. --- - . ---...

> Of course, most of
> my characters have been demonspawn necromancers (just sounds right)
> and just can't seem to get off the ground before a hobgoblin with a
> club gets in a lucky shot.

I recently tried Sludge Elf Necromancer and it's not bad as a caster with
support of unarmed fighting, but the best Necro caster is Deep Elf IMO.
Just for fun tried Mummy Necro, tough but low stats limit the effectiveness
I suppose.

--
Loonie
---------------------------------------
Respondit Pilatus quod scripsi scripsi.
http://www.crawl.iconrate.net/melee.php