Post your last instadeath

[scud]

Not quite insta, but close... CL28 paladin @ DL26 or 27, bashing algroths in a corridor when BAM! Time Vortex outa nowhere, with the algroths in the middle!

One breath took me from >150HP to 80-90HP; I then failed to use a Staff of Teleportation properly – doh! – then the second breath plus an algroth bludgeoning and it was all over.

Quit the game in a state of shock without looking at the messages.

I'd grown quite attached to Dave V, too.

*sobs*

[Derakon]

Yikes, that vortex was out of depth. Probably a vault nearby. Time vortices are just about one of the worst possible enemies to face out of depth; they're fast, they're mindless and non-evil (thus hard for half the classes to detect), and they have a nasty, nasty ranged ability.

[scud]

they're mindless and non-evil

Dave V's grieving relatives would dispute the 'non-evil' bit.

I hadn't appreciated that they were quite so nasty. I guess my normal encounters with them are when I've got >500HP, a bit of speed enhancement, and quite possibly a couple of Rods of Restoration in my back pocket.

[Derakon]

They're not too bad when encountered in-depth, since by then most classes have some form of general monster detection and can see them coming. It's when they're out of depth that they suddenly get a whole lot nastier.

[Knight]

146 HP (that was at full) level 25 HE Mage, wandering around DLVL 42 looking for stairs, when a Patriarch appears and summons a Death drake. I went to cast Polymorph when I realized that I hadn't learned it yet. I took a turn to learn it when the Death drake breathed nexus for something like 263 damage--instadeath. Should have just teleported away but I didn't want to risk landing next to some other nasty.

[MattB]

146 HP (that was at full) level 25 HE Mage, wandering around DLVL 42 looking for stairs, when a Patriarch appears and summons a Death drake. I went to cast Polymorph when I realized that I hadn't learned it yet. I took a turn to learn it when the Death drake breathed nexus for something like 263 damage--instadeath. Should have just teleported away but I didn't want to risk landing next to some other nasty.

MAGE: "Hang on a second...[riffles through book]...bear with me...I'm sure it was around the middle...ah, yes! Here it is - 'Polymorph'. Right, with you in a minute...'Step 1: Raise arms above head'...OK...'Step 2: Intone...'.

DEATH DRAKE: "Roooooaaarrrrrrrrrrrr!!!"

MAGE: "Oh".

[Timo Pietilä]

Death drake breathed nexus for something like 263 damage--instadeath.

That would have been nether. Light green dragons do that. Usually "death" something means high probability of nether. Including undead.

[Nick]

Usually "death" something means high probability of nether.

And vice versa

[Derakon]

Dracolisks can breathe nexus though. I think they're red, and they're certainly not undead.

[Knight]

Oops, yeah, it was nether. :P Still, bummer. And my character was just starting to get good--a ring of strength <+4> and a ring of damage (+0, +10) meant my little mage could actually start meleeing things. :> Oh wells. Now I know that when they say "Death drake", they really do mean death drake.

[Estie]

Standing at the entrance to a vault and dealing with the outpouring stream of monster as appropriate: whack the weak ones, TO the strong ones.
Giant spider: *whack* - killed by Shelob, Spider of Darkness

(using purple uniques to avoid exactly this; however, unfortunately there are still purple non-uniques)

[Timo Pietilä]

Standing at the entrance to a vault and dealing with the outpouring stream of monster as appropriate: whack the weak ones, TO the strong ones.
Giant spider: *whack* - killed by Shelob, Spider of Darkness

That's almost as funny as Pete Macs orc leader; the orange c. Ooops.

I had one running-involved instant death few years ago: run corridor: game slows down so that I actually see my char running toward corner with LoS to open door to graveyard full of Dracolichs and Black Reavers.

Me frantically whacking esc to stop running....too late. RIP.

[dos350]

i was on dlvl 48 clvl 26, dunaden paladin, almost 300hps, nice randart lucrane hammer doing 4 blows per round, basic res covered and fa, nice shooter of power, staves of tele and feeling confident, used stairs and cast call light, next turn something breathes and im dead, 1hit by death drake that i couldnt see, how disapointing~

[donalde]

my last hT warrior was on final fight against Morgy, in top right corner of map. Morgoth has some summons, but nothing really nasty (iirc wraiths and vampires, maybe normal lich). I had 717hp and +43 speed, so in case of manastorm I meant to quaf !o*healing*.. my finger slipped, and I accidentally hit '1'. On that point I started to hit ESC, but no help. 2 hits, on both hit cave collapsed and my hT got crushed... 3rd hit: you die.. -19hp. *sight* .. I felt so stupid. But I thing I also run into into bad luck, with my math Morgoth can do max 520 damage with hits, so those 2 collapses contributed at least additional 216 damage. That is quite huge, more than morgoth full power hit. There was no doublehit, nor any other monster breaths / ranged attacks. Just plain bad luck.

[Derakon]

Being crushed does a lot of extra damage. Never fight Morgoth in a cul-de-sac if you can possibly avoid it. Sure, it makes summons a non-issue, but his melee becomes significantly more dangerous.