Hoping for a winner

[smileyy]

http://angband.oook.cz/ladder-show.php?id=13727

19 years after I first started playing Angband, I'm back playing again, and finding the game better than ever. But the amazing thing is, I've never had a non-save-scummed winner. Call it the impatience of youth?

But I think I'm doing things right this time -- using detection liberally, only exploring levels that are worthwhile (high reward, low risk), not over-committing to levels and bailing out as soon as I feel over my head.

I'm probably playing really slowly, but I'm ok with that -- or am I falling into that trap of this range being higher risk than reward?

This character started out not doing crap for damage for the longest time (a main gauche +9/+9 was the weapon for a long time, until a flail of westernesse, then finally Careth Asdriag)

I feel like I have gaps or suboptimal gear choices because of suboptimal availability of things like Free Action...is that normal? Am I missing a better combo with all the stuff I have stashed at home?

[Philip]

Sounds like you only really want telepathy, pconf and pstun. Your current helmet is absolutely useless. If you could find the Star, that would be nice. With See Invisible there, you could have pconf, pstun, or telepathy from your helm slot.

What you really need is a ring of power. They give telepathy, stats, speed, +hit +dam, Free action, See Invisble, an Immunity and a bunch of useful resistances.

Monsters would have to be 20+ speed and breathe either sound or maybe a base resist very powerfully to kill you now. Or simply have a melee confusion attack and some friends/power.

You have Godly Insights so I assume your detection is excellent, therefore just detect and if you see something threatening run away.

Otherwise I suggest you go deeper, the monsters are not much nastier and the loot is better. I suggest maybe dlvl 60 or so.

[smileyy]

The helm is the only thing that gives me See Invisible -- which I realize isn't huge with Detect Invisible -- but its also the "best" helm I've seen so far.

[Philip]

See Invisible is actually very important, but telepathy is a good substitute. Look for helms, gloves and cloaks. Those are your weakest items.

[Timo Pietilä]

http://angband.oook.cz/ladder-show.php?id=13727

Ditch the Mormegil, there will never ever be a situation that would make it useful (-10 speed is just too big penalty).

Carry both Taratol and Turmil. Immunities are very useful when you are dealing with monster that can do only one kind of damage. Taratol has also haste as activation which is useful for Paladin. Put on that other RoS you have and save the speed potions for later game. Taratol also makes fair amount of damage once you get enough blows with it (elec brand is next best thing after acid, and kill dragon makes it dragon killer).

That RoS I would put on even without Taratol, 15 -> 21 is 25 -> 31 energy IE. 24% more damage / monster turn (and more time to use heal etc. for you) and you don't have to use haste unless you are facing something bigger than usual saving those speed potions for later use.

Also that Preservation shield is useful as swap (you lose rAcid with it but gain sustains and rSound and rDisen, very useful against undeads (mainly)). Too bad that you can't really afford losing rAcid, at least not yet (acid is halved by armor, so max you can get from it is 800, same as poison, but there are way fewer monsters breathing acid for 1600 points than there are monsters that breathe poison for 800).

I would also store those banishment scrolls at home. They are rare and you will need them in final fight. You can also ditch that first spellbook (everything you need from it is in Godly Insight, for light use Phial activation and couple of rods of illumination is lighter than couple of books).

Using Thalkettoth for acid and more speed and preservation for sustains and rDisen/rSound is very tempting, but you would lose rPoison and that's not good. I hope you get Trickery amulet soon, it would solve many problems. Or cloak which gives you rPoison instead of that Protection one you have now.

[smileyy]

Timo -

Mormegil is just a trophy until I run out of space at home, at which point I throw it away.

I had blanked on the second RoS putting me over +20 speed, which I understand is a very important threshold.

Thanks for the rest of that -- that's some great advice about situational gameplay that I think I'm not very good at at this point -- probably my weakest area.

The helm, cloak, and glove drops have been abysmal, I feel like. Or maybe that's normal. My options for helm have been +CHA, +INT or SeeInvis. I've seen a Cloak of Aman that didn't do anything for me, and Paurhach and FA gloves are the only ones I've seen.

I've dropped down to 2600' and descending and, you're right, there's not much more danger here with sufficient detection. Ethereal Dragons (which hit to confuse) have been an issue with keeping myself unconfused. Other than that, stat and XP drainers who get themselves into melee are my other issue. Though the XP drain can help with the stat loss, ironically, until I get Restoration. But at this point, those are more of an annoyance than a gamebreaker.

[Timo Pietilä]

See Invisible is actually very important, but telepathy is a good substitute. Look for helms, gloves and cloaks. Those are your weakest items.

Very long range infravision is also undervalued ability. With Turmil +4 and internal +5 infra you can spot hounds 9 grids away in dark room when entering new dungeon. Otherwise this can happen (and it really sucks when it does):


You detect monsters -more-
###############
ZZZZ..........#
ZZZZ..........#
ZZZZ.....@....#
ZZZZ..........#
###############


When ESP is not available get infravision.