Life without twang

[Moving Pictures]

Can't believe the odds. Trying a forced-descent human ranger. DL 51, CL38.
Rocking a (x4) (+7,+13) crossbow of +2 extra shots. Yes, a crossbow, ladies and gents, because the most potent bow found in 51 levels is an x3 (+4,+6). Second was an x2 shortbow of accuracy with meagre plus, single digit, still dwarfed in damage output by the crossbow.

I mean, what are the freaking chances of not having a bow long-short-idon'tcare of either might/power/accuracy in 51 levels?

@ will, at this rate, be able to generate x3 shots with a bow (lvl 40) before @ gets a bow with which to do that and still deal effective damage.

Other odd things: found Resistances early, and out of depth; keep finding it. Also ran into a streak of about 12 levels out of 15 that had a STR potion. STR maxed before CON hit double digits. And ESP comes from gauntlets, which cramp the spellcasting, but at this DL, ESP is vital, so .... (shrug)

Plusses: randart cap early (Dl8) with +3 Dex, +5 Wis, +2 Int, rElec, rSound, rNether, pconf and pBlind, plus a TO function; That and a rod of acid balls on DL 4 (!) really made the early game easy.

[Drokk]

Awesome, I really need to start fiddling around with Randarts.

[Moving Pictures]

Awesome, I really need to start fiddling around with Randarts.

What I have found, at least so far, is that it's harder to get the kind of balance one might wish to get into the endgame. I see some haven't had that issue, but I certainly have. So, delving into the depths without a descent launcher, or without nether resistance - but with immunity to fire and cold. So Balrogs and uniques like Ancalagon are ho-hum, but Osse is an instaflee, even with 900 hp in the banks.

Or really great, if not stupendous armour, but a meh weapon.

Or speed out the wazoo, but no pconf, or something like it.

I note that so far, all my randart experence has been forced descent, some ironman, so that may skew the observations somewhat.

[Moving Pictures]

CL 42, DL 62, and *still* no meaningful, mentionable long or short bow of anything but a few plusses. My poor ranger is using a crossbow, alas.

[Derakon]

Your poor ranger is still getting 3 shots/round. They'll be fine.

[Moving Pictures]

The randomizer gods had to yield at some point.

L72 (!) Longbow of Lothlorien. X5 with telepathy, which allowed a switch from gauntlets that gave telepathy to a set that give a con boost to max.

and L79 was immensely productive. Cleared out a number of uniques, including Osse and Ungoliant (at the cost of a few healing potions). In return, pilfered drops for a Mace of Distruption and Tenser's. Out go the piddly rods of fireballs/coldballs/acid balls. A few bajillion turns townside, and now we're loaded with branded, boosted, arrows.

Only thing I could put on the wishlist now would be a nice randart ring of extra shots, just to allow for total world domination.

And maybe some speed.