The horror ad the hope

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  • Moving Pictures
    Adept
    • Mar 2018
    • 191

    The horror ad the hope

    So after misplaying my poor half-orc paladin, I've gone back. Multiple low level deaths, including mercenary and cat on 0.

    List of dead includes Kobold mage at about CL7; H/O warrior at Cl2, etc. the usual. A half-troll mage landed afoul of a scroll of deep descent early level 2 and held out admirably at DL 7 that measured a 6-x, but ultimately faded.

    But I've got a live one with Butrkup, a dumb-as-a-stump H/T paladin. She's already found ESP and has the four elemental resists, and hasn't hit DL20 yet. FD with recall. In the last two levels, Brodda, Golfimbul, Bullroarer, Grishnakh, Orfax and Nar were little more then speedbumps. Ibun was a bit of a challenge, requiring a few PDs to defeat (so as to avoid Disenchantment.)

    The early ESP find early in DL 18 has proven a huge game-changer. Fascinating, given that the last major dive didn't get ESP until what, DL60 or something? Only issue is that ESP comes off a whimpy little dagger, so I see a swap-weapon thing in my future.

    All that makes me want to know: how critical are early game finds like that to long-term success?

    PS: One obvious trait: I think @ has gone through at least one cloak per level, or thereabouts, due to acid. And that's *with* rAcid since about DL6 or so.
    Last edited by Moving Pictures; June 6, 2018, 16:27.
  • Transcendental number
    Rookie
    • Jun 2018
    • 2

    #2
    Speaking as someone who is just relearning things after a long absence I'd say early game finds lead to a more fun experience... for a while. But they don't contribute to long-term survivability because they make you soft.

    I just got my first winner in this iteration of Angband and it was a grind all the way. I never felt comfortable (until right at the end). But that is why my paranoid Gnome Mage turned out a winner rather than a chicken dinner. Earlier attempts had died from overconfidence - usually related to some early great find.

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    • Pete Mack
      Prophet
      • Apr 2007
      • 6883

      #3
      Early ESP is arguably the biggest gamechanger for a warrior (Or priest caster.) Otherwise, early speed is tops. Big damage is next, but adequate damage is pretty common.

      Comment

      • Moving Pictures
        Adept
        • Mar 2018
        • 191

        #4
        Originally posted by Pete Mack
        Early ESP is arguably the biggest gamechanger for a warrior (Or priest caster.) Otherwise, early speed is tops. Big damage is next, but adequate damage is pretty common.
        What really got me was the difference in how I managed Ibun with ESP compared to the previous paladin that got that far. The previous bloke had some serious challenges and burned through a lot more consumables to avoid the disenchant. In Butrkup's case, she could sense the incoming, drop speed, and fire off several crossbow bolts then PD and repeat.

        Just knowing - dynamically - what's coming at you, is such a tactical plus. I mean detects give you a sense of "oh, there's a vampire out there, in this area," but being able to gain the "it's three squares away, behind Ulfang, so instead of using my crossbow on Ulfang, I will take this turn to step back so that I'm in a corridor where it can't get me, then, after I mash Ulfang, I should immediately PD to gain space ..."

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        • Pete Mack
          Prophet
          • Apr 2007
          • 6883

          #5
          A combination of mapping, illumination, and light rods in hallways (and infravison) makes a pretty good "poor man's ESP". It certainly helps archery.

          ESP is good for everything really dangerous except drolems and Quylthugs, and shriekers. For those, you need full detection.

          Comment

          • Sphara
            Knight
            • Oct 2016
            • 504

            #6
            Pete did put it there.

            I'll add just one thing:

            Stay the fuck out of dragon summon traps.
            Those show up relatively early and when you trigger them, not only you can get some out-of-depth dragons, they also get to act immediately.

            Instadeaths are real in Angband. This dragon trap was new to me. DO NOT TRY TO DISARM ONE OF THOSE, if you want to win the game.

            Comment

            • PowerWyrm
              Prophet
              • Apr 2008
              • 2986

              #7
              Originally posted by Sphara
              Pete did put it there.

              I'll add just one thing:

              Stay the fuck out of dragon summon traps.
              Those show up relatively early and when you trigger them, not only you can get some out-of-depth dragons, they also get to act immediately.

              Instadeaths are real in Angband. This dragon trap was new to me. DO NOT TRY TO DISARM ONE OF THOSE, if you want to win the game.
              Same goes for demon traps. Getting a gelugon/pit fiend/greater balrog combo that will breathe shards/chaos/fire instantly is not a good idea...
              PWMAngband variant maintainer - check https://github.com/draconisPW/PWMAngband (or http://www.mangband.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=9) to learn more about this new variant!

              Comment

              • Moving Pictures
                Adept
                • Mar 2018
                • 191

                #8
                Originally posted by Sphara
                Pete did put it there.

                I'll add just one thing:

                Stay the **** out of dragon summon traps..
                I lost a particularly potent-looking character - half-orc fighter ironman I was writing diaries about, IIRC, to exactly that. Multi-hued dragon didn't kill outright, but chased @ all over a dungeon, draining consumables that led to a death a level or two below.

                Comment

                • Moving Pictures
                  Adept
                  • Mar 2018
                  • 191

                  #9
                  Butrkup has found Wrath ... I think I'm getting the hang of the diving thing (forced descent, but with recall on). Just bumped to 50 at DL 83.

                  1126 hit points,
                  401 spell points
                  Ac 201
                  Speed 23 native.

                  Time to gather banishments, runes, and maybe a better whompum-upside-head weapon.

                  Comment

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