How did you die today?

[petvan]

@petvan Wearing the gloves of combat probably not worth the aggravation. Generally those gloves are reserved for the final fight if you need to get your damage up and haven't found other high damage gloves, or you are already wearing a super-powerful item that aggravates, in which case you might as well wear the gloves of combat.

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After picking up a short bow of power I started diving more aggressively using the find stairs spell. Through magical means I learned of some fire hounds nearby so I was gonna leave the area, but decided I'd try to grab my arrow in the hallway they were about to come up and they breathed on me. I retreated around the corner with still 27 health or something and decided it was time to quaff one of the 5 potions I picked up on DL14 and had inscribed with "curing potions". I mean, what else could they be at that depth? I drank and found myself moving slower and somehow didn't die. So I drank a cure light wound potion and died the next turn. <YASD>

OMG.. totally missed the gloves had aggro!!!! Wondered wtf happened to my stealth and if it was just being really deep... no wonder it got harder! Had no gloves for ages and was just excited to see those.. only now noticing the aggro since you pointed it out.. meh.. YASD prob!

[Pete Mack]

Petvan
While the gloves did indeed cause the level to spiral out of control, there is nothing fundamentally wrong with using them. However, there were other problems with that character:
1. Allowed more than 2 powerful monsters into LOS
2. Had terrible HP, wearing Ring of Strength instead of Ring of Constitution(???? Why?)
3. Relying on staff of Teleportation at depth 96. Use scrolls in desperate stands like that one. Teleportation is pretty dangerous in any case at that depth. Teleport level and destruction are far more reliable.

[AndyS]

Yes Ive learned to love those teleport level scrolls. Reminds me of a question I had about them and I dont want to open a new thread just for that as Im sure it's been asked but I cant find it.
What happens if you try to use one on 99 and you havent defeated Sauron?

edit changed 98 to 99, wasnt thinking straight

[Derakon]

Yes Ive learned to love those teleport level scrolls. Reminds me of a question I had about them and I dont want to open a new thread just for that as Im sure it's been asked but I cant find it.
What happens if you try to use one on 98 and you havent defeated Sauron?

The game is smart enough to make sure you can't go deeper than level 99 without killing Sauron, or deeper than level 100 without killing Morgoth. If you try to teleport level past them, you'll go up instead. If you have forced-descent turned on then you just can't teleport level, instead.

[AndyS]

The game is smart enough to make sure you can't go deeper than level 99 without killing Sauron, or deeper than level 100 without killing Morgoth. If you try to teleport level past them, you'll go up instead. If you have forced-descent turned on then you just can't teleport level, instead.

Didn't think it would let you past, you guys are smarter than that. Just wondered what actually happens, cheers. Havent tried forced descent yet, I think ill turn that on next game. And maybe randarts Im still not een sure what they are but there is plenty of info, Ill read it first. I think I can win the game Im playing but Ive been wrong every other time Ive thought that.

I still have a character in another game parked on 99 but got tired of scumming that level for a weapon that would give me a chance. And was too chicken to try with what I had, it being the first time Id beaten Sauron or even approaching that depth. Felt it would not have been as satisfying to win my first game by just staying on 99 forever until i got the right drop. This is the first time Ive ever had Nenya so thats been a big help. Not to mention 5 TO rods, having 5 of those almost seems like it would require incompetence to die, at least so far, not on 100. Im at 82 and just going to make do with what I have or collect from here, grow a pair and take the plunge. I found Sauron a piece of cake last time, I may have been lucky with his attacks. But the few rounds i tried with Morgoth were futile, would have been sure death.

But this thread isnt about how we survive (sorry) but how we die. I'll post that here if I lose and figure out the ladder if I win.

[Grotug]

[snip]

Not to mention 5 TO rods, having 5 of those almost seems like it would require incompetence to die,

[/snip

Not incompetence, but the seemingly surprising confluence of several undesired events: TO fails three to five times in a row; during which time you fail to notice your speed wears off, during which time Huan and Ancalagan the Black get summoned. At which time, you make another post in here. I don't make this stuff up. It always amazes me how I can have such a nice string of superb luck, where TO always works, where monsters don't breathe, where ?phase lands me favorably, and then, without warning, without any indication things are about to go south real fast, the RNG suddenly flips a switch, the bottom drops out, and the dungeon turns against me faster than I can say what in the bleedin' walls just happened?

No mistake, you are correct in realizing just how powerful 5 rods of TO is. Of all the objects in your inventory, it's probably the most important one, especially when it reaches 4 or 5 in number. But bad luck has an uncanny way of sneaking up on you when you least expect it and killing off insanely powerful characters. It's almost as if the dungeon knows to just keep making things go your way until it senses your guard is down, your confidence is overbubbling, and then, without warning, the rebalancing of the RNG unloads all at once, with such swift and unforgiving suddenness, in a single, malevolent strike, a perfect storm of simultaneous, unfavorable events that instantly brings the RNG back to equilibrium, and instantly renders another promising @ dead.

Which brings up another lesson in Angband, especially if you are crash diving: if you keep encountering lousy levels, and are not getting the things you need for the depth you're at; don't give up, don't lose heart. The RNG has something special for you if you can just hold on a little longer!

[AndyS]

Not a particularly interesting death, not a particularly bright one either. Frustrating? Oh yeah.

My first try at ironman. Was cruising along nicely though very uneventful game to that point. Only uniques fang grip wormtongue and the easy kobold one. I dont think I had even used a phase door or a clw yet, maybe one or two of the latter I forget. But I was building a nice pile of cure potions. No artifacts. A nice bow of extra might which was pretty lethal on early monsters. It had a poison curse that I wouldnt even call an annoyance, also agg but didnt care about that either. No powerful weapon but a whip of venom that was doing the trick to that point. All basic resistances except poison. Had FA.

I read 2 deep descents to DL26. I was fighting a mob of uruks and wolves and a werewolf and I hink a wolf cieftain but had no fear of death. I figured when i got to 50 hp id blink and burn out my CLW staff and chuck it, then finish them off with perhaps another blink and !clw or two. I read it, "you can not teleport". Damn you ring of the dog. I dont think I had ever worn one in a regular game but I found the fear resist comforting. Comforted me right to my grave. I had FA so it couldnt have been paralysis but must have been heavy stun or something because I got hit about 6 times in a row game over. I'll deal with the fear from now on, Im too forgetful with swapping.

[Sphara]

@AndyS

Props for not taking the easy way making your first ironman attempt but I think you're making things just too hard for yourself. Reading two deep descents is justifiable even though it adds the difficulty. But aggro item... In ironman, bad stealth is one thing, wielding aggro all the time is just total hardcore. A nightmare version of an already tough challenge.

[AndyS]

Hey thanks Sphara, advice appreciated and will be heeded for my next try for sure I'm never putting that ring on again. I managed fine without it in regular play, and early ironman isnt a lot different except for the planning I dont think.

I think the aggravation from the bow was worth it because I only wielded it when I was in a fight and it was a very powerful early weapon. But not the ring, that was dumb.
.
What I love about this game is after the disappointment there is sometimes a reflex tendency to think oh geez, I blew it, Ill never get those favourable drops or circumstances again. But you do. I just started playing again a few months ago and a couple of times I blew really good characters with rare finds at the end. Then I read a couple of posts by i think grotug and wobbly about the rng giving back which were encouraging. All about patience.

Anyway this wasnt one of those games, i was a long long way from even being in the money and didnt have anything significant. Just a fun first try cheers

[Sphara]

@AndyS

Most of my ironman wins are kinda wimp versions because I usually play with 'know all flavors from start' as a birth option. It does not make the game that much easier, just reduces the annoyance of having to consume a harmful or preservable items once without any intention.

Diving paying off works exactly the same way as with recall. The danger there is just the shortage of healing items in the endgame fights. Especially when diving very aggressively. I've died twice in the endgame (once to Sauron, once to Morgoth) because of that.

Btw, I did do one win with not knowing flavors. In that game I stupidly ate an unknown mushroom from the floor while clearing a greater vault. Was a mushroom of purging. That caused some trouble because I never carry any food after like D40. Drank lotsa potions for nutrition before finding something edible or sh-scroll

EDIT: Oh and commenting on your ironman attempt single-handedly promoted me from 'Apprentice' to 'Adept' status. So it probably was a good advice. Ha ha!

[AndyS]

@AndyS

Most of my ironman wins are kinda wimp versions because I usually play with 'know all flavors from start' as a birth option. It does not make the game that much easier, just reduces the annoyance of having to consume a harmful or preservable items once without any intention.

Diving paying off works exactly the same way as with recall. The danger there is just the shortage of healing items in the endgame fights. Especially when diving very aggressively. I've died twice in the endgame (once to Sauron, once to Morgoth) because of that.

Btw, I did do one win with not knowing flavors. In that game I stupidly ate an unknown mushroom from the floor while clearing a greater vault. Was a mushroom of purging. That caused some trouble because I never carry any food after like D40. Drank lotsa potions for nutrition before finding something edible or sh-scroll

EDIT: Oh and commenting on your ironman attempt single-handedly promoted me from 'Apprentice' to 'Adept' status. So it probably was a good advice. Ha ha!

I think it was good advice regardless of your status

I also think if you won an ironman game, the word wimp definitely does not apply. But what exactly does "know all flavours" mean? I realize I should know this but i don't. Does it mean your items are identified? That would be a tremendous advantage. I was always hauling around stuff "just in case".

I think after Ive identfied free action and poison I will drop unidentified weapons unless I have identify or free slots which are scarce in ironman. When all is said and done you usually go with an artifact weapon anyway , at least as a warrior.

Keep in mind that I'm keenly aware of my lack of expertise and probably talking out of the wrong end

[Sphara]

I..what exactly does "know all flavours" mean? I realize I should know this but i don't. Does it mean your items are identified? That would be a tremendous advantage

You can set "know all flavors" from birth options just like you do disable word-of-recall etc.

Playing item flavors known means that potions, scrolls, wands, all the consumables are pre-identified. Only thing not id'd, are the power values the item holds. If you quaff enlightenment and see a ring of speed somewhere on the floor, you know it's Speed but you don't know how big it's enchantment is until you do step on the ring. So playing with this on, you are not forced to drink that Potion of Intellect once in a game when playing a warrior.

Rune flavors I keep hidden from the start. Those mean the powers the item holds. Resistances, buffs, curses, slaying powers etc. Those need to be identified once with a scroll of identify.

One example: Playing rune knowledge off and flavor knowledge on results you finding Ring of Resist Fire and Cold. You KNOW you have both of those resistances because it does not appear as "Lapis Lazuli Ring" or whatever, but your character sheet doesn't show it until the rune is identified via usage or id-scroll

[Grotug]

Tried to fight too many spiders of gorgoroth at once. BTW, I'm pretty sure the XP they grant is too high (45k vs 9600 for a lesser titan).

[bendb]

One-shotted by a Dracolisk breathing nexus... right after I'd swapped by boots of stability for boots of speed and given up my only source of nexus resistance. Dumb! Had some quality gear, too: http://angband.oook.cz/ladder-show.php?id=22470