Complete N00b's Journey Character #3: Anwe, the Hobbit Warrior

[Derakon]

To clarify Pete's comment on acid damage, every time acid tries to damage one of your pieces of armor, even if it fails to damage (because the item is immune to acid damage), the damage you take from the attack is halved. So long as you have a non-zero AC armor piece in every slot you therefore will take half damage from all acid attacks.

[Estie]

Rod of teleport other is extremely useful for a warrior (other classes get the spell). While I have advised aginst using 2 slots for the same purpose above, teleport other is an exception.

The idea is to use the rod(s) when you can safely fail an attempt, to preserve charges, and only use wands in dangerous situations or when the rod is charging, to preserve charges. With a couple rods, wands and a few ?recharging, you can fully TO a greater vault and loot it.

Rod of power I dont usually bother with; attack devices fall off as the game progresses, especially for warriors. You have a good launcher for ranged damge.

As for level, the deeper the better loot and more danger. You have FA, SI, rbase and rpoison covered; thats the essentials, the next big big step is ESP, and of course hats of telepathy are rare on lvl 40 but litter the floor on level 90. Confusion and blindness protection are nice if you find them, but not nearly as important as ESP, speed or damage - but of course you have to beware monsters that use those attacks.
The most likely candidate for ESP is, as mentioned, the helm, so go out of your way to examine headgear lying on the floor; other possible sources include cloak, bow, amulet and weapon.

You can upgrade your gloves with Cammithrim - regen isnt important for warriors - and sell the other weapons. None of those is better than your scimitar.

Your biggest hole atm is a lack of speed boost. As Pete mentioned, Uvatha can be a juicy target under the right circumstances, but he and most other uniques from here on have at least +10 speed. You really want to match that if you engage them. You can consider farming level 1 for a !speed or 2, because your diving runs become much more productive if you are able to kill higher level targets.

Taratol would come in handy here

[wobbly]

Staves of power are useful if you're trying to shoot someone like Radagast who can block LOS with weak animal summons. So it's situational & I probably wouldn't buy 1 but I do tend to carry them if I find one on the ground. They can also be a ton of xp with fire immunity and a hydra pit but you need to be sure only 1 hydra can plasma bolt you.

[Sphara]

You can consider farming level 1 for a !speed or 2, because your diving runs become much more productive if you are able to kill higher level targets.

If you really care for this character, then this Estie's proposal is certainly the safest way to go. It's a boring way but what can I say? Basically all native lvl 40 monsters are very dangerous for this character and would require buffing. You should be able to detect monsters very regularly and you only have 3 charges of detect evil. Diving is often the way to go but being this low on detection items and having no speed, it's a huge gamble. Having at least couple speed potions would make some rewarding fights more manageable. Cold balls + recharging + occasional phase door is a good recipe for a high level kill even without speed but you cannot do that many times.

I tried to fit Totila into this equation. Getting little more hasty and having evocable monster confusion could help with some fights with crossbow. But you'd lose SInv unwielding Haradekket for +1 Speed (Totila has +2 and you would be encumbered for carrying both weapons). Probably not a good idea.

Only inventory tip is: no need to carry flasks of oil. Fill the lantern in town or from the floor. Edit: You can also fill from other lanterns in case you did not know.

[fph]

How useful is a staff of power and a Rod of Teleport Other? Both are available at the Black Market.

Staff of power: not so useful. Rod of TO: ridiculously useful. I'd have bought it immediately on the spot before leaving the shop. You have already seen how useful TO is in getting rid of dangerous enemies you don't want to fight. Rods of TO do that an infinite number of times, and their recharge time is very low.

[Adam]

...dealing with a mature black dragon and Medusa the Gorgon, the first of which damaged my leather shield of Resist Lightning and the other being zapped away from the level with a wand of Teleport Other for Safety...

Just one note to make sure: when you TO a monster it remains on the same level and it will be awaken even if it was sleeping. So you will bump into it if you explore the level. Teleporting yourself after TO is very dangerous.

[wobbly]

Just one note to make sure: when you TO a monster it remains on the same level and it will be awaken even if it was sleeping. So you will bump into it if you explore the level. Teleporting yourself after TO is very dangerous.

Is this actually true for 4.1.3 ? TO-ing a sleeping monster doesn't wake it up in master branch. I remember thinking it was odd but assuming this had just always been the case for V and that I was getting variants muddled.

[Adam]

Is this actually true for 4.1.3 ? TO-ing a sleeping monster doesn't wake it up in master branch. I remember thinking it was odd but assuming this had just always been the case for V and that I was getting variants muddled.

Good point, thanks. I never tried it in v4.1.3 just thought to be the same as before. Now I tested it in my ongoing game. TO-d a sleeping Carcharoth and he is awake when I find him next time (he is 15S 14W away and I have legendary stealth so I believe TO woke him up not my last few moves).
Repeated on a great bile wyrm (on a mostly cleared level) and it's the same.

[wizard44]

Okay, so I beefed Anwe enough to have more of a chance of surviving.

Complete N00b’s Journey: Part 3-8

So I bought the rod of Teleport Other and dropped the ring of acid. I initially held off on replacing gloves with Cammithrim until I get a ring of resist fire and Cold, since my current gloves give fire resistance, and I’d have to either give up that, cold resistance, or strength bonuses for the switch. Also bought a potion of Dragon breath for id purposes. After recalling back to D:40, I acquire a Large Metal Shield of Resistance [12,+8,], which comfortably covers my base resistances slot and frees up my ring slots. Inertia hounds nearly killed my character in an attempt to get to the down stairs, forcing me to use a staff of teleportation and quff my potions of Cure Wounds. The teleportation gives me some rather bad luck as I either got teleported next to a dangerous unique such as Castmir the Usurper, or the pack of hounds.
Having run out of Cure X potions, I Recall back upstairs and belatedly take the advice of you guys to farm level 1 and the early levels to get speed potions. Not before switching to the artifact gloves “Cammithrim” though and buying 3 more scrolls of Recharging, though. In this farming run, I identify through us potions of poison and wands of heal monster. I then begin my fresh recall run to D:40 where I spend a wand of teleport other charge towards a nether wraith to reach the stairs. I find and read-id a scroll of teleportation on D:40. An acidic cytoplasm does a number on my helmet and boots of free action, and I run into Uvatha the horseman again. This time I kill him with my bolts of Flame, after quaffing a potion of speed. Uvatha drops Seeker Bolts and the Small Metal Shield of Thorin, which boosts my strength at the cost of one of the resistances to fire and cold as well as my lightning resistance. I also get to level 31 from the kill and finally reach the downstairs and proceed to resume my careful grinding for Potions of Strength. I get a potion of strength and a Potion of Constitution from fighting a ranger chieftain in D:41, putting me in a slightly better position, statwise. An ascent back up to D:40 causes me to find the Short Bow of Amrod (x4) (+12, +15) <+2 STR, +2 CON>, while a descent to D:41 gets me two scrolls of *Enchant Armour*. Having lost my staff to detect evil to a giant fire ant, I proceed to recall myself, while somehow overlooking the fact that I dropped my staff of teleportation! Upon arrival back to town, I get my spare Staff of Teleportation, change my missile weapon, purchase a fresh Staff of Detect Evil, get an Elven Cloak of Stealth [6,+7], <+3 Stealth, +1 Speed>, buy 7 more potions of Cure Critical wounds and 4 potions of Cure Serious Wounds, 3 more scrolls of Phase door, and 4 scrolls of recharging.

I’m thinking that this guy can make some *very* careful descending to D:43 at this point. I do NOT go deeper until I get at least another point of Strength from stat gain potions that I find.

Do I still resort to a paranoid exploration mode (that is, stairdance my way down to that depth as soon as I find a set of staircases upon Recalling?) or can this character explore a broader depth at this point?

I also updated the ladder with Anwe’s improved stats and armor. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!

[Estie]

That was a good dive; scoring Thorin is huge, thats what the "juicy" is about. With it and Amrod, you netted 5 str and 6 con, your str problem is solved. You can now double up on teleport staves, carry more consumables and even if you get slightly burdened, the +1 speed from your cloak should prevent you from going into the negative.

Further str and dex will increase your melee damage output, but at a slow and steady rate; the most important stat potion now is con. As you approach 18/200 con, your health pool will increase dramatically, with ~700 hp youre basically safe from 1-hit kills provided you have the 5 basic resists covered.

If you feel confident now, you sure can explore levels, but the winning strategy has not changed: you are looking for ESP and speed rings, and those can be found deep down. The fast approach is still diving and playing carefully.

One new element is going to show up now as you descend: vaults. These are special terrain formations, usually involving permanent rock, traps and way out of depth monsters and loot. Cracking them open and dealing with the inhabitants to get at the loot is a high risk/high reward endeavour. There are many types of vaults, some more rewarding than others.
I would stay away from those for now, as you have limited detection; a deep non-evil unique inside can lead to a quick death before you know what hit you. Once you have ESP or a rod of detection, vaults are the best source for items. A single greater vault (GV) of one of the top tier types has a good chance of yielding a complete endgame kit.

A good indicator of a greater vault on the level is the monster feeling; an 8 or 9 is likely to come from ood monsters sitting in a vault. Looting vaults is an art; this is where creative means of solving problems shine. On a normal level, the drill is to always run first and think later; with the prospect of an endgame kit around the corner, some of the more risky maneuvres are warranted.

[Pete Mack]

You need to dump some junk. The only weapons you *might* use at this point are Totila for speed, stealth, and rConf; and Hurin for CON. But Haradekket is just about end-game strong, so you aren't likely to make even those changes. The other weapons are strictly worse, especially if you replace ring of ice with Damage. (Warrior will almost always use one ring slot for damage and one for speed. In your case, STR is a source of damage, and with such terrible CON, you might even use a ring)
If you want double resistance, you may find carrying potions more convenient than elemental rings. It isn't a bad idea for a low-HP warrior. There are some worthwhile targets you couldn't take without.

Also: amrod is strictly better than xbow of accuracy; amulet of rAcid, ring of lightning, shield of resistance, and Paurhach are now worthless. You'll need Amrod for some time to come.

[wizard44]

Thanks for all of the input guys. I actually changed my goal to get to D:50 since I felt that was doable with the equipment that I had. And I was able to achieve just that, but I ran out of detect evil charges while doing so.

Complete N00b'€™s Journey: Part 3-9

After reading your input, so I dropped Nimthanc, Narthanc, Forasgil, Elvagil, and Paurhach, as wells as my Ring of Ice, Ring of Lightning, and Amulet of Resist Acid. I bought 7 potions of Resist Cold and a better-charged staff of Detect Evil and then Recalled back to D:40. I dispatched a 7-headed hydra, a group of nagas and a Nether Wraith, the last monster who dropped a potion of Strength, which I quaffed immediately. A group of black puddings dropped TWO potions of Dexterity, which I happily quaff to gain more blows. I run into and kill Mim, Betrayer of Turin, who drops the Metal Brigandine Armour of the Rohirrim [50, +15] <+2 Str. +2 Dex> and Glamdring (2d5) (+10, +15) <+1 light>. I also kill Ibun, son of Mim with ease, who drops a Small Metal Shield of Elvenkind. After sifting through the treasures from the naga/snake vault that the group of nagas came from, I descend to D:41, where gravity hounds really make things difficult for me and force me to use my staff of teleportation to evade these guys. I end up encountering and killing Brodda, the Easterling, and the Queen Ant, who destroys my staff of teleportation before I can finish her off. I shortly end up getting to level 32 by dispatching her kin. I luckily find a spare one and head to D:42, where the only things I find that are notable are 2 Potions of Speed to replace my depleted stack. D:43 saw me encountering an asleep Vargo, Tyrant of Fire, but I manage to avoid it and descend to D:44. Upon arriving, I get put smack dab in the middle of an ancient gold dragon, which I manage to kill. A beholder, though, wreaks havoc on my staves and my HP and forces me to descend to avoid it. I arrive at D:45, where I detect a nearby emperor wight and no treasures. Seeing a nearby downstairs staircase, I descend to D:46, where I kill a berserker to get to level 33 with the help of a Potion of Speed. I also find two potions of Intelligence (one of which I quaffed) and the halberd Osondir (3d5) (+16, +12) <+3 STR, +3 WIS> on that level. I decide to teleport to avoid a sorcerer vault, and find and quaff 2 Potions of Wisdom and a Potion of Dexterity after clearing algroth and forest troll groups. After clearing another group of ice trolls, I also pick up a Potion of *Healing* and read-id a scroll of Protection From Evil. I then descend to D:47, where I pick up a ring of Damage (+0,+9) to replace my ring of Ice, and a wand of lightning balls, and read-id a Scroll of Dispel Undead and a Scroll of Banishment. I then descend to D:48 and detect the presence of Scatha the Worm. Having learned my lesson from my last character's death, I stay VERY far away from the guy. I do run into Gorlim, Betrayer of Barahir and barely manage to melee him to death after going though my regular potions of Cure X Wounds as well as my stacks of Potions of Healing. An elder arnea again forces me to descend to D:49, where I find one more Potion of strength to boost my strength stat up. It was at that point that I ran out Detect Evil charges, which was an indication that I should recall back to town to get my spare staff of Detect evil and maybe some recharging scrolls. I descended to D:50 and invoked my rod of Recall. Once back at the town, I got my Staff of Detect Evil, bought 5 potions of Cure Critical Wounds, 6 potions of Resist Heat, 3 scrolls of Recharging, and 5 potions of Speed (from the black market) to finish off the level.

I'€™m considering getting to D:53 as my next goal. Are there any monsters that I should watch out on my journey there?

I'€™d appreciate a fresh take on whether I should keep my current weapon/armor or switch them for better ones.

Is a staff of earthquakes any good? I found one in this dive, but ditched it for other stuff.

Do I store the potions of *Healing* for later? Or keep them on me since I don’t have enough of the other curative potions?

I've updated the ladder with Anwe's status/equipment. Any tips and answers would be appreciated!

[Pete Mack]

Scatha is just the target you should have used those potions of res cold on. With double resist, he does something like 100 damage max. And those lovely slay dragon arrows would take him down in very little time. Gorlim is a lot more dangerous, especially if you don't have pConf. (Rohirrim will give you that.)

[Estie]

I'm considering getting to D:53 as my next goal. Are there any monsters that I should watch out on my journey there?

Generaly speaking, non evil monsters are the most dangerous for you now, in particular, the Phoenix should start making appearances soonish. He is always awake, fast and breathes plasma and fire.

I'd appreciate a fresh take on whether I should keep my current weapon/armor or switch them for better ones.

Youre good; stash Rohirrim, it would be an upgrade except that you cant lose rpoison and its too heavy to carry as switch.

Now looking at the weapons, their damage is listed neatly in their descriptions, and damage is the overwhelming consideration when choosing a weapon as a warrior. The second look should go to the amount of blows you get with each; its roughly 4, and 6 for the scimitar which has +2 as property. As you gain in str and dex, those numbers will go up to 6 and 8, respectively, so Haradekket´s relative value will be boosted by plain damage adders like rings of damage while Osondir and Totila will get ahead with their fire damage, as it gets multiplied by 6/4 as opposed to Haradekket´s slay evil at 8/6.

With current fire damage being about the same as evil damage and given above numbers you can see that the fire damge increase of halberd/flail wont be significant over evil damage of the scimitar, and given that evil affects more things than fire, Haradekket will remain your best weapon. Upgrades exist out there, but nothing you have is one, which is why I had suggested to ditch them before.

You could use Totila as a pconf switch, but the targets that this would enable you to kill - Gorlim and Cat Lord, for example - are still too tough. Not saying you cant kill them, but its a dice roll, Gorlim can be a pushover or require multiple full heals depending on what he casts. I wouldnt bother at this time.

Is a staff of earthquakes any good? I found one in this dive, but ditched it for other stuff.

It allows you to change vault layout from outside; other than that, I can see no use. It is not worth an inventory slot.

Do I store the potions of *Healing* for later? Or keep them on me since I dont have enough of the other curative potions?

You want to store !*healing* and !life for the endfights, but you also want the option to full heal in the dungeon; if you are in possession of !heal, store the !*heal*, otherwise carry one for emergencies till you find !heal again.

[Adam]

One thing about breath attacks: as you damage the monster, its breath becomes less powerful. I can't give you the exact formula but I think in most cases you'll get linear damage based on the HP of the monster.
Gorlim is quite dangerous, nice that you could kill him. He has very damaging spells which you can not resist, mana and water bolts (and water bolts also stun).