Complete N00b's Journey Character #4: Barel, the Elf Warrior

[Sphara]

The damage is actually worse if the Ring of Strength replace the Ring of Damage, so the current setup stands for now.

By telling I would carry ring of STR, I certainly didn't mean increasing damage but sustaining strength against said opponents. It'd be a switch ring because I would not move around having STR equipped instead of rPois either. I've done that, died to that and had this community lecture me about it

I've not being thoroughly specific with my advice, I know. Been corrected here many times by far better players.

[Estie]

Re digging: a ring of digging. It is super cheesy, but it is by far the best digger. Eventually you will have enough strength that you don't even need that.

This, very much - a ring combines the best of both pick and wand.

[wizard44]

Thanks for the tips folks! The character has made it to D:52, but still does not have a source of hold life.

Complete N00b’s Journey: Part 4-6

I recall back to D:44, where I meet Ulfang the black, whose summons overwhelm me with a patriarch and a ranger chieftain doing heavy damage and forcing some Phase Dooring before I could stabilize the situation and kill Ulfang. Unfortunately, Ulfang’s drops were not useful. A knight Templar and a ranger chieftain further strain my Phase Door supplies and force me to use most of my potions of Cure Serious Wounds to stave off the attack. However, I was rewarded with a Potion of Intelligence (which I quaffed) and a potion of *Healing*, so it was a wash. I kill another ranger chieftain to get 2 Potions of Enlightenment and another potion of *Healing* before heading down to D:45. I am greeted with omens of death, prompting me with the mindset to find the nearest staircase and descend. I get hit by a time vortex, which drains my experience, and a pack of vibration hounds. After killing the group, I get to D:46, where I find and read-id a scroll of *Destruction*. A draconic qwythulg summons an ancient multi-hued dragon, prompting me to get the hell out of this level and down to D:47. It is there that I get teleported by a nexus quwthulg, but luckily my use of a staff of teleportation teleports right back to the nexus qwythulg and allows me to kill it and get a nearby potion of Speed. I also find and quaff a Potion of Strength. The level contained nothing of else of use, so I went on to D:48, where I kill a beholder and find Potions of dragon breath. I also kill Uvatha, the Horseman, who went down to a lot of arrows and a finishing melee blow, and read-id a scroll of Banishment. I then head to D:49, where I find yet another potion of Strength and kill Scatha the Wurm, which gets me to level 34 and the Scythe ‘Avavir’ (5d3) (+18, +12) [+30] <+3 dex, +3 speed, +1 light> at the cost of a Potion of Healing that was destroyed from a frost breath. I also find and read-id a scroll of mass banishment, and a Potion of Constitution from killing a sorcerer. I also find and kill Lorgan, Chief of the Easterlings, who drops nothing of use. I also have a close call with Kavlax, the many headed, who forces me to use my last Potion of Healing to kill it and drops the set of Gantlets ‘Paurhach’ upon its death [3, +14]. I blow up one of my staves of speed by failed recharging and use my staff of banishment to banish away the ants surrounding the Queen Ant, who dies to melee. I then go to D:50 where I find a spare staff of Speed, a potion of *Healing*, 2 Potions of Healing, a scroll of Holy Prayer that I read-id, and take out an ancient multi-hued dragon after using a couple of Staff of Speed charges. I then take out a great Crystal drake using 2 potions of Healing and my last potion of Cure Critical Wounds to survive the shards onslaught. It drops two scrolls of *Enchant Armour*, which I use towards my artifact helmet and cloak. I then proceed to take out a host of dark elves, and get a potion of Wisdom, another potion of *Healing*, and 3 poitons of Cure Serious Wounds by the time I clear the room. I then teleport away Smaug the Golden, and read-id a Scroll of *Enchant Weapon* to finish off the level. I then descend to D:51 and continue my search for a source of hold life. I find a scroll of *Enchant Armour* that I use on my artifact gloves, and a fresh set of arrows that were (+9, +6). I then take out Tom, Bill, and Bert, the stone trolls, who drop a scroll of *Destruction* as the only useful item. I then find an Iron Shot Boots of Speed [4, +12] <+4>, a Potion of Dexterity, and run into a death mold that disenchants my short sword Dagmor, which I manage to partially restore in damage with a scroll of *Enchant Weapon*. I then finally take on Smaug, the Golden after finding Potions of Resist heat, which proves to be rather difficult, as his fire breaths destroy my staff of Banishment and forces me to use one of my potions of Healing to take him out. His death drops, however, are not useful. I then proceed to descend to D:52, where I encounter Dwar, Lord of Waw and decide to Recall back up to town. Once there, I drop my potions of Speed, and *Healing*, Identify Rune, *Destruction*, buy 30 Potions of Cure Light Wounds since there was no other HP-restoring potions in stock as well as some Arrows of Slay Animal and a Mushroom of Vigor, and use my last Restore Life Levels potion to gain back drained experience, where I somehow realize that I reached level 35 along the way.

The goal is to get to D:58 and definitely try to get a source of hold life or a stash of Potions of Restore Life Levels. What are the best items that provide this, and where are the levels that I can most likely find them and Potions of Restore Life Levels?

Which artifacts (gloves/weapons) right now are worth keeping at some point later on?

Barel’s status on the ladder has been updated, and any tips/answers to the above questions are welcome.

[Gauss]

I don't remeber the exact name but i once found an amulet with my high elf paladin that sustained life and all stats. It was wonderful since i suffered a lot from stat drainers that continuously left my charcter too weak. Found it at dl 83 if it helps. Looking at your status you should search a better amulet. +2 infravision is too weak. Also i would equip the +8 dmg ring instead of the resist poison ring.
Hope this helps.

[Mondkalb]

I don't remeber the exact name but i once found an amulet with my high elf paladin that sustained life and all stats. It was wonderful since i suffered a lot from stat drainers that continuously left my charcter too weak. Found it at dl 83 if it helps.

Amulet of Sustenance

[Estie]

If you have hold life or access to !restore, you can think about fighting drainers; if not, those have to join the others on the long list of monsters to be avoided.

There is a hierarchy of importance on the way to and endgame character; the top tier includes free action and resist poison because lacking those poses the greatest danger of dying.

Other modifiers, while useful to have, are not essential and can be considered luxuries. This includes hold life and pconf. Getting confused increses the danger of death immediately, but as long as you have a staff of teleportation you are probably going to survive. Not having poison resistance when the drolem breathes means instant death by massive damage.

Many winners never have had hold life or pconf during their career, but I am sure everyone who killed M had resist fire or poison for the majority of their lifetime.

So dont look for hold life; look for things that bring you closer to being able to fight M, in your case its stat potions and a better weapon and pick up luxury mods if you find them lying by the way.

Your best weapon currently is Avavir, because of the +3 speed. This changes if you get more speed from other sources as the impact of +3 becomes less with higher base speed. Paur gloves can go.

[Pete Mack]

... and sven free action isn't necessary with a 100% saving throw. The most important things are HP, damage, and speed. Work around them to get the other things you need, and then the things you might want.

[Derakon]

I don't think I've ever been in a position where I went without Free Action because of a 100% saving throw. Mostly because by the time you get to 100% saving throw, it's very unlikely that you won't "accidentally" have multiple sources of FA.

[wizard44]

YASD #4: Getting Knocked out by a master mystic leaves me with NO chance to escape.


Thanks again for the input. Unfortunately, this character is dead due to a very unfair mechanic of getting knocked out.

Recalled back to D:52, where I ran into Ji Indur Dawndeath and teleported him away to avoid trouble with him. I also run into Medusa the Gorgon and teleport away from her and have one of my staves of speed destroyed by an 11-headed hydra. Not wishing to risk getting caught by those uniques, I descend to D:53, where I kill an Ethereal Dragon at a cost of a staff of speed charge, and descend to D:54 where there was nothing else interesting. It is there that I find a scroll of *Destruction*, and take out an emperor wight and get a much needed Potion of Constitution for my trouble, which I drink. I also get a potion of Healing on the level and proceed to D:55. It is there that I kill an ice elemental to get to level 36 and teleport away Baphomet, the Minotaur Lord and the Balrog of Moria. I get surprised by a master mystic and use Phase door to get away, but before I fully healed up with my potions, I get surprised by the master mystic and get knocked out, which left me with NO chance to get away a second time and got me killed. Wow, that is seriously unfair and a bad way to get killed. I personally feel that getting hit enough times should allow me to wake up sooner, but no. Instead, I get instakilled.

Ladder has been updated, and I will again refrain from starting another character for a few days, as I feel that I'm getting worse at surviving rather than better.

[Estie]

Right, the stun mechanic - mystics of the higher types and yellow Z are to be avoided, especially when you are slow. Technically its not 1-hit kill but you need to be aware that stacking up on stuns leads to KO.

Sorry to hear of your @´s demise, if it is any comfort, I think that everyone here has died to stun KO at least once. I certainly have.

[Derakon]

If it's any comfort, I feel like you took considerably less time and advice to get to this point.

I'm not really a fan of the knocked-out status, but really mostly because it's not at all clear in-game that if you don't clear the Stun/Heavy Stun status, you're in danger of an unresistable KO. Stunning is a pretty nasty status ailment, though. It makes you worse at pretty much anything that has a random chance of success -- your to-hit, to-dam, spell cast failure rate, device use rate, etc. all get worse, and not by small amounts.

[Estie]

On a sidenote, because the topic came up above: I actually have one of the rare cases where a) FA is not needed because of 100% saving throw and b) the best setup doesnt automatically cover FA:

http://angband.oook.cz/ladder-show.php?id=22450

It is not the first time this happened to me, but it is very rare and I dont think I have had it happen with a non-priest character. And it involves randarts, of course; with standart artifacts it is even more unlikely.

Sorry for the little hijack.

[Hounded]

... I think that everyone here has died to stun KO at least once. I certainly have.

Once. After that I filed Grand Master Mystics somewhere near Jelly Pits in my consideration of the value of facing them.

[Grotug]

I think it's fun risking them sometimes. I've died from being knocked out by a mystic at least three or four times.