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My level 29 ranger has pushed down to D34, and the hunt for stat potions is on. I've been loving how spellbooks now make more thematic sense with their classes... rangers no longer have a pile of nigh-useless magic bolts... now they've got support spells that make more sense for their "natural knowledge" nature. However, my ranger has already learned everything he can from his baby-ranger spellbook, and has been itching (i.e. can learn 3 more spells) to learn something new. I've already run across a couple dungeon books for other classes, but no luck for him. I know it's shallow still, but dang it, I want to see his new spells!
So, I land on D34, and I'm greeted with the lovely feeling that "omens of death haunt this floor". No biggie... I've been seeing that a lot in 4.2 thanks to bug pits (certain mob types having been buffed has really bumped up the threat level of their pits). A randart arkenstone from a couple floors back has made "gauging" the floor so much easier, so pop the activation, and what do I see? Pac-Man!
I find a new potion on the way, and it turns out to be enlightenment, so now I have more info on what type of items permeate that vault. Lots of new wands and potions... and what do I find in the middle of the vault? A dungeon druid book chilling in the pac-ghost room in the center! Hurrah! I navigate to the vault, clearing out parts of the dungeon for tactical retreat, and when I get closer I detect life... just what poor sap is guarding my precious little book?
Oh... nothing major... just a mother-flippin Great Wyrm of Thunder and her lil' baby Ancient Gold Dragon! I have absolutely no sound resistance right now, but even if I did the AGD would only mostly like one-shot me, and the GWT would pulverize me with a hiccup. Without sound resistance? the AGD flat out crushes me with one roar, and the GWT will reverberate through me so hard that I'll be reduced to an atomic-fine mist.
Of course, you know what this means, right? That's right, dear readers, we charge in anyways! There's a slew of new wands... one of them sure is going to be TO, right?
... nope. And, tussling with an Ancient Green Dragon with just one layer of poison resistance (thank you ranger spells!) proves that the Ancient Gold is way too much for me... the Ancient Green blasted away more than half my health with one breath! Well, all is fine, I can work at clearing out the vault in the meantime while I figure out what to do... after all, I've got excellent stealth and they're notoriously heavy sleeper-oh-crap here comes the Ancient Gold!
Phase Door out of the vault with an Ancient Gold hot on my tail... what am I gonna do? I have one speed potion and +5 base speed, and... what else... oh, a wand of polymorph! Yes! I get into position to line up a barrage of safe hockey-stick shots and let loose. Six shots later, and not a single one has managed to actually change the dragon. Crap!
I could kite it to the far east side of the dungeon and then teleport back. Is this stupid? Heck yes! Did it work? Amazingly, yes! I did everything I could think of to make sure I didn't end up in it's LoS, and managed to get it almost all the way on the east side, then teleport back just west of the vault before speed runs out. The vault is basically in the center, with the east entrance of the vault closest to the middle.
Now, I can just sneak in and see if I can lift the book from under the GWT's nose. Sneak back into the vault and cast detect life one turn before the GWT rounds the corner and straight-up annihilates me. DOUBLE CRAP. PD out again, I've got no speed parity, and frantic PD'ing drops me fortuitously somewhere the GWT won't follow. He's now just outside the east entrance to the vault, guarding it like a loud, scaly, single-headed version of Cerberus.
I'm near the west again, so I decide I'll try tunneling into the vault from the west. I'll make it plenty jagged to break up LoS. I know breaching the vault will get his attention, but maybe some good PD'ing will get him stuck on the west side? I break into the vault... and he's on his way. Of course, PD is random, and I'm not porting well. One close call where I land next to him and he gets in one round of melee tells me just how stupid I've been to push my luck here.
I'm not dead, but that hurt. PD away, and I throw up WoR. All I need to do now is just stay away from him with liberal use of PD at the right time. The corridor will provide LoS... except, my PD scrolls start to get a nasty westward drift. I end up leaving the tunnel during my PD-ing and land in the room I started the tunnel from on the west side of the map. Crap. I take up position just outside the tunnel to maximize my chance to get back in, and as soon as I see it's scaly head, I use PD. Plop... I land elsewhere in the room, right in full LoS glory of the GWT.
I panic... it refrained from using it's breath, but there's no escape anywhere. Foolishly, I try another PD hoping to land in the room to the south (I was along the south wall of this room), and instead I drop about two spaces from the GWT. Again, it refrains from breathing and fails to cast a spell (holy crap). I have no choice... I have to rely on my staff of teleportation and hope it doesn't fail AND that I don't just jump from one insta-death situation into the jaws of another (the Ancient Gold Dragon).
Pop! It fires off, and I find myself just south of the east entrance of the vault! Not only did I escape the GWT and the AGD, but I'm also now far enough away that they won't chase, and the vault is unprotected!!! I cancel the recall ('cause that would have sucked SO HARD to get ported back to the town!), and stride into the center of the vault (detect life to make sure I'm not being chased), and pick up my new book.
Yes!!! I got it!!! I got a book of nature magics [Wild Forces]!!! I... I... wait... I CAN'T READ ANY OF THE SPELLS IN THIS BOOK!!!!
... hollow victory for the win.
Whoops... this is long:
TL/DR: My L29 ranger found his first dungeon druid book guarded by a Ancient Gold Dragon and Great Wyrn of Thunder in a Pac-Man vault. Hijinks ensue and managed to remove the guards via multiple near-death experiences, only to find it was the druid-only book "Wild Forces".
So, I land on D34, and I'm greeted with the lovely feeling that "omens of death haunt this floor". No biggie... I've been seeing that a lot in 4.2 thanks to bug pits (certain mob types having been buffed has really bumped up the threat level of their pits). A randart arkenstone from a couple floors back has made "gauging" the floor so much easier, so pop the activation, and what do I see? Pac-Man!
I find a new potion on the way, and it turns out to be enlightenment, so now I have more info on what type of items permeate that vault. Lots of new wands and potions... and what do I find in the middle of the vault? A dungeon druid book chilling in the pac-ghost room in the center! Hurrah! I navigate to the vault, clearing out parts of the dungeon for tactical retreat, and when I get closer I detect life... just what poor sap is guarding my precious little book?
Oh... nothing major... just a mother-flippin Great Wyrm of Thunder and her lil' baby Ancient Gold Dragon! I have absolutely no sound resistance right now, but even if I did the AGD would only mostly like one-shot me, and the GWT would pulverize me with a hiccup. Without sound resistance? the AGD flat out crushes me with one roar, and the GWT will reverberate through me so hard that I'll be reduced to an atomic-fine mist.
Of course, you know what this means, right? That's right, dear readers, we charge in anyways! There's a slew of new wands... one of them sure is going to be TO, right?
... nope. And, tussling with an Ancient Green Dragon with just one layer of poison resistance (thank you ranger spells!) proves that the Ancient Gold is way too much for me... the Ancient Green blasted away more than half my health with one breath! Well, all is fine, I can work at clearing out the vault in the meantime while I figure out what to do... after all, I've got excellent stealth and they're notoriously heavy sleeper-oh-crap here comes the Ancient Gold!
Phase Door out of the vault with an Ancient Gold hot on my tail... what am I gonna do? I have one speed potion and +5 base speed, and... what else... oh, a wand of polymorph! Yes! I get into position to line up a barrage of safe hockey-stick shots and let loose. Six shots later, and not a single one has managed to actually change the dragon. Crap!
I could kite it to the far east side of the dungeon and then teleport back. Is this stupid? Heck yes! Did it work? Amazingly, yes! I did everything I could think of to make sure I didn't end up in it's LoS, and managed to get it almost all the way on the east side, then teleport back just west of the vault before speed runs out. The vault is basically in the center, with the east entrance of the vault closest to the middle.
Now, I can just sneak in and see if I can lift the book from under the GWT's nose. Sneak back into the vault and cast detect life one turn before the GWT rounds the corner and straight-up annihilates me. DOUBLE CRAP. PD out again, I've got no speed parity, and frantic PD'ing drops me fortuitously somewhere the GWT won't follow. He's now just outside the east entrance to the vault, guarding it like a loud, scaly, single-headed version of Cerberus.
I'm near the west again, so I decide I'll try tunneling into the vault from the west. I'll make it plenty jagged to break up LoS. I know breaching the vault will get his attention, but maybe some good PD'ing will get him stuck on the west side? I break into the vault... and he's on his way. Of course, PD is random, and I'm not porting well. One close call where I land next to him and he gets in one round of melee tells me just how stupid I've been to push my luck here.
I'm not dead, but that hurt. PD away, and I throw up WoR. All I need to do now is just stay away from him with liberal use of PD at the right time. The corridor will provide LoS... except, my PD scrolls start to get a nasty westward drift. I end up leaving the tunnel during my PD-ing and land in the room I started the tunnel from on the west side of the map. Crap. I take up position just outside the tunnel to maximize my chance to get back in, and as soon as I see it's scaly head, I use PD. Plop... I land elsewhere in the room, right in full LoS glory of the GWT.
I panic... it refrained from using it's breath, but there's no escape anywhere. Foolishly, I try another PD hoping to land in the room to the south (I was along the south wall of this room), and instead I drop about two spaces from the GWT. Again, it refrains from breathing and fails to cast a spell (holy crap). I have no choice... I have to rely on my staff of teleportation and hope it doesn't fail AND that I don't just jump from one insta-death situation into the jaws of another (the Ancient Gold Dragon).
Pop! It fires off, and I find myself just south of the east entrance of the vault! Not only did I escape the GWT and the AGD, but I'm also now far enough away that they won't chase, and the vault is unprotected!!! I cancel the recall ('cause that would have sucked SO HARD to get ported back to the town!), and stride into the center of the vault (detect life to make sure I'm not being chased), and pick up my new book.
Yes!!! I got it!!! I got a book of nature magics [Wild Forces]!!! I... I... wait... I CAN'T READ ANY OF THE SPELLS IN THIS BOOK!!!!
... hollow victory for the win.
Whoops... this is long:
TL/DR: My L29 ranger found his first dungeon druid book guarded by a Ancient Gold Dragon and Great Wyrn of Thunder in a Pac-Man vault. Hijinks ensue and managed to remove the guards via multiple near-death experiences, only to find it was the druid-only book "Wild Forces".
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