Noob started a smithing build .. and now??

[Arralen]

Hi folks,

after I found everyone talking 'bout the neat features of Sil, I just had to try it out myself.
As I couldn't resist a smithing dwarf, I inevitably got stuck with the most basic decision: what to make at/of the 2nd forge on 150ft ?

http://angband.oook.cz/ladder-show.php?id=15857

[debo]

Based on your current kit, I would make a good basic helm (I think you can do [+0,1d3]), better gloves ([+0,1d1]) and a mail corslet if you can (the corslet is a swap for when archers show up.)

You can keep your fancy unid'ed helm as a swap, but the +1 evasion and +1 prot side from the better helm will help in the early game.

[HallucinationMushroom]

With 1000xp in the bank I would go jewelry and buy 2 1d1 prot rings and a lesser jewel. I'm a protection whore and hate stressing over light, even though I rarely ever run out.

[wobbly]

A ring of free action is another nice option if you do pick up jeweller. I'd probably go jeweler, gloves[+0,1d1], ring of protection[1d1] & ring of free action there.

[taptap]

I would make improved gloves, helm and shield (fine roundshield without melee penalty - so you don't wonder whether you should better drop it or not) and after that I would start again with the things that were damaged by acid until now and an improved dwarf mask. (Not sure whether you want to go all out smithing later or not.)

[debo]

I would make improved gloves, helm and shield (fine roundshield without melee penalty - so you don't wonder whether you should better drop it or not) and after that I would start again with the things that were damaged by acid until now and an improved dwarf mask. (Not sure whether you want to go all out smithing later or not.)

His current shield is already pretty hard to beat although the melee penalty is a pain. Dwarf mask is a great idea, although he'll probably find another forge before baby Ds show up.

[BlueFish]

With one more smithing you can make a double-fine corslet (identical stats as a mithril corslet) or double-fine gauntlets... or kite shield.

[wobbly]

He has a +2 kite shield of deflection, it's better then any kite shield he'd make. & I'm not sure the corslet (-2,2d4) is really better then his studded leather (-1,1d7). The gauntlets would be nice though. Either (-1) [+1,1d2] or [+0,1d2]. I'd probably go the later.

[Minstrel]

I'm somewhat nooby myself, but fwiw, I'd spend 500 on enchantment and smith up a set of gauntlets of treachery +0, because chasing fleeing stuff down is one of the most annoying parts of the game for me (also there's a bug that turns them into +1 eventually). And probably a longsword of doriath for a swap, which now gives you an extra die on just about everything until halfway down the dungeon. #3 either a helm of brilliance because I'm paranoid with anything less than the light of a thousand blazing suns shining out of my character, or maybe gloves of the forge +2 to start a smithing kit.

[Arralen]

Thanks for all the interesting answers. Nice to see no-one agrees about what to do, so seemingly it's not my noob-ness but the amount of actually sensible choices that left me a little bit stumped ;-)

I finally decided to take Jeweller, and get me a +1 to-hit ring, a lesser jewel (I was down to 1,5 Torches before smithing, but nobody commented on that), and some (0) [+0,1d1] gauntlets.

Looking through the smithing skills and list of forgeable items, I wonder why the axes in general are so much worse than the swords? I'd rather use an axe as a dwarf (and not only for that racial bonus), but I would put myself at a real disadvantage then?!

Edit:
Lol !!
Went downstairs and the first thing I see is - a Battle Axe of Gondolin ....

Edit 2:
And the next door which opens only after banging my head against it repeatedly tells me:
".. it is a Helm of Clarity [-1,1d2]". Now that is surely more useful than any [0,1d2] helmet I could forge myself, isn't it?

[taptap]

Axes do more damage than swords and have sufficient weight to use your full strength

[locus]

Looking through the smithing skills and list of forgeable items, I wonder why the axes in general are so much worse than the swords? I'd rather use an axe as a dwarf (and not only for that racial bonus), but I would put myself at a real disadvantage then?!

Throwing Axes are just pointless and bad, but Battle Axes are pretty comparable to Bastard Swords, the differences being that Bastard Swords get +1 to hit and evasion while Battle Axes get +1 damage sides. Plenty of situations where +1.5 damage is more valuable than +1 to hit and evasion. And then Great Axes have four damage dice, which you can't get on a sword at all.

[BlueFish]

battle axes are the best weapon type in the game, IMO. As for throwing axes, I've been known to forge a +1 one to deal with insects.

[debo]

Throwing Axes are just pointless and bad

what

help

[locus]

what

help

they were worth something back when they could get +3 sides when thrown, but now what good are they? ok, they're moderately more accurate than spears, especially for dwarves, so I guess they have a niche as BlueFish points out. they're better than daggers, scepters, and broken swords at least.