Stealth/Perception build, accidental pacifist

[intently]

I'm trying a Stealth/Perception build that has turned into a pacifist because it's too weak to kill anything. I'm only getting xp for encountering monsters. Consequently, I feel like I'm getting very little xp per turn compared to a non-pacifist, and that my character is really weak.

How do people play pacifist builds? Is there a trick to getting more xp?

[taptap]

I'm trying a Stealth/Perception build that has turned into a pacifist because it's too weak to kill anything. I'm only getting xp for encountering monsters. Consequently, I feel like I'm getting very little xp per turn compared to a non-pacifist, and that my character is really weak.

How do people play pacifist builds? Is there a trick to getting more xp?

You simply do not need that much experience (no need to put much into melee, evasion etc.). What I did a few times was pick up a little archery on the way / possibly quite late in the game, but only take on selected low health opponents (insects, vampires, ururauko). See e.g.: http://angband.oook.cz/ladder-show.php?id=15612 With chars more singers than anything else you can either pick Song of Mastery via Lorien route in late game and use that as your main defence or just use Lorien with high enough song to keep opponents sleepy while you shoot them. E.g.: http://angband.oook.cz/ladder-show.php?id=14774.

With another singer I picked up a danger item just to get more experience from the encounters - I did not have to fight the opponents after all.

[intently]

I'll take a look at those chars, thanks. I've also realized that the number of items you get is far less if you're a pacifist!

Is Lorien better than Elbereth for stealth?

Does Song of Silence make Listen useless?

[BlueFish]

Grats on the pacifist win, taptap. I didn't know anybody had done that yet.

[debo]

Grats on the pacifist win, taptap. I didn't know anybody had done that yet.

Fun fact: The first-ever official Sil winner was a noncombatant build (no way of knowing if a true pacifist, but he certainly couldn't have killed much!)

http://angband.oook.cz/ladder-show.php?id=12335

[taptap]

I'll take a look at those chars, thanks. I've also realized that the number of items you get is far less if you're a pacifist!

Is Lorien better than Elbereth for stealth?

Does Song of Silence make Listen useless?

Lorien is THE stealth song, if you play a house of Doriath singer you can even take it at start! Elbereth is cool in a different way, but pretty noisy. So it can be an escape option for a non-fighting stealth char (or good to keep opponents at a distance as an archer or maybe part of a non-stealth pacifist build), but while you sing it you won't be stealthy.

Silence puts a serious penalty on your perception skill for listening afaik.

@bluefish thank you, but basically i am far from alone. satyr and many other did it, if you look at haleth, doriath and finarfin winners with low experience quite a few are probably stealthy builds w/ or w/o song.

[intently]

Cool, thanks for the tips. I was thinking Elbereth would be good for stealth for some reason, but yeah, it can wake lots of stuff up. Silence just looked useless to me so I didn't want to go that direction.