First Time Winning Angband

[Pete Mack]

Blackguard is very heavily spell dependent. Early in the game, you can't get more than 1.3 blows for quite a while, though you can get 2 with spells.

[SonicSpeedBryce]

Well, I'll just have to stay clear of evil in the early game till I find a good artifact/strength and dexterity potions. Aside from that, it shouldn't be TOO different from the Mage I won with. Though, I imagine statements like that are liable to send characters to an early grave.

[archolewa]

Blackguards dont have the same evil enemy problem Necromancers do. Despite being the half-caster, Im not sure Blackguards and Necromancers have any shared spells at all. What you want as a Blackguard is a nice, heavy weapon. And a willimgness to murder damn near everything you see in the early game.

[sffp]

I've been going back and forth between Kobold Necromancer and Half-Orc Blackguard for a year now. I'm trying to get a win in each class/race. They are tough to play.
Both come Nec and BG come with a significant handicap - Necs need to avoid light so that beautiful +3 strengh artifact lantern you find, leave it on the floor, it's dross.

BGs don't restore their spell points by resting - they actually lose them. It is constant battle all the way down (or at least, as far down as I've gotten one. )

[SonicSpeedBryce]

Oh. It appears that the Necromancer and Blackguard classes are much more complicated than I first thought.

Maybe I should try a different class for now. Maybe a Ranger?

[Hounded]

Uh, what? Learning to ride a bike is hard, but actually riding a bike is dead easy. (Though I did have to remind my 79yo mother that riding a bike below 5mph is far more difficult than 6mph.)

Sorry; was implying that the "natural" state of playing Angband ends with a dead @ and the game ensures you never forget how to do that.

Too dry? Nevermind...

[archolewa]

Oh. It appears that the Necromancer and Blackguard classes are much more complicated than I first thought.

Maybe I should try a different class for now. Maybe a Ranger?

Depends on what kind of game you are interested in. If you want a game similar to mage, but a bit more forgiving. you can try rogue. They play similar to mages, but are tough enough to melee every now and then. If you wamt a more aggressive playstyle without all the Blackguard weirdness, warriors are a good choice.

I honestly find Rangers to be tough. Their melee capabilities are bad, their health is good but not great, and their stealrh is also good but not great. Meanwhile most of their early spells are easily reproducible with items you can buy in town. All tbey really have going for them are fast bow shots. Geeat if you can find a powerful bow, not so much otherwise.

[Pete Mack]

@archo
Rangers have one excellent early spell: Resist poison. And detect life is a good, especially when backed up with a Staff of detect evil.

[archolewa]

@archo
Rangers have one excellent early spell: Resist poison. And detect life is a good, especially when backed up with a Staff of detect evil.

Thats true. I guess to me Rangers are in a bit of an awkward spot. Most of their spells really shine when you play without a town, but they are *so* reliant on arrows, and arrows are *so* rare in the dungeon that you end up either playing with a lot of spells that are at best conveniences, or where you have to carefully ration the only offense at which you shine. I know they eventually get a spell that lets them turn staves into arrows, but that doesn't help early.

Mostly, Im annoyed that the class that seems like it should be the *least* dependent on the town is in fact the *most* dependent.

[sffp]

Until you get the make arrow spell
"I don't know what this staff does, but it makes some mighty fine arrows"
Me quoting me

[sffp]

Oh. It appears that the Necromancer and Blackguard classes are much more complicated than I first thought.

Maybe I should try a different class for now. Maybe a Ranger?

Oh don't let me stop you

I have a ton of fun playing my hopping kobold necs
I finally have one to legendary stealth so there's a chance at victory.

The real issue is so few hp's in a kobold so ultra-fragile

[Pete Mack]

Doesn't a lantern of shadows need fuel to keep it's antilight active?

[will_asher]

Thats true. I guess to me Rangers are in a bit of an awkward spot. Most of their spells really shine when you play without a town, but they are *so* reliant on arrows, and arrows are *so* rare in the dungeon that you end up either playing with a lot of spells that are at best conveniences, or where you have to carefully ration the only offense at which you shine. I know they eventually get a spell that lets them turn staves into arrows, but that doesn't help early.

Mostly, Im annoyed that the class that seems like it should be the *least* dependent on the town is in fact the *most* dependent.

Maybe it'd be good if Rangers had two make arrows spells. The high level one they have now, and a low level one which only makes average arrows.

[Nick]

Doesn't a lantern of shadows need fuel to keep it's antilight active?

Yes, it does.

[archolewa]

Maybe it'd be good if Rangers had two make arrows spells. The high level one they have now, and a low level one which only makes average arrows.

This I would totally be down with. That or just giving them a better blows table. They are a hybrid class, I feel like they should be better at melee. I think you could give them the same blows table as the paladin without losing anything. A paladins healing still means they are better in melee than a Ranger. But this way Rangers actually have some means of offense wothout having to recall to buy more arrows every other floor. Or give them a table that is generous early, but much more stingy later. So by the midgame they are lagging hard behind warriors in melee, but in the early game they arent a priest without any healing spells.