Digging for non-diggers

[luneya]

At the risk of enshrining my ignorance... I'm at CL26 with a HE Necro for Competition 226, and I don't think I've ever had anything that can penetrate granite. I've kept an eye out for rings of digging. I even toted a found shovel around for a while when my weapon couldn't even handle quartz. But 18 lbs for a pick is just too much! (STR 13) I'm thinking about grabbing one for 176 AU and just dropping it on the floor as soon as I arrive, in case I need to come back for it later.

What am I doing wrong?

Nothing. Digging stinks for non-dwarf with a STR as low as 13. Definitely try to carry either ring of digging or wand of stone to mud. If you aren't playing no-recall, check the town shops often; you may be able to buy one of these at the black market or even the magic shop. I wouldn't bother with a pick; the only time you will really NEED to be able to dig into granite is to crack a vault, and you don't want to be overburdened on the turn when you do that.

I'd also try to get STR up as quickly as possible if I were in your position, even at the risk of losing other key stats to potions of brawn.

[DavidMedley]

I did finally find a ring of digging. 0.2 lbs is exactly my budget!