When do you feel sure about a character?

[Djabanete]

I try not to let my guard down until Morgoth is dead, but I tend to start relaxing in spite of myself during the "clean up end-game uniques" phase.

Then in the final fight I get nervous again and play super slowly and carefully, reading every single message and taking a few breaths before each move.

[Timo Pietilä]

When you enter new level, all monsters have zero energy and you have 100 energy (INITIAL_DUNGEON_ENERGY constant). In the described situation, you can use whatever escape you have (?Tele, ?TeleLevel or corresponding 0% fail spells) before they can attack.

So the rules have been changed. Which is good. No more insta-I'll-ruin-your-gear-deathmold next to stairs.

[PowerDiver]

When you enter new level, all monsters have zero energy and you have 100 energy (INITIAL_DUNGEON_ENERGY constant). In the described situation, you can use whatever escape you have (?Tele, ?TeleLevel or corresponding 0% fail spells) before they can attack.

That's not quite right. The monsters get some energy. I don't recall exactly how much, but the numbers I saw the last time I debugged were consistent with a random amount less than the energy they would gain in 1 gameturn.

[Zikke]

So the rules have been changed. Which is good. No more insta-I'll-ruin-your-gear-deathmold next to stairs.

We were more worried about the we'll-ruin-your-game-and-probably-kill-you time hounds.

[Pete Mack]

That's not quite right. The monsters get some energy. I don't recall exactly how much, but the numbers I saw the last time I debugged were consistent with a random amount less than the energy they would gain in 1 gameturn.

IIRC
The player gets base energy (100 at normal speed)
Forcesleep monsters get rand(0..99) energy.
Other monsters get base energy + rand(0..99)

This means that you get a single free turn vs nearly all dangerous monsters.

If you have ESP and are not slowed, you can always escape hounds (including Time hounds) going down stairs.

If your are slowed, going down stairs (or ?Teleport level) is potentially very risky.

[Fendell Orcbane]

You know I've been self hasting BEFORE I go down stairs. I also tend to rest on stairs since I've usually been able to escape by going down them.

[Pete Mack]

You know I've been self hasting BEFORE I go down stairs. I also tend to rest on stairs since I've usually been able to escape by going down them.

It's still a good idea, if you can afford it. You are only guaranteed one free move; if that move is anything other than going back up stairs or some other immediate escape, you are a goner vs time or plasma hounds.