A Few Questions/Observations From an Old Player

[Raajaton]

Wow, that's incredibly surprising that you haven't found it yet within that many turns. I haven't had much of a problem finding it personally, although I admit I find it far more frequently when playing a priest or paladin.

What version are you playing on? I've found the dungeon spellbooks to be pretty abundant on the 3.5-dev versions I've been playing lately.

[Oramin]

3.3.2

I'm generally happy with the balance in this version. (Nothing personal to the devs but I think it kind of changes the flavor when you replace non-Tolkien with Tolkien thematic monsters. I kind of like having oddball critters like the Angels and the Tarrasque and they've been around since the early days.)


On my most recent sweep of multiple levels of 97/98, I picked up an extra 6 Mordenkainen's for sale upstairs as an example (+ multiple copies of the other dungeon spellbooks - but not Kelek's). I also found yet another Wrath of God. And this is with a good sized vault (the V shaped one) and some monster pits (dragon and giant) that I cleared.

[Derakon]

I think you'll find that the devs have in fact rejiggered the odds -- if you played a more recent version you'd probably have found Kelek's by now.

[Raajaton]

To each their own. No reason not to play the version you like. However, like Derakon said the spellbooks are certainly more common in more recent versions. On my Ranger winner, I think I found my first Kelek's by somewhere between dlvl 75 and 80 and probably found at least 4 or 5 more copies by the time I finished the game.

[fizzix]

I think you'll find that the devs have in fact rejiggered the odds -- if you played a more recent version you'd probably have found Kelek's by now.

I dunno, my comp character never found the 9th prayer book (did find the 9th spell book though)

[Oramin]

Don't competition characters typically dive a lot more aggressively than I do?

Ok, good to know that you folks have "fixed" the problem in the later versions.

[Timo Pietilä]

Don't competition characters typically dive a lot more aggressively than I do?

Ok, good to know that you folks have "fixed" the problem in the later versions.

It is possible that RNG is just messing with you. When we deal with rarities that are not "found everywhere, anytime" and with the amount of things to find there just are things that not get created. It can go other way around too, when I started playing angband couple of decades ago I did find Ringil in just about every game I played and wondered why everybody claims it is rare. OTOH I have found Feanor exactly once in all the games I have played and IIRC is was in the version where you were practically walking in a shoe store and artifact rarities were broken.

[Oramin]

BTW, I have Himring, Narya, and several Staffs of Holiness. I haven't had to activate Protection from Evil in a *very* long time.

Did the multiple zaps from the staffs stack Protection from Evil up to wazoo? I thought the duration of a zap/activation was reduced if a spell was already up.

For those thinking I'm being unsporting and clearing only rooms that I have elemental immunity for, one of those times was for a room of Green Dragons (of course +30 speed and double resistance is pretty close to immunity).

[Oramin]

It is possible that RNG is just messing with you. When we deal with rarities that are not "found everywhere, anytime" and with the amount of things to find there just are things that not get created. It can go other way around too, when I started playing angband couple of decades ago I did find Ringil in just about every game I played and wondered why everybody claims it is rare. OTOH I have found Feanor exactly once in all the games I have played and IIRC is was in the version where you were practically walking in a shoe store and artifact rarities were broken.

Heck, I was surprised when, a couple of hours ago, I found a Sling of Buckland for sale in The Armory for 63K. Only +10 damage but +2 Shots/Might.

I stuck it in my house on general principle and sold the Ring of Speed +16 (as I mentioned, Rings of Power are more common than Kelek's).

[Raajaton]

I dunno, my comp character never found the 9th prayer book (did find the 9th spell book though)

It was unfortunate the gods of angband didn't generate any vaults for you in the 90's or you probably would have found it.

[MattB]

Heck, I was surprised when, a couple of hours ago, I found a Sling of Buckland for sale in The Armory for 63K. Only +10 damage but +2 Shots/Might.

I stuck it in my house on general principle and sold the Ring of Speed +16 (as I mentioned, Rings of Power are more common than Kelek's).

I have never, _ever_, *ever* found a sling of Buckland. Not once.

[Oramin]

I've found a half dozen or so but then I play at a fairly slow pace and spend a lot of time hanging out on 97-99. As I said, I was very surprised to find one for sale; I thought items like that could only show up in the Black Market instead of the Armory.

[Raajaton]

Only time I've ever found one was with a Ranger, who already had Bard.

[Mondkalb]

I have never, _ever_, *ever* found a sling of Buckland. Not once.

What a pity!

I have found some, but this one together with that ammunition was really amazing:

b) a Sling of Buckland (x4) (+22,+21) <+5, +2>
Found lying on the floor in a vault at 4850 feet (level 97).

+5 dexterity.
+2 shooting speed, shooting power.
Cannot be harmed by acid, fire.

u) 4 Mithril Shots of Holy Might (2d4) (+27,+24)
Found lying on the floor in a vault at 4850 feet (level 97).

Slays evil creatures, undead, demons.
Cannot be harmed by acid, fire.

Combat info:
Hits targets up to 140 feet away.
Average damage/round: 990 vs. evil creatures, 1155 vs. undead,
1155 vs. demons, and 660 vs. others.
25% chance of breaking upon contact.

Just appropriate for a kobold rogue

http://angband.oook.cz/ladder-show.php?id=14192

[Oramin]

BTW, did anybody have a comment on Protection from Evil stacking?