Another Newbie needs help

[Timo Pietilä]

Usually I don't pay much attention to AC. I believe that the effect of AC has been changed a bit with the newer versions of the game, but I can't say how.

Nevertheless I consider resistance way more important than AC.

That depends of the dungeon level. Very early basic four + poison resistances are not needed, they become important somewhere closer to 1500', not before, and surprisingly the one you want most at that point is poison (Air Hounds, Basilisks), others are not even then so important, though very easy to get so you usually do have them anyway. After you start to run on Ancient Multi-hued Dragons (AMHD) you need them all. That happens somewhere closer to 2000' (unless you get a vault).

High AC is more useful early than resistance, but you should not throw that resistance shield away, store it to home. High AC makes fighting trolls and orcs way more easier.

[robbiodobbio]

At the mo I've got 2 rings of damage +17 in total but there's a ring of dex + 2 in the black market. Is it worth getting? Got an iron helm of seeing now so no more blindness troubles.

[Derakon]

+2 DEX is unlikely to beat +17 damage these days. Back in the old days, if it pushed you from 1 to 2 blows, or from 2 to 3, then it might well be worthwhile, but now it's going to get you +.3 blows at most (I think) and it's very unlikely that that will be worth sacrificing 17 damage per blow.

Still, you can check by 'I'nspecting your weapon; it'll tell you how much more DEX you need to get how many more blows.

[Zyphyr]

That +17 is total for two rings, so the 2 DEX would only be competing with perhaps 5 to 8the damage (whatever the weaker ring is). Still likely to be in the + dam's favor, but not quite so clearly.

[Derakon]

Ah, good point. If I'd engaged my brain a bit more, I would have remembered that +15 is the max for =Damage these days.

(It used to be +22 back in the old days)

[robbiodobbio]

So I've got 2 rings of damage 1 of +8 and one of +9. If I buy a ring of dexterity +2 am I likely to get extra blows? I'm wielding a short sword of slay dragon.

[Derakon]

As I said, 'I'nspect your weapon and it will tell you what you need to do to get more blows.

[robbiodobbio]

It says with +3 dex I get 1.1 blows. So not really worth it, is it?

[Patashu]

It says with +3 dex I get 1.1 blows. So not really worth it, is it?

The damage would likely be better. When you Inspect a weapon, it tells you what your average damage would be with it - so you can try on all combinations of equipment and get a feel for what maximizes damage.

[Oramin]

The damage would likely be better. When you Inspect a weapon, it tells you what your average damage would be with it - so you can try on all combinations of equipment and get a feel for what maximizes damage.

I think he was asking because he doesn't want to spend the money to buy the ring if it won't be an improvement.

OP:

Look at your average damage with both damage rings equipped. Remove the lesser one and look at your damage then multiply by 1.1 (assuming you get an extra blow). Buy the ring only if it is sufficiently higher.

[Timo Pietilä]

It says with +3 dex I get 1.1 blows. So not really worth it, is it?

Not for that weapon. You might want to buy a dagger just to see if you get more blows with that (dagger with +17 dam rings and more blows probably does a lot more than broadsword with one blow).

[Timo Pietilä]

Saving throw in vanilla Angband is a simple chance in percent to resist some particular bad effects (not all of them, and a complete list is not described in any logical way, e.g blindness can be avoided only if it is a special spell, melee attacks that blind or darkness breath are not affected by saving throw)

Thumb rule is that if it is a LoS spell saving throw affects it, if it is side-effect of breath weapon or elemental ball or bolt spell or melee saving throw doesn't affect it.

Exceptions: level teleporting, nexus stat scrambling and paralyzation. You get saving throw against those in all cases (exception to exception, anything you do to yourself bypasses saving throw).

For example spell that slows you down gets saving throw, but inertia breath slowing you doesn't.

[robbiodobbio]

Its a short sword I've got. Are you only likely to get more than one blow with a dagger if you don't have any speed upgrades? I also just found a morning star of slay troll 2d6 +5 +9, I know it's not gonna be great for extra blows but might it be better than one blow with a short sword?

[Derakon]

As before, 'I'nspect the weapon. The inspection screen gives you all the damage information you need. In particular it will inform you that STR and DEX are what you need to get extra blows; speed is a completely separate thing.

[Timo Pietilä]

As before, 'I'nspect the weapon. The inspection screen gives you all the damage information you need. In particular it will inform you that STR and DEX are what you need to get extra blows; speed is a completely separate thing.

The lighter the weapon the more likely it is to allow you to hit more often. Bigger weapons do usually make more damage /blow, so once you get more blows with heavier weapons they are better.

So usually people end up using light weapon at early levels and biggest baddest weapon they can find at the very end.