Wormtongue and Smeagol

[bigmcstrongmuscle]

Don't underestimate the usefulness of the arrow trick, especially. Neither one of those snots can resist picking up arrows you shoot at them, and with a bit of luck or a few ? of Phase Door, you can keep them distracted enough to kill them really easily, even with a junk bow.

And unlike gold, any items they pick up will be dropped upon their death, so you get most of the ammo back if you win.

Wand of Wonder is good if you've got no other option, but can easily mess you up, too. The only thing more annoying than Smeagol is Smeagol when he's hasted.

[Cardinal Rob]

If you don't have see invisible or infravision, and are really bent on killing Smeagol early in the game, retain several potions of see invisible. Don't rely on just one though - they don't last long and you'll need another if he steals and disappears.

[Garrie]

Wand of Wonder is good if you've got no other option, but can easily mess you up, too. The only thing more annoying than Smeagol is Smeagol when he's hasted.

This highlights that it is worth staying near stairs, and no matter how much gold he steals there will always be more.
Zap him with the Wand of Wonder... and if it makes him tougher, dive. Next time you see him he will have slowed back down!
Personally, I just leave the level until I'm that powerful that he is a pushover.

[Melchizedek]

Yeah, smeagol's drop was really important in early gameplay for me in 3.06. I didn't get it till the late 1ks this time. Can't remember which unique. Oh, and I'm new here, so is there some sort of rule/stigma against discussing spoilers in certain places? Or are we just talking about "that thing that smeagol drops" for no particular reason?

[Djabanete]

I *always* avoid Wormtongue and Smeagol the first time around, usually because my AC is atrocious after selling the starting chain mail so i always just get robbed if i bother trying to fight. They drop better stuff later on anyway... Just my two cents.

@Melch: Welcome to Oook. I wouldn't worry about spoiling. Just don't tell anyone that Snape kills Dumbledore.

[roustk]

Yeah, smeagol's drop was really important in early gameplay for me in 3.06. I didn't get it till the late 1ks this time.

I'm not sure what you're refering to here (maybe the Phial). No monsters or uniques (except Morgoth) are guaranteed to drop particular items. That said, you are fairly likely (but not certain) to get the Phial from an early unique, due to the way that drops are generated.

Kevin

[Djabanete]

Smeagol drops the One Ring, obviously. What versions have you been playing?

[will_asher]

@Melch: Welcome to Oook. I wouldn't worry about spoiling. Just don't tell anyone that Snape kills Dumbledore.

Everyone who cares already knows about that anyway.

Smeagol drops the One Ring, obviously. What versions have you been playing?

Gollum should be tougher, deeper, and known as Gollum. And he should drop the One Ring. And the One Ring should have much more serious penalties and not quite so many advantages.

In DaJAngband he's tougher, deeper and known as Gollum, but I haven't figured out yet how to give the One Ring more penalties, but I will (I plan on making it stop regeneration completely and make the experience drain more drastic -those things won't be too hard to figure out). Also, don't know how to make Gollum drop it, but I'll work on that. I have higher priority plans to do first.

[The Sparrow]

Everyone who cares already knows about that anyway.



Gollum should be tougher, deeper, and known as Gollum. And he should drop the One Ring. And the One Ring should have much more serious penalties and not quite so many advantages.

In DaJAngband he's tougher, deeper and known as Gollum, but I haven't figured out yet how to give the One Ring more penalties, but I will (I plan on making it stop regeneration completely and make the experience drain more drastic -those things won't be too hard to figure out). Also, don't know how to make Gollum drop it, but I'll work on that. I have higher priority plans to do first.

How about....wearing the One Ring for X turns summons the Ring Wraiths, and wearing the One Ring for X+X turns summons The Morgoth. THAT would be a drawback

[Pete Mack]

How about....wearing the One Ring for X turns summons the Ring Wraiths, and wearing the One Ring for X+X turns summons The Morgoth. THAT would be a drawback

I know how to exploit that feature.

Morgoth suddenly appears!
Morgoth magically summons special opponents!
Farmer maggot mumbles about his mushrooms.
Fang misses you <2x>
Grip misses you <2x>
Morgoth magically summons greater undead!
Morgoth looks confused.
Morgoth summons monsters!
The fruit bat misses you.

[Djabanete]

Everyone who cares already knows about that anyway.

Exactly. Sorry that the joke was so bad as to be unrecognizable as such.

[...]give the One Ring more penalties, but I will (I plan on making it stop regeneration completely [...]

That's actually a pretty nifty idea for a negative attribute. I rather like it. At the risk of revealing my Tolkien-nerd-dom, it is justified if you recall how the evil Valar and Maiar sacrificed the power to heal themselves/change shape... Morgoth was forever pained by Fingolfin's wounds, Sauron lost the power to assume a fair shape, etc. One could go out on a limb and suppose that the Ring passes on this attribute to its wearer.

[Mondkalb]

A real drawback of The One Ring would be if stat losses were permanent.
You would think twice about wearing such an evil thing and it would make sustenance much more important than it is in current vanilla. I usually don't care, because restoration is available quite easily at least in greater depths, where portions and mushrooms of restore stat, complete restoration, stat and augmentation potions and even spellbooks with a restoration spell can be found.

[roustk]

Also, don't know how to make Gollum drop it, but I'll work on that.

You'll probably need to mimic the code that drops Grond.

[pav]

Ok what about leaving Smealog where he is, and adding Gollum deeper and nastier? That's schizophrenical, yay

[Narvius]

How about that:
Smeagol wouldn't die, but suddenly disappear when beaten (the One Ring blah blah) and reappear as Gollum later (and he WILL die, dropping the One Ring).