Light off - death?

[Cfant]

Hi guys!

My lv 15 mage read a recall scroll, going back to level 9 dungeon. then my latern went off - and I forgott to buy oil So it's dark now... I cannot read my recall scrolls and I cannot read my light spell in the spell book. any ideas how to escape?
I'm attacked already and in great danger (it takes a lot of hitpoints, whatever it is). OF course I cannot read my teleport-scroll or spell...
I really need help in this!

Thanks!

[Nick]

My first answer would be blunder around until you find a lighted room, but you may not have time for that. If you have any useful magic devices (attack wands or rods, staves of Confuse, Slow or Sleep, or ideally Teleport), they should still work. Conceivably some potions or mushrooms might help (at least with healing you). If there were a monster around with a light source, that would probably do.

Or you may just be toast

[mushroom patch]

Look carefully at your inventory and think about what you have. If you have any of the following items, you may escape:

potion or staff of speed
staff of teleportation
potion of berserk strength (maybe)
staff of sleep monsters/slow monsters

There are also some wands that might cover your escape if you know where the monster is. The fact that you can't see means it's cold blooded, so high damage suggests it's a zombie. You may be able to just walk away. If you have unidentified wants or staves and you can get a couple turns where you won't get killed, try using them.

But yes, it sounds like you're already dead.

[Cfant]

Thanks for your help. I died - once again Killed some attackers, but they kept coming, don't know who they were. My teleport-amulett didn't fire, and no room with light was found. So RIP, my little wizard

[Lord Tom]

Did you see what killed you on the tombstone?

[Timo Pietilä]

Look carefully at your inventory and think about what you have. If you have any of the following items, you may escape:

potion or staff of speed
staff of teleportation
potion of berserk strength (maybe)
staff of sleep monsters/slow monsters

One of my standard gear in early game is rod of light. In future consider carrying one. It helps a lot when something in dark corridor you thought was empty does something, so you can light it up to see what that something is.

Also it is nice early orc-killer. Those things recharge fast, so about six or seven of them makes almost infinite light beams.

[Cfant]

No, I don't know what it was, I left the game in anger
Killed a lot of these things, although my mage was weak, so I think it was something which breeds fast.

Well, it's difficult to have a backup plan for everything in the early game

I don't like light damage, it seems to be weak compared to other ways of damage. Acid, for example

[Timo Pietilä]

No, I don't know what it was, I left the game in anger
Killed a lot of these things, although my mage was weak, so I think it was something which breeds fast.

Well, it's difficult to have a backup plan for everything in the early game

I don't like light damage, it seems to be weak compared to other ways of damage. Acid, for example

Light beams, but damage is secondary, the added detection is worth having one. Of course mage has light beam as spell, so for mage it is unnecessary (unless you go out of light, obviously ).

Hm. challenge-game, go without equipment lightsource slot. Maybe not, could make early game too tedious until you get some other permanent light sources.

[Derakon]

Light beams, but damage is secondary, the added detection is worth having one. Of course mage has light beam as spell, so for mage it is unnecessary (unless you go out of light, obviously ).

Even for mages, it can be worthwhile early on for fighting orcs and trolls. The spell Spear of Light is expensive, and while it is still more efficient mana-wise than Lightning Bolt against lined-up groups (that are susceptible to light, of course), most mages won't have enough SP to wipe the group out before they run dry. Plus having the wand around means that you can deal with an orc unique and his escort in one fight -- wand the grunts, then dance around the unique with Phase Door and plink him down with whatever's most appropriate.

[mushroom patch]

I'm a bit curious about the use of light wands/rods. Doesn't the light wake up monsters? Why would you want to know something is there so badly you're willing to wake it up?

[StMicah]

Why would you want to know something is there so badly you're willing to wake it up?

To run away...fast!

I thought the same thing until I'd been killed by too many drolem as I walk down a dark corridor. Now I keep a few handy to see what's far-ish from me. Also, I use the rods as others have mentioned--to kill lines of light sensitive creatures. Often I play a ranger and shoot a beam down a corridor and fire away, picking off creatures as they walk towards me. This is my strategy for farming orc/ogre pits or human pits.

[Derakon]

Especially in the early game, there are plenty of monsters that are only really dangerous in melee range, so it's more important that you know what's there than that you worry about whether or not it's awake.

[mushroom patch]

Huh. Must be a mage thing.

[Djabanete]

It's not just a mage thing, but maybe it's a playstyle thing. I treasure Rods of Light because they make orcs and trolls infinitely easier to kill. Later on, I really like to illuminate corridors just for the detection. How many hounds are breathing on me and is it worth walking towards them? Who tried to cast a spell but failed? What's the health bar on the guy I'm shooting bolts at?

I dunno, I think I got the idea from Timo some years ago and I've never looked back. I keep Rods of Light until late in the game. Once you have telepathy and a high permanent light radius and/or lots of other detection stuff, Rods of Light can start feeling like a wasted inventory slot for some characters.

[TJS]

Even late game for non-priests you use them to light corridors to avoid nasty surprises (especially if you don't have telepathy).