Any tips for a newbie?

[robbiodobbio]

Just blew up another useful wand!

Is there a higher chance of this happening with the spell "lesser recharging" than a scroll?

[robbiodobbio]

The shops are a bit crap these days, keep surfacing when I run out of healing potions only to find that there's none in the shop.

Just had a run in with the ant queen, put on quite a bit of XP from just massacring her summoned minions.

[Derakon]

What are your thoughts on tackling vaults? I've got the "you feel there are valuable treasures here"(sic) thing, then found a vault stuffed full of really tough monsters. I've tried to fight them a couple of times and had to beat a hasty retreat.

Tackle vaults only if you feel like you're able to handle them. They're strictly optional.

Does the "feeling" mean there's a particularly good artefact?

No. The level feeling system is based on the "value" of items on the floor of the level. Artifacts tend to be valuable, but there's plenty of other things that can make for a good level feeling.

Do artefacts regenerate? I mean, if I recalled out of a level where Ringil was just lying on the floor (I don't think this has actually happened), is it lost forever?

The only way to permanently lose an artifact is to discard it after having learned its name. If you never picked Ringil up, you're safe.

Just one more thing, what's the fail rate on trying to enchant weapons and armour? Whenever I try to enchant any of my ego or artefact items the enchantment fails.

It's a sliding scale. Enchanting a +0 item is easy, enchanting a +14 item is incredibly difficult (tiny fraction of a percent chance of success), enchanting a +15 item is flat-out impossible. People usually stop at around +10 or so.

As for recharging, only try to recharge items when they're at 0 charges. It doesn't guarantee success, but it improves your odds substantially.

[Ingwe Ingweron]

Found a staff of speed, tried to recharge it...... it backfired

The RNG giveth, the RNG taketh away... all hail, the RNG....

[robbiodobbio]

Found a staff of speed, tried to recharge it...... it backfired

[robbiodobbio]

Had a hairy moment with an ancient white dragon, barely escaped.

What are your thoughts on tackling vaults? I've got the "you feel there are valuable treasures here"(sic) thing, then found a vault stuffed full of really tough monsters. I've tried to fight them a couple of times and had to beat a hasty retreat.

Does the "feeling" mean there's a particularly good artefact?

Do artefacts regenerate? I mean, if I recalled out of a level where Ringil was just lying on the floor (I don't think this has actually happened), is it lost forever?

Just one more thing, what's the fail rate on trying to enchant weapons and armour? Whenever I try to enchant any of my ego or artefact items the enchantment fails.

Cheers

[Derakon]

Mushrooms of vigor, I assumed that they swapped stats too. Do they just replenish drained stats?

Yes, but there's no "just" about it -- Vigor is the most reliable way to restore drained stats. It's worth saving every one you find in case you have a bad run-in with Time Hounds or something.

[MattB]

Also, if you drink a stat potion (potion of strength) while a stat is drained (in yellow) does it restore it and increase it? Or just restore it?

both restore and increase.

[robbiodobbio]

Also, if you drink a stat potion (potion of strength) while a stat is drained (in yellow) does it restore it and increase it? Or just restore it?

[robbiodobbio]

The potions are absolutely helpful, so long as you're judicious in which ones you use. As a melee character, your priorities are Brawn and Nimbleness -- anything that gives you more blows in melee is a good thing. Don't worry about Intellect, let alone the WIS/CON potions. More CON is good of course, but its effects only become really significant when you have a lot of it and several levels under your belt.

What mushrooms are you talking about?

Mushrooms of vigor, I assumed that they swapped stats too. Do they just replenish drained stats?

[Ingwe Ingweron]

Stat swap potions for your principal stat or stats can be okay. Sometimes I wait if an adverse stat swap could be hard to cope with, e.g., str for dex, or vice versa, if one or both of those is too low. What mushrooms? Do you mean Vigor? Vigor is worth saving at home to restore from stat drainers. (Sometimes I will also use a Stat swap potion as a restore.)

[Derakon]

What are your thoughts on the stat up/down potions and mushrooms (brawn etc.)? Worth using?

The potions are absolutely helpful, so long as you're judicious in which ones you use. As a melee character, your priorities are Brawn and Nimbleness -- anything that gives you more blows in melee is a good thing. Don't worry about Intellect, let alone the WIS/CON potions. More CON is good of course, but its effects only become really significant when you have a lot of it and several levels under your belt.

What mushrooms are you talking about?

[robbiodobbio]

Ok, I'm going for the bow. I figured that neither is that great, hopefully I'll get my hands on an artefact launcher soon.

What are your thoughts on the stat up/down potions and mushrooms (brawn etc.)? Worth using?

[Ingwe Ingweron]

It's not exact, but as a quick rule of thumb to rate to rate launchers I do ....

My rule of thumb is to wield the launcher and then use "~" to look at the general store and see what the damage output is with a regular shot/arrow/bolt, as applicable. It's not exact, since it doesn't take into account the benefits of the particular ammunition @ may have found, but it does give an immediate comparison between launchers. The only problem is having to wield and unwield launchers to do the comparisons.

[MattB]

I would go with the shortbow for now, but as Pete says, neither is a great weapon. With +10 arrows, the shortbow deals (1d4 + 10 + 12) * 3 ~= 74 damage per hit, which is probably enough to do useful damage at your current depth, but will fairly rapidly age out.

It's not exact, but as a quick rule of thumb to rate to rate launchers I do [{damage bonus}*{multiplier}*{number of shots}].

So...
Bow = 12*3*1 = 36
Sling = 6*2*2 = 24

Thus bow is much better (unless you've got a handy stack of iron shots of acid at home, or pebbles of holy might etc., etc.)