Mage's SP

[zaimoni]

I just autorolled 3 high-elf mages, and all started with 100.

However, 3 hobbit mages started with 396, 344, and 318.

I guess race makes a big difference.

Good stats drain starting money (although less directly when autorolling)

This can be somewhat compensated for by setting your stat targets a bit lower, so that you get enough candidates to effectively autoroll social status.

[kandrc]

Ordinarily, yes, they are easy. But I'm talking about a clevel 1 mage with limited resources: ~10 hp, 3 SP, 2 spells, and 100 gp. Sure it's possible to kill them, but I don't see why it's "easy" as kandrc originally claims in his power diver post. If you spend your SP on magic missile, you'll still have to finish them off with a bow or oil, and if you bought a bow+arrows, you probably don't have much money left for scrolls of phase door. A mage's low ranged skill makes it difficult to hit them, especially with their movement speed and damage output (compared to a CL1 mage's max hp). At the end of the day, it still seems pretty dicey to me, so I usually just run unless I get an ideal setup or a higher clevel.

In the optimal case, you roll a character with status > 90--then you start with ~300 gp--and the weaponry has a longbow. You buy the longbow, ?WOR, 50ish arrows, and as many ?PD as you can afford. Use the rest of your gold to get some more arrows. If you can't do that, get a short bow and the arrows. If I can't even get at least a short bow, I suicide. A CL 1 mage with a bow--even a short bow--can easily take out MLMs and BSVs, too, so cash-scumming the town is also an option, but I think it burns too many turns; I think it's faster to detect stairs back up if you can't afford a ?WOR and are not lucky enough to find one before running out of food or light.

Grip and Fang are complete pushovers as long as you get a shot or two first, for three reasons:

1) They break down doors, so you know they're coming
2) They move somewhat erratically, so they don't necessarily attack you even from melee range
3) They're cowards

Don't let them get you around a corner--If they are close enough to get the first attack, you're in trouble--then hit them with magic missiles. They'll run away after two or three, then with all of the honor you can muster, shoot them in their backs. 3 easy levels. Some race/class combos get four levels for them.

There was a post on the newsgroup a few weeks back about a Drider as a first kill for 12 levels, and a reply pointed to an old post about a first kill in a variant of an Erineyes for level 30.

[Narvius]

Bows are overrated, really. At least for the beginning. It's not very difficult to get to 500'.

[Garrie]

Bows are overrated, really. At least for the beginning. It's not very difficult to get to 500'.

Hear here! I'd much rather run away until I come up against an immobile jelly... a gnome mage can make 3 or 4 levels by having the right jelly as it's first kill. All the better if you do it at DL5-8, it means you haven't wasted any time.

[Garrie]

Good stats drain starting money (although less directly when autorolling)

This can be somewhat compensated for by setting your stat targets a bit lower, so that you get enough candidates to effectively autoroll social status.

which is why I don't max out my stats as a mage, it's less frustrating to start with m1a (magic missile) and the right book for m3f (identify).

If you manage to kill maggot before dive 1 you should be able to go downstairs with the first three books, ?WOR, !CLW, !CSW, !CCW, ?PD (identified and sold back if not actually carried).