Gnome Mage again

[brbrbr]

Hey guys,

I've decided to try Gnome Mage again.

I do appreciate cheap Identity, Disarm, Cure Poison, Recharge and other utility spells. I also like the choice of magic bolts at my disposal
Gnome mage is also very self-sufficient, I very rarely call to town for supplies.

I focus on stealth and try to play it as rogue - fight less, steal more.

Now, I am at dl45 and starting to fall behid power curve. The fire/acid/cold bolts are not good enough anymore. Monsters are quicker and Hast self is still unreliable and expensive. Monsters are packed, so I can hardly fight one without waking others (remember spell beaming chance). I stair-scum a lot. I recall to town to safety a lot. Teleport Other is still unreliable, and mana is not that big to teleport out a whole vault.

How is it going to change?
I mean - I can find Mordekan Escapes, maybe wand of Annihilation, but that's it. Maybe a couple of stat potions, but they are not going to make huge difference until I get close to max. Speed items are still early to occur, and the Raals' is not that terribly useful. Artifact are not that important for mages. And to level up I need to kill...
Where the power is going to come from?

[Pete Mack]

Well, Mage isn't called hardest class for no reason. You have reached that point. MB6 has more uniformly lethal spells, but you absolutely need a lot of mana. Use archery when you can.

[Derakon]

Use attack wands. Plenty of wands are worth using, not just Annihilation. Gnome mage has the best device score in the game, which means a big damage boost from wands and other magic devices. Get some fireball, acid ball, etc. wands and they'll really improve your ability to kill things -- they'll do much more damage than your current spells will, and they don't directly cost any SP. Plus you can recharge the wands yourself. Lead off a fight with them and then clean up with your normal spells.

[brbrbr]

Phewww...
Levels 45-55 were the hardest.
I have found:
Helm of Telepathy, Augmentation, Ring of Int +6, 2 Rods of Teleport Other, Dragon Frost, Drain Life and protection from confusion.
Now I am back on the top of the power curve.

I guess the next hard bit will be around DL80. I need to be very careful there. Breathers will be the biggest threat.

Stealth is Heroic now, helps a lot.

[brbrbr]

I have found THE ONE RING!!!
How do I use it?
Do I wear it for the last battle??
Can I wear it while looking for supplies for the last battle?
How quickly does it drain experience?
Can I restore it with Rod or Restoration, or is it permanently lost??

[Ingwe Ingweron]

The One is an awesome find, but it does Aggravate. Opinions vary and, if you don't have much background playing with aggravation, it can be a frightening experience. Personally, I would wield it and play on. The experience drain isn't much of a problem as long as you can restore life levels prior to the coup-de-grace on high-level monsters or uniques. Comp 164 (a hobbit that started the game with the One and with Sting) really taught me a lot about not fearing aggravation so much and that experience drain wasn't a problem. If you are uncomfortable with the aggravation and experience drain scenarios though, then save Precious for the final two fights.

Note: If you Activate the One, a possible effect is a PERMANENT experience drain, which I learned the hard way, but if you don't risk an activation, the One can be a big help.

[Pete Mack]

If you have Mordenkainen's escapes, aggravation is not really anything to worry about. You can always escape to another level if things look to become hairy. But you have to be ready to abandon a level at any time. If and when you get Kelek's you can start using *Destruction*, which pretty much lets you go where you wish.
In fact, zero fail on teleport other is really enough for most issues dangers.

[Derakon]

If you find the One Ring, you should wear it, regardless of your situation. It's such a rare find that it turns any run it's found in from "how do I win with this character?" into "holy crap I found the One Ring!"

What I'm saying is, you shouldn't worry about whether or not it's a good idea to wear it. Just wear it and play on. Good idea, bad idea, it's fun.

[brbrbr]

) I like your thinking, Derakon )

Another question:
I am considering fighting Morgoth from distance in non-destructed area with wands of Annihilation. That should be safe, considering 0% fail TO and Kelek's Banishment.

Is Tenser's Greater Recharge better than Scroll of Recharge? Also, do you recharge it several times, or only once and when wands are empty?

Also: is Priest Recharge better than Scroll of Recharge?

[Derakon]

Is Tenser's Greater Recharge better than Scroll of Recharge? Also, do you recharge it several times, or only once and when wands are empty?

Also: is Priest Recharge better than Scroll of Recharge?

Yes, the latter, and yes. Scrolls of Recharging are, IIRC, roughly equivalent to a young mage casting Lesser Recharging. The spells have a level-based component, though, which is strongest for Greater Recharging. Odds of blowing up the thing you're recharging scale with the number of charges already in the item, so casting when it's empty is safest.

Good luck with the fight!

[brbrbr]

It is done.

http://angband.oook.cz/ladder-show.php?id=19291&ok

I have started to respect mages. They have the most control in game.
With Kelek they can do whatever they want. Thankfully I'v found it very early.
Why did I struggle with gnome mages before? Stealth, I think. I needed more Stealth. And more level scumming.

There is a pattern in all my games where I reach dl98 very quickly, and then painfully long grind for *Healing*, *Banishment* and other supplies. I wonder how could I minimize that phase of the game? Where do I get that stuff quicker?

[PowerWyrm]

There is a pattern in all my games where I reach dl98 very quickly, and then painfully long grind for *Healing*, *Banishment* and other supplies. I wonder how could I minimize that phase of the game? Where do I get that stuff quicker?

That's easy: scum for Ainu pits.

[Pete Mack]

Huh. I thought priest recharge was lesser recharge only... Goes to look. Lesser recharge is very weak (max level 12). Recharge scroll is level 50. Priest recharge is PL+20. Greater recharge is PL+50. The odds of success go like 1/(100+level-object level), decreasing rapidly with number of charges, especially for high-level things like annihilation with only a few charges expected.

I tried playing Mage for 3 tries. Did not have patience to continuously cast and aim. Final try died to a dark elven lord and frustration.

* object level max is 50.

[Pete Mack]

Undead pits work well too. Yeah, some have no drops. But the others have low HP and more than make up for it, and it's easy to get a good weapon with the right slay or *slay*. All it takes is an amulet of sustenance (if you don't have the sustains some other way.)

That's easy: scum for Ainu pits.

[brbrbr]

I tried playing Mage for 3 tries. Did not have patience to continuously cast and aim. Final try died to a dark elven lord and frustration.
* object level max is 50.

That is a big problem, actually.
Single key solution:
= Keys mappings: F8 = m3h' (Acid bolt from book #3 at nearest target )
= User interface options: use old target by default
' character at the end of mapping means auto-aim at nearest target

In rare exceptions where I need to aim at not nearest target, I would first use "l" to point at monster, thent hit "t" to mark it. All subsequent F8 would shoot acid bolt at that target. Foolproof.