But not *really*....

[Grotug]

Well, a crown of serenity and/or Isildur will take care of that now. I dove fast to DL76 but amazingly I am not out of my depth. Thought I'd be TOing everything, but a [+13] speed ring helps. Took down a Great Swamp Wyrm and a Great Storm Wyrm with little trouble and took out two Undead Uniques. Of course I have an affinity to Undead and Dragons. Will probably be avoiding most major Demons for a bit. As is my experience in most of my games, most of my good items come from drops (RoS, rConf). Earlier, I was in a 9 vault and found not much useful lying in the floor (Carlammas which I'm wearing, thanks to finding Thalkettoth); but Tom, inside the vault, dropped Haradrim. Even earlier someone dropped an elven cloak of hLife. And somewhere on DL20s someone dropped cap of Telepathy. Anyway, the diving finally paid off. This last level (DL76) I picked up:

First Detection rod from Swamp Wyrm
First RoS [+8] and then [+13] from Dawndeath
First rConf (Serenity crown and Isildur armor) from Dawndeath.

Several levels earlier two artifact armors were dropped from one monster: Hithlomir and Thalkettoth. It's good, cause I like killing stuff.

And I just spent 18,000 gold on 20 seeker arrows of wounding (+19, +19). What else am I going to do with this gold?

[Grotug]

Well, this diving thing is kinda working out. 59k turns, CL41, DL88 and getting pretty close to having the gear I need to starting taking on some of the more formidable uniques. Usually I don't read ?DD as I find them. This time I am and it's paying off. (Cue next post how I died).

Argh, I'm such a dummy. Dropped elven cloak +1 +4 because no good abilities, but kept two hLife cloaks, one with +1 speed and one with +3 stealth. But now I have option to switch out Carlammas with Sustainance thus enabl--actually, I should wear rShard in the cloak slot. Think I'm gonna take on Huan next time in the dungeon. Also left chaos dragon armor on the floor immediately after finding it awhile back. rDis and rChaos I lack. But I believe Huan's main gig is just shards and frost. I haven't killed any dangerous Uniques yet. I am kinda tempted to go right after Morgoth as soon as I'm ready; just to change things up, since usually I go after uniques first. I guess I'll play it by what else I find....

[Monkey Face]

If you are on level 88, you might as well dive another 10 levels (assuming you are not playing ironman). The only new monsters that show up are a couple of uniques, so 98 is no more difficult than 88 but the loot is significantly better.

[Grotug]

If you are on level 88, you might as well dive another 10 levels (assuming you are not playing ironman). The only new monsters that show up are a couple of uniques, so 98 is no more difficult than 88 but the loot is significantly better.

I agree. If I get another ?DD I will read it. Plus, leaving Maeglin behind by going deeper doesn't hurt. I've TO'd him a few times now.

So I am missing rChaos and rDis and rLight and pStun, but have all other resistances and 228AC and 21 native speed. Say what some will; I think 228AC is gonna be great. I'll report on my findings after my next trip to the dungeons.

Maeglin was easy! Got tired of TOing him while I was searching the DL90 7-7 vault where I picked up Fingolfin. So stoked for that, since I was looking for some good gloves of theivery. I decided since I had the damage and I was able to find a good place to fight that I'd risk it. He actually did me a solid by summoning 2 unique ringwraiths (really easy kills) and Kamûl. So I TO'd Maeglin, and Kamûl, and quickly dispatched the two ringwraiths. As I was sorting through the junk they left me, Maeglin came back and I finished him off without any healing needed. 230AC (with haradrim buff) sure helps.

Also took care of Tsekelus who summoned Angmar Witchking. After finishing off Tsekelus, Angmar came back but as soon as he got taste of his bane that I fiercely smote against him he commanded me to go away. I am getting super powerful super quick. I'm really surprised at my ability to take on the toughest guys. I was worried Maeglin would summon chaos dragons, but luckily he didn't. I also found a perfect spot to fight him, where I would not be in summons' LoS but they in mine: a little crooked hallway. Since I learned how to abuse LoS asymmetry, the game is much easier.

I shouldn't have any problem taking on the rest of the uniques in this level.

Also been lucky in that I keep picking up ?ofrecharging. No backfires on my stack of TOs. Using them on my staffs of speed as well.

Dor-lo-min was a huge find as well on DL88 vault. Really all I need now is trickery, weaponmastery or Belthronding and consumables and to finish statting. Not sure how bothered I am about rChaos. But I'd like rDisenchant to take on an undead pit since those are my favorite. I should have rDis for the final battles, too. Good times, good times.

EDIT:

Not sure how much others care for DAR but I went after Witchking again and he summoned Glaurung among others. So I immediately TO'd Glaurung, then heard a caucophonous roar offscreen and was hit by Chaos, so I had to teleport out of there. Was worried I'd teleport somewhere dangerous, but I was lucky and found myself in a an arm of a trapezoid shaped hallway. The drugs wore off quickly, fortunately.

Shortly after, Glaurung approached. Well, I'm hasted, might as well not waste it. Since one of the weapons I'm carrying is designed for slaying fire breathing dragons I figured I have enough AC to risk the fight. Glaurung was easy despite my <700hp. He dropped me Celeborn and BDSM. The BDMS takes care of the chaos problems, so I swapped it out with Isildur and headed for Witchking again, (no more rNexus, but really don't want to get drugged again). The next time I got breathed it had no effect, and I learned it was a chaos vortex. A longbow of Lothlorien I found on DL88 vault takes care of pConf.

Witchking didn't do anymore summoning and, as with the others, I was able to finish him off without healing during the fight or ?phasing to heal. He dropped me a +4 +1 elven cloak of rSound, so makes me feel okay about dropping the other +4 +1 cloak.

I'm starting to feel like I'm getting the hang of this game. We'll see, though; I had some close calls earlier.

Catlord actually took me from 200something to 60hp, which surprised me a bit (figured I wouldn't go lower than say 140). I ?phased not wanting to use a *healing* and then used a bunch of !CLW. My healing potions supplies have recovered, but I did't see any monsters nearby so I risked the ?phase.

These powerful uniques are kinda cool in that they summon a bunch of other uniques for me that I can then dispatch. When I find some rods of speed, I'll be able to make the transition from wands of TO to rods of TO (which I have been slowly collecting and storing at home). Then I can take on the drainers.

I'm definitely ready to take on Huan. Emptied the store of 26 rCold potions.

[Pete Mack]

Shame about no rDis--I'd say go kill Sauron and Morgoth otherwise. But Sauron is bad news for a fighter without it. For a HTW, you'll need rNexus to kill him too. Your saving throw is too low to risk Tele level.

[Grotug]

Heavy breather: even though I have rChaos, rShards, rDisenchant, rSound Chaos Wyrm still dealing 400 damage.

352 health; !CCW so now I have 412. Chaos dragon breathes shards. 37 health.

412-37= 375.

He also did 400 damage with Chaos breath from 752 to 352 and near 400 with a sound breath before that. What's the point of having all these resistances if it only resists 20% damage? I realize it also resists the effects, but still. I like the 1/3 rule that I learned for base resists. I guess it really doesn't apply at all for high resists.

So what's the max damage a resisted 500 breath can do? Might be useful to have that number.

EDIT: Is it 417? 1/6 of 500 is 83.33. 500 - 83.33 = 416.67.

[Grotug]

Shame about no rDis--I'd say go kill Sauron and Morgoth otherwise. But Sauron is bad news for a fighter without it. For a HTW, you'll need rNexus to kill him too. Your saving throw is too low to risk Tele level.

Actually, I do have rDisenchant with the dragon armor Glaurung dropped me. I also just picked up Andúril and weaponmastery, but I lose rNether when I switch from Eowin. So now I am juggling 3 weapons. I think at some point I'm going to say to hell with fire immunity. But it's been super useful so far, and often, especially as I regularly self haste with a fat stack of recharging scrolls and 4 staves of speed.

I may try to juggle my gear so that I can graduate from Eowin, but I did okay with rNether in the final battle against Morgoth last time, so I may go it again.

I will probably end up with Trickery again for rNexus. They are common at the bottom of the dungeon.

[Avenger]

Per the TomeNET Guide, Chaos caps at 600 damage, and resistance reduces damage to 6/(d6+6), so 6/7 to 1/2 of the original damage. Disenchantment caps at 500, and reduces with the same formula. This is probably the same or a very similar formula to the one in use in whichever variant you play, and it should be accurate enough for our purposes here.

In other words, the damage you took is well within the expected range - I would recommend not fighting a Great Wyrm of Chaos at all if you're only packing CCW.

Edit: Just re-read your first post on this page - a GWoC shouldn't be breathing shards at all. Is it possible you were fighting a Great Wyrm of Balance instead?

[Grotug]

I get the two confused. I believe it was the one that sees me as an upstart troublemaker lacking the wisdom to control my actions. (How does he know??)

Aren't the two dragons similar in dangerousness? It was a GWofB. So it had 500 damage for the 4 breath types, all of which I had resistances for. I have healing and *healing* potions as well.

Jabberwock just did 423 Chaos breath. That's only 46 less than the unresisted max amount displayed in his monster details: 469. :-/ That's 90% or 9/10 of max damage.

I had 976 health. He breathed on me. Now I have 553. I am at speed 24. I turned the wall into mud into the cubby he was hiding in, and it was thus I appeared before him and so his natural response was to breath Chaos. I fired an arrow and he breathed again. This time only doing 267 damage.

Ahhh.. sweet revenge! I burned him in 4 rounds with a very good spear I just picked up. Think this one is better than Andúril, even though it doesn't sustain DEX.

EDIT: I think I may know what's going on. The info I have about him and other monsters is based on historical experience I've had with the monsters. So the most damage a Jabberwock had done to me up to this point with his breath attack was 469 (probably a damaged Jabberwock). Now I think the next time I see him his max damage should display 600.

[Grotug]

Quaffed a !Augmentation and my HP didn't increase, how come? (but the stats did). Quaffed another one and my HP increased. Still not maxed out on CON. Just bought 2 !Augs in the BM using most of my gold.

[Ingwe Ingweron]

Quaffed a !Augmentation and my HP didn't increase, how come? (but the stats did). Quaffed another one and my HP increased. Still not maxed out on CON. Just bought 2 !Augs in the BM using most of my gold.

In the first instance, it depends on how much Con went up. I don't think the increases are evenly distributed among the stats, though each stat goes up, the amounts vary. Sounds like Con did not increase enough to get to the next hitpoint bump.

[Will]

In the first instance, it depends on how much Con went up. I don't think the increases are evenly distributed among the stats, though each stat goes up, the amounts vary. Sounds like Con did not increase enough to get to the next hitpoint bump.

That reminds me that on several chars I didn't see a difference between 18/210 and 18/*** CON, meaning CON was effectively capped at 18/210... I'm quite sure it happened at least on my paladin, and I thought it weird.

[PowerWyrm]

Quaffed a !Augmentation and my HP didn't increase, how come? (but the stats did). Quaffed another one and my HP increased. Still not maxed out on CON. Just bought 2 !Augs in the BM using most of my gold.

HPs only increase if you actually gain 1 point in CON as per the linear CON stat. Sometimes, potions of stats don't increase the linear stat by a full point. For example: 18/112 (stat=28, coded as 18+112) -> 18/117 (stat=28, coded as 18+117).

[PowerWyrm]

That reminds me that on several chars I didn't see a difference between 18/210 and 18/*** CON, meaning CON was effectively capped at 18/210... I'm quite sure it happened at least on my paladin, and I thought it weird.

The HP increase per level vs CON is harcoded in a table. It caps at +25 when CON reaches 18/200, so having more than that has no effect.

[Sky]

looks as if INT/190 is already the SP cap. CON might work the same way.