On a run playing a paladin

[Petoften]

You could also just go down.
There is nothing special to any level, besides a number used in the generation algorithm.
Nearly anything can appear on any level, within some restrictions. Better stuff and more dangerous monsters as well as greater vaults are more likely to be generated on deeper levels. That's it.

Ya, I meant more, what are people's opinions about the more dangerous levels - ignore the danger, or try to avoid it by regenerating the level?

[Sideways]

What Philip said. Getting down to really low HP should be a rare event, as in only 2 or 3 times a game. If it isn't, you will never win. You can afford to take life threatening risks *only* If the potential payoff is large (which is to say: the contents of a very good vault.) Otherwise, low HP is a sign you made a potentially fatal mistake. If it can get you down to 1/3 HP in a single turn, you cannot afford to fight it.

Unless the monster's slow enough it cannot double-move you, and you either have zero-fail teleport other (which paladins don't get) or know with absolute 100% certainty that ?phasedoor will take you someplace safe.

[Pete Mack]

What Philip said. Getting down to really low HP should be a rare event, as in only 2 or 3 times a game. If it isn't, you will never win. You can afford to take life threatening risks *only* If the potential payoff is large (which is to say: the contents of a very good vault.) Otherwise, low HP is a sign you made a potentially fatal mistake. If it can get you down to 1/3 HP in a single turn, you cannot afford to fight it. That is a mistake, not a reason to try again.

This is why I so strongly recommend using a DL 40 character as a starting save file: play at that depth is very different, and techniques that may have worked earlier are simply lethal when you get deeper.

[Mondkalb]

You seem to keep putting yourself in nasty situations. Why were you at 1/3 of your max hp standing in front of a Patriarch? Why did you fight the Master Lich? I imagine you're going to fight the dragons too. Why?

I was thinking the same a while ago.

There is no need to fight each and every monster, especially the dangerous ones, unless you are able to kill them in a few turns without using up your consumables.
Also, this behaviour will most likely kill your char on deeper levels.

[Mondkalb]

You could also just go down.
There is nothing special to any level, besides a number used in the generation algorithm.
Nearly anything can appear on any level, within some restrictions. Better stuff and more dangerous monsters as well as greater vaults are more likely to be generated on deeper levels. That's it.

[Philip]

If you're playing with connected stairs then yes, I suppose you could do that. This is one reason why I generally prefer playing without connected stairs, since that way you either burn a consumable or you have to make your way to a staircase somewhere.

In general though, "murderous" almost certainly means either a vault or a pit, which should be detectable. If you're sufficiently paranoid with detection, you should be fine. Of course, it doesn't mean you should want to stay on the level.

[Petoften]

Is it worth respawning a level based on the danger?

I just went to level 42, and it said 'murderous'. I could go up and down...

[Philip]

You seem to keep putting yourself in nasty situations. Why were you at 1/3 of your max hp standing in front of a Patriarch? Why did you fight the Master Lich? I imagine you're going to fight the dragons too. Why?

[Petoften]

Trap, tried to disarm, it summoned three dragons including an ancient green.

[Petoften]

Killed the patriarch and the rest, whew, no good loot. 5HP! Now I have hallucination from the emergency mushroom...

[Petoften]

Whoa. Ran into a bunch of stuff, then a patriarch. I was at 122HP and in one round he cast a power word and now I have 5hp.

[Petoften]

Killed the lich finally, about 14k exp.

[Philip]

Yeah liches are bad news. Run away. Note that they drain charges, which may make running away inordinately hard, but you should have reasonably reliable Portal at this point at least.

[Petoften]

I read a scroll that summoned undead... killed the first one, but this master lich, hit it several times and it's only down one *. Three mobs left.

[Philip]

If there are monsters who make you afraid a lot, carry a couple potions of Heroism to deal with it - they're a handy buff and prevent fear. You're a Paladin, too, which means you should have remove fear as a spell. A ring of the dog will not be better than +14 AC, and even that ring isn't too great.