[n00b] (v2.7.8) Warrior can't use certain rods?

[OverlySensitiveHalfTroll]

It's me again, I was afraid I had to create another thread for a different subject, not wanting the spam the forum... I'm playing as a Half-Troll Warrior CLV23 and it seems like I can't use a Rod of Frost Bolts I found. Is this expected as a warrior, that I can't use certain rods/wands? Or am I missing something?
Also, making use of the thread, around 600-650ft I find Golfimbul/Grishnakh (one of the two, the hill or cave orc chief, can't recall from memory), the one who resists a lot and seamlessly shrugs away any arrow or bolt I throw at him. I was interested in defeating this guy for the EXP and hopefully he will drop something useful, but I'm starting to think it's better just taking care of his minions and run away to the stairs. Is this reasoning in the right direction or am I missing something again? xDDD Also, after you kill an unique such as him, does he appear later anyway or is he gone forever?

[fph]

Warriors can use all magical devices apart from spellbooks, but for all characters wands, rods and staves have a failure rate that depends on the type of device, race, class and intelligence stat. For a half-troll warrior it can be quite high. The fail rate is displayed in the 'I' menu. The only way to reduce it is to raise your intelligence and level up (I think?).

Monsters "shrugging away" arrows doesn't mean that they are immune, just that the shot did small damage compared to its HP. Some of the orc uniques can be pretty tough. Magic devices will help (stun/confuse/slow, elemental damage), and so do heroism/berserk/speed but in the end you just need to deal a lot of damage; they may easily take 30 turns or more to kill.

Once you kill a unique monster (those with a 'name'), it is gone for the rest of the game. If you don't kill it, you will re-encounter it again in the dungeon. One of the best pieces of advice for Angband is: pick your battles. You don't have to kill everything you see. These uniques will become pushovers as you level up.

[Sky]

Remember that you (z)ap a rod and (a)im a wand.

Not sure why we need 3 commands (with the third being (u)se staff) but that's what we got. Maybe you were looking in the wrong menu?

[fph]

Remember that you (z)ap a rod and (a)im a wand.

Not sure why we need 3 commands (with the third being (u)se staff) but that's what we got. Maybe you were looking in the wrong menu?

ooh good point that could be the cause.

(also replying to point out that in the roguelike keyset you zap rods with the (a) key and aim wands with the (z) key, instead )

[OverlySensitiveHalfTroll]

Weird, I tried to zap the Rod of Frost Bolts many times (with or without enemies in front of me) and it didn't work. Same thing with the Rod of Acid I just found yesterday (didn't try as many times as the other though), didn't work. I still saved them at home. Half-Troll Warrior level 25.

[OverlySensitiveHalfTroll]

I'm afraid if I create another thread the mods will scold me, so...
Another thing that has been bothering me, I read the help file but all it says is "if you fire the correct combination" and doesn't go into detail. Google didn't help much either. So...
(reminder that I'm playing version 2.7.8)
What ammunition types can bows/crossbows/slings use? I have at the moment a Long Bow of Velocity (x3) (+9,+13) and I notice that when I shoot arrows I deal lots more damage, even when comparing a blessed bolt vs a normal arrow. I assume bows don't shoot Bolts that well? What weapon shoots bolts? Which type of weapon, overall, is better to keep, one which fires arrows or bolts? (in case I find both and have to choose one) (I'm guessing arrows are better and also lighter)

[jevansau]

Bows shoot arrows, crossbows shoot bolts and slings shoot shots and pebbles.

[Derakon]

In general, arrows are lighter but break a bit more easily, compared to pebbles, shots, and bolts. Arrows also can be burned while the others can only be destroyed by acid. Bolts do slightly more damage than other ammo types, all else being equal, but more importantly, the Heavy Crossbow is the only launcher with an x4 multiplier as standard.

[Grotug]

Angband probably needs a crossbow that shoots mana bolts (1d6) for the mages and the priests of the world. 2 mana per shot. I can't remember what the ammo for the crossbow in Heretic looks like. A quick youtube search yields that it shot green plasma-like bolts. The Angband mana users probably need a special crossbow, though (You found a crossbow of the magi); I doubt a normal crossbow would be able to shoot mana bolts? Maybe the new Necromancer class (the one that fires nether bolts instead of magic missiles from mb1) could use crossbows of the Nazgul to launch their (1d6) nether bolts.

Anyway, to actually contribute to the thread: the reason your long bow of velocity (+9, +13) does so much more damage is because of those numbers in the parentheses, especially the second number which represents a bonus to damage added to the arrow. An average long bow (+0, +0) does 7.5 damage per round with an average (1d4) arrow. Your velocity bow does something like 40 damage per round thanks to that +13 damage bonus. The +9 just affects how often your arrows hit the target.

So the real challenge is to figure out if a heavy crossbow (+5, +6) is a better weapon to wield than your long bow of velocity. It has a smaller bonus, but the bolts it will be firing have slightly better dice (1d5) vs (1d4). It also has an (x4) multiplier compared to your bow which has an (x3) multiplier. I think your bow would still be a bit better, but a heavy crossbow (+5, +10) would almost certainly deal more damage.

[Werbaer]

Weird, I tried to zap the Rod of Frost Bolts many times (with or without enemies in front of me) and it didn't work. Same thing with the Rod of Acid I just found yesterday (didn't try as many times as the other though), didn't work. I still saved them at home. Half-Troll Warrior level 25.

Magic item activation depends on your magic device skill. Half-Troll warrior is worst at it.

It looks like the formula has changed somewhere in the past. In a recent Angband version, it displays a success chance of 85% for your character.

Things were different back in old days. IIRC when your magic device skill (27 for your character) was lower than the item level (capped at 50), you only had a very low chance (3% ?) to activate the item.

[OverlySensitiveHalfTroll]

Thanks guys. I wonder if this arrow/bolt ammo type info was omitted by accident in the help file or if it was intended as part of the game for the player to figure that out xDDD
By the way, I forgot to say that I could finally beat the orc chief (SPOILER) using potions of speed and heroism. I realized that potions of speed are one of the most useful and overlooked items in Angband, but I can never find them in shops. So I have to spend hours roaming at the first floors trying to find them. I think the game (v2.7.8 don't forget!) noticed that I'm doing that and now at the first floors all I can find is scrolls of summon and haste monster, potions of slowness, etc xDDDDD

[fph]

Not technically in the help file, but if you 'I'nspect arrows, it says "they can be shot with a bow", and similar for the other ammo.

Yes, speed is the single most useful bonus in the game (followed by telepathy, probably). Later on you will even find items with permanent speed bonuses (the rings of escaping/teleportation that you find in the early game only have niche uses, since they come with big drawbacks).

[OverlySensitiveHalfTroll]

I tried to use "I" key (again, version 2.7.8) and all that it says is "You don't know anything specific about this item" or something similar to that, tested on all kinds of items. Must be a thing that only works in newer versions.

[Sideways]

Yes, speed is the single most useful bonus in the game (followed by telepathy, probably).

And in 2.x it was much harder to find +speed items, making those you did find even more important.

[Derakon]

I tried to use "I" key (again, version 2.7.8) and all that it says is "You don't know anything specific about this item" or something similar to that, tested on all kinds of items. Must be a thing that only works in newer versions.

I think in the older versions it only works if you've used an *Identify* scroll on the item. These are relatively rare/deep items.

Seriously, just upgrade to the current versions.