Need some advice before diving further

[aeneas]

I think summoning is a bit out of hand in V. I'd rather see a situation where summoning was toned down but ASC type tactics were ineffective. As it stands, summoning seems to be balanced with the idea that you can get around it most of the time. But, if Angband is not a game of shopping, I also tend to think it should not be a game of digging. Having to use the existing topography adds an interesting dimension to things. One approach you could take is to wait till you're tougher to deal with those uniques. If you're not aiming at a super fast win you can hold off until you are fully kitted, at which point it is a lot easier to deal with the worst of them. This might mean quite a bit of tedium at the end though, as you hunt them down, assuming you don't want to leave them alive when you face M.

Wyrms have the best risk/reward ratio of pretty much anything in the game. They have a big drop, and DROP_GOOD changes the odds a lot. At that depth you don't have to generate all that many drops to get pretty nice gear from them, and the easier ones are harmless past a certain point. But you might find it safer to stick with the elemental Wyrms, particularly the white and red ones, as you can double resist those with a cheap spell. Some of the higher Wyrms can be a bit dicey. You're fast enough to handle them if you're careful, but I'd much rather not get knocked down to 130 hp at that depth. And I'd really rather not get my gear disenchanted.

[Zikke]

I recommend doing the anti-summoning tunnel trick for summoners that don't have overpowered melee attacks (like disenchant). If you find yourself in a group of breathers, figure what their biggest damage breath could be and assume they will all use that breath in the next turn. It's better to teleport away from a pack of dragons before they breathe then to hope for the best. And it means you'll have full health if your teleport lands you somewhere unsavory and you need to use it again.

The further down you get, the less you're going to want to teleport around blindly, as the density and perception of way overpowered monsters increases quickly.

Also remember that ESP can help you kill summoners or other monsters from around corners with ball attacks. I'm all for not exploiting game physics, but I'm not even going to pretend that that I wouldn't AoE that Master Quylthlgg down at the first chance I get.

[Wraitheist]

Thanks for the tips. How much damage does "Holy Word" do to evil creatures? Things are going pretty well so far. I wish I had more *identify*...I can't see the hidden bonuses from all of the artifacts that I have. I know I could use spoilers, but it is hard to put together the best kit this way. I also need another form of ESP. I have to use the Axe of Theodin for it and it definitely isn't my ideal melee weapon.

Also, I saw someone say that "alter reality" is overpowered. Why? What is so great about re-creating the level? The same effect can be achieved by simply going up and down the stairs, can't it?