[FA] What to do with my mage ?

[Remuz]

Hi,

I am a newcomer with FAangband, and I am just back from a long break with roguelikes in general, so I would need some advice.

The character dump can be found here : http://angband.oook.cz/ladder-show.php?id=7693


I managed to survive the first levels as a high-elf, and moved south, to AMon Rudh.There, I tried to get some exp/gear. My tactics involve a lot of hit-and-run. I found melee and shooting ineffective at that point, so 90% of my damage comes from my spells. I can handle most monsters fine, but groups can be very dangerous, as I quickly run out of mana.

Lately, I just got to the bottom of the dungeon. After Mim got me down to 17hp in a single round, I decided to stop and think. What I should do now?

I am most concerned by the fact that recalling on the dungeon does not land me on stairs. That, and the fact that I run out of mana, means that sooner or later, this character is doomed if I continue with this tactic.

I know I should enchant my bow and some arrows. What else? Should I stay at dlvl 29 on Amon Rudh, trying to gain some levels, or should I move somewhere else?

Thanks in advance.

[Nick]

I'd advise going to a forested area (elves have a natural advantage in trees) and look for some better gear. You could do with wearable armour with some resists, and anything that gives you + to INT. Wands and rods are your best bet for dealing damage; for Mim, sources of haste, heal and as many wands of shrapnel as you can lay your hands on will probably do the trick.

If it's any consolation, I think mages are horribly underpowered, and they're on the list for a complete overhaul (although not on any list I've written down - must fix that).

[Remuz]

Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately, my character just died. As said, I took a couple of minutes to enchant all my weapons to (+9,+9), and some arrows with whatever scrolls I had left. I then recalled to Amon Rudh 24, where I had a really bad time. The level was filled with hard monsters, so I kept teleporting from one threat to the other. Ultimately, Nien was killed by a Gaveronian huntslady, after an unlucky teleport that landed me next to her.

For the record, the variant I played the most was tome, where I was successful with sorcerers (I won twice with them). However, the gameplay is vastly different from that of mages in other variants, and I consider sorcerors to be overpowered, if one uses the right combination of spells. I think I grew bad habits from that, and need to go back to the basics.

Thanks again.

[Psi]

Mages are tough and nothing like ToME sorcerors as you say (I have a similar background with a couple of ToME sorc wins under my belt). If you're unfamiliar with O-combat then you also need to bear in mind that enchanting up weapons and bows is pretty useless (well to_hit helps obviously, but deadliness does not translate to to_dam in other variants) and small damage dice weapons are useless in combat. For example your starting magestaff (as an HE) is great for free action, but as soon as you have that, sell it and use the funds for some more useful gear.

The best place for picking up kit is probably the guardrooms (the small circular vaults you find in river areas). These only contain two (awake) humanoids and a stash of useful items. If you get lucky with low-level occupants (or have a -TA) then it is easy loot. Also remember that you have telekinesis!

Don't expect to kill Mim when you get to AR30 - with his elemental resists he is too tough for a mage at that stage. It is probably worth making the trek to Nargothrond and coming back for Mim when you are ready for him.

Si

[Seany C]

Mostly what Si and Nick said. Get a Staff of Object Detection and if anything looks nice/interesting, grab it with Telekinesis - esp. if it works inside vaults (it's been a while).

Mim is a toughie - esp for a mage, as he resists the elements. I'd pop down to Nargothrond and try to pick up stat potions until STR, CON and INT are 18 or better (you'd have to go to currently unfeasible depths to get many *stat* potions).

There's no point thinking about serious melee with a FAA Mage (your ToME Sorceror experience should help here ) - concentrate on items boosting SPs and HPs, and blast opponents from a distance. Your best bet for taking out Mim (unless you find a spell that's not based on the elements) is either a big stack of Shrapnel wands or, better still, a Wand of Drain Life - that should take a couple of stars off Mim per charge but you'll be fortunate to see one above 2500', I'd imagine...

EDIT: above 2500', not below. Gah.