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[Cthulhu]

Skald's pretty bad from what I've heard, at least compared to old Crusaders.  Necromancers can be a pretty good alternative with sort of similar spellsword gameplay, I've gotten a few Vampire Ice Elementalists of Kiku (who's great for branching into necromancy but not as good for starting necromancers) pretty far.

Right now I'm mostly playing Earth Elementalists, I like the Petrify/LRD kind of gameplay.  Conjurers are also tons of fun with the new spellbook, lots of cool spells with fun mechanics.

[Mr Space Cat]

Conjurers have one of the best starting spellbooks, in my opinion. All of the spells are useable and they all synergize well.

Battlesphere is fantastic for everything. Dazzling Spray can be a fairly reliable way of crowd control and lets you blind mobs. Magic Dart can be use with Battlespehere to blast small stuff, Mystic blast is better for blasting, and fulminant prism is a good way of dealing delayed damage if it charges the two turns it needs. good for single targets. it could also be cast to obstruct a corridor if necessary. Searing Lance is really great for early game fights and can still be useable later on.

I can cast Battlesphere, then drop a fulminant prism in range of a crowd of mobs, then spray them all to blind them to possibly reduce chance of the prism getting hit. Then cast Mystic Blast, which happens to explode and deal damage to the entire pack, then prism explodes right after that, dealing more damage and finishing them off. Pretty fun.

Is it just me, or does Skald kinda suck beyond Lair?

Skald sounds like it'd work on paper, but in practice they can be hard to get started. I've yet to get a skald past lair, or even get more than one skald to Lair. I think it's the lackluster stats they start with that make them suck. They're a melee focused class, but they don't have the Str of a Berserker or Fighter. all the Int in the world is useless early game for helping you kill stuff when all you have is charms spells.

[Leafsnail]

I think it's more that their starting spells are bad.  The Songs are basically just an enemy magnet.

[Delta Foxtrot]

Rolling with a demonspawn wizard of Kiku. Lvl 14, cleared lair and orc3. I was going to do a pure caster but turns out necromancers won't have that. Wizard starting book gives much needed utility and Kiku's gifts (agony, pain and dispel undead) give great single target attacks but I lack good crowd control that isn't mephitic cloud.

So what I do is cast some buffs, agony on target and then whip away. Agony (halves target hp) or two is a pretty big boost to my combat prowess. Helped me take down a frost giant at lvl12.

If you want to play a hybrid but feel skalds are too weak, you could try necromancy. Either start with a necromancer for the starting book and go with Okawaru or start a gladiator and pick up Kiku at the temple for book gifts. Either way you get some decent buffs to support your melee.

[Cthulhu]

While we're on the subject of skalds, what do people think about a Gargoyle Skald?  Lots of handy resistances and an AC/GDR boost to mitigate some of the armor issues when you have to be casting.  Aptitudes aren't terrible, though the -2 Air might be an issue. 

[Jack_Bread]

Woohoo! I got a spellcaster to the top 5 of my highscore list!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Code: [Select]

Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup version 0.13.0 (tiles) character file.

4109 AP Renekton the Magician (level 9, -1/57 (62) HPs)
             Began as a White Draconian Wizard on Oct 23, 2013.
             Was a Priest of Vehumet.
             Slain by an orc warrior
             ... wielding a +1,+5 orcish mace
              (12 damage)
             ... on Level 10 of the Dungeon.
             The game lasted 00:48:19 (13121 turns).

AP Renekton the Magician (White Draconian Wizard)  Turns: 13121, Time: 00:48:19

HP  -1/57 (62)   AC 15     Str 10      XL: 9   Next: 96%
MP   7/24        EV 14     Int 22      God: Vehumet [***...]
Gold 305         SH  0     Dex  9      Spells:  7 memorised,  7 levels left

Res.Fire  : . . .   See Invis. : .   h - +2,+3 long sword (slice)
Res.Cold  : + . .   Warding    : .   (armour unavailable)
Life Prot.: . . .   Conserve   : .   (no shield)
Res.Poison: .       Res.Corr.  : .   b - +0 wizard hat
Res.Elec. : .       Clarity    : .   B - +0 cloak
Sust.Abil.: . .     Spirit.Shd : .   t - +1 pair of gloves
Res.Mut.  : .       Stasis     : .   m - +2 pair of boots
Res.Rott. : .       Flight     : .   (no amulet)
Saprovore : . . .                    u - ring of protection from magic
                                     k - +2 ring of protection

@: quite resistant to hostile enchantments, unstealthy
A: breathe frost, unfitting armour, cold resistance 1, AC +7
a: Breathe Frost, Renounce Religion


You were on level 10 of the Dungeon.
You worshipped Vehumet.
Vehumet was most pleased with you.
You were not hungry.

You visited 2 branches of the dungeon, and saw 11 of its levels.
You also visited: Sewer.

You collected 285 gold pieces.

Inventory:

Hand weapons
 h - a +2,+3 long sword of slicing (weapon)
 o - a cursed +5,+2 dwarven dagger (quivered)
 p - a +0,+2 dagger of draining
Armour
 b - a +0 wizard hat (worn)
 m - a +2 pair of boots (worn)
 t - a +1 pair of gloves (worn)
 B - a +0 cloak (worn)
Magical devices
 l - a wand of random effects (9)
 y - a wand of random effects (11)
 A - a wand of slowing (9)
 J - a wand of random effects (16)
Comestibles
 a - a meat ration
 d - 2 bread rations
 w - a chunk of worker ant flesh
Scrolls
 g - a scroll of recharging {unknown}
 i - 3 scrolls of remove curse {unknown}
 j - 4 scrolls of enchant weapon II
 q - 3 scrolls of fog
 s - a scroll of magic mapping
 v - a scroll of blinking
 z - 2 scrolls of enchant weapon I
 C - 4 scrolls of teleportation
 G - 3 scrolls of identify
Jewellery
 k - a +2 ring of protection (left hand)
 r - an uncursed ring of fire
 u - a ring of protection from magic (right hand)
Potions
 e - a potion of magic
Books
 c - a book of Minor Magic   
   
   Spells                             Type                      Level
   *Magic Dart                        Conjuration                  1
   *Blink                             Translocation                2
   *Call Imp                          Summoning                    2
   *Repel Missiles                    Charms/Air                   2
   *Slow                              Hexes                        2
   *Conjure Flame                     Conjuration/Fire             3
   *Mephitic Cloud                    Conjuration/Poison/Air       3


   Skills:
 + Level 2.5 Fighting
 - Level 1.4 Short Blades
 + Level 2.7 Long Blades
 + Level 7.2 Dodging
 - Level 2.5 Stealth
 - Level 7.3 Spellcasting
 - Level 6.6 Conjurations
 - Level 1.0 Summonings
 - Level 1.0 Translocations
 + Level 5.1 Air Magic
 - Level 1.0 Poison Magic


You had 7 spell levels left.
You knew the following spells:

 Your Spells              Type           Power        Failure   Level  Hunger
a - Magic Dart            Conj           ####         1%          1    None
b - Mephitic Cloud        Conj/Pois/Air  ####....     1%          3    None
c - Repel Missiles        Chrm/Air       ###.......   6%          2    None
d - Blink                 Tloc           N/A          10%         2    None
e - Call Imp              Summ           ##........   10%         2    None
f - Conjure Flame         Conj/Fire      ###.....     2%          3    None
g - Slow                  Hex            #.......     14%         2    None


Dungeon Overview and Level Annotations

Branches:
Dungeon (10/27)            Temple (1/1) D:6         
   Orc: D:6-11        Lair: D:8-13     

Altars:
Cheibriados
Elyvilon
Fedhas
Kikubaaqudgha
Makhleb
Okawaru
Sif Muna
Trog
Vehumet
Xom
Yredelemnul
the Shining One

Shops:
D:4 ?   D:6 [

Annotations:
D:3 Sigmund
D:9 Maurice
D:10 Gastronok


Innate Abilities, Weirdness & Mutations

You can breathe waves of freezing cold.
You can buffet flying creatures when you breathe cold.
Your icy white scales are hard (AC +7).
Your body does not fit into most forms of armour.
Your cold-blooded metabolism reacts poorly to cold.
Your flesh is cold resistant.


Message History

Casting: Mephitic Cloud
Confirm with . or Enter, or press ? or * to list all spells.
Aiming: Mephitic Cloud
Press: ? - help, Shift-Dir - straight line
The beam explodes into a vile cloud!
The stinking cloud engulfs the orc warrior.
The orc warrior is lightly wounded.
The orc warrior misses you.
The orc warrior barely misses you.
You feel your health improve.
Gastronok swivels his eye-stalks towards you.
Gastronok waves his eye-stalks in wide circles.
The air twists around and strikes you!
* * * LOW HITPOINT WARNING * * *
There is an open door here.
Gastronok casts a spell at you.
You resist.
There is a stone staircase leading down here.
The orc warrior hits you with a glowing orcish mace!
You die...

             #....#########..
             #...............
             #...............
             #...............
          ####...............
         ..................$.
         ..............######
##################.....'..)..
#.............@oj#....%##....
#................'......#....
#................#......#....
#................#......#....
###..###.........#......#..#+
..#+##.####'######...)..####
.............  ......)....
...........##  ##...........
...........#    #............


You could see Gastronok and an orc warrior.

Vanquished Creatures
  A hungry ghost (D:9)
  2 necrophages
  A manticore (D:8)
  3 orc warriors
  3 ogres
  A sky beast (D:6)
  2 centaurs
  An ice beast (D:7)
  A crocodile (D:9)
  Blork the orc (D:7)
  3 giant frogs
  3 wights (D:9)
  8 crimson imps
  5 hounds
  A jelly (D:10)
  Crazy Yiuf (D:4)
  5 orc priests
  A centaur skeleton (D:4)
  A centaur zombie (D:7)
  A gnoll shaman (D:8)
  2 iguanas (D:6)
  6 scorpions
  7 worker ants
  A sky beast zombie (D:6)
  2 goliath beetles
  A hound skeleton (D:5)
  A mummy (D:5)
  A worker ant zombie (D:5)
  2 green rats (D:6)
  3 orc wizards
  14 adders
  6 gnolls
  An inept feature mimic (D:8)
  An inept item mimic (D:2)
  A scorpion zombie (D:8)
  An adder zombie (D:5)
  An iguana zombie (D:5)
  A grey rat (D:6)
  4 worms
  9 giant geckos
  3 oozes
  26 orcs
  A bat zombie (D:7)
  6 giant cockroaches
  10 goblins
  16 hobgoblins
  17 jackals
  20 kobolds
  5 quokkas
  6 ball pythons
  13 bats
  5 giant newts
  2 giant spores
  A gnoll skeleton (D:4)
  A hobgoblin zombie (D:5)
  2 kobold zombies (D:5)
  An orc skeleton (D:5)
  An orc zombie (D:5)
  A quokka zombie (D:9)
  13 rats
  2 rat skeletons
  3 ballistomycetes
  2 plants (Sewer)
267 creatures vanquished.

Vanquished Creatures (collateral kills)
  An orc wizard (D:10)
1 creature vanquished.

Vanquished Creatures (others)
  A sky beast (D:7)
  An orc (D:5)
  A kobold (D:1)
3 creatures vanquished.

Grand Total: 271 creatures vanquished

Notes
Turn   | Place    | Note
--------------------------------------------------------------
     0 | D:1      | AP Renekton, the Draconian Wizard, began the quest for the Orb.
     0 | D:1      | Reached XP level 1. HP: 12/12 MP: 5/5
   270 | D:1      | Reached XP level 2. HP: 18/18 MP: 5/7
   984 | D:2      | Reached XP level 3. HP: 16/24 MP: 1/9
  2003 | D:2      | Reached XP level 4. HP: 30/30 MP: 8/11
  2061 | D:3      | Noticed Sigmund
  2487 | D:4      | Learned a level 3 spell: Mephitic Cloud
  2490 | D:4      | Learned a level 2 spell: Repel Missiles
  2493 | D:4      | Learned a level 2 spell: Blink
  2496 | D:4      | Learned a level 2 spell: Call Imp
  2652 | D:4      | Noticed Crazy Yiuf
  2852 | D:4      | Reached skill level 4 in Spellcasting
  3591 | D:4      | Reached XP level 5. HP: 27/36 MP: 4/14
  3913 | D:4      | Killed Crazy Yiuf
  4266 | D:4      | Found Fruyshriu's Magic Scroll Shop.
  4398 | D:5      | Entered Level 5 of the Dungeon
  4426 | D:5      | Reached XP level 6. HP: 36/42 MP: 9/16
  4487 | D:5      | Reached skill level 1 in Poison Magic
  5309 | D:6      | Reached skill level 5 in Spellcasting
  5312 | D:6      | Your scales start taking on an icy white colour.
  5312 | D:6      | Gained mutation: Your flesh is cold resistant. [draconian maturity]
  5312 | D:6      | Reached XP level 7. HP: 46/48 MP: 10/18
  5500 | D:6      | Reached skill level 1 in Short Blades
  5575 | D:6      | Found Afeqin's Antique Armour Shoppe.
  5923 | D:6      | Found a staircase to the Ecumenical Temple.
  5933 | Temple   | Entered the Ecumenical Temple
  6070 | Temple   | Became a worshipper of Vehumet
  6526 | D:6      | Found a glowing drain.
  6612 | Sewer    | Entered a sewer
  6758 | Sewer    | Reached XP level 8. HP: 55/55 MP: 18/21
  7151 | Sewer    | Acquired Vehumet's first power
  7151 | Sewer    | Offered knowledge of Sting by Vehumet.
  7188 | Sewer    | Reached skill level 5 in Dodging
  7604 | D:7      | Reached skill level 6 in Spellcasting
  7708 | D:7      | Found a glowing golden altar of the Shining One.
  7733 | D:7      | Reached skill level 5 in Conjurations
  7750 | D:7      | Reached skill level 1 in Air Magic
  7965 | D:7      | Noticed Blork the orc
  8217 | D:7      | Found a blossoming altar of Fedhas.
  8634 | D:7      | Killed Blork the orc
  8786 | D:7      | Offered knowledge of Searing Ray by Vehumet.
  8833 | D:7      | Learned a level 3 spell: Conjure Flame
  8836 | D:7      | Learned a level 2 spell: Slow
  9096 | D:8      | Reached XP level 9. HP: 60/60 MP: 2/23
 10511 | D:7      | Reached skill level 7 in Spellcasting
 11901 | D:9      | Offered knowledge of Static Discharge by Vehumet.
 12044 | D:9      | Noticed Maurice
 12150 | D:9      | Reached skill level 1 in Long Blades
 12412 | D:8      | Acquired Vehumet's second power
 12447 | D:8      | Reached skill level 1 in Fighting
 12900 | D:9      | Reached skill level 5 in Air Magic
 12926 | D:10     | Entered Level 10 of the Dungeon
 13020 | D:10     | Noticed Gastronok
 13121 | D:10     | Slain by an orc warrior


Action                   |  1- 3 |  4- 6 |  7- 9 || total
-------------------------+-------+-------+-------++-------
Melee: Dagger            |    32 |   114 |   221 ||   367
       Long sword        |       |       |    43 ||    43
 Cast: Magic Dart        |    86 |   227 |   751 ||  1064
       Mephitic Cloud    |       |     6 |    33 ||    39
       Blink             |       |       |    10 ||    10
       Repel Missiles    |       |       |     1 ||     1
Evoke: Wand              |       |       |     2 ||     2
  Use: Scroll            |     1 |     4 |    13 ||    18
       Potion            |       |     4 |    10 ||    14
 Stab: Sleeping          |     1 |       |       ||     1



That orc, man. He ate 5 mephitic clouds and kept running at me. Then I bumped into Gastronok. I was also rotted...
I think I could've probably blinked out and ran, though.
Also I'm wasn't entirely keen on the spells Vehemut gave me. I'm not sure if they're good, but he gave me knowledge of Sting, Searing Ray, and Static Discharge. I chose not to learn any of them. Also, 0 spellbooks.

[Delta Foxtrot]

Grats on getting that far.

You're right about blink. An orc is as fast as a draconian so as long as you blink regularly he couldn't get to you. As for getting mephitic cloud to work, I've found that casting it one tile ahead of an approaching enemy gets the job done. That way they're more likely to end their next turn within the cloud and get confused. It of course doesn't work if the orc in question has some source of rPoison.

Rotting isn't a huge issue, but I guess you got it from those necrophages. Blink works here again. Playstyles differ and all that, but I tend to blink so much that if my failrate was as high as 10%, I'd fail one pretty quickly. Basically any enemy that can do more than minor hp removal in melee is a threat that should be blinked away from.

I understand you bumped into Gastronok mid-fight. If so, try not to retreat into unexplored territory. Noise can still alert nearby enemies but running towards the unknown with low HP/MP is a self-inflicted death sentence.

Did you fully explore D's 1-9? Dungeon tends to get a lot more dangerous around D10-12, which is usually after you've found entrance to the lair (found on D8-13).

[Cthulhu]

You didn't really have any way of killing either of those guys.  Searing Ray could've helped, it's pretty good.  You also had three scrolls of fog, what I would've done is use my blink scroll to controlled blink away, broken los with the fog scrolls to avoid Air Strikes, and then read my scroll of teleport.

[freeformschooler]

Spoiler: Farthest I've gotten in crawl so far (click to show/hide)

 Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup version 0.13.0 (tiles) character file.

15691 Cunning Linguist the Carver (level 12, -7/92 HPs)
             Began as a Yellow Draconian Fighter on Oct 23, 2013.
             Was a Believer of the Shining One.
             Mangled by a 12-headed hydra (11 damage)
             ... on Level 2 of the Lair of Beasts.
             The game lasted 01:12:26 (20032 turns).

Cunning Linguist the Carver (DrFi)                 Turns: 20032, Time: 01:12:26

HP  -7/92        AC 17     Str 18 (19) XL: 12   Next:  0%
MP   0/9         EV 19     Int 10      God: the Shining One [**....]
Gold 389         SH 16     Dex 14      Spells:  1 memorised, 10 levels left

Res.Fire  : . . .   See Invis. : .   a - +3,+1 falchion
Res.Cold  : . . .   Warding    : .   (armour unavailable)
Life Prot.: + . .   Conserve   : .   (no shield)
Res.Poison: .       Res.Corr.  : +   (helmet restricted)
Res.Elec. : .       Clarity    : .   u - +2 cloak
Sust.Abil.: . .     Spirit.Shd : .   B - +2 pair of gloves
Res.Mut.  : +       Rnd.Telep. : +   d - +2 pair of boots
Res.Rott. : .       Flight     : .   A - amulet of resist mutation
Saprovore : . . .                    w - ring of teleportation
                                     s - ring of wizardry

@: glowing, quite resistant to hostile enchantments, very unstealthy
A: spit acid, acid resistance, unfitting armour, horns 1, deformed body,
deterioration 1, -10% mp, magic resistance 1, AC +8
a: Spit Acid, Divine Shield, Renounce Religion, Evoke Teleportation


You were on level 2 of the Lair of Beasts.
You worshipped the Shining One.
the Shining One was pleased with you.
You were not hungry.

You visited 3 branches of the dungeon, and saw 15 of its levels.

You collected 785 gold pieces.
You spent 416 gold pieces at shops.

Inventory:

Hand weapons
 a - a +3,+1 falchion (weapon)
 x - a +0,+0 scimitar
 E - a -2,-1 whip of reaching
Missiles
 e - 71 darts (quivered)
 h - 3 darts of frost
 n - 244 stones
 q - 8 darts of flame
Armour
 c - a +0 shield
 d - a +2 pair of boots (worn)
 u - a +2 cloak (worn)
 B - a +2 pair of gloves (worn)
Magical devices
 g - a wand of fire (0)
 l - a wand of fireball (0)
 m - a wand of confusion (3)
 o - a wand of polymorph (6) {unknown}
 v - a wand of teleportation (0)
Comestibles
 f - 5 bread rations
 z - a meat ration
 C - an apricot
 J - a rotting chunk of iguana flesh
Scrolls
 b - 3 scrolls of identify
 j - 6 scrolls of remove curse
 r - a scroll of random uselessness
Jewellery
 s - a ring of wizardry (left hand)
 w - a ring of teleportation (right hand)
 y - an uncursed ring of magical power
 A - an amulet of resist mutation (around neck)
 G - an uncursed ring of regeneration
Potions
 k - 3 potions of curing
 t - a potion of might
 F - a potion of flight
 I - a potion of resistance
Books
 p - a book of Battle   
   
   Spells                             Type                      Level
   *Infusion                          Charms                       1
   Shroud of Golubria                 Charms/Translocation         2
   Song of Slaying                    Charms                       2
   Spectral Weapon                    Hexes/Charms                 3
   Regeneration                       Charms/Necromancy            3
   Song of Shielding                  Charms                       4
 D - a book of Maledictions   
   
   Spells                             Type                      Level
   Corona                             Hexes                        1
   Sure Blade                         Hexes/Charms                 2
   Ensorcelled Hibernation            Hexes/Ice                    2
   Confuse                            Hexes                        3
   Enslavement                        Hexes                        4
   Invisibility                       Hexes                        6
Miscellaneous
 i - a plain deck of war {drawn: 2}
 L - a box of beasts


   Skills:
 * Level 3.8 Fighting
 - Level 14.0 Long Blades
 - Level 12.2 Dodging
 - Level 3.0 Shields


You had 10 spell levels left.
You knew the following spells:

 Your Spells              Type           Power        Failure   Level  Hunger
a - Infusion              Chrm           #.....       16%         1    ##.....


Dungeon Overview and Level Annotations

Branches:
Dungeon (12/27)            Temple (1/1) D:7             Orc (0/4) D:6
   Lair (2/8) D:12       

Altars:
Ashenzari
Cheibriados
Elyvilon
Fedhas
Kikubaaqudgha
Makhleb
Nemelex Xobeh
Okawaru
Sif Muna
Trog
Vehumet
Xom
Yredelemnul
Zin
the Shining One
Beogh

Shops:
D:5 +   D:6 [   D:10 (   D:12 %

Annotations:
D:5 exclusion: door
D:7 Sexual Problem's ghost, experienced DrFi
D:9 4 exclusions
D:11 exclusion: door
D:12 exclusion: door


Innate Abilities, Weirdness & Mutations

You can spit globs of acid.
You can corrode armour when you spit acid.
You are resistant to acid.
Your golden yellow scales are hard (AC +8).
Your body does not fit into most forms of armour.
Your cold-blooded metabolism reacts poorly to cold.
You have a pair of small horns on your head.
Your body is misshapen.
Your body is slowly deteriorating.
Your magical capacity is low (-10% MP).
You are resistant to hostile enchantments.


Message History

The 12-headed hydra bites you but does no damage.
You block the 12-headed hydra's attack.
The 12-headed hydra bites you.
* * * LOW HITPOINT WARNING * * *
The 12-headed hydra bites you.
* * * LOW HITPOINT WARNING * * *
The 12-headed hydra closely misses you. The 12-headed hydra bites you.
* * * LOW HITPOINT WARNING * * *
You block the 12-headed hydra's attack.
Use which ability? (? or * to list)
You feel strangely stable. You feel somewhat more hungry.
The 12-headed hydra closely misses you.
The 12-headed hydra bites you.
* * * LOW HITPOINT WARNING * * *
The 12-headed hydra bites you!
* * * LOW HITPOINT WARNING * * *
The 12-headed hydra misses you. You block the 12-headed hydra's attack.
You block the 12-headed hydra's attack. The 12-headed hydra misses you.
You block the 12-headed hydra's attack. The 12-headed hydra bites you!
You die...

      ####   ##
     .....  #.#.
      ....##.#.##
       ...........
     ## f......f..
P  ###.##........#
/..........D...#
..#.......@#
.###.......##
   #.......P#
 #.#.......f#
  #.......###
  ##......##
   #.......#
   ###P...##
     ##...#


You could see a 12-headed hydra.

Hmmm. Okay, Lair is a little harder than I thought. Do I just avoid Hydras completely until I have a +20,+20 Triple Sword of Flaming? Or is there a strat for dealing with them I'm missing? This was definitely YASD 'cause I could have likely spent those last few turns trying to teleport instead of fighting. I could have also trained Evoke in retrospect (teleportation ring was at 71% failure rate).

Oh, damn, that was a poly wand? I could have also maybe used that. Maybe.

[TripJack]

doesn't need to be a +20 +20 triple sword but yes if you go at a hydra with a non-flaming long blade you are most likely going to die...

your wand collection was pretty weak but that polymorph wand might have saved you

i'd suggest playing an easier combo

[Cthulhu]

There's a good chance of finding Erica around where you find the Lair, and she always has a scimitar of flaming. 

[freeformschooler]

There's a good chance of finding Erica around where you find the Lair, and she always has a scimitar of flaming. 

Ooh, good to know.

Acid breath is fun, but I'll play something that can wear armor next time thanks for the tips.

[Jack_Bread]

*snip*

Yeah, I don't tend to use blink much unless I'm in real danger, but I was panicking.
With Gastronok, I saw him after killing the necrophage and then went the other way. While fighting the orc, he came into the room we were fighting in and then he took out a bunch of my hp.
Also, the only 2 floors I didn't fully explore was D3 and D9, because that's where Sigmund and Maurice are.

[frostshotgg]

Weapons of flaming are nice and all, but how should a felid deal with a hydra?

[tompliss]

i'd suggest playing an easier combo

Same here. Playing a "no armor" fighter is not the easier way to go far in the game.
If you want this type of gameplay, a Merfolk would be better, starting as a gladiator will grant you a nice start (as long as you don't go against a pretty strong early game). The +4 polearm and +3 dodge clearly help building the warrior begining, and the 0 shield helps you get some AC and more defence. Small bonuses in Ice & Poison magic and nice ones in charms and transmut let you get some utility and damage spells. And the whole "I swim fast & in deep water" thing is a nice trick.