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[Damiac]

Remember that Borg's only takes away permanent HP when you use it, meaning you were probably going to die.  Dying permanently lowers your HP to 0, which is much worse, obviously.

Either way, congrats on the win!

[Arcvasti]

DsFi is god. Especially since you got two of the best mutation paths[Torment Resistance & Regen]. I would have gotten Borgnjor's instead of Necromutation, since you're already quite robust against Torment, but otherwise it looks solid. I'd also have switched gods, probably to Kiku[More torment resist + undead minions] or Ash[Divination + Clar]. Still, congrats on finishing a ziggurat~! I rarely play enough to get a char capable of clearing one and when I do, I always chicken out before trying for one.

I stayed away from Borgnjor's because of the permanent HP drain, but I might take a look at it sometime. I'll also keep the advice about which god to switch to in mind - at the time, I had no idea what to pick.

Borgnjor's is the ULTIMATE panic button, even better then DDoor is. Full hp restore is nothing to sneeze at. The maxhp reduction is only nasty if you start leaning on it a lot, which is probably your cue to just take the Orb and win before you get dunked[If you get Borgnjor's castable BEFORE you have three runes, something's either really right or really wrong with your build]

Necromutation can be nice if you follow Ru, Gozag or Ash[Or I GUESS Nemelex, since some cards duplicate potions], have a wand of Heal Wounds AND lack any source of rN+[Which has totally happened, I've gone through games where I only found one rN ring and nothing else], but is otherwise kinda iffy. No potions means confuse is hell and you have to rely on wands for healing. But, more importantly, you can't use DDoor, Regen or Borgnjor's. Since your Necromancy had to have been quite high to get Necromutation, those three spells would have been incredibly useful. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that those three spells are the main draw of Necromancy[Minus maybe Simulacrum, if you follow Kiku]. If you use Necromutation regularly, you've spent a LOT of experience that you can only really use on a few spells[Lichform + Dispel Undead + Minion Spells]. That's not even getting into the Transmutations investment you've used for ONE spell[MAYBE two if you use Irradiate]. Or vulnerability to holy damage[Irrelevant for Demonspawn] or Dispel Undead.

TL;DR: Necromutation is mutually exclusive with the other best Necromancy spells while also making you vulnerable to certain effects that you ordinarily wouldn't care about.


Other good lategame Ds gods include:

- Makh. HP restore is better then TSO's and your +3 to Invo will be helpful
- USKAYAW, if you're playing trunk. With lots of Invocations[+3 Aptitude~!], his passive abilities are absurdly powerful[Although his actives are kinda meh] and his Grand Finale is useful for killing people who JUST WON'T DIE[Looking at you, Ereshkigal].
- Maybe Lugonu? Corrupt and Enter the Abyss are VERY good panic buttons and Bend Space is nice if you couldn't find Blink. No idea how useful Banish is in Extended, never played a Lugonu char that far.

Do note that kill-based piety is difficult to build up quickly, even in extended. This isn't a problem for Ash or Uskayaw, but the rest will be dead weight until you get a few stars.

[TheDarkStar]

How good are Makh's active abilities, anyway? I've never really used anything except for the passive healing.

[Arcvasti]

How good are Makh's active abilities, anyway? I've never really used anything except for the passive healing.

They're not TOO great, at least in Extended, but still solid:

-Minor Destruction only costs hunger and a couple hit points, which makes it a solid plinking tool early on
-Lesser Servant require very low Invocations to succeed and summons a pretty decent ally early on
-Major Destruction is quite a bit better, especially with high Invocations. I'd peg it as a rod/wand level ranged attack, except it scales with Invocations.
-Greater Servant is always very nice, summoning a high-tier demon in exchange for modest Invo investment. In Extended, its not game-breaking, but can still be worth it[Friendly Executioners WRECK].

[Arcvasti]

Doublepost because awesome.

Code: [Select]

Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup version 0.18-a0-1655-ge2d8d33 (tiles) character file.

cats the Zephyrmancer (High Elf Air Elementalist)  Turns: 35358, Time: 01:51:04

Health: 114/114    AC: 14    Str:  6    XL:     16   Next: 17%
Magic:  50/50      EV: 16    Int: 38    God:    Gozag
Gold:   752        SH:  0    Dex: 12    Spells: 8 memorised, 4 levels left

rFire  + + +      SeeInvis +    a - +10 spear {pierce, rN++ MP+9 Int+3}
rCold  + + +      Gourm    .    c - +2 leather armour "Omexal" {Str+4 Int+5}
rNeg   + + .      Faith    .    (no shield)
rPois  .          Spirit   .    H - +1 helmet {SInv}
rElec  +          Dismiss  .    Y - +2 cloak
rCorr  +          Reflect  .    o - +0 pair of gloves
SustAt .          Harm     .    d - +1 pair of boots of the Ten Suns {rElec rCorr Int+3 Dex-4}
MR     +....                    u - amulet of regeneration
Stlth  +++.......               r - ring of Rujell {*Corrode rF+ rC+++ MP+9}
                                l - ring "Corag" {Wiz *Corrode rF+++ Str-5 Stlth+}

@: somewhat resistant to hostile enchantments, fairly stealthy
A: regeneration 1
a: Potion Petition, Call Merchant, Bribe Branch, Renounce Religion


You are on level 2 of the Orcish Mines.
You worship Gozag.
Gozag is noncommittal.
You are not hungry.

You have visited 3 branches of the dungeon, and seen 25 of its levels.
You have also visited: Labyrinth and Sewer.

You have collected 10725 gold pieces.
You have spent 5642 gold pieces at shops.
You have paid 4331 gold pieces to Gozag.

Inventory:

Hand Weapons
 a - the +10 spear of Exquisite Death (weapon) {pierce, rN++ MP+9 Int+3}
   (You found it in a labyrinth)   
   
   It inflicts extra damage upon your enemies.
   
   It affects your intelligence (+3).
   It greatly protects you from negative energy.
   It affects your magic capacity (+9).
 b - a +2 long sword of holy wrath
Missiles
 f - 2 throwing nets (quivered)
Armour
 c - the +2 leather armour "Omexal" (worn) {Str+4 Int+5}
   (You found it on level 6 of the Dungeon)   
   
   It affects your strength (+4).
   It affects your intelligence (+5).
 d - the +1 pair of boots of the Ten Suns (worn) {rElec rCorr Int+3 Dex-4}
   (You bought it in a shop on level 2 of the Lair of Beasts)   
   
   It affects your intelligence (+3).
   It affects your dexterity (-4).
   It insulates you from electricity.
   It protects you from acid and corrosion.
 o - a +0 pair of gloves (worn)
 H - a +1 helmet of see invisible (worn)
 X - the +3 warlock's mirror {reflect}
   (You bought it in a shop on level 2 of the Orcish Mines)
 Y - a +2 cloak (worn)
Jewellery
 l - the ring "Corag" (left hand) {Wiz *Corrode rF+++ Str-5 Stlth+}
   (You bought it in a shop on level 2 of the Lair of Beasts)   
   
   [ring of wizardry]
   
   It improves your spell success rate.
   It affects your strength (-5).
   It renders you almost immune to fire.
   It may corrode you when you take damage.
   It makes you more stealthy.
 r - the ring of Rujell (right hand) {*Corrode rF+ rC+++ MP+9}
   (You bought it in a shop on level 2 of the Lair of Beasts)   
   
   [ring of protection from fire]
   
   It protects you from fire.
   It renders you almost immune to cold.
   It affects your magic capacity (+9).
   It may corrode you when you take damage.
 u - an amulet of regeneration (around neck)
Wands
 k - a wand of random effects
 t - a wand of iceblast
 z - a wand of teleportation (3/9)
 C - a wand of disintegration {zapped: 6}
 T - a wand of acid
Scrolls
 h - 6 scrolls of fear
 i - 3 scrolls of blinking
 n - 5 scrolls of magic mapping
 w - a scroll of holy word
 x - 9 scrolls of remove curse
 A - 7 scrolls of teleportation
 B - 6 scrolls of fog
 Q - 3 scrolls of recharging
 R - 2 scrolls of identify
 S - 2 scrolls of summoning
Potions
 e - 8 potions of curing
 m - 2 potions of berserk rage
 p - 4 potions of heal wounds
 q - 3 potions of cure mutation
 s - 2 potions of haste
 v - 2 potions of resistance
 E - 6 potions of lignification
 F - 4 potions of invisibility
 L - 2 potions of agility
 O - 2 potions of ambrosia
 P - 2 potions of might
Books
 y - a book of the Sky   
   
    Spells                             Type                      Level
    a - Summon Lightning Spire       Summoning/Air                 4
    b - Airstrike                    Air                           4
    c - Silence                      Hexes/Air                     5
    d - Deflect Missiles             Charms/Air                    6
    e - Conjure Ball Lightning       Conjuration/Air               6
    f - Tornado                      Air                           9
 G - a book of Ice   
   
    Spells                             Type                      Level
    a - Ice Form                     Ice/Transmutation             4
    b - Metabolic Englaciation       Hexes/Ice                     5
    c - Ozocubu's Refrigeration      Ice                           6
    d - Bolt of Cold                 Conjuration/Ice               6
    e - Freezing Cloud               Conjuration/Ice/Air           6
    f - Simulacrum                   Ice/Necromancy                6
Miscellaneous
 g - a plain deck of destruction {drawn: 4}
 D - a phial of floods
 M - a lamp of fire
Comestibles
 N - 8 bread rations
 V - 2 meat rations


   Skills:
 - Level 12.1 Fighting
 + Level 4.3 Armour
 - Level 11.0 Dodging
 - Level 2.1 Stealth
 - Level 11.0 Spellcasting
 - Level 13.0 Conjurations
 - Level 9.0 Charms
 - Level 13.0 Ice Magic
 - Level 13.0 Air Magic
 - Level 6.5 Evocations


You have 4 spell levels left.
You know the following spells:

 Your Spells              Type           Power        Failure   Level  Hunger
a - Shock                 Conj/Air       ####         0%          1    None
b - Deflect Missiles      Chrm/Air       #######...   2%          6    ####...
c - Swiftness             Chrm/Air       #######.     1%          2    None
d - Static Discharge      Conj/Air       #######.     1%          3    None
e - Lightning Bolt        Conj/Air       #######...   1%          5    None
f - Freezing Cloud        Conj/Ice/Air   #######...   1%          6    ####...
g - Airstrike             Air            #######...   1%          4    None
h - Bolt of Cold          Conj/Ice       #######...   1%          6    ####...


Dungeon Overview and Level Annotations

Branches:
Dungeon (15/15)            Temple (0/1) D:7            Lair (8/8) D:8
  Swamp (0/4) Lair:6        Snake (0/4) Lair:6        Slime (0/6) Lair:7
    Orc (2/2) D:12            Elf (0/3) Orc:2        Vaults (0/5) D:14
 Depths (0/5) D:15       

Altars:
Ashenzari
Cheibriados
Fedhas
Gozag
Nemelex Xobeh
Sif Muna
Trog
Vehumet
Xom
Beogh
Jiyva

Shops:
D:3 *   D:11 *   Orc:2 %[([[   Lair:2 ==**

Annotations:
D:5 1 exclusion


Innate Abilities, Weirdness & Mutations

Your natural rate of healing is unusually fast.


Message History

You continue putting on the +2 leather armour "Omexal" {Str+4 Int+5}. x5
You finish putting on the +2 leather armour "Omexal" {Str+4 Int+5}.
Drop what? 46/52 slots (_ for help) (? for menu, Esc to quit)
You drop a +2 leather armour of fire resistance.
Search for what [Enter for "armour", or ? for help]? rneg
Can't find anything matching that.
Search for what [Enter for "rneg", or ? for help]? positive
Unknown command.
Search for what [Enter for "positive", or ? for help]?
Okay, then.
Search for what [Enter for "positive", or ? for help]? strength
Put on which piece of jewellery? (? for menu, Esc to quit)
Okay, then.
WARNING: ABOUT TO ENTER WIZARD MODE!
If you continue, your game will not be scored!
Do you really want to enter wizard mode? (Confirm with "yes".)
Okay, then.
You have 752 gold pieces.
Char dumped to 'morgue/cats.txt'.
Save game and exit?

.).[........[........
.............).......
.................#.#.
.......)........#....
..n............##..#.
.............#.#.....
....)..[...(.......#.
.........(@..........
.....................
.<.....)..)..........
..........[<.........
...........(..(......
.....................
.........(.(..(.#....
................#....


There are no monsters in sight!

Vanquished Creatures
  Rupert (Lair:8)
  An orc warlord (Orc:2)
  The ghost of cats the Fighter, a journeyman DrSu of Sif Muna (D:13)
  The ghost of cats the Bludgeoner, a journeyman OgBe of Trog (Lair:2)
  The ghost of cats the Gouger, a journeyman FeTm of Ru (D:15)
  A minotaur (Lab)
  Snorg (Lair:4)
  The ghost of cats the Thaumaturge, a journeyman DESu of Sif Muna (Lair:8)
  4 vault guards (D:14)
  11 hydras
  A rakshasa (D:14)
  A catoblepas (Lair:8)
  4 centaur warriors
  20 death yaks
  An ogre mage (D:15)
  A wizard (D:15)
  2 unseen horrors
  A deep elf archer (D:14)
  8 hill giants
  4 griffons
  4 orc sorcerers
  3 orc knights (Orc:2)
  8 ugly things
  An oklob plant (Lair:2)
  10 deep elf magi
  5 cyclopes
  A naga mage (D:15)
  9 elephants
  4 black mambas
  A guardian serpent (Lair:6)
  A spiny frog (shapeshifter) (D:14)
  11 spiny frogs
  4 centaur skeletons
  A gargoyle (D:12)
  3 rime drakes
  A kobold demonologist (D:13)
  7 komodo dragons
  5 two-headed ogres
  11 polar bears
  7 trolls
  8 slime creatures (D:14)
  7 raiju (Lair:8)
  A boulder beetle (Lair:7)
  The ghost of cats the Gusty, an amateur HEAE (D:4)
  17 blink frogs
  2 spriggans
  3 shadows
  A vampire (D:13)
  A wraith (D:13)
  43 yaks
  3 wyverns
  9 hippogriffs
  4 hungry ghosts
  A golden eye (shapeshifter) (D:15)
  5 basilisks
  3 vampire mosquitoes (D:13)
  A soldier ant (D:14)
  6 wargs
  Edmund (D:5)
  4 nagas (Lair:6)
  16 water moccasins
  5 hell hounds
  14 porcupines
  40 orc warriors
  2 sky beasts
  15 black bears
  4 phantoms
  16 ogres
  33 centaurs
  31 wolves
  A centaur (shapeshifter) (D:15)
  13 crocodiles
  5 big kobolds
  Blork the orc (D:6)
  17 giant frogs
  A wyvern zombie (D:13)
  2 scorpions
  10 killer bees
  4 wights (D:11)
  11 howler monkeys
  2 electric eels
  3 centaur zombies
  3 crimson imps
  2 giant frog zombies
  18 hounds
  A jelly (D:15)
  22 orc priests
  2 giant frog skeletons (D:8)
  16 iguanas
  Natasha (thrice) (D:4)
  21 orc wizards
  11 worker ants
  32 sheep
  A hound zombie (D:7)
  A hound skeleton (D:5)
  A howler monkey zombie (D:9)
  A worker ant zombie (D:9)
  Robin (D:3)
  4 gnolls (D:10)
  2 howler monkey skeletons
  15 adders
  83 river rats
  4 shadow imps
  An ooze (D:5)
  3 adder skeletons
  A worm (D:3)
  3 dart slugs (D:1)
  4 giant geckos
  95 orcs
  11 bats
  4 giant cockroaches
  21 goblins
  8 hobgoblins
  20 jackals
  17 kobolds
  6 quokkas
  2 ball pythons (D:5)
  A giant gecko skeleton (D:4)
  3 giant newts
  A jackal skeleton (D:6)
  A quokka skeleton (D:5)
  15 rats
  2 bushes
  8 fungi
  16 plants
1017 creatures vanquished.

Vanquished Creatures (others)
  A wyvern zombie (D:14)
  2 bushes (D:15)
  18 fungi
  25 plants
46 creatures vanquished.

Grand Total: 1063 creatures vanquished

Notes
Turn   | Place    | Note
--------------------------------------------------------------
     0 | D:1      | cats the High Elf Air Elementalist began the quest for the Orb.
     0 | D:1      | Reached XP level 1. HP: 11/11 MP: 4/4
    81 | D:1      | Reached XP level 2. HP: 2/17 MP: 0/6
    88 | D:1      | Learned a level 2 spell: Repel Missiles
   132 | D:1      | Learned a level 2 spell: Swiftness
   956 | D:1      | Reached XP level 3. HP: 16/21 MP: 7/7
  1765 | D:2      | Reached XP level 4. HP: 27/27 MP: 8/8
  1861 | D:2      | Reached skill level 5 in Air Magic
  2437 | D:3      | Noticed Robin
  2440 | D:3      | Killed Robin
  2440 | D:3      | Reached XP level 5. HP: 29/31 MP: 9/9
  2468 | D:3      | Learned a level 3 spell: Static Discharge
  2615 | D:3      | Found Gozag's Platinum Reserve.
  2729 | D:3      | Found an opulent altar of Gozag.
  2761 | D:3      | Became a worshipper of Gozag Ym Sagoz the Greedy
  2992 | D:4      | Found a snail-covered altar of Cheibriados.
  3010 | D:4      | Reached XP level 6. HP: 25/36 MP: 10/10
  3139 | D:4      | Reached skill level 5 in Conjurations
  3208 | D:4      | Found a glowing drain.
  3214 | Sewer    | Entered a sewer
  3365 | Sewer    | Reached skill level 1 in Fighting
  3457 | Sewer    | Found a white marble altar of Elyvilon.
  3517 | D:4      | Noticed cats's ghost (amateur HEAE)
  3574 | D:4      | Reached XP level 7. HP: 28/44 MP: 0/12
  3697 | D:4      | Noticed Natasha
  3704 | D:4      | Killed Natasha
  3819 | D:4      | Found a shimmering altar of Xom.
  3846 | D:4      | Killed cats's ghost
  3873 | D:4      | Noticed Natasha
  3878 | D:4      | Killed Natasha
  4053 | D:4      | Learned a level 5 spell: Lightning Bolt
  4162 | D:4      | Noticed Natasha
  4167 | D:4      | Killed Natasha
  4436 | D:5      | Entered Level 5 of the Dungeon
  4458 | D:5      | Reached XP level 8. HP: 52/52 MP: 10/15
  4499 | D:5      | Noticed Edmund
  4509 | D:5      | Killed Edmund
  4849 | D:5      | Found a deep blue altar of Sif Muna.
  5007 | D:5      | Reached skill level 5 in Spellcasting
  5289 | D:5      | Found a sparkling altar of Nemelex Xobeh.
  5318 | D:5      | Found a shattered altar of Ashenzari.
  5751 | D:6      | Found a radiant altar of Vehumet.
  6280 | D:6      | Noticed Blork the orc
  6298 | D:6      | Killed Blork the orc
  6449 | D:6      | Found a bloodstained altar of Trog.
  6705 | D:6      | Reached XP level 9. HP: 60/60 MP: 12/17
  7026 | D:6      | Reached skill level 5 in Fighting
  7039 | D:6      | Got a warped leather armour
  7050 | D:6      | Identified the +2 leather armour "Omexal" {Str+4 Int+5} (You found it on level 6 of the Dungeon)
  7264 | D:7      | Got a colourful robe
  7275 | D:7      | Identified the +2 robe of Zogako Nuja {Regen+ SInv} (You found it on level 7 of the Dungeon)
  8019 | D:7      | Found a blossoming altar of Fedhas.
  8089 | D:7      | Found a staircase to the Ecumenical Temple.
  8387 | D:8      | Found a staircase to the Lair.
  8387 | D:8      | Noticed an elephant
  8408 | D:8      | Killed an elephant
  8408 | D:8      | Reached skill level 5 in Dodging
  8726 | D:8      | Found a deep blue altar of Sif Muna.
  8777 | D:8      | Reached skill level 10 in Air Magic
  9063 | D:9      | Reached XP level 10. HP: 65/69 MP: 18/18
  9298 | D:9      | Learned a level 6 spell: Freezing Cloud
  9890 | D:9      | Reached skill level 1 in Ice Magic
  9926 | D:10     | Entered Level 10 of the Dungeon
 10551 | D:10     | Noticed a hill giant
 10575 | D:10     | Killed a hill giant
 10866 | D:10     | Reached skill level 10 in Conjurations
 11232 | Lair:1   | Entered Level 1 of the Lair of Beasts
 12081 | Lair:1   | Reached XP level 11. HP: 77/77 MP: 19/19
 12242 | Lair:1   | Noticed an eight-headed hydra
 12292 | Lair:1   | Killed an eight-headed hydra
 12870 | Lair:2   | Reached skill level 5 in Ice Magic
 13305 | Lair:2   | Noticed an oklob plant
 13378 | Lair:2   | Killed an oklob plant
 13633 | Lair:2   | Noticed cats's ghost (journeyman OgBe)
 13687 | Lair:2   | HP: 3/78 [water moccasin (6)]
 13689 | Lair:2   | Killed cats's ghost
 14270 | Lair:3   | Found a labyrinth entrance.
 14336 | Lab      | Entered a labyrinth
 14485 | Lab      | Noticed a minotaur
 14487 | Lab      | Killed a minotaur
 14491 | Lab      | Identified the Papyrus of Sinister Aid
 14497 | Lab      | Identified a +3 rod of inaccuracy (9/9) (You found it in a labyrinth)
 14499 | Lab      | Got a pitted spear
 14500 | Lab      | Identified the +10 spear of Exquisite Death {pierce, rN++ MP+9 Int+3} (You found it in a labyrinth)
 14501 | Lab      | Got a brightly glowing mace
 14502 | Lab      | Identified the +12 mace "Gosug" {elec, -Tele rElec rC+} (You found it in a labyrinth)
 14811 | Lair:3   | Noticed a death yak
 14813 | Lair:3   | Noticed a death yak
 14847 | Lair:2   | Killed a death yak
 14970 | Lair:3   | Noticed a death yak
 14974 | Lair:3   | Killed a death yak
 14977 | Lair:3   | Killed a death yak
 14977 | Lair:3   | Reached XP level 12. HP: 73/87 MP: 9/20
 15691 | Lair:3   | Noticed a five-headed hydra
 15705 | Lair:3   | Killed a five-headed hydra
 15705 | Lair:3   | Reached skill level 10 in Fighting
 15915 | Lair:2   | Bought the ring of Decev {rElec rPois MR+ Dex+4} for 825 gold pieces
 15949 | Lair:2   | Bought the ring "Cemid" {rC+ Stlth+} for 556 gold pieces
 15955 | Lair:2   | Bought a cursed amulet of inaccuracy for 32 gold pieces
 15955 | Lair:2   | Bought an uncursed amulet of regeneration for 480 gold pieces
 16241 | Lair:4   | Noticed a six-headed hydra
 16249 | Lair:4   | Killed a six-headed hydra
 16325 | Lair:4   | Noticed Snorg
 16786 | Lair:4   | Noticed a seven-headed hydra
 16797 | Lair:4   | Killed a seven-headed hydra
 17105 | Lair:4   | Killed Snorg
 17581 | Lair:4   | Reached skill level 10 in Ice Magic
 19330 | Lair:6   | Found a staircase to the Snake Pit.
 19568 | Lair:6   | Reached XP level 13. HP: 76/92 MP: 17/21
 20372 | Lair:6   | Found a staircase to the Swamp.
 20480 | Lair:7   | Found a viscous altar of Jiyva.
 20480 | Lair:7   | Found a staircase to the Slime Pits.
 20999 | Lair:6   | Learned a level 4 spell: Airstrike
 21006 | Lair:6   | Learned a level 6 spell: Bolt of Cold
 21263 | Lair:7   | Reached skill level 1 in Evocations
 22551 | Lair:8   | Entered Level 8 of the Lair of Beasts
 22958 | Lair:8   | Noticed cats's ghost (journeyman DESu)
 22969 | Lair:8   | Killed cats's ghost
 22969 | Lair:8   | Reached XP level 14. HP: 95/101 MP: 12/28
 23147 | Lair:8   | Reached skill level 5 in Evocations
 23573 | Lair:2   | Bought a slice of pizza for 19 gold pieces
 23573 | Lair:2   | Bought a bread ration for 65 gold pieces
 23573 | Lair:2   | Bought 5 fruits for 97 gold pieces
 23573 | Lair:2   | Bought a meat ration for 65 gold pieces
 23573 | Lair:2   | Bought a meat ration for 65 gold pieces
 23573 | Lair:2   | Bought a bread ration for 65 gold pieces
 23573 | Lair:2   | Bought a beef jerky for 19 gold pieces
 23573 | Lair:2   | Bought a meat ration for 65 gold pieces
 23573 | Lair:2   | Bought a meat ration for 65 gold pieces
 23573 | Lair:2   | Bought a bread ration for 65 gold pieces
 23573 | Lair:2   | Bought a slice of pizza for 19 gold pieces
 23702 | Lair:2   | Got an ichor-stained short sword
 24106 | Lair:8   | Noticed Rupert
 24116 | Lair:8   | Killed Rupert
 25618 | Lair:8   | Reached skill level 10 in Dodging
 25870 | Lair:8   | Got a heavily runed brass ring
 25872 | Lair:8   | Identified the ring "Attiemin" {*Contam rPois rN+ Str+6 Slay+2} (You found it on level 8 of the Lair of Beasts)
 26992 | D:11     | Found Gukoesem's General Store.
 27058 | D:11     | Bought a potion of might for 44 gold pieces
 27058 | D:11     | Bought a scroll of identify for 22 gold pieces
 27793 | D:12     | Reached XP level 15. HP: 92/108 MP: 11/29
 27962 | D:12     | Found a staircase to the Orcish Mines.
 28863 | D:13     | Noticed cats's ghost (journeyman DrSu)
 28878 | D:13     | Killed cats's ghost
 29642 | D:14     | Reached skill level 10 in Spellcasting
 29681 | D:14     | Found a gate to the Vaults.
 30005 | D:14     | Reached skill level 1 in Charms
 30225 | D:14     | Learned a level 6 spell: Deflect Missiles
 31009 | D:15     | Entered Level 15 of the Dungeon
 31036 | D:15     | Reached skill level 5 in Charms
 31524 | D:15     | Found a staircase to the Depths.
 31747 | D:15     | Noticed cats's ghost (journeyman FeTm)
 31763 | D:15     | Killed cats's ghost
 32521 | Orc:1    | Entered Level 1 of the Orcish Mines
 33189 | Orc:1    | Found a roughly hewn altar of Beogh.
 33460 | Orc:2    | Entered Level 2 of the Orcish Mines
 33708 | Orc:2    | Reached XP level 16. HP: 107/114 MP: 31/31
 33715 | Orc:2    | Found a staircase to the Elven Halls.
 33819 | Orc:2    | Reached skill level 1 in Armour
 34062 | Orc:2    | Found Wagoma's Armour Shoppe.
 34251 | Orc:2    | Bought a +2 leather armour of fire resistance for 247 gold pieces
 34610 | Orc:2    | Found Danifogh's Weapon Boutique.
 34610 | Orc:2    | Found Woyrat's Armour Shoppe.
 34635 | Orc:2    | Found Geram's Food Emporium.
 34637 | Orc:2    | Found Ynlenih's Armour Shop.
 34648 | Orc:2    | Bought the +3 warlock's mirror {reflect} for 342 gold pieces
 34652 | Orc:2    | Bought a +2 cloak for 198 gold pieces
 35140 | Lair:2   | Bought the +1 pair of boots of the Ten Suns {rElec rCorr Int+3 Dex-4} for 486 gold pieces
 35153 | Lair:2   | Bought the ring "Corag" {Wiz *Corrode rF+++ Str-5 Stlth+} for 880 gold pieces
 35153 | Lair:2   | Bought the ring of Rujell {*Corrode rF+ rC+++ MP+9} for 921 gold pieces
 35172 | Lair:1   | Gained mutation: Your natural rate of healing is unusually fast. [mutagenic glow]

This is the most beautiful equipment I've ever had at this stage in the game. I legitimately don't think there are ANY nice spells that I lack, besides Glaciate[And I don't need THAT until Extended] and Haste[Which is luxury anyways] and my resists are fabulous. Plus my Int is in the stratosphere, I have Wizardry on top of that and taking off my *Contam ring gave my Regen 1, to stack with my amulet. Gozag is the best god ever. Like Sif[Books + Mp restore] crossed with Trog[Weapons/Armour + Powerful Buffs & Allies] crossed with Ru[Passive protection + Status Removal/Healing], except without any of their drawbacks. Well, besides spell hunger necessitating funding a bunch of food shops, but that's usually not THAT inconvenient.

[RoguelikeRazuka]

What would you suggest in this situation?

my hapless character

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

and his possessions:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Is it possible to read scrolls and evoke wands while in the tree form?

[Arcvasti]

I'd drink as many curing potions as it takes to get into a zone where you won't die in one not-healing turn and then recharge your wand of healing and then use that instead. If your hp is enough to survive one turn at any point after you've recharged the wand, haste yourself. The extra speed should help you keep ahead of the damage they're going to be piling on. Your AC and resists are quite good, and hopefully the Sphinx won't smite and kill you the first turn. If that doesn't happen, you SHOULD be able to survive this. Just last until treeform wears off, read teleport and then last until teleport goes off. Once you're no longer in mortal danger, wield that Eveningstar and use all your enchant scrolls on it. Eveningstars are godly and vampiric ones are quite nice in Depths/Zot, certainly much much better then a sucky mace of venom. Treeform prevents teleportation and blinking, so wait until its completely worn off.

[Sarrak]

0) Pretty fucked up situation... Especially while not hasted.
1) Potions, scrolls and wands are fine. You can't teleport in tree form, though.
2) Useful items: potion of invisibility (check monsters, though), scroll of fear (can get maybe half of monsters off you... but as they have nowhere to run - they'll return in a moment), potions of ambrosia and berserk rage.

[Arcvasti]

Fear is useless because all these monsters have decent MR Invis is useless because the two most dangerous ones[Gold Dragon and Sphinx] can both see invisible. Ambrosia might be worth it, considering how many potions of curing you have, but berserk rage will get you killed, probably before it even wears off.

[Sarrak]

Fear is useless because all these monsters have decent MR Invis is useless because the two most dangerous ones[Gold Dragon and Sphinx] can both see invisible. Ambrosia might be worth it, considering how many potions of curing you have, but berserk rage will get you killed, probably before it even wears off.

GD and Sphinx can end this in one move with bad luck, so excluding other monsters can boost a chance of survival. Ambrosia+Berserk may be able to last until treeform ends, but you're probably right here. Still, simply drinking cure is pretty suicidal with such EV.

[EnigmaticHat]

I'll admit, I laughed when I saw that screenshot.  When you're at vault, the sphinx alone is the kind of monster that might 1v1 a player if that player is having a bad day.

You're pretty much dead.  All those monsters are damaging, or at least damaging enough that curing, and probably ambrosia as well, is not going to outheal them.  I'd read the scroll of fear, there's like a one in a million chance you get lucky and all the monsters flee.  Failing that, I'd recharge the wand of healing and use that to hopefully survive until the lignification wears off.  Again, there's a tiny, tiny chance you might survive a single turn without taking 15 damage.

General piece of advice, you should leave berserk rage and lignification behind once you get past, I dunno, Orc or Lair.  Their stat boosts get less impressive as the game goes on, and the larger numbers and variety of enemies that can wander into a fight punish anything that limits your options.

[Arcvasti]

General piece of advice, you should leave berserk rage and lignification behind once you get past, I dunno, Orc or Lair.  Their stat boosts get less impressive as the game goes on, and the larger numbers and variety of enemies that can wander into a fight punish anything that limits your options.

I dispute that. Lignification grants Torment immunity, which can be very useful in Extended, especially Tomb.

Fear is useless because all these monsters have decent MR Invis is useless because the two most dangerous ones[Gold Dragon and Sphinx] can both see invisible. Ambrosia might be worth it, considering how many potions of curing you have, but berserk rage will get you killed, probably before it even wears off.

GD and Sphinx can end this in one move with bad luck, so excluding other monsters can boost a chance of survival. Ambrosia+Berserk may be able to last until treeform ends, but you're probably right here. Still, simply drinking cure is pretty suicidal with such EV.

They've also got 51 AC, which is nothing to sneeze at. Sphinx could still OHK them with Smite, but that could happen no matter what action you choose.

[TheDarkStar]

Unrelated: How are magic users supposed to be played? I've tried a few hundred times with a few different starts and none of them have worked (iirc only one even made it past Lair), but I've done multiple melee runs through the entire game. Any suggestions?

[EnigmaticHat]

Totally different based on the start, and then once you reach the lategame you can shape them into basically whatever you want, as per usual.

In general if it involves buffing yourself or debuffing enemies, or utility effects such as teleporting/blinking, you should hybridize and focus on being able to cast the spells you want reliably.  If its attack magic, you should focus on not just casting better spells but on having as high a spell power as possible for the spells you can cast, and generally treat your primary magic school(s) the same way you would treat your primary weapon skill.

They're all decently different tho.  I'd look up guides (or at least the wiki page) for each start you want, and try out different ones to see which one you enjoy.  Some people have different ideas than others about what's easy in this game.

[Arcvasti]

Unrelated: How are magic users supposed to be played? I've tried a few hundred times with a few different starts and none of them have worked (iirc only one even made it past Lair), but I've done multiple melee runs through the entire game. Any suggestions?

Arcvasti's Draconian Fire Elementalist guide

Background

Fire Elementalist works best, overall, since they have little trouble with resistant enemies, have a good earlygame and get good aoe attacks. Draconians are robust magic users, restart if you get White Draconian.

Skills

You want Fire Magic and Conjurations to be your highest skills. Magic skills are exactly like weapon skills, except you want to be able to cast your highest level spell at 1% failure instead of getting minimum delay. Fighting and Dodging are your next priority, since they help you cast more spells before dying. Invocations/Evocations can be useful, but shouldn't be trained above 10. Dip into other skills only as needed. Four Shields for a buckler or six Staves to get a staff of fire to 1 turn delay, for example. In general, train Spellcasting when you need spell levels. Once you can cast Fire Storm reliably, just stop worrying about skills, honestly. Do whatever you want. Unless you get really unlucky or you do something really dumb, you won't be able to mess things up too badly. Its important to note that the first skill you get to 27 will be your title for the rest of the game, so choose wisely.

Stats

Get int.

Spells

Use Flame Tongue to kill things at range with burning violence. Use Conjure Flame as a wall or a DoT on things that walk into it[Anything stronger then a yak]. Use Sticky Flame and legs on hard enemies, in conjunction with Conjure Flame. Use Fireball on groups of enemies. Once you get them, use Bolt of Magma on resistant enemies and Bolt of Fire on everything else. Delayed Fireball lets you preload damage for only two spell levels, which is a good deal. Orb of Destruction is quite nice, use that against nasty uniques or fire immune enemies. If you're doing extended or got Red Draconian, use Fire Storm on anything that moves. Pick up neat low level spells when you find them, like Blink or Repel Missiles. In extended, just go wild. Get DDoor/Borgnjors online, use mid-level buffs like haste/dmsl or branch into another elemental school for more reliable damage. Or all of the above. Doesn't matter nearly as much when you're rolling in xp.

Gods

Go for Gozag/Vehumet/Sif to get better spells or go Makh/TSO/Uska and hope you find the spells you need. Gozag is probably my favourite.

Playstyle

If you're running out[Less then a third of your bar left] of MP, this is a problem. Destructive spells are noisy and can snowball fights quickly. Switch to quieter spells[Fireball is loud] and try to draw the fight into someplace you've explored. Ideally do that BEFORE your MP bar is low. Run up the stairs to split people up if it gets bad. Use wands[Especially Acid] as emergency backup for when you can't cast spells, but NEED to. Hitting things in melee can be useful and even a powerful supplement with the right weapons and skills, but don't press tab. Ever.


This strategy is pretty sound in general. Gargoyle or High Elf both work too, although their smaller health pools means you have to watch torment/smiting/damnation more closely then usual. I've only won with it a couple times, but most of my deaths are in late Depths or early Pan, which usually means I got careless and underestimated an enemy. Plus I don't play it that often, because it gets kind of boring after like two days of playing the same combo.

EDIT:

This is an example of a successful example of this build. If I were to change anything, I'd probably have skilled in a less haphazard manner and delayed Air Magic until I needed Tornado.