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Yup.

65 (12.2%)

Not even close.

391 (73.4%)

Almost . . . but didn't

26 (4.9%)

Maybe managed halfway

51 (9.6%)

Total Members Voted: 530

[Tarran]

Only some of the time.

[Geen]

lol

[quinnr]

On my best run so far, ever, after only a few runs tonight.

I have a huge BOATLOAD of potions and wands, all ID'd by a Throne. I also have Polymorph Control ring, Slow Digestion, BoH, Wand of Poly.

Only thing I lack is scrolls...I have...4. But I got a few enchant weapon and enchant armor scrolls, and Exacliber, and I'm doing GREAT! Cleared out Big Room, and I'm Exp 11 on D12. I also have a pet Chickatrice. I'm being quite careful, and I think I might have had a chance at winning, if I had more experience. Oh well, WIKI powers will help me.

[Tarran]

Good luck!

But don't get too excited, there's still a LOT of chances for you to die!

[quinnr]

Good luck!

But don't get too excited, there's still a LOT of chances for you to die!

I know. It makes me sad. But I am pretty much wiki'ing everything, and actually using Elbereth. So...I'll keep hoping, tentatively.

The only really scary thing I've come across was a Gray Dragon and an Ogre Lord in the Big Room, at the same time.

How do I get my pet Chickatrice to attack things? It's just...following me around. I want it to stone things!

[JoshuaFH]

It's been a very long time since I've played Nethack, so feel free to look this up as I'm only recalling from memory:

Pets won't attack creatures that are significantly higher level than them. So you can have a pet anything, and it'll just sit idly by as you get beaten to death by an Archon.

Of course, pets gain levels by killing creatures, so you need to find much weaker creatures first, and hope your chickatrice doesn't die.

And if it does, I don't think it's sacrilege to use it's corpse as an improvised weapon so long as you're using gloves. Remember to keep it holstered whenever you're not using it! A single trip or fall and you're dead!

[quinnr]

...you...can beat things to stone with a Chickatrice?

Why didn't I think of that!?

I'd need to find some gloves, first, though...

[JoshuaFH]

Also, don't kick it (the corpse or the creature) without shoes. You will be petrified quite instantly.

[Stargrasper]

The Dev Team Thinks of Everything.

Pretty much anything and everything is able to be used as a weapon even if it isn't explicitly a weapon.  Including corpses.  Using non-weapons as weapons is always fun.

You might consider zapping yourself with that wand of polymorph and turn into a cockatrice.  If you're a female character, you can lay eggs.  They may just hatch into pets.  You can also throw your own eggs at enemies to stone them, though breaking your own eggs incurs a luck penalty (-1, I think).

You could also polymorph yourself into something more...destructive...  Like a black dragon with disintegration breath...

[JoshuaFH]

When polymorphing into anything non-humanoid, be sure to remove all clothing and armor before doing so. You'll destroy it all if you don't with the exception of amulets and, I think, rings.

Black Dragons aren't an optimal choice, since their natural AC, which can't be improved with armor, is too high to be worthwhile. Also, the dragonbreath consumes an awful lot of MP. However, the disintegration breath allows for making short work of most Quest bosses.

Vampire Lord and Master Mind Flayer are the choices considered most optimal for controlled polymorphing. I prefer VL's, due to being statistically superior in nearly every way, having max strength, health regeneration, natural flying, undeath (and thus, natural immunity to instant death spells and effects), magical breathing, a level draining bite attached to attacking normally, and some other things I'm sure I'm forgetting.

EDIT: Also, I might be mistaken, but you should not pray to a lawful or neutral God while poly'd into a VL. They will be angry. I'm not sure if the same counts for chaotic gods though.

MMF's are also fun, because even though they don't have as many advantages, they have 4-5 brain eating tendril attacks attached to every normal attack. This will make short work of any enemy with a brain. Does not work on brainless opponents though, ESPECIALLY acid slimes and the like, as they splash you can can deal impressive amounts of damage in a short period of time from just splashing.

Also, both biting and brain sucking count as touching a cockatrice unprotected, which will stone you instantly.

There's also a variety of angel that you can poly into, that doesn't have as many advantages as either, but can dual-wield, and has a kick attached to their regular attack, which doesn't have the drawbacks of biting or sucking so long as you're wearing shoes.

I loved polymorphing SO MUCH.

[quinnr]

Tried a Flying Gargoyle, the polymorph only lasted for one turn, though. 

[kcwong]

Having a pet cockatrice is a not a very good idea... it's weak and die easily. If you cannot get to its corpse first, some humanoid with gloves (like soldiers) will grab it and hit you. Instant death, no way to defend against it.

[quinnr]

gzip: stdin: unexpected end of file
Unable to uncompress /var/games/nethack/save/1000quinn

Lovely. Just...lovely. Anyone know how to fix this? 

[JoshuaFH]

Sorry, can't help with saving and file troubles. Good luck with that.

Tried a Flying Gargoyle, the polymorph only lasted for one turn, though. 

Polymorphing lasts a random number of turns. You can retain shape indefinitely though, by wearing an amulet of unchanging. Caution, as when you're poly'd and you hit 0 hp, you return to your human shape, but if you're wearing an Amulet of Unchanging, you can't change back, and you just die.

Gargoyles are special in that they're one of the few creatures completely immune to petrification. You can eat a cockatrice corpse while poly'd into one, and suffer no ill effects.

[quinnr]

That's pretty...interesting. Makes sense, though, being stone and all.

Apparently the save is lost forever, from what I've found. Trying to compile the game myself without compression settings, so that it doesn't do that again (that's not the first time...)