Never beat Crawl? Enter here! :-)

[myang26]

That makes sense but I'm having trouble with hard hitting monsters.  I'm not sure what kind of strategy to take.  What's the point of unarmed skill if you can't afford to go toe to toe with monsters?

[Omnivorous]

Heavy armours do ruin Unarmed Combat. The way I see it, Evasion/Armour is basically the same thing, only difference is that with focus on Ev, you will NOT take any damage 9 out of 10 hits, then the 10th hit, you'll get severely injured. With focus on heavy armour however, you'll take some hits every turn, just not take so much damage from each and every hit you catch.. That's not exactly how it works, but kindof how it is.

Anyway, like I said with my Centaur Monk, acouple of times before level 10, I considered him dead as he was brutally pushed around by some pretty powerful foes, and I really had to combine potions of haste, with prayers of might, just to get to read a scroll of teleportation in time to get away from the encounter - then just get forced to drink all potions of healing just to make his way to the stair, that he teleported close to.

I was lucky enough to find a ring of protection+4 and buy a ring of +8 AC. Other than that, light armour can be really powerful too, plus ranged combat is effective when you use a character that has the right aptitudes for ranged combat. It's just as powerful as melee combat with a Centaur.  And Centaur's movement-speed is so good that it'll usually buy you some extra time.

[Omnivorous]

Died;/ Got impatient at the endless rush of annoying Nagas.. Gah, what a horrible place ;p Very unneccecary death. I could've also just returned to my stash atleast, and picked up afew handy spells! But no.. I just had to "quickly pick up the rune first!" x_x Ohwell, was an interesting run.
72034 PerKiller the Black Belt (level 14, -2/106 (122) HPs)
             Began as a Centaur Monk on Oct 29, 2009.
             Was an Elder of Okawaru.
             Slain by a greater naga
             ... wielding a +0,+1 long sword of electrocution (16 damage)
             ... on Level 5 of the Snake Pit on Nov 1, 2009.
             The game lasted 04:34:31 (41984 turns).
PerKiller the Black Belt (Centaur Monk)            Turns: 41984, Time: 04:34:32

HP  -2/106 (122) AC 21     Str 22      Exp: 14/102308 (3), need: 1291
MP  17/19        EV 19     Int 11      God: Okawaru ****
Gold 419         SH  0     Dex 16      Spells:  0 memorised, 15 levels left

Res.Fire  : + . .   See Invis. : .     - Unarmed
Res.Cold  : + + +   Warding    : .   q - +2 orc robe {rC+ rF+}
Life Prot.: + . .   Conserve   : .   (no shield)
Res.Poison: +       Res.Corr.  : +   W - +2 cap {Int+3} {god gift}
Res.Elec. : .       Clarity    : .   Q - +0 cloak {rPois} {god gift}

                                     R - +2 pair of gloves
Sust.Abil.: .       Rnd.Telep. : .   (no barding)
Res.Mut.  : .       Ctrl.Telep.: .   H - amulet of resist corrosion
Res.Slow  : .       Levitation : .   g - ring of Robustness {AC+8}
Saprovore : . . .   Ctrl.Flight: .   P - ring of Descent {rC++ rN+ EV+5 Str+3}


@: invisible, mighty, mildly poisoned, very quick, somewhat resistant to magic,
stealthy
A: fast metabolism 2, speed 2, deformed body 1, horns 1, hooves, AC +4, Str +1
a: Might, Renounce Religion

You were on level 5 of the Snake Pit.
You worshipped Okawaru.
Okawaru was extremely pleased with you.
You were not hungry.

You visited 7 branches of the dungeon, and saw 35 of its levels.
You visited 1 portal chamber (including bazaars).

You collected 2751 gold pieces.
You spent 2332 gold pieces at shops.

Inventory:

Hand weapons
 a - a +3,+3 bow
 D - the +1,+2 dagger "Uxoczaih" (quivered) {god gift, slay orc, -CAST +Tele rN+ SInv}
   (Okawaru gifted it to you on level 5 of the Lair of Beasts)  
   It is especially effective against all of orcish descent.
   It protects you from negative energy.
   It enhances your eyesight.
   It lets you teleport.
   It prevents spellcasting.
 T - a +3,+1 hand crossbow of protection {god gift}
Missiles
 c - 8 +2 arrows
 n - 52 +0 orcish arrows
 M - 26 +4 arrows
Armour
 q - a +2 orcish robe of resistance (worn)
 z - a +1 cloak of magic resistance {god gift}
 Q - a +0 cloak of poison resistance (worn) {god gift}
 R - a +2 pair of gloves (worn)
 W - a +2 cap of intelligence (worn) {god gift}
Magical devices
 d - a wand of frost (0)
 f - a wand of enslavement (7)
 k - a wand of paralysis (0)
 l - a wand of confusion (7)
 s - a wand of draining (5)
 w - a wand of slowing (9)
 A - a wand of lightning (
 B - a wand of teleportation (5)
 G - a wand of fireball (2)
 I - a wand of digging (6)
 L - a wand of flame (20)
 O - a wand of digging (6)
 S - a wand of fire (3)
 X - a wand of draining (6)
 Y - a wand of frost (11)
Comestibles
 K - 4 honeycombs
Scrolls
 o - 13 scrolls of remove curse
 v - 7 scrolls of teleportation
 E - 2 scrolls of magic mapping
 F - a scroll of recharging
Jewellery
 b - an uncursed ring of protection from cold
 e - an uncursed amulet of rage
 g - the ring of Robustness (right hand) {AC+8}
   (You bought it in a shop on level 10 of the Dungeon)  
   [ring of protection]
   It affects your AC (+8).
 h - an uncursed ring of see invisible
 i - a +4 ring of protection
 m - an uncursed ring of poison resistance
 r - an uncursed ring of sustain abilities
 t - an uncursed amulet of warding
 y - an uncursed amulet of conservation
 C - an uncursed ring of fire
 H - an amulet of resist corrosion (around neck)
 J - a +0,+5 ring of slaying
 N - an uncursed ring of levitation
 P - the ring of Descent (left hand) {rC++ rN+ EV+5 Str+3}
   (You found it on level 9 of the Lair of Beasts)  
   [ring of life protection]
   It affects your evasion (+5).
   It affects your strength (+3).
   It greatly protects you from cold.
 V - an uncursed ring of protection from magic
Potions
 j - a potion of might
 u - 4 potions of restore abilities
 x - 2 potions of speed
 Z - a potion of invisibility
Books
 p - a book of Enchantments  
   Spells                             Type                      Level
   Levitation                         Enchantment/Air              2
   Selective Amnesia                  Enchantment                  4
   Remove Curse                       Enchantment                  5
   Cause Fear                         Enchantment                  5
   Extension                          Enchantment                  5
   Deflect Missiles                   Enchantment/Air              6
   Haste                              Enchantment                  6

 You had 3 experience left.

   Skills:
 + Level 9 Fighting
 + Level 12 Bows
 + Level 8 Darts
 + Level 6 Throwing
 + Level 9 Dodging
 + Level 6 Stealth
 + Level 2 Stabbing
 + Level 2 Traps & Doors
 + Level 15 Unarmed Combat
 + Level 1 Spellcasting
 + Level 5 Invocations
 + Level 3 Evocations

You had 15 spell levels left.
You didn't know any spells.

Overview of the Dungeon

Branches:
Temple: D:6       Orc   : D:10      Elf   : Orc:3     Lair  : D:10  
Swamp : Lair:2    Slime : Lair:9    Snake : Lair:5    Hive  : D:11  

Altars:

Kikubaaqudgha: D:6
Yredelemnul: Lair:9, Snake:1
Xom: Lair:8
Trog: D:12

Shops:
D:9: !  D:10: =  D:12: /?  Lair:2: [  Lair:6: (  Snake:5: +

                    Innate Abilities, Weirdness & Mutations

You have extremely tough skin (AC +3).
You have a very fast metabolism.
You cover ground very quickly.
Armour fits poorly on your equine body.
You have hooves in place of feet.
Your muscles are strong (Str +1).
You have a pair of small horns on your head.
You are partially covered in red scales (AC +1).


Message History
The greater naga hits you with a runed long sword!
You miss the greater naga.
Your kick misses the greater naga.
You headbutt the greater naga.
The greater naga is lightly wounded.
You feel sick.
You feel a little better.

[Omnivorous]

Alright, I think this will be how high-score table looks. And as I update it, I will delete the older one so there's only one table that "moves around". Does this one look alright?
REST IN PEACE EXPLORERS OF THE DUNGEON.. THESE BRAVE ADVENTURERS SHALL BE REMEMBERED...

(1) 210030 Numeron the Severer (level 18, -26/163 HPs)
(2) 72034 PerKiller the Black Belt (level 14, -2/106 (122) HPs)
(3) 18263 Karzack the Hacker (level 12, -1/104 HPs)
(4) 4300 Karis the Slicer (level 10, -2/56 HPs)   (Player: Archaalen)


Color-coding: No Runes, One Rune, Two Runes, Three Runes, Three Runes+, Orb of Zot, All Runes+Orb, Winner!.

[myang26]

Doh, sorry to hear that.  Those are some incredible rings you have there though!

What does everyone think about brands?  What are the best? 

Holy wrath
Draining
Flaming
Vorpal (piercing, chopping, etc.)
Freezing
Electrocution

Specifically, with the vorpal brand... is there a damage multiplication happening that's hidden or is it included in the enchant bonus?

[jim]

On the multiplayer server, myang26, I tend to see a lot of use of weapons of speed. Speed isn't as flashy or explosive as the other brands, but it's probably the rarest. Speed, in general, is king of Crawl. Being able to get a hit in and withdraw or change tactics is important.

Sometimes my characters will carry around flaming weapons for their specific use against hydras, and should I attempt the undead branches, there's nothing better than a weapon of holy wrath. Generally, I carry whatever sort of brand happens to appear on the weapon type that my guy is good at using. That's part of the fun.

And yeah, vorpal has a hidden bonus - substantial but not amazing.

[corremn]

Vorpal weapons will generally do the most damage.  Weapons of speed will do the less damage in half the time.  I would choose these two. An awsome holy weapon will help a lot in end game, going for all runes, but you should have an awsome weapon by that time anyway.  As mentioned flame weapons are a must for axes or sword users.

You guys have started me playing again, I am currently trying Minotaur Death Knights of Makhleb.  He just found +1 Gold dragon armour lying around of level 10.  Wow, never have I found such a great armour at that level. This guy is bound to win now. I just hope I find enough enchant armours scrolls to max it out, plus the Poison, fire and cold resistance is very handy at this level.

[Omnivorous]

Wow, never have I found such a great armour at that level. This guy is bound to win now.

Ahh, way to jinx yourself..! Do you know nothing of the mechanics of a roguelike?! To quote Queens of the Stone Age; 'First it giveth, then it taketh away'.

Hehe, just messing around.. Good luck, it sounds great! Made me want to try that character combination.

[corremn]

Of course the RNG probably didn't pick up on my sarcasim. Anyway he is still going strong, but does not have a decent weapon yet. Still wielding a hand axe.  Got scared by a orc sorcerer and warlord? but and after I managed to summon 2 hostile minor demons(odds of that was very low), i managed to summon a friendly blue death.  Took a major piety hit but he still lives.

This combo works well, but its number one get-out-of-jail-free-card (summon minor/greater demons) can really turn on you in the worst moments. It takes more planning than some other god choices and always required a back up plan, until you innvocations skill is quite high i guess.

Wiki reports this for summoning (hostile if 1d(20+3*invoc) < 5).  My invoc is around 8, which a little over 1/11 chance for hostile. sounds about right..

[Karzack]

I swear they have something coded in this game to make it harder when you get a good start.  I've had a few characters get a good start, gear, etc.  Then, all of the sudden I am hit with out of depth monsters, uniques, ghosts, etc.

I've got all week off.  Hopefully and can sit down and have a good game or two.  It's much easier to play without the kids around.  

Edit:  Crap!  I was going good and then I stepped into the snake pit and was teleported to the abyss.  I was surviving pretty well.  I found a portal and as soon as I got to it a demon stepped on it.  Blink didn't seem to work.  I took him out and was taking his buddies out and then my teleportitis kicked in.  Mutated from one of the demons here.  Then a lich and his friends surrounded me and that was it.

@Omnivorous
Go ahead and replace my current character on the list with this one.
Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup version 0.5.2 (crawl-ref) character file.

31629 Karzack the Hacker (level 13, 0/132 HPs)
             Began as a Hill Orc Berserker on Nov 2, 2009.
             Was an Elder of Trog.
             Killed from afar by a lich (13 damage)
             ... with a puff of frost
             ... in The Abyss.
             The game lasted 04:04:39 (30527 turns).

Karzack the Hacker (Hill Orc Berserker)                                        Turns: 30527, Time: 04:04:39

HP   0/132       AC 25     Str 25      Exp: 13/43623 (0), need: 4877
MP  11/11        EV  6     Int  8      God: Trog ****
Gold 1093        SH  7     Dex 10      Spells:  0 memorised, 14 levels left

Res.Fire  : + . .   See Invis. : +   a - +5,+6 war axe (flame) {god gift}
Res.Cold  : . . .   Warding    : .   S - +0 plate mail
Life Prot.: . . .   Conserve   : +   v - +0 shield
Res.Poison: +       Res.Corr.  : .   V - +2 helmet {SInv}
Res.Elec. : +       Clarity    : .   i - +0 cloak
                                     M - +2 pair of gloves
Sust.Abil.: .       Rnd.Telep. : +   (no boots)
Res.Mut.  : .       Ctrl.Telep.: .   G - amulet "Heel" {Cons Int+4}
Res.Slow  : .       Levitation : .   s - ring of Izeohad {rElec rPois rC- Dam+3 Stl
Saprovore : + . .   Ctrl.Flight: .   K - ring of protection from cold

@: about to teleport, exhausted, very slow, slowed, somewhat resistant to magic, unstealthy
A: carnivore 1, fire resistance 1, teleportitis 2, +10% hp, saprovore 1, AC +1, Str +1, Dex -2
a: Burn Spellbooks, Berserk, Trog's Hand, Brothers in Arms, Renounce Religion


You were in the Abyss.
You worshipped Trog.
Trog was extremely pleased with you.
You were not hungry.

You visited 5 branches of the dungeon, and saw 26 of its levels.
You visited the Abyss 1 time.

You collected 1317 gold pieces.
You spent 253 gold pieces at shops.

Inventory:

Hand weapons
 a - a +5,+6 war axe of flaming (weapon) {god gift}
 b - a +0,+4 hand crossbow of flame {god gift}
 c - a +0,+6 war axe of freezing {god gift}
Missiles
 m - 6 poisoned +0 orcish darts (quivered)
 r - 19 +3 orcish darts
Armour
 i - a +0 cloak (worn)
 v - a +0 shield (worn)
 M - a +2 pair of gloves (worn)
 S - a +0 plate mail (worn)
 V - a +2 helmet of see invisible (worn)
Magical devices
 q - a wand of paralysis (7)
 H - a wand of disintegration (10)
 N - a wand of enslavement (3)
 U - a wand of cold (6)
Comestibles
 d - 10 meat rations
 z - a royal jelly
Scrolls
 e - a scroll of detect curse
 h - 5 scrolls of magic mapping
 j - a scroll of holy word
 k - 2 scrolls of blinking
 l - a scroll of identify
 n - 8 scrolls of teleportation
 o - 5 scrolls of remove curse
Jewellery
 f - an uncursed ring of see invisible
 s - the ring of Izeohad (right hand) {rElec rPois rC- Dam+3 Stlth+}
   (You found it on level 8 of the Dungeon)   
   [ring of poison resistance]
   It affects your damage-dealing abilities (+3).
   It makes you vulnerable to cold.
   It insulates you from electricity.
   It makes you much more stealthy.
 t - a +4 ring of strength
 w - an uncursed ring of life protection
 D - an uncursed ring of protection from cold
 F - an uncursed ring of fire
 G - the amulet "Heel" (around neck) {Cons Int+4}
   (You found it on level 7 of the Dungeon)   
   [amulet of conservation]
   It affects your intelligence (+4).
 K - a ring of protection from cold (left hand)
Potions
 u - a potion of invisibility
 x - 4 potions of restore abilities
 y - a potion of speed
 B - 4 potions of might
 O - a potion of confusion
Books
 R - a book of Power   
   Spells                             Type                      Level
   Animate Dead                       Necromancy                   4
   Teleport Other                     Translocation                4
   Venom Bolt                         Conjuration/Poison           5
   Bolt of Iron                       Conjuration/Earth            6
   Invisibility                       Enchantment                  6
   Mass Confusion                     Enchantment                  6
   Poisonous Cloud                    Conjuration/Poison/Air       6
   Trog disapproves of the use of such an item.


 You had 0 experience left.

   Skills:
 + Level 12 Fighting
 + Level 18 Axes
 + Level 9 Armour
 + Level 1 Dodging
 + Level 10 Shields
 + Level 3 Traps & Doors
 + Level 1 Spellcasting
 + Level 2 Evocations


You had 14 spell levels left.
You didn't know any spells.

Overview of the Dungeon

Branches:
Temple: D:5       Orc   : D:7       Lair  : D:12      Slime : Lair:8
Snake : Lair:3   

Altars:
Yredelemnul: D:11
Makhleb: D:11
Elyvilon: D:11
Beogh: D:7

Shops:
D:5: *  D:6: !  D:7: ?  Lair:7: =  Lair:8: ?


                    Innate Abilities, Weirdness & Mutations

You can tolerate rotten meat.
Your digestive system is specialised to digest meat.
Your flesh is heat resistant.
You are clumsy (Dex -1).
Space sometimes distorts in your vicinity.
Your muscles are strong (Str +1), but stiff (Dex -1).
You are robust (+10% HP).
You are partially covered in white scales (AC +1).


Message History

The spectral warrior hits you but doesn't do any damage.
The spectral warrior hits you.
The spectral warrior hits you!
You feel drained.
* * * LOW HITPOINT WARNING * * *
You feel better.
The lich points at you and mumbles some strange words.

        .
   {..# .{{
  .#{#. .{
 #..{{. {{ #
{...... {#{   #
  ....{#.. ##.{
##{#...z. ...{.
{.{{{{pW#.......
      #@Wz#
     #W#L W#
     #W W#W#
     .{ ## #{#
     .{
    #..
    ..{
   :{..
      .


You could see a lich, a flayed ghost, 3 shadow wraiths, 2 spectral warriors, a freezing wraith, a wraith, a shadow, a flying skull and an ugly thing skeleton.

*snip*

[corremn]

I hate teleportis, I sometimes kill my character off, when he gets it. (after a quick search for tele control and cure corruption).  My last best character got all runes but tomb and headed down to zot 5 only to be bounced around with random teleports, until I ran out of healing.  I hates it.

[Rabiat]

The Abyss is a dreadful place unless you're at least CL15 or so. I've lost lots of characters there with a portal in sight. Just out of curiosity, Karzack, did you wind up there because Rupert hit you with a blade of distortion in the Snake Pit? My MiBe (earlier in this thread) was very lucky on Snake:3 to get hit by Rupert three times and just blink.

Teleportitis is extremely annoying, but if I get it, I usually survive long enough to get rid of it. Teleportitis in the Abyss can be either deadly or lifesaving because there's a chance the level is regenerated when you teleport.

myang26: there is no such thing as 'the best' weapon brand. Crawl can be frustrating when it comes to the usefulness of items. A poisoned weapon is extremely useful in the upper dungeon, the Lair and the Orc Mines, but after that it's almost worthless. Holy wrath is a pretty useless brand unless you make it to the Crypt and the Tomb. Speed and vorpal brand at least are useful at all times, but in general, you'll be using lots of different branded and artefact weapons because you'll have to adapt to circumstances, and you'll keep finding better ones.

After Omnivorous' recommendation I tried a Centaur Monk of Okawaru. I'm not very impressed by its capabilities, but it's still alive, and so far this has been a relaxing dive. The char has both good melee and ranged skill, very useful movement speed, and decent survivability. I'm not so sure about its AC/EV though, so I rely on ranged combat a lot more than I'd like. Also it hasn't had the playtime it deserved, because lately, real life keeps interfering with my escapism at the most inconvenient times.

[Karzack]

It was a named one that hit me in the snake pit.  I'm not sure if it was Rupert I don't remember the name.  It probably was him though.  It was on the first level of the snake pit.  If I would have managed to get out, I may have been able to remove it.  There was a shop selling a potion of cure mutation.  It was a chance at least.  I didn't go down easy either.  I reeked havoc in the abyss.  It was actually quite fun.    Minus the whole death thing.

Is there a way to help prevent being transported to the abyss?

On another subject; having that flaming weapon really helped against the hydras.  They were pushovers with that weapon and weren't much of a threat at all.  I was in the lair and before I knew it I was at the bottom.

I think my next goal will be a character that can score at least 75k points. 

[Rabiat]

As far as I know there is no reliable way to prevent banishment to the Abyss. Of course raising EV to ridiculous levels helps to prevent getting hit by a weapon of distortion. Also avoid wielding unidentified weapons in the mid game; unwielding a weapon of distortion can cause banishment as well. Finally, you can choose to follow Lugonu to be able to leave the Abyss at will, but that's probably not an option if you'd rather avoid the Abyss altogether.

The power of hydras comes from their multiple attacks. They're not much of a threat if you can reliably lop off their heads with a flaming blade. But even without a flaming weapon, most characters should be able to deal with a hydra by the time they meet one - unless they make the mistake of blindly hacking away with a non-flaming blade (or unarmed as a Troll).

If you're going for a high score, don't forget to hang on to your gold and keep valuable items in your inventory. If you die, your stash of 12 Runes and 20 fixedarts on Lair:2 isn't going to count. That's also the reason I don't rate my games by final score. "Orb taken/Runes collected/Artefacts snatched/Branches cleared" is hardly quantifiable, but I think it's more meaningful than score.

[corremn]

The power of hydras comes from their multiple attacks. They're not much of a threat if you can reliably lop off their heads with a flaming blade. But even without a flaming weapon, most characters should be able to deal with a hydra by the time they meet one - unless they make the mistake of blindly hacking away with a non-flaming blade (or unarmed as a Troll).

Interesting enough, last time I played a merfolk trasmuter and blade hands seemed to be quite effective, i.e no new heads.  Not sure if that is a bug or not.