Wish choices for healer - early game.
Jeffrey Willis II
mines. I am playing a promising healer and I need advice on what to
wish for.
One of the two wishes will be for Dragon Scale Mail - Grey or Silver.
I am uncertain which to choose. Most rgrn residents recommend Grey,
but it seems that MR items are easier to find than reflection items.
Should I wait till Sokoban's end to make the
decision(AoR->GDSM;BoH->Silver)? Alternately, I could wish for 2
cursed scrolls of genocide and harvest the armor myself. However, I do
not know how to accomplish the enchantment of scales to armor, nor do
I know if my character is strong enough to defeat a dragon
horde(character dump at end of post).
The second wish is trickier. The first item that comes to mind is a
pair of boots of speed(blessed,fireproof,+2). This is probably the
most solid choice, as it provides very fast speed and an additional 3
AC. I am tempted by flashier choices like a blessed wand of polymorph
or a CoMR if I decide on SDSM over GDSM.
Note that I am not garaunteed two wishes(.8 chance of wish per lamp),
so the order of wishes matters.
Character Dump:
Cuthbert the Healer St:18 Dx:17 Co:18 In:11 Wi:18 Ch:16 Neutral
Dlv1:1 $0 HP:94(94) Pw96(96) AC:-12 Xp:11/12711 T:39389 Satiated
Burdened
Relevant Inventory:
Unidentified Silver Sabre(Wielded)
7 Crude Daggers(Quiver)
Plate Mail
Leather Helm
+1 Leather Gloves
Elven Cloak
Hard Shoes
Blue & Green Shield
8 Points of Divine Protection
Blessed Luck Stone
Several Unicorn Horns
2 Unidentified Smoky Potions
Misc. unidentified ?,! and =
Two Blessed Magic Lamps(Of course)
Several spell books incl. Finger of Death,MM and Drain Life
Brief History: Started game with a gambit: rushed to minetown to buy
protection for my gnome healer before XL2. Used my pet to steal gold
to bring me up to 3198 gold before leaving main dungeon. Ended up
buying 8 points instead of 9 because I accidentally donated last 398
gold (no msg saying that I didn't have that much) instead of selling
something and then donating 400. After buying protection I headed back
up to the main dungeon and raised strength to 18 by opening and
closing a door for 10000+ turns. The memory invokes shudders. After
raising strength I was still burdened, so I headed back to the mines
for a Mithril suit to replace my unwield plate mail. Lost the XL9 pet
on the way back to the dungeon. I don't know howI never found mithril
suit. I did find the luckstone and a mine's end that was easier than
advertised. Danced the night away with a succubus, gaining 2 levels, a
pt. of constitution and one of wisdom before the succubus
disappeared(no severe headache, wasn't killed by me or my AWOL pet,
didn't yield a negative reaction and didn't show up via telepathy).
After some minor inventory management I am at the point I described
earlier in the post.
Short Term Plan of Action: Blow out the candles and make my wishes;
identify the rest of my scrolls(hoping against hope for genocide,
enchant armor and enchant weapon); clear out Sokoban; search for an
altar to sac for an artifact weapon to replace the sabre; finish quest
and switch to staff for the rest of the game.
I appreciate any comments. I am playing very carefully and I hope to
make this my first ascension, hubris willing.
-Jeff
nyra
>
> I recently identified and blessed two magic lamps obtained in the
> mines. I am playing a promising healer and I need advice on what to
> wish for.
>
> One of the two wishes will be for Dragon Scale Mail - Grey or Silver.
> I am uncertain which to choose. Most rgrn residents recommend Grey,
> but it seems that MR items are easier to find than reflection items.
> Should I wait till Sokoban's end to make the
> decision(AoR->GDSM;BoH->Silver)? Alternately, I could wish for 2
> cursed scrolls of genocide and harvest the armor myself.
Reverse genocide doesn't sound like a very good idea. In your current
state, you'd be almost guaranteed to go splat when facing a half-dozen
angry dragons.
Both magic-protection and reflection are rare beasties, and eventually
you'll want to have both. If you're anywhere close to Sokoban, make
your way to the top level and see what's on offer (it's best if you
know which layout has the amulet and which the bag, so you don't need
to clear the zoo to find out). If it's the amulet, you're lucky - wish
for grey DSM; if it's the bag, curse heartily and wish for silver (you
_will_ need reflection to get through the quest).
> The second wish is trickier. The first item that comes to mind is a
> pair of boots of speed(blessed,fireproof,+2). This is probably the
> most solid choice, as it provides very fast speed and an additional 3
> AC.
[alternatively cloak of magic resistance or wand of polymorph]
If you go for silver DSM, a cloak of magic resistance would be the
"safe" choice. You could try pestering Hermes in hopes of Magicbane,
though; of course, the chances are rather mediocre; and you'd still
want another source of magic-protection in good time, as the Staff of
Aesculapius is definitely worth wielding. Can't comment on speed
boots, i don't like them enough to spend a wish on them, but that's
personal playing style.
Hmm, what would you want the wand of polymorph for? Self-polymorph is
cheaper to get from sinks, polymorphing pets is best done with traps,
and polypiling items is only worth a shot once you've got a really
large item base (typically some time after the quest).
> Note that I am not garaunteed two wishes(.8 chance of wish per lamp),
> so the order of wishes matters.
Technically, you have a chance of 4% of no wish, 32% chance of one
wish (from either the first or the second lamp), 64% chance of two
wishes. I wouldn't count on getting two wishes, and i'd hang onto the
second lamp for a while if i got a wish out of the first.
> Character Dump:
>
> Cuthbert the Healer St:18 Dx:17 Co:18 In:11 Wi:18 Ch:16 Neutral
> Dlv1:1 $0 HP:94(94) Pw96(96) AC:-12 Xp:11/12711 T:39389 Satiated
> Burdened
>
> Relevant Inventory:
>
> Unidentified Silver Sabre(Wielded)
Is this enchanted? If not, you'd probably not be able to handle _one_
dragon, esp. since being burdened pretty much destroys your speed
advantage over the beast.
> 7 Crude Daggers(Quiver)
> Plate Mail
Uncomfortably heavy. Dragonscale armour would be a _big_ upgrade. I'd
probably not have put it on in the first place - massively hinders
spellcasting and getting burdened means monsters get more attacks on
you.
[...]
>
> Several spell books incl. Finger of Death,MM and Drain Life
Forget finger of death, you're restricted in attack spells[1]. For the
others, you'll need to get spell-friendly armour at some point. Leave
any books somewhere safe so you can read them once you're able to use
magic again. I hope you're not carrying them around currently? They're
just dead weight (lots of it) right now.
[1] I guess you'd be able to get _some_ chance of success if you
pumped your character past Xp 20 and equipped him (?) with a robe and
helm of brilliance. Still not worth the bother.
> 3198 gold before leaving main dungeon. Ended up
> buying 8 points instead of 9 because I accidentally donated last 398
> gold (no msg saying that I didn't have that much)
Um, it was displayed on the status line, no? If you enter more than
you have when asked for a number, NetHack will always read this as
"all of 'em".
> disappeared(no severe headache, wasn't killed by me or my AWOL pet,
? What's "AWOL" mean? I can only come up with stupid stuff like
"atrociously wicked, overly large".
--
Bqsfttfusftptusbjutbmbvupsjufeftspijtfueftfnqfsfv-stbqsftbxp
jsqspdmbnfuspjtgpjttbmjcfsufmbgsbodftftutpvnjtbeftdp
nqbhojftgjobodjfttesfsftrvjejtqptfoueftsjdifttfevqbztfuqbsmf
npzfo evofqsfttbdifuffeijsjhfoumqjojpo. - Voufnpjoxfsjejrvf.
Daniel Morris
"Jeffrey Willis II" <wil...@stu.beloit.edu> wrote in message
news:3751e805.03042...@posting.google.com...
> I recently identified and blessed two magic lamps obtained in the
> mines. I am playing a promising healer and I need advice on what to
> wish for.
>
> One of the two wishes will be for Dragon Scale Mail - Grey or Silver.
> I am uncertain which to choose. Most rgrn residents recommend Grey,
> but it seems that MR items are easier to find than reflection items.
> Should I wait till Sokoban's end to make the
> decision(AoR->GDSM;BoH->Silver)? Alternately, I could wish for 2
> cursed scrolls of genocide and harvest the armor myself. However, I do
> not know how to accomplish the enchantment of scales to armor, nor do
> I know if my character is strong enough to defeat a dragon
> horde(character dump at end of post).
group of soldier ants on the way to sokoban. I'd dump the platemail for
SDSM and keep that " slot for a "oLS (or PfYASD as I like to refer to it)
Spoiler Space for second wish advice
As for the second wish, I am partial to one particular neutral Artifact, the
Eyes of the Overworld (monk quest artifact) It provides MR and Astral
vision (meaning you don't need a lamp and can in fact see through walls)
With that you can rub lamps as you find them, and can use other cloaks
rather than needing [CoMR.
Oh, and don't forget your quest artifact is one of the best weapons in the
game.
Happy Hacking
Danny
Seraph
> Jeffrey Willis II schrieb:
>>
>> Note that I am not garaunteed two wishes(.8 chance of wish per lamp),
>> so the order of wishes matters.
>
> Technically, you have a chance of 4% of no wish, 32% chance of one
> wish (from either the first or the second lamp), 64% chance of two
> wishes. I wouldn't count on getting two wishes, and i'd hang onto the
> second lamp for a while if i got a wish out of the first.
I agree, having a magic lamp for a light source is pretty nice.
>> disappeared(no severe headache, wasn't killed by me or my AWOL pet,
>
> ? What's "AWOL" mean? I can only come up with stupid stuff like
> "atrociously wicked, overly large".
>
"Away With Out Leave"
--
Most people believe that if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Engineers believe that if it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features
yet.
Nan Wang
> I recently identified and blessed two magic lamps obtained in the
> mines. I am playing a promising healer and I need advice on what to
> wish for.
You might want to consider these 2 alternatives:
1) Gray dragon scale mail, and keep the 2nd lamp for light. Magic
resistence is more important than reflection, IMHO. And like you said,
you have 50% chance of getting reflection in Sokoban still.
2) Silver dragon scale mail, and The Eye of the Aethiopica. Assuming you
haven't seen more than 2 artifacts.
tomandcatherine
"Nan Wang" <nw...@panix.com> wrote
I have to agree with this assessment -- if you're a neutral spellcaster,
the Eye of the Aethiopica is one of the best possible artifacts to have.
Confers MR, recharges energy as fast as you can use it (unless you're
zapping FoD like crazy), and lets you teleport to any dungeon branch
instantly (even across the VotD.)
I'd wait on the DSM until you see what's in Sokoban, if you feel safe
making it that far. If you get an amulet of reflection, get GDSM and
don't bother with the Eye unless you really want it. If you get a bag,
get SDSM and the Eye.
Robin Schoonover
> nyra <ny...@gmx.net> wrote in news:3EAACA8D...@gmx.net:
> >
> > ? What's "AWOL" mean? I can only come up with stupid stuff like
> > "atrociously wicked, overly large".
> >
>
> "Away With Out Leave"
>
I think it's actually 'absent without official leave'. But then again,
it might be I'm just being picky.
--
Robin Schoonover (aka End)
# Just think -- blessed SCSI cables! Do a big enough sacrifice and
# create a +5 blessed SCSI cable of connectivity.
# -- Lionel Lauer
Jeffrey Willis II
> I recently identified and blessed two magic lamps obtained in the
> mines. I am playing a promising healer and I need advice on what to
I appreciate the replies to the original post. I felt some people
underestimated my character's power(someone suggested that a soldier
ant might take me out if I was burdened. Frankly, at the time I mowed
through soldier ants like sheep without losing 10 hp...air elementals
were a different story), but the advice was helpful nonetheless. I
wore Plate Mail because spellcasting isn't very helpful for my healers
early in the game. Typically I can cast Healing without a prohibitive
failure rate and I felt I would have a higher survival rate with a low
AC than with better spellcasting. This may have been a mistake, but I
survived anyway. I made sure to unburden myself, but forgot to mention
that I had intrinsic speed from consuming a quantum mechanic. I also
took the advice to wish for GDSM and save the second lamp.
I'd like any advice people think relevant to my situation. Don't worry
about spoilers.
Short update on progress: Found AoR and used first wish for GDSM. I
found a third magic lamp, bringing me up to two unused(80% chance of
wish each), two poly traps and a large scroll store. My unidentified
stash is the stuff of legend, but I have to trek down 15 flights of
stairs to return to it, so it's becoming a pain to manage. For this
reason i'm considering wishing for an item that will alleviate my
troubles. The two i'm considering are the Orb of Fate(level teleport
would allow me to move my chest to a much lower dungeon
level-correct?) and the blessed bag of holding(to lower the number of
trips I need to make back and forth from DL18, but I'm open to
suggestions. I'm up to XL13 and AC -17.
Here's a longer update on my progress:
Saved both lamps until I identified the fourth level of sokoban.
Miracle of miracles, it was the AoR level. Wished for blessed +2 gdsm
and got it. Solved the level and equipped the amulet. Left the plate
mail in Sokoban. Saved second lamp and still haven't #rubbed it. Still
unsure of second wish choice.
After sokoban I dove 10 levels in the dungeon. Around level 14 I fell
through a hole in the floor of a zoo and I was engulfed by an air
elemental. For the first time since minetown I nearly died. The E
reduced me to 37/107 hp before I destroyed it. Unfortunately I was in
the heart of a large level filled with creatures(a select few were
dangerous). I was knocked down to 8 hp while trying to move one square
over to the stairs(they were blocked by an invisible force. I prayed
when I was at 1/7(15/107) hp, but Hermes ignored me. I regained my
composure and zapped the wand of teleportation. Luckily the monster
were clumped around me and I escaped to the upstairs. Phew.
After that I encountered a great deal of luck. I found two poly traps
that yielded a golden naga, a red mold, a baby orange dragon and...a
demi-lich and a minotaur. The lich is now an arch-lich(didn't know
polyed pets levelled) and the minotaur remains by my side as well. I
found yet another magic lamp, so I need some more advice on wish
choices. No artifact weapons yet...my silver sabre will have to do
until I recharge my wand of create monster. My wand of create monster
is chargeless, but a large bookstore on DL18 might have something to
say about that.
Thank you,
-Jeff
Jeffrey Willis II
> mines. I am playing a promising healer and I need advice on what to
> wish for.
Cuthbert has ceased to be.
206501 Points, DL24, XL14.
Drowned in a pool of water by a giant eel(after falling through hole
in the floor and failing to elicit a genie from my horded B Magic
Lamp).
Thanks for the advice. No need for further comments on wishes.
-Jeff
Roger Broadbent
news:Xns9369912BDA867gm...@132.236.56.8:
> nyra <ny...@gmx.net> wrote in news:3EAACA8D...@gmx.net:
>
>> ? What's "AWOL" mean? I can only come up with stupid stuff like
>> "atrociously wicked, overly large".
>>
>
> "Away With Out Leave"
>
I always read it as "Absent WithOut Leave", but the meaning is of course
exactly the same. My dictionary concurs by the way.
Roger
Roger Broadbent
> wil...@stu.beloit.edu (Jeffrey Willis II) wrote in message
> news:<3751e805.03042...@posting.google.com>...
>> I recently identified and blessed two magic lamps obtained in the
>> mines. I am playing a promising healer and I need advice on what to
>> wish for....
> [Plate mail]
> Typically I can cast Healing without a prohibitive
> failure rate and I felt I would have a higher survival rate with a low
> AC than with better spellcasting.
An OK philosophy, but most people consider all plate mail a dead loss -
it's just too heavy. Some nice mithril armour is what I look for for as a
fighting class until I can get hold of DSM, and my low-level healers and
the like would consider using it too - in fact any character without an
offensive spell or doing the protection racket. I *might* put on plate mail
if I found it on DL1 and had no alternative, but I'd be looking to swap it
out ASAP.
> [2 magic lamps]
> The two i'm considering are the Orb of Fate(level teleport
> would allow me to move my chest to a much lower dungeon
> level-correct?)
Yes, but it's no reason to wish for it! You can get the same effect reading
a cursed scroll of teleport, or a non-cursed one while confused. Now the
Orb is a nice artifact and worth a wish anyway. But you might want to
consider other neutral artifacts too.
The Eye of the Aethoipica is great for any magic user and confers its
special abilities (everything but ESP) when carried, so you won't need to
lose the "AoR. Later, if you find silver dragon scales (or reverse genocide
silver dragons) you can convert to SDSM and use e.g. an "AoLS or even wear
the Eye.
Many swear by the Eyes of the Overworld and the PYEC is an old favourite.
> and the blessed bag of holding(to lower the number of
> trips I need to make back and forth from DL18, but I'm open to
> suggestions. I'm up to XL13 and AC -17.
A BoH is always a good thing to have, but there are often one or two in the
dungeon, so I'd hold out for as long as possible. I also like the permanent
light source of an unused magic lamp, so I would keep one of them anyway.
Another possibility is to get teleport control (wish for or polypile
the ring or reverse genocide and eat tengus) and use level teleport to and
from your stash. There are usually plenty of scrolls of teleport about.
> [...]
> I regained my
> composure and zapped the wand of teleportation. Luckily the monster
> were clumped around me and I escaped to the upstairs. Phew.
In an absolute emergency, you can break a wand of teleport to teleport
yourself and everyone around you. I also use it on the Astral Plane if I'm
surrounded by hostile angels and priests. I save wands of teleport at one
charge remaining precisely for this.
> After that I encountered a great deal of luck. I found two poly traps
> that yielded a golden naga, a red mold, a baby orange dragon and...a
> demi-lich and a minotaur. The lich is now an arch-lich(didn't know
> polyed pets levelled)
Pets all really behave the same; the only difference with domestic pets is
the extra way of taming them. All monsters will gain levels by killing
other monsters (or you I suppose ;-)). Some get "promoted" to a different
type on reaching a certain level (baby dragon, dragon; mind flayer, master
mind flayer etc.). Liches are one of these. You'll see this with untamed
monsters too if they drink potions of gain level or you use conflict.
Good luck!
Roger
Seraph
news:20030426224313...@users.sf.net:
> On 26 Apr 2003 18:16:03 GMT, Seraph <gm...@SPAMTRAPcornell.edu> wrote:
>> nyra <ny...@gmx.net> wrote in news:3EAACA8D...@gmx.net:
> [SNIP, SNIP]
>> >
>> > ? What's "AWOL" mean? I can only come up with stupid stuff like
>> > "atrociously wicked, overly large".
>> >
>>
>> "Away With Out Leave"
>>
>
> I think it's actually 'absent without official leave'. But then again,
> it might be I'm just being picky.
>
Ok, I was slightly wrong.
Its is generally
"Absent WithOut Leave"
Your answer is correct, but generally less common.
"Absence Without Official Leave" also occures.
Lancelot appearing sideways
> Cuthbert has ceased to be.
> 206501 Points, DL24, XL14.
> Drowned in a pool of water by a giant eel(after falling through hole
> in the floor and failing to elicit a genie from my horded B Magic
> Lamp).
That's ironic; my healer Nynaeve was just killed on the Quest by
drowning. A learning death: I have a new appreciation for the dangers
of ;s.
(She was such a fun character, though, that I've cheated and brought
her back from a stashed savefile.)
/
:@-) Scott
\
Darshan Shaligram
> my healer Nynaeve was just killed on the Quest by drowning. A
> learning death: I have a new appreciation for the dangers of ;s.
> (She was such a fun character, though, that I've cheated and brought
> her back from a stashed savefile.)
What's the point? Start a new game.
--
Darshan Shaligram dars...@aztec.soft.net
Lancelot appearing sideways
> Lancelot appearing sideways <sa-h...@uchicago.edu> writes:
>
> > my healer Nynaeve was just killed on the Quest by drowning. A
> > learning death: I have a new appreciation for the dangers of ;s.
>
> > (She was such a fun character, though, that I've cheated and brought
> > her back from a stashed savefile.)
>
> What's the point? Start a new game.
Because I find the midgame more fun than the early game, and I so
rarely get here.
Yes, I know it's horribly despicable of me. Like cheating at
solitaire.
/
:@-) Scott
\
Wes Irby
>
> something and then donating 400. After buying protection I headed back
> up to the main dungeon and raised strength to 18 by opening and
> closing a door for 10000+ turns. The memory invokes shudders.
Ouch. :( The strength is going to come anyway when you start
meeting giants. And I think pushing boulders is better and
easier, I'll occasionally do that if I need to waste some
time for some reason. BTW there are other factors to
determine how much you can carry unburdened.
CON for sure and maybe XL.
In fact I just found this on Sascha and Ralph's site:
From: mitch...@aol.com (Mitch45678)
Subject: Exercising Stats: A list of what to do
Date: 3 Aug 1998 02:04:21 GMT
The first check is always made at the 600th move. Every next
check is made
200-1000 moves later (determined at random).When a game is
saved and
restarted this will make the interval longer.
STRENGTH
The following activities exercise your strength:
- Attacking a monster
- Quaffing a potion of healing or extra healing
- Kicking open a non-booby trapped door
- Throwing an iron ball
- Moving or throwing a boulder
- Trying to open or close a door and failing
<<<<<<<<<<<<<
- Being hit by a nurse
- If you "feel restored to health" after an encounter
with a
succubus/incubus
- Reading a blessed or uncursed scroll of enchant armor
when not wearing any armor
- Carrying enough so that you are "stressed" or
"strained"
- Regenerating
- Being hit by electricity or fire if you're an iron
golem
So I guess from that list, killing things and pushing
boulders would be easiest.
> I did find the luckstone and a mine's end that was easier than
> advertised.
In my experience, If you don't get a poly trap, mine's end
is no big deal. It's when you XL8 character has to decide
whether they can take on a balrog or a dragon that it gets
sporty.
> Danced the night away with a succubus, gaining 2 levels, a
> pt. of constitution and one of wisdom before the succubus
> disappeared(no severe headache, wasn't killed by me or my AWOL pet,
> didn't yield a negative reaction and didn't show up via telepathy).
Since they fly, she didn't fall through a hole. Level
teleport trap or killed by a some other trap is all I can
think of.
Wes
--
"If everything seems under control,
you're just not going fast enough!", Mario Andretti.
Yoshi348
> Jeffrey Willis II wrote:
>>
>> something and then donating 400. After buying protection I headed
>> back up to the main dungeon and raised strength to 18 by opening
>> and closing a door for 10000+ turns. The memory invokes shudders.
>
> Ouch. :( The strength is going to come anyway when you start
> meeting giants. And I think pushing boulders is better and
> easier, I'll occasionally do that if I need to waste some
> time for some reason. BTW there are other factors to
> determine how much you can carry unburdened.
> CON for sure and maybe XL.
>
> In fact I just found this on Sascha and Ralph's site:
>
> From: mitch...@aol.com (Mitch45678)
> Subject: Exercising Stats: A list of what to do
> Date: 3 Aug 1998 02:04:21 GMT
I'm working on a 3.4.1 stat spoiler myself. I've gotten about
two-thirds of the way through the source (skipping stuff like mklev
that wouldn't have anything to do with stats).
> - Being hit by electricity or fire if you're an iron
> golem
Electricty as a flesh golem, fire as an iron golem. This heals monster
golems, and it heals you too. Many heals exercise strength.
--
-Aaron Davidson
"Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is the probable reason
so few engage in it." -Henry Ford
Rob Ellwood
>
> [Exercising]
>
> ...I just found this on Sascha and Ralph's site:
>
> The first check is always made at the 600th move. Every next
^^^^^^^^
This turns out not to be the case. (The author of the first
spoiler misinterpreted one part of the code.) The checks are made
every 800-1000 turns.
--
Rob Ellwood