YAAD: Medusa's Titan
Aaron
medusa's island, the titan version, had a decently equipped elven
wizard (had MB, blessed BoH, greased +2 SDSM), but no way to directly
take out the titan before he could summon a whole group of nasties.
Well, about 15 turns later, I thought I had moved off the upstairs for
whatever reason and just thought "screw it, I'm digging, I'll be back
later".
The ray reflects off the stairs and strikes the ceiling, but luckily I
was wearing a hard helmet.
If only I had survived that elf attacking me :( dywypi?
Anyone have any advice for a wiz who has been struck down not once,
not twice, but three times by the freakin titan? I've never made it
past medusa's island :(
TJR
> This also qualifies as YASD, I was standing on E engraved up stairs in
> medusa's island, the titan version, had a decently equipped elven
> wizard (had MB, blessed BoH, greased +2 SDSM), but no way to directly
> take out the titan before he could summon a whole group of nasties.
That's the point - you have to take out the titan quickly. If you
don't have the means, retreat and prepare. I like to jump near it and
tame it. I'd suggest you practise a bit in wizard mode.
Janis Papanagnou
>
> Anyone have any advice for a wiz who has been struck down not once,
> not twice, but three times by the freakin titan? I've never made it
> past medusa's island :(
Well, you need to be prepared, and even that seems to not always work
in any case[*]. Anyway. Some things that regularily work...
Zap him with a wand of teleport; there's a good chance that he lands
somewhere in Medusa's sea where you don't have to pass, or at least
where you could bypass him (e.g. by digging down).
Bypass the level entirely by level-teleport (cursed scroll or confused
scroll reading). (You should ideally have teleport control to get best
output from that.)
Use a scroll of earth to build a boulder fort around you on the stairs
and have enough missiles to throw past the boulder at him.
As your very first step; step one square sidewards and zap a wand of
digging down.
Get a pet purple worm or a tough pet to take care of him while standing
on an Elbereth engraving on the stairs.
Engrave Elbereth (preferable with a wand of fire or lightning, or else
with a wand of digging, a magic marker, or athame (if you have one).
If monsters are summoned, first kill those monsters that don't respect
the Elbereth engraving; first any minotaurs and then all human-like @.
Retreat back up from the stairs before things get too tight. Mind that
some monsters, especially those elves that killed you, will follow you
upstairs when they've stood adjacent to you, so you should have some
reserve in your HPs.
Zap the worst summoned monsters (and first the titan and the one's that
don't respect the E-word) away wit a wand of teleport.
If you're surrounded by monsters and cannot retreat, break a wand of
teleport (preferable one with only one charge left); this will teleport
all adjacent monsters away. (Teleporting others works even on no-tele
levels.)
Read a scroll of taming or cast charm monster to get some buddies from
the summoned horde to help you and to have less foes to bother you.
(Read the scroll while you're confused and the radius will be entended
extreemly. Sometimes a summoned umber hulk may do the confusing for you.)
Use conflict to turn the horde against the titan and against each other.
I'm sure there's something applicable for you for the next time. :-)
Janis
[*] Two months ago I've died from a titan's wand of death as soon as
he came in a straight line-of-sight, before I could do anything.[**]
[**] Having at that point reflection or magic resistance would have
been very helpful.
Aaron
wrote:
Thanks for the advice. I had a ring of conflict, I believe, but had
removed it while doing protection racket, and for some reason it
didn't occur to me to put it back on. That actually would have saved
my life, and I'm sure one of the dragons he summoned would have taken
him out. Oh well, there's always next time, lesson learned the hard
way :)
Now to just put the hours back into getting that far again (hoping the
RNG doesn't decide to kill me prior to that)
JMonkey
don't move with it weilded.
TJR
> Well, you need to be prepared, and even that seems to not always work
> in any case[*]. Anyway. Some things that regularily work...
Most of these suggestions are crowd control. While it is definitely
necessary to have a plan for the nasties, it is more important to take
the summoner out before they appear. That's why I suggested jumping
near him. Taming, a c-corpse, or a death ray work wonders.
hept...@gmail.com
> A cockatrice corpse works wonders. Just make sure to wear gloves and
FTFY
Janis Papanagnou
> [how to deal with Medusa's Titan]
>
>> Well, you need to be prepared, and even that seems to not always work
>> in any case[*]. Anyway. Some things that regularily work...
>
> Most of these suggestions are crowd control.
Nonsense. The first six advice have nothing to do with a crowd at all;
not sure what "most" means for you.
The OP wanted advice how to handle the Medusa-titan level and how to
get beyond that level without dying there.
> [...]
Janis
Janis Papanagnou
> On 7 Jan., 15:39, Aaron <abchip...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> This also qualifies as YASD, I was standing on E engraved up stairs in
>> medusa's island, the titan version, had a decently equipped elven
>> wizard (had MB, blessed BoH, greased +2 SDSM), but no way to directly
>> take out the titan before he could summon a whole group of nasties.
>
> That's the point - you have to take out the titan quickly.
Not true. Just one option of many. You can also most simply displace
him with teleport to a distant location. Or circumvent the level. Or
fortify yourself and do any of the suggestions proposed elsethread.
> If you don't have the means, retreat and prepare.
Or do any of the suggestions proposed elsethread.
> I like to jump near it and tame it.
And if you have no taming or fail to tame it; do any of the suggestions
proposed elsethread.
> I'd suggest you practise a bit in wizard mode.
Not very much substance here. (But now I understand your other posting.)
Janis
APLer
news:71907b7e-f02c-420c...@34g2000yqp.googlegroups.com:
It took me three tries to get past my first Titan (in the same place -
one level down from Medusa in the maze). You have to have good AC -15
*may* work,reflection, MR, speed boots and GOP help too and maximized
stats and weapons. I don't think I did it with wands or spells, but if
you start going down by 10's in HP, you're not low enough AC.
I'd wait until after you *can* finish the quest. A titan is pretty much the
last thing you want to see before Hell and beyond.
TJR
>
> Not true. Just one option of many. You can also most simply displace
> him with teleport to a distant location. Or circumvent the level. Or
> fortify yourself and do any of the suggestions proposed elsethread.
Even if you do teleport him and/or dig down, you will encounter him
again on your way up, at latest with the Amulet. Medusa's liar filled
with a swarm of nasties is probably more difficult than a single titan
near you. Usually, I will not insist on going further down if I cannot
handle the Castle soldiers (and therefore also nasties), and I think
that is good advice for anybody who still has to ask how to handle a
titan.
> > If you don't have the means, retreat and prepare.
> Or do any of the suggestions proposed elsethread.
As stated, a backup plan is a very good idea.
> I'd suggest you practise a bit in wizard mode.
> Not very much substance here. (But now I understand your other posting.)
I don't understand your reply, but what I originally meant was: Wizard
mode is the quickest and least frustrating way to experiment just how
much AC, speed, MR/reflection, and other equipment you really need,
and to practise the strategies, including the judgement when to use
which.
JMonkey
Why do you need to stick it in a bag? So long as you keep your gloves
on while fiddling with it, you should be OK, no?
G-Mon
news:320e7d41-b238-4027...@e27g2000yqd.googlegroups.co
m:
Yeah, gloves are just fine for handling rubber chickens... until you
fall into a pit and get insta-stoned. Levitation's fine, as long as you
don't pass over a sink and aren't in Sokoban.
Going downstairs is a similarly bad idea, espscially if you're
burdened, fumbling, or punished.
JMonkey
> On 08 Jan 2010, JMonkey <jfrankmil...@gmail.com> wrote innews:320e7d41-b238-4027...@e27g2000yqd.googlegroups.co
Yes, but I think all these things only happen if you're weilding the
cockatrice corpse. If it's just in your inventory and you fall or
levitate or a sink, etc. -- do you still turn to stone? I'd thought
that you didn't.
Doug Freyburger
> "G-Mon" <gmon5...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>> JMonkey <jfrankmil...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> > Why do you need to stick it in a bag? So long as you keep your
>> > gloves on while fiddling with it, you should be OK, no?
>
>> Yeah, gloves are just fine for handling rubber chickens... until you
>> fall into a pit and get insta-stoned. Levitation's fine, as long as you
>> don't pass over a sink and aren't in Sokoban.
>
>> Going downstairs is a similarly bad idea, espscially if you're
>> burdened, fumbling, or punished.
>
> Yes, but I think all these things only happen if you're weilding the
> cockatrice corpse. If it's just in your inventory and you fall or
> levitate or a sink, etc. -- do you still turn to stone? I'd thought
> that you didn't.
If I put in in a bag I'm positive I am not wielding it. It is a belt
and suspenders double check method. That means it's a good idea.
Rubber chickens are extremely dangerous so they need to be handled
correctly. Correctly equals paranoid.
Janis Papanagnou
And let me add; in case you intend to eat you may mistype and choose
the cockatrice corpse by accident, if it's in your inventory.
Janis
Janis Papanagnou
>>> That's the point - you have to take out the titan quickly.
>> Not true. Just one option of many. You can also most simply displace
>> him with teleport to a distant location. Or circumvent the level. Or
>> fortify yourself and do any of the suggestions proposed elsethread.
>
> Even if you do teleport him and/or dig down, you will encounter him
> again on your way up, at latest with the Amulet.
No, not necessarily. I had games where (after I teleported him) he
was placed somewhere distant at the sea and did not move; so he was
effectively disabled. In other games I've met him again, and another
zap disposed him again; so no problem at all. There are games, though,
where he did not get far enough away, and was somewhere on the path to
Medusa; in those cases you have several options (as already mentioned),
but the primary effect is that you have successfully displaced him, so
that he cannot summon monsters, which is a/the major problem with him.
In the game that I finished today - despite the titan being peaceful -
I circumvented Medusa's sea on my way up by simply quaffing a cursed
potion of gain level. You see, even with the Amulet there's no need to
meet him again. There are always a lot of options in Nethack.
> Medusa's liar filled
> with a swarm of nasties is probably more difficult than a single titan
> near you. Usually, I will not insist on going further down if I cannot
> handle the Castle soldiers (and therefore also nasties),
Unfortunately(?), due to a design flaw in a detail, the drawbridge, it
is possible to securely dispose quite all the inhabitants of the Castle
with minimum risk. Using the backdoor provides an easy option as well;
just let most the inhabitants fall through the trapdoors. Therefore the
Castle soldiers impose no real threat, even for the wimpiest adventurer,
given that he has used either levitation/jumping or the power of music.
> [...]
>
> > I'd suggest you practise a bit in wizard mode.
>> Not very much substance here. (But now I understand your other posting.)
>
> I don't understand your reply, but what I originally meant was: Wizard
> mode is the quickest and least frustrating way to experiment just how
> much AC, speed, MR/reflection, and other equipment you really need,
> and to practise the strategies, including the judgement when to use
> which.
What I mean is; wizmode experiments are one of the least helpful ways
to learn how to handle the titan. You need the actual tips how to handle
him, and there are quite some options. From the factors you mention here;
the OP should already have gotten some idea about necessary AC and speed,
MR is always very advisable to have against any magic casters (like the
titan), so nothing to experiment here, and reflection is also generally
helpful against breath attacks and rays from wands, not specifically WRT
the titan. But the most important is; you don't need to melee him.
Janis
JMonkey
> If I put in in a bag I'm positive I am not wielding it. It is a belt
> and suspenders double check method. That means it's a good idea.
> Rubber chickens are extremely dangerous so they need to be handled
> correctly. Correctly equals paranoid.
Ah. This makes sense. Got it. Good advice.
APLer
news:dce97fa2-3861-4462...@j24g2000yqa.googlegroups.com:
> On Jan 8, 3:15�pm, "G-Mon" <gmon5...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>> On 08 Jan 2010, JMonkey <jfrankmil...@gmail.com> wrote
>> innews:320e7d41-b2
> 38-4027-b43e...@e27g2000yqd.googlegroups.co
>> m:
>>
>> > On Jan 7, 6:33�pm, "hepta...@gmail.com" <hepta...@gmail.com>
>> > wrote:
>> >> On Jan 7, 3:38�pm, JMonkey <jfrankmil...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> >> > A cockatrice corpse works wonders. Just make sure to wear
>> >> > gloves and don't move with it in your inventory. Stick it in a
>> >> > bag.
>>
>> >> FTFY
>>
>> > Why do you need to stick it in a bag? So long as you keep your
>> > gloves on while fiddling with it, you should be OK, no?
>>
>> Yeah, gloves are just fine for handling rubber chickens... until you
>> fall into a pit and get insta-stoned. Levitation's fine, as long as
>> you don't pass over a sink and aren't in Sokoban.
>>
>> Going downstairs is a similarly bad idea, espscially if you're
>> burdened, fumbling, or punished.
>
> Yes, but I think all these things only happen if you're weilding the
> cockatrice corpse. If it's just in your inventory and you fall or
> levitate or a sink, etc. -- do you still turn to stone? I'd thought
> that you didn't.
You absolutely do not and it stays in your inventory. In actuallity,
it's in a knapsack that has pockets where you can quickly get to the
items. Analogous to a computer stack as opposed to main memory or the
hard drive. However if you do put it in a sack or bag, you naturally
won't know when it rots away - which is pretty quickly as I'm sure you
know. A couple hundred moves at most I think.