OK, what should I wish for?

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Clemence Magnien wrote:

> A summary of the useful stuff I have follows:

I have forgotten to list the spells I know (I still have the
corresponding spellbooks):
force bolt
cure blindness
sleep

Archived from groups: rec.games.roguelike.nethack (More info?)

Thanks for the advice!

It turned out I already had a wand of polymorph, so I couldn't
resist and asked for a blessed ring of polymorph control and turned
into a vampire lord. I also asked for boots of speed.
I had great fun for some time in the mines (I was in minetown and
am trying to reach mine's end), but after some time (not very long),
I returned to elf form! What could have caused that? Something
I carry in my inventory? Or is it normal and I just didn't know it?
I checked but I did not see a trap near the place I changed form.
I had just picked up a white gem a few turns before.

I have a third wish by zapping the wand a great number of times, right?
I will think more carefully on this one...

Cheers,
Clemence

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Clemence Magnien wrote:

> And I still have 2 wishes left!
> What do you think I should use them on?
> As I am not a good player, I would need something useful to me NOW,
> not something useful in the very unlikely case I meet the wizard of
> yendor or something.

Boots of speed are what comes to mind naturally.

> I thought sometghing fun would be to wish for a ring of polymorph
> control and a wand of polymorph, to polymorph into something nice.

If you want to polymorph, you might as well choose rings of polymorph
control and polymorph. This will give you the abitily to polymorph as
often as you like, not until the wand runs dry.

But since you're a beginner, polymorphing may not be a wise choice. It
might be very good for your learning curve, though.

> I'd like a creature that can do all the things I can do if possible:
> read scrolls, use wands, wear armor (so my first wish is was not
> stupid in case a polymorph into something tough which has no use of an
> armour).

A master vampire would be a nice choice, allowing you to fly. Don't
attack cockatrices, though, since you'll automatically bite them and
turn into a beautiful charismatic statue.

--
Boudewijn.

"Would those who believe in telekinesis please raise my hand?"
- Maarten Pieters, in NRC Handelsblad.

Archived from groups: rec.games.roguelike.nethack (More info?)

On Sat, 2 Jul 2005, Clemence Magnien wrote:

> I think this is the best game ever for me (I'm not a very good player
> so don't
> expect anything really cool):
> I'm playing an elven chaotic wizard. I completed Sokoban, got a bag
> of holding (first time I ever got one, I love it!) and found a couple
> of wands along the way. And one of the wands was a wand of wishing!  
> I wished for blessed scrolls of charging (got one), then the wand was
> empty. I used the scroll on it, which should have recharged it with
> 3 wishes. I used one wish for a blessed +2 silver dragon scale mail,
> and since I started with a cloak of magic resistance I now have magic
> resistance and reflection.
>
> And I still have 2 wishes left!
> What do you think I should use them on?
> As I am not a good player, I would need something useful to me NOW, not
> something useful in the very unlikely case I meet the wizard of yendor
> or something.
> I thought sometghing fun would be to wish for a ring of polymorph
> control and a wand of polymorph, to polymorph into something nice.
> I'd like a creature that can do all the things I can do if possible:
> read scrolls, use wands, wear armor (so my first wish is was not stupid
> in case a polymorph into something tough which has no use of an
> armour).
>
> Any other suggestions?

As said, poly will be hard to do properly, plus you'll have to re-poly
every so often if you don't have amulet of unchanging.

Boots of speed come really natutally, and you're gonna love them.
Gauntlets of dexterity cannot harm either.
Helm of brilliance (you never have enough INT with wizards).
wand of death may be handy both now and when you'll meet Rodney. Or, if
you have high enough INT/XL, a spellbook of finger of death (you'll get
one when (if) crowned, but having it now does not harm.
Maybe rather spellbook of magic missile would be a better offensive spell,
especially with low level creatures you are probably encountering
currently.
(of course, since you're a wizard you may want not to wih for
spellbooks/scrolls and rather try to write them once luck is maxed out...
your choice here)
Speaking of scrolls, if you don't know them, you may want scrolls of geno
in order to be able to write some and use them as weapon of mass
destruction when needed (say, cornered by ants).

Or, of course, wish for magic markers. You know charging, if you can
blanck scrolls/spellbooks and bless them, you'll definitely want to burns
markers on enchant *, geno, taming, finger of death, id, magic missile,
magic mapping or some other stuff.

If you want to wish for artefacts, go into the spoilers, halving damage
artefact can be nice, or frost brand (if you don't intend to use MB as a
main weapon).


Anyway, I'll definitely go for speed boots, they are one of the
"not vital but present in 90% of AK" items".
Then, maybe on helm of brilliance (depend on your current INT), but you do
not have lots of spells right now.
Then, probably magic markers to try and write some of the powerfull
spellbooks/scroll (I'll probably try -once luck maxed out- magic missile,
geno, id (spellbook) in this order, then, maybe taming magic mapping and
finger of death, cancellation).
[or maybe id first. Check also the spoiler to count carrefully markers
charges before trying.]

Oh, you may also wish for amulet of life saving... Just in case...


Of course, don't forget to wish for fixed items...

Hypocoristiquement,
Jym.

Archived from groups: rec.games.roguelike.nethack (More info?)

"Clemence Magnien" <clemence.magnien@shs.polytechnique.fr> writes:

> I wished for blessed scrolls of charging (got one), then the wand was
> empty. I used the scroll on it, which should have recharged it with
> 3 wishes. I used one wish for a blessed +2 silver dragon scale mail,
> and since I started with a cloak of magic resistance I now have magic
> resistance and reflection.
>
> And I still have 2 wishes left!

Three.

> What do you think I should use them on?

Speed, magic marker. Since you have MR and Reflection, the next
goals are speed, high HP and low AC. Speed is most essential
since it allows you to evade most threats. The marker can be
used for upgrading your AC. High HP come naturally, in particular
if you have high damage so monsters can't use up their healing
potions before they die.

Optionally, a wand of polymorph can also help to get e.g.
useful scrolls from useless ones. Genociding Ls and hs
comes to mind.

If you want to have some fun, you can try for a blessed figurine of an
archon (WARNING: The archon has a chance to get created hostile).

Most important advice: You're far from being invincible. Be
afraid of the dangers that still lurk below.

Best,
Jakob

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On Sat, 2 Jul 2005, Jakob Creutzig wrote:

> "Clemence Magnien" <clemence.magnien@shs.polytechnique.fr> writes:
>
> > I wished for blessed scrolls of charging (got one), then the wand was
> > empty. I used the scroll on it, which should have recharged it with
> > 3 wishes. I used one wish for a blessed +2 silver dragon scale mail,
> > and since I started with a cloak of magic resistance I now have magic
> > resistance and reflection.
> >
> > And I still have 2 wishes left!
>
> Three.
>
> > What do you think I should use them on?
>
> Speed, magic marker. Since you have MR and Reflection, the next
> goals are speed, high HP and low AC. Speed is most essential
> since it allows you to evade most threats. The marker can be
> used for upgrading your AC. High HP come naturally, in particular
> if you have high damage so monsters can't use up their healing
> potions before they die.
>
> Optionally, a wand of polymorph can also help to get e.g.
> useful scrolls from useless ones. Genociding Ls and hs
> comes to mind.

Rethinking about that, it's a wizard, so a spellbook of polymorph may be
better than a wand.
And can be written out of thin air (almost) once luck is maxed out.
So, maybe a luckstone (or luckstone-artefact) could be no so useless
(especially is there is still a long way to Mine's end).
[and similar remark would apply to taming, a spellbook of charming may be
more usefull than scrolls].

Of course, all this has to be tempered by your level/INT, that is
depending on the chance you have to succesfully cast the spell. Low-level
spells may be better to train skills. OTOH, non-combat spell (id, poly (to
some extend), magic mapping) can afford a high-failure rate and be cast
repeteadly once in a safe place.

> Most important advice: You're far from being invincible. Be
> afraid of the dangers that still lurk below.

Right.

Hypocoristiquement,
Jym.

Archived from groups: rec.games.roguelike.nethack (More info?)

On Sat, 2 Jul 2005, Clemence Magnien wrote:

> Thanks for the advice!
>
> It turned out I already had a wand of polymorph, so I couldn't
> resist and asked for a blessed ring of polymorph control and turned
> into a vampire lord. I also asked for boots of speed.
> I had great fun for some time in the mines (I was in minetown and
> am trying to reach mine's end), but after some time (not very long),
> I returned to elf form! What could have caused that? Something
> I carry in my inventory? Or is it normal and I just didn't know it?

It's normal. Polyself only last for a certain duration, and after that you
are back to normal form. Wearing an amulet of unchanging can prevent that.

> I checked but I did not see a trap near the place I changed form.
> I had just picked up a white gem a few turns before.
>
> I have a third wish by zapping the wand a great number of times, right?
> I will think more carefully on this one...

Amulet of unchanging will be a nice idea if you want to go on playing with
polyself (don't forget to remove it if you want to try some other form).

Typical other form you may want to try are Xorn (Walls ? What walls ?),
adult dragon (female) (lay eggs, gray or silver should be the best) or
cockatrice (lay hand grenades).

Hypocoristiquement,
Jym.

Archived from groups: rec.games.roguelike.nethack (More info?)

On 7/2/05 10:45 AM, Clemence Magnien wrote:
> Thanks for the advice!
>
> It turned out I already had a wand of polymorph, so I couldn't
> resist and asked for a blessed ring of polymorph control and turned
> into a vampire lord. I also asked for boots of speed.
> I had great fun for some time in the mines (I was in minetown and
> am trying to reach mine's end), but after some time (not very long),
> I returned to elf form! What could have caused that? Something
> I carry in my inventory? Or is it normal and I just didn't know it?

A polymorphed player character will always return to its original form
unless it is wearing a certain piece of jewelry that prevents this from
happening.

--
Kevin Wayne

"Art is a tremendous means by which painfully guarded individuals bare
their souls." --Steve Hindalong

Archived from groups: rec.games.roguelike.nethack (More info?)

>
> It's normal. Polyself only last for a certain duration, and after that you
> are back to normal form. Wearing an amulet of unchanging can prevent that.

Well, apparently this game was a 'polymorph yourself' game: it turned
out that the uncursed amulet I'd had for some time was an amulet of
unchanging. So I polymorphed myself once more, put the amulet on, had
some fun for a while... and this game ended in the stupid predictable
way: I attacked a cockatrice, which for some unkown reason I thought
was a centipede.

BUT in the following game, I stumbled on... a statue of a vampire lord
named chlorine (yes, my character's name!) I have picked up most of
the useful stuff and need to uncurse it, but I am afraid this game
will also end in a very stupid way: one thing I had wished with the
last wish of my previous game was 3 blessed scrolls of genocide, which
were of course cursed when I got them from the statue. I had read
somewhere that you could use a cursed genocide scroll to summon
nurses... but I didn't know you had to take off all armor first! In one
turn the nurses took me from 40 HP to 10, I don't think I will survive
long enough to take all my armor off... (I wasn't wielding any weapon)

This will be one lesson I will remember!

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On Mon, 4 Jul 2005, Clemence Magnien wrote:

> BUT in the following game, I stumbled on... a statue of a vampire lord
> named chlorine (yes, my character's name!) I have picked up most of
> the useful stuff and need to uncurse it, but I am afraid this game
> will also end in a very stupid way: one thing I had wished with the
> last wish of my previous game was 3 blessed scrolls of genocide, which
> were of course cursed when I got them from the statue. I had read
> somewhere that you could use a cursed genocide scroll to summon
> nurses... but I didn't know you had to take off all armor first! In one
> turn the nurses took me from 40 HP to 10, I don't think I will survive
> long enough to take all my armor off... (I wasn't wielding any weapon)
>
> This will be one lesson I will remember!

Yep. Too bad to loose such a great nurse dancing opportunity... nurse
dance can usually provide you around 15 more max HP per nurse, so reverse
geno will bring in around 60-70 more max HPs. The best place to do this is
a no-teleport level since nurses teleport themselves after a few "hits".
Usually, I do this in Sokoban (which also include large rooms with a
closeable door in order to be safe from wandering monsters while naked).

Hypocoristiquement,
Jym.

Archived from groups: rec.games.roguelike.nethack (More info?)

Boudewijn Waijers wrote:
> Kevin Wayne wrote:
>
> > "loose" == opposite of "bind"
> > "lose" == opposite of "gain"
>
> The pronunciation is also different: "loose" is pronounced like goos,
> with a sharp S, while "lose" is pronounced like "booze". with a "Z"...

I like:

loose/tight - Vowel from goose, ending from hiss.

lose/win - Vowel from blue, ending from buzz.

I picked the example words to show just how poorly
English pronunciation maps to its spelling.