Advice on AK?

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Hi all,

It's probably a testament to the strength of your advice that in
probably the second or third game I started since posting to RGRN, I
took my character for the first time beyond Medusa's level - after
completely owning the Castle (no Ludios) I sailed smoothly through
Gehennom (killed Asmodeus, Baalzebub, Juiblex, Yeenoghu, Vlad, Orcus -
I haven't seen Dispater or Demogorgon, which means I won't, right?),
and left my Valk standing on the Vibrating Square when I saved my game.
I've since taken her back up to the VotD to ditch some extra gold (no
more protection, though) and make final preparations for my first
ascension run!

What do I need to do? What do I need to take with me?

My AC is currently -20, but I'm sitting on a few enchant {weapon|armor}
scrolls and some blanks and a marker. I'd expect I can get it up
(down?) to at least -30 easily enough. Is this good enough?

My stats are all maxed out - I don't have Cone of Cold, though.

I've already dug out Gehennom, but not the DoD. Is that very
important?

Here's my inventory:
Amulets
s - an uncursed amulet of life saving (being worn)
Weapons
l - the blessed rustproof +4 Mjollnir (weapon in hand)
y - a +0 silver saber (wielded in other hand)
Armor
i - a blessed +3 silver dragon scale mail (being worn)
r - a blessed fireproof +2 cloak of magic resistance (being worn)
H - a blessed thoroughly burnt fireproof +0 pair of speed boots (being
worn)
K - a blessed rusty corroded +0 pair of gauntlets of power (being
worn)
Y - a blessed +5 orcish helm (being worn)
Comestibles
I - an uncursed lizard corpse
Rings
h - an uncursed ring of searching
Q - a blessed ring of teleport control (on right hand)
W - an uncursed ring of levitation
Wands
j - an uncursed wand called cancellation DO NOT PUT IN BoH!!
q - a wand of death (0:3)
X - a wand of teleportation (0:4)
Tools
e - a blessed +0 unicorn horn
g - a blessed bag of holding named holding (stash)
k - an uncursed skeleton key
F - the Bell of Opening (0:3)
G - the uncursed Candelabrum of Invocation (no candles attached)
Gems
E - a blessed luckstone /* left the Orb of Fate in my stash on DL 9 -
way too heavy! */

Here's where I really need your advice. I obviously have to
ditch/alchemize a lot of this stuff before I make my run...even with
strength 25 I'm flirting with Burdened.

Contents of the blessed BoH:
Coins
a - 1876 gold pieces
Amulets
b - an uncursed pyramidal amulet
c - an uncursed amulet of reflection
Weapons
d - 13 +0 elven daggers
e - the +0 Grayswandir
Armor
f - an uncursed +0 robe
g - a blessed +1 pair of gauntlets of dexterity
h - a blessed +2 mummy wrapping
Comestibles
i - a candy bar
j - a slime mold
k - 2 uncursed apples
l - 3 uncursed food rations
m - an uncursed sprig of wolfsbane
n - an uncursed lizard corpse
o - 2 uncursed cloves of garlic
Scrolls
a - 2 uncursed scrolls of enchant armor
b - an uncursed scroll called earth
c - an uncursed scroll of create monster
d - 2 blessed scrolls called charging
e - 4 uncursed scrolls of teleportation
f - an uncursed scroll of blank paper
g - a cursed scroll of blank paper
h - an uncursed scroll of gold detection
i - 3 uncursed scrolls of destroy armor
j - an uncursed scroll of light
k - an uncursed scroll of blank paper
l - a cursed scroll called taming
m - 3 blessed scrolls of teleportation
n - 2 blessed scrolls of remove curse
o - 3 cursed scrolls of teleportation
Potions
p - a blessed potion of healing
q - 2 uncursed potions of full healing
r - 3 uncursed potions of healing
s - a cursed potion of healing
t - 2 cursed potions of extra healing
u - 3 blessed potions of extra healing
v - an uncursed diluted potion of confusion
a - an uncursed diluted potion of monster detection
b - an uncursed potion of blindness
c - a blessed potion of sleeping
d - 3 uncursed potions of water
e - an uncursed potion of paralysis
f - a cursed diluted potion called see invisible
g - a cursed potion called acid
h - an uncursed potion called see invisible
i - 4 uncursed potions of gain level
j - a blessed potion of enlightenment
k - a blessed diluted potion of full healing
l - 7 potions of holy water
m - an uncursed potion of confusion
n - a blessed diluted potion of speed
o - 2 blessed potions of paralysis
p - 2 uncursed potions of speed
q - 2 blessed potions of monster detection
r - an uncursed potion of booze
Rings
s - an uncursed silver ring
t - an uncursed black onyx ring
u - a blessed twisted ring
v - an uncursed black onyx ring
a - a ring called invisibility /* I think this is Nazgul 6 */
b - an uncursed ring of levitation named Nazgul 5
c - a ring called invisibility named Nazgul 4
d - a cursed ring called invisibility named Nazgul 3
e - a cursed ring of stealth
f - a cursed ring called invisibility named Nazgul 2
g - a cursed ring called invisibility named Nazgul 1
h - a cursed ring of polymorph
i - an uncursed ring of sustain ability
j - an uncursed ring of polymorph control
k - an uncursed ring of conflict
l - a blessed +3 ring of gain constitution
m - an uncursed -1 ring of protection named cursed
n - an uncursed ring of regeneration
Wands
o - a wand of digging
p - a wand of undead turning (0:3)
q - an uncursed wand of digging
r - a wand of opening (0:3)
s - an uncursed wand called cancellation DO NOT PUT IN BoH!! named
zero charge
t - a wand of digging
u - a wand of digging
v - a wand of create monster
a - an uncursed wand of digging
b - an uncursed wand of striking
c - a wand of striking (0:0)
d - an uncursed wand of lightning
e - an uncursed wand of polymorph
f - an uncursed wand called slow monster
g - an uncursed wand of teleportation
h - a wand of lightning (0:7)
i - a wand of sleep (0:4)
j - an uncursed wand of death
k - an uncursed wand of light
l - a wand of make invisible (0:1)
m - a wand of fire (0:4)
n - a wand of digging (0:0)
o - a wand of magic missile (0:4)
p - a wand of wishing (0:0)
q - an uncursed wand of lightning
r - an uncursed wand of lightning
s - a wand of fire (0:4)
t - a wand of digging (0:5)
u - a wand of lightning (0:6)
v - a wand of striking (0:0)
w - a wand of teleportation (0:1)
a - a wand of magic missile (0:7)
b - an uncursed wand of magic missile
c - a wand of fire (0:4)
d - a wand of speed monster (0:3)
e - a wand of magic missile (0:6)
f - a wand of cold (0:0)
g - a wand of digging (0:6)
h - a wand of death (0:2)
Tools
i - a pick-axe
j - an uncursed towel
k - an uncursed magic marker
l - a tinning kit (0:32)
m - an uncursed flute
n - an uncursed stethoscope
o - 7 blessed candles
p - an uncursed pair of lenses
q - an uncursed oil lamp
r - an uncursed magic whistle
s - an uncursed oil lamp
t - an uncursed unicorn horn
u - an uncursed oil lamp
v - an uncursed bugle
a - an uncursed tinning kit
Gems
b - a dilithium crystal
c - a blessed touchstone
d - 2 jet stones
e - an obsidian stone
f - a fluorite stone
g - 4 jasper stones
h - 3 turquoise stones
i - an uncursed jasper stone
j - an uncursed black opal
k - an uncursed obsidian stone
l - 3 uncursed citrine stones
m - an uncursed sapphire
n - 2 uncursed fluorite stones
o - an uncursed garnet stone
p - 3 uncursed chrysoberyl stones
q - 4 uncursed jacinth stones
r - an uncursed dilithium crystal
s - an uncursed ruby

Whew! There was more in there than I thought. Kudos to anyone who got
this far. What do I keep? What do I drop? What do I still lack?

I'd appreciate any advice you can offer that'll help me go from First
Post to YAFAP in about a month!

Thanks,
- Drew

 

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

In article <1125550357.679005.206510@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
"Drew Levitt" <drew.levitt@yale.edu> wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> It's probably a testament to the strength of your advice that in
> probably the second or third game I started since posting to RGRN, I
> took my character for the first time beyond Medusa's level - after
> completely owning the Castle (no Ludios) I sailed smoothly through
> Gehennom (killed Asmodeus, Baalzebub, Juiblex, Yeenoghu, Vlad, Orcus -
> I haven't seen Dispater or Demogorgon, which means I won't, right?),
> and left my Valk standing on the Vibrating Square when I saved my game.
> I've since taken her back up to the VotD to ditch some extra gold (no
> more protection, though) and make final preparations for my first
> ascension run!
>
> What do I need to do? What do I need to take with me?
>
> My AC is currently -20, but I'm sitting on a few enchant {weapon|armor}
> scrolls and some blanks and a marker. I'd expect I can get it up
> (down?) to at least -30 easily enough. Is this good enough?
>
> My stats are all maxed out - I don't have Cone of Cold, though.
>
> I've already dug out Gehennom, but not the DoD. Is that very
> important?
>
> Here's my inventory:
> Amulets
> s - an uncursed amulet of life saving (being worn)
> Weapons
> l - the blessed rustproof +4 Mjollnir (weapon in hand)
> y - a +0 silver saber (wielded in other hand)
> Armor
> i - a blessed +3 silver dragon scale mail (being worn)
> r - a blessed fireproof +2 cloak of magic resistance (being worn)
> H - a blessed thoroughly burnt fireproof +0 pair of speed boots (being
> worn)
> K - a blessed rusty corroded +0 pair of gauntlets of power (being
> worn)
> Y - a blessed +5 orcish helm (being worn)
> Comestibles
> I - an uncursed lizard corpse
> Rings
> h - an uncursed ring of searching
> Q - a blessed ring of teleport control (on right hand)
> W - an uncursed ring of levitation
> Wands
> j - an uncursed wand called cancellation DO NOT PUT IN BoH!!
> q - a wand of death (0:3)
> X - a wand of teleportation (0:4)
> Tools
> e - a blessed +0 unicorn horn
> g - a blessed bag of holding named holding (stash)
> k - an uncursed skeleton key
> F - the Bell of Opening (0:3)
> G - the uncursed Candelabrum of Invocation (no candles attached)
> Gems
> E - a blessed luckstone /* left the Orb of Fate in my stash on DL 9 -
> way too heavy! */
>

Run, don't walk, back to your stash and get the Orb of Weight. It's
is one of the most valablue items in the game. It effetively
doubles your HP by halving the damage from physical attacks AND
spell attacks. Drop everything you need to become unburdened with
the Orb. Good candidates include the 3 oil lamps and the extra
tining kit. If you save 3 or 4 unused wands of digging for the
plane of earth, you can get rid of the pickaxe too. Actually,
the other tining kit is not worth a lot at this point.

Try to get your AC down to at least -35, although many experienced
players do it with less. You first experience with the air
elementals on the plane of air may come as a nasty surprise.
You need 3 more scrolls of gold detection to find the portals
on the planes, unless you plan on using the Orb, which is dangerous
since it can leave you in a trace for up to 10 turns (not a good
idea on plane of air, e.g.). You also need a source of confusion
to use them to best effect, so plan on having an expired spell.

Personally, I'm a big fan of Grayswandir and would enchant that
up to 6/7 and use it for primary weapon. Use Mojo for ranged
attacks. Use a good shield and forgo twoweaponing if that's the
only way to get your AC down to -35 or below. After you have
the amulet, you don't want to fight much anyway, just run like
the wind.

Alchemize and use the potions as best you can for additional
HP and to reduce weight. GEt some K rations and/or lembas wafers
for the planes.

Good luck.

[ Many details snipped ....]

>
> Whew! There was more in there than I thought. Kudos to anyone who got
> this far. What do I keep? What do I drop? What do I still lack?
>
> I'd appreciate any advice you can offer that'll help me go from First
> Post to YAFAP in about a month!
>
> Thanks,
> - Drew
>

Cheers,
Art


--
Art Willis
nhplayer@trantor.nospam.com Despam to reply

 

[Guest]

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

Jove wrote:
> On Thu, 01 Sep 2005 00:02:29 -0700, Art Willis
> <nhplayer@trantor.nospam.com> wrote:
>
> >In article <1125550357.679005.206510@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
> > "Drew Levitt" <drew.levitt@yale.edu> wrote:
> >
> >> I've since taken her back up to the VotD to ditch some extra gold (no
> >> more protection, though) and make final preparations for my first
> >> ascension run!
> >>
> >> What do I need to do? What do I need to take with me?
> >>
>
> - You won't need the bell, book, and candle after you perform
> the invocation. Dump'em

Good one, I was wondering about that on my ascension run.
I finally ditched them because I was burdened, but I was
afraid for some time that I had done a mistake.


> - A scroll of magic mapping on the Plane of Air will show you
> the best route through the clouds. (My last ascension there
> was a path completely around the clouds.) Oh yeah, stay out
> of the clouds on the Plane of Air.

Why stay out of the clouds?

> - wand(s) of fire/lightning for permanently engraving Elbereth.

Oh, and I never thought of writing Elbereth when I was on the
astral plane! This would have helped me a lot, though.

chlorine

 

[Guest]

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

On Thu, 01 Sep 2005 00:02:29 -0700, Art Willis
<nhplayer@trantor.nospam.com> wrote:

>In article <1125550357.679005.206510@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
> "Drew Levitt" <drew.levitt@yale.edu> wrote:
>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> It's probably a testament to the strength of your advice that in
>> probably the second or third game I started since posting to RGRN, I
>> took my character for the first time beyond Medusa's level - after
>> completely owning the Castle (no Ludios) I sailed smoothly through
>> Gehennom (killed Asmodeus, Baalzebub, Juiblex, Yeenoghu, Vlad, Orcus -
>> I haven't seen Dispater or Demogorgon, which means I won't, right?),
>> and left my Valk standing on the Vibrating Square when I saved my game.
>> I've since taken her back up to the VotD to ditch some extra gold (no
>> more protection, though) and make final preparations for my first
>> ascension run!
>>
>> What do I need to do? What do I need to take with me?
>>
>> My AC is currently -20, but I'm sitting on a few enchant {weapon|armor}
>> scrolls and some blanks and a marker. I'd expect I can get it up
>> (down?) to at least -30 easily enough. Is this good enough?
>>
>> My stats are all maxed out - I don't have Cone of Cold, though.
>>
>> I've already dug out Gehennom, but not the DoD. Is that very
>> important?
>>
>
>
>Run, don't walk, back to your stash and get the Orb of Weight. It's
>is one of the most valablue items in the game. It effetively
>doubles your HP by halving the damage from physical attacks AND
>spell attacks. Drop everything you need to become unburdened with
>the Orb. Good candidates include the 3 oil lamps and the extra
>tining kit. If you save 3 or 4 unused wands of digging for the
>plane of earth, you can get rid of the pickaxe too. Actually,
>the other tining kit is not worth a lot at this point.
>
>Try to get your AC down to at least -35, although many experienced
>players do it with less. You first experience with the air
>elementals on the plane of air may come as a nasty surprise.
>You need 3 more scrolls of gold detection to find the portals
>on the planes, unless you plan on using the Orb, which is dangerous
>since it can leave you in a trace for up to 10 turns (not a good
>idea on plane of air, e.g.). You also need a source of confusion
>to use them to best effect, so plan on having an expired spell.
>
>Personally, I'm a big fan of Grayswandir and would enchant that
>up to 6/7 and use it for primary weapon. Use Mojo for ranged
>attacks. Use a good shield and forgo twoweaponing if that's the
>only way to get your AC down to -35 or below. After you have
>the amulet, you don't want to fight much anyway, just run like
>the wind.
>
>Alchemize and use the potions as best you can for additional
>HP and to reduce weight. GEt some K rations and/or lembas wafers
>for the planes.
>
>Good luck.

All good advice. Some added tips:

- Run! The nature of the game changes after the invocation.
Do NOT fight unless something is keeping you from moving toward
your goal. (Oh, yeah. You really, *really* don't want to try
enchanting your armor after you've woken the Wizard of Yendor.)

- Slow down! You need to move fast in the game, not on the
keyboard.

- If you've got Magicbane, wield it as much as possible after
waking Rodney. Which should be pretty often, since you're not
supposed to be fighting.


- You won't need the bell, book, and candle after you perform
the invocation. Dump'em

- Be invisible or displaced, whichever you feel most
comfortable with.

- A ring of conflict for Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. This
works especially well with being invisible/displaced. Take it
off BEFORE entering the Astral plane. For safety, take it
off on the Plane of Water.

- The most important thing to have on the Astral planes is
every wand of teleport you've found so far. Zapping a wand of
teleport will always clear you a path (Except with Death, Famine,
and Pestilence. 11/12 times they'll teleport next to you.).

- If you have a ring of free action, take some blessed potions
of paralysis with you. When you meet the Riders, wield the
potion and hit them with it. Your ring of free action will keep
you from being paralyzed. Then re-wield your weapon(s)
and perform surgery on the poor thing.

- A scroll of magic mapping on the Plane of Air will show you
the best route through the clouds. (My last ascension there
was a path completely around the clouds.) Oh yeah, stay out
of the clouds on the Plane of Air.

- Have an uncursed towel/blindfold in case you run into an
Archon. Once, just once, I did the planes without...and guess
what? I kept using my blessed unihorn and then blamm, stunned
again. (I might have been better off just ignoring the stunning.
I think you can still cast spells, fight, move, etc. Just the
movement isn't always the direction you want to go.)

- Wands of death for Rodney and any air elementals that trap
you. Better to use them instead of your wands of teleport before
you get to Astral.

- Blessed potion of monster detection for Astral. (just a
suggestion, not a requirement).

- wand(s) of fire/lightning for permanently engraving Elbereth.

- wands of digging for the plane of Earth, but they're not a
requirement so much as a convenience.

- My favorite ascension trick is...jumping boots. If you're
fast jumping boots let you *travel* over twice as fast as
if you're very fast from speed boots. They really let you
take advantage of any openings you have to make with
your wands of teleport.

(On one ascension I jumped past Pestilence twice, coming and
going. S/he never touched me.)

- The secret on Astral is to start jumping immediately toward
the nearest altar. That way you can get to it (and back, if
necessary) before the plane starts to fill up.

- you will need a light source so you can see your destination
and be unblinded (ditto).

- Jumping is also useful for running from a summoning storm
on the plane of fire. Zap your wand of teleport (#adjust it to
letter 'z', then #jump)

There's a lot more (as well as some detours) in the thread
the following messages are in (Endgame Hints)

<http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.roguelike.nethack/msg/447d6aaa0922f424?dmode=source>

<http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.roguelike.nethack/msg/351a5138221a638b>


--
All the best,

Jove

 

[Guest]

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

"Drew Levitt" <drew.levitt@yale.edu> writes:

> My AC is currently -20, but I'm sitting on a few enchant {weapon|armor}
> scrolls and some blanks and a marker. I'd expect I can get it up
> (down?) to at least -30 easily enough. Is this good enough?

Certainly. But if you have spare magic marker charges, you can
always tone it down some points for fun.

> My stats are all maxed out - I don't have Cone of Cold, though.

Not a big loss.

> Amulets
> s - an uncursed amulet of life saving (being worn)
> Weapons
> l - the blessed rustproof +4 Mjollnir (weapon in hand)
> y - a +0 silver saber (wielded in other hand)

You certainly want to enchant them to +7 (you can safely
read enchant weapon while your weapon is below +5). But
use GS instead of Mjollnir, see below.

> Armor
> i - a blessed +3 silver dragon scale mail (being worn)
> r - a blessed fireproof +2 cloak of magic resistance (being worn)
> H - a blessed thoroughly burnt fireproof +0 pair of speed boots (being
> worn)
> K - a blessed rusty corroded +0 pair of gauntlets of power (being
> worn)
> Y - a blessed +5 orcish helm (being worn)

I like to get my stuff fooproofed, looks nicer when knocking
on heaven's door. But that's not too important.

> E - a blessed luckstone /* left the Orb of Fate in my stash on DL 9 -
> way too heavy! */

Go get it. Half spell damage, half physical damage. Quite worth
its weight.

> Contents of the blessed BoH:
> Coins
> a - 1876 gold pieces
> Amulets
> b - an uncursed pyramidal amulet
> c - an uncursed amulet of reflection
> Weapons
> d - 13 +0 elven daggers

Drop all of that.

> e - the +0 Grayswandir

Exchange Mjollnir for that, get basic in saber. GS is the
best weapon in the game when fully enchanted.

> Armor
> f - an uncursed +0 robe

*shrug* Keep if you want to cast spells sometimes.

> g - a blessed +1 pair of gauntlets of dexterity

Exchange GoP against these if you have 18/** strength
(one can reverse-genocide giants and use a tinning kit
for quite fast Str boosting).

> h - a blessed +2 mummy wrapping

Drop.

> Comestibles
> i - a candy bar
> j - a slime mold
> k - 2 uncursed apples
> l - 3 uncursed food rations
> m - an uncursed sprig of wolfsbane

Drop.

> n - an uncursed lizard corpse

Keep, just in case.

> o - 2 uncursed cloves of garlic

Drop.

Get K-rations (from the castle, soldiers carry them),
or C-rations. Much better suited for fast eating.

> Scrolls
> a - 2 uncursed scrolls of enchant armor

Bless and use.

> d - 2 blessed scrolls called charging

> h - an uncursed scroll of gold detection

> l - a cursed scroll called taming

> o - 3 cursed scrolls of teleportation

These are maybe useful, the rest can be polypiled or
cleared and rewritten. (You want more gold detection,
btw.)

> Potions
> p - a blessed potion of healing
> q - 2 uncursed potions of full healing
> r - 3 uncursed potions of healing
> s - a cursed potion of healing
> t - 2 cursed potions of extra healing
> u - 3 blessed potions of extra healing

Alchemy is hindered somewhat by lack of energy potions.
However, using the speed potions, some founatin--dipping
and 5 potions of holy water, you should be able to get 11
blessed diluted potions of extra healing from this. Always
keep some blessed potions of full healing for emergency.

> v - an uncursed diluted potion of confusion
> a - an uncursed diluted potion of monster detection
> b - an uncursed potion of blindness
> c - a blessed potion of sleeping
> d - 3 uncursed potions of water
> e - an uncursed potion of paralysis
> f - a cursed diluted potion called see invisible
> g - a cursed potion called acid
> h - an uncursed potion called see invisible
> i - 4 uncursed potions of gain level
> j - a blessed potion of enlightenment
> l - 7 potions of holy water
> m - an uncursed potion of confusion
> o - 2 blessed potions of paralysis
> q - 2 blessed potions of monster detection
> r - an uncursed potion of booze

Keep confusion potions, maybe keep paralysis potions, curse the gain
level potions if possible and keep them, else down them, the rest is
water-candidate.

> Rings
> s - an uncursed silver ring
> t - an uncursed black onyx ring
> u - a blessed twisted ring
> v - an uncursed black onyx ring
[..]
Get those rings identified. Useful rings are levitation (on my last
ascension, I somehow lost my =oL on earth -- Aaargh!), free action
conflict (!) and slow digestion. The rest is of less importance and
can be dropped.

> Wands
> o - a wand of digging

Carry about 6 of those,

> e - an uncursed wand of polymorph
> g - an uncursed wand of teleportation
> j - an uncursed wand of death

as many as possible of those,

> p - a wand of wishing (0:0)

recharge and carry this,

and ditch the rest.

> Tools
> i - a pick-axe
> j - an uncursed towel

Drop.

> k - an uncursed magic marker

Use up.

> l - a tinning kit (0:32)

Maybe drop (heavy, but sometimes useful)

> m - an uncursed flute
> n - an uncursed stethoscope

Drop.

> o - 7 blessed candles

;-)

> p - an uncursed pair of lenses
> q - an uncursed oil lamp
> r - an uncursed magic whistle
> s - an uncursed oil lamp
> t - an uncursed unicorn horn
> u - an uncursed oil lamp
> v - an uncursed bugle
> a - an uncursed tinning kit

Drop.

> Gems
> b - a dilithium crystal
> c - a blessed touchstone
> d - 2 jet stones
> e - an obsidian stone
> f - a fluorite stone
> g - 4 jasper stones
> h - 3 turquoise stones
> i - an uncursed jasper stone
> j - an uncursed black opal
> k - an uncursed obsidian stone
> l - 3 uncursed citrine stones
> m - an uncursed sapphire
> n - 2 uncursed fluorite stones
> o - an uncursed garnet stone
> p - 3 uncursed chrysoberyl stones
> q - 4 uncursed jacinth stones
> r - an uncursed dilithium crystal
> s - an uncursed ruby

Drop or take them with you, doesn't really matter.

Watch out on Astral for Role Monsters. Be careful to read _any_
Message on the planes. Get rid of Rodney ASAP, hurry up the way
down and up (use TC and wands of teleport on yourself to save
time when crossing levels), and consult the spoilers if you want
about the planes and the uses of ?oGD.

Best,
Jakob

 

[Guest]

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

On 9/1/05 3:02 AM, Art Willis wrote:
> If you save 3 or 4 unused wands of digging for the plane of earth,
> you can get rid of the pickaxe too.

I believe a pickaxe is guaranteed among the possessions of the
inhabitants of the first room you'll find yourself in on Earth.

(In other words: you don't have to take it with you.)

--
Kevin Wayne

"Everyone wants to be Cary Grant. I want to be Cary Grant."
--Cary Grant

 

[Guest]

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

On 1 Sep 2005 02:44:39 -0700, "chlorine" <chlorine@free.fr>
wrote:

>
>Jove wrote:
>> On Thu, 01 Sep 2005 00:02:29 -0700, Art Willis
>> <nhplayer@trantor.nospam.com> wrote:
>>
>> >In article <1125550357.679005.206510@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
>> > "Drew Levitt" <drew.levitt@yale.edu> wrote:
>> >
>> >> I've since taken her back up to the VotD to ditch some extra gold (no
>> >> more protection, though) and make final preparations for my first
>> >> ascension run!
>> >>
>> >> What do I need to do? What do I need to take with me?
>> >>
>>
>> - You won't need the bell, book, and candle after you perform
>> the invocation. Dump'em
>
>Good one, I was wondering about that on my ascension run.
>I finally ditched them because I was burdened, but I was
>afraid for some time that I had done a mistake.
>

Good work figuring it out on your own.


You get some points for ascending with them, but trivial
compared to your total score. (This was not always the case.
The trivial, I mean).

>
>> - A scroll of magic mapping on the Plane of Air will show you
>> the best route through the clouds. (My last ascension there
>> was a path completely around the clouds.) Oh yeah, stay out
>> of the clouds on the Plane of Air.
>
>Why stay out of the clouds?

You can get frozen by lightning(?) with no way of resisting
its effects. Ring of Free Action won't work, shock resistance
won't work, etc.

>
>> - wand(s) of fire/lightning for permanently engraving Elbereth.
>
>Oh, and I never thought of writing Elbereth when I was on the
>astral plane! This would have helped me a lot, though.
>

Not on water or air, though. And you can #pray on the Astral
planes, if your prayer timeout is up. Elbereth doesn't help as
much on Astral due to the nature of the monsters (A and @
monsters don't respect it), but any help is better than none.
Hope it helps next time.


Breaking a wand of teleport will teleport away all the
creatures around you, whether it's a no-teleport level or not.
So keep a wand of teleport with one charge left in reserve
just in case.

Oh, the Amulet of Yendor. ;^D Players have accidentally
escaped the dungeon by forgetting it when they ascend from Dlvl.
1. (Hint: Use cursed potion of gain level to leave the dungeon.
If you don't have the AoY, you just "feel uneasy".)


Belated congrats on your first Ascension. There can't be many
wizard ascensions without the Amulet of Aethopica. And very good
work getting your Pwr up to the 900s. With that kind of power
the loss of the AoA shouldn't have mattered as much.

You didn't show your final stats, but I should have suggested
getting Int+Wis above 44, you regenerate mana somewhat faster
that way. (Enchanted HoB after maxing Int and Wis.)


--
All the best,

Jove

 

[Guest]

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

Once again, RGRN comes through with great advice. I'm currently
putting together my final kit before going to visit the Wizard, but I'd
like to resolve a few more questions.

Jakob Creutzig wrote:
> "Drew Levitt" <drew.levitt@yale.edu> writes:
> > E - a blessed luckstone /* left the Orb of Fate in my stash on DL 9 -
> > way too heavy! */
>
> Go get it. Half spell damage, half physical damage. Quite worth
> its weight.

This seems to be the consensus view. I'm definitely aware of what it
does, but I couldn't manage to carry it without being burdened, which
basically neutralizes this effect. But I'm off to pick it up now.

>
> > Contents of the blessed BoH:
> > Coins
> > a - 1876 gold pieces
> > Amulets
> > b - an uncursed pyramidal amulet
> > c - an uncursed amulet of reflection
> > Weapons
> > d - 13 +0 elven daggers
>
> Drop all of that.
>
> > e - the +0 Grayswandir
>
> Exchange Mjollnir for that, get basic in saber. GS is the
> best weapon in the game when fully enchanted.

What about throwing MJ? I feel like I should either keep the daggers
(I'd enchant them) or still wield Mjollnir - to have some sort of
ranged ability.

> > g - a blessed +1 pair of gauntlets of dexterity
>
> Exchange GoP against these if you have 18/** strength
> (one can reverse-genocide giants and use a tinning kit
> for quite fast Str boosting).

It's true that if I give up throwing Mjollnir I can enchant these up
for some rather nice damage (?) and AC bonuses (at least I think so).
My base strength is already 18/**.

> > Potions
> > p - a blessed potion of healing
> > q - 2 uncursed potions of full healing
> > r - 3 uncursed potions of healing
> > s - a cursed potion of healing
> > t - 2 cursed potions of extra healing
> > u - 3 blessed potions of extra healing
>
> Alchemy is hindered somewhat by lack of energy potions.
> However, using the speed potions, some founatin--dipping
> and 5 potions of holy water, you should be able to get 11
> blessed diluted potions of extra healing from this. Always
> keep some blessed potions of full healing for emergency.

In main inventory, where they're more useful but more exposed, or in a
bag?

> > Rings
> > s - an uncursed silver ring
> > t - an uncursed black onyx ring
> > u - a blessed twisted ring
> > v - an uncursed black onyx ring
> [..]
> Get those rings identified. Useful rings are levitation (on my last
> ascension, I somehow lost my =oL on earth -- Aaargh!), free action
> conflict (!) and slow digestion. The rest is of less importance and
> can be dropped.

I've already IDed levitation and conflict, but still need free action
(sounds like this one is very important) and SD (will this help me vs.
Famine?).

> > o - 7 blessed candles
>
> ;-)

As a matter of fact, I found these randomly sitting in the dungeons,
all seven of them, already blessed. Not a bones file, either.

>
> > p - an uncursed pair of lenses
> > q - an uncursed oil lamp
> > r - an uncursed magic whistle
> > s - an uncursed oil lamp
> > t - an uncursed unicorn horn
> > u - an uncursed oil lamp
> > v - an uncursed bugle
> > a - an uncursed tinning kit
>
> Drop.

I do like Jove's jumping boots idea, as I'm already intrinsically fast,
so I think I'll hold on to one oil lamp.

> Watch out on Astral for Role Monsters.

Why, exactly? Are they just really tough?

> Be careful to read _any_
> Message on the planes. Get rid of Rodney ASAP, hurry up the way
> down and up (use TC and wands of teleport on yourself to save
> time when crossing levels), and consult the spoilers if you want
> about the planes and the uses of ?oGD.

I'm already rather spoiled, so I'll review the scrolls spoiler.
Incidentally, I think the ?oGD thing is a case of TNHCTOE (The NetHack
Community Thinks Of Everything), since it's such a clever application
of what the DevTeam seems to have intended as a negative effect.

Side note: Out of curiosity I used wizmode to poly myself into a
woodchuck and #chat to the Oracle, but unfortunately "Being a
woodchuck, you cannot speak." I personally think the correct response
should be "ZOT!" and you turn back into your native form, unless you
have unchanging, in which case you die.

>
> Best,
> Jakob

Thanks, everybody!

- Drew

 

[Guest]

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

On 2 Sep 2005 12:55:33 -0700, "Drew Levitt"
<drew.levitt@yale.edu> wrote:

>Once again, RGRN comes through with great advice. I'm currently
>putting together my final kit before going to visit the Wizard, but I'd
>like to resolve a few more questions.
>
>Jakob Creutzig wrote:
>> "Drew Levitt" <drew.levitt@yale.edu> writes:
>> > E - a blessed luckstone /* left the Orb of Fate in my stash on DL 9 -
>> > way too heavy! */
>>
>> Go get it. Half spell damage, half physical damage. Quite worth
>> its weight.
>
>This seems to be the consensus view. I'm definitely aware of what it
>does, but I couldn't manage to carry it without being burdened, which
>basically neutralizes this effect. But I'm off to pick it up now.

Deciding what to carry in inventory while staying unburdened
is one of the most important Nethack skills. Looks like your
decision making is fine when you have the right information.


>
>>
>> > Contents of the blessed BoH:
>> > Coins
>> > a - 1876 gold pieces
>> > Amulets
>> > b - an uncursed pyramidal amulet
>> > c - an uncursed amulet of reflection
>> > Weapons
>> > d - 13 +0 elven daggers
>>
>> Drop all of that.
>>
>> > e - the +0 Grayswandir
>>
>> Exchange Mjollnir for that, get basic in saber. GS is the
>> best weapon in the game when fully enchanted.
>
>What about throwing MJ? I feel like I should either keep the daggers
>(I'd enchant them) or still wield Mjollnir - to have some sort of
>ranged ability.

Do you need to wield MJ to throw it? Gauntlets of power get
mentioned a lot, but not wielding.

>
>> > g - a blessed +1 pair of gauntlets of dexterity
>>
>> Exchange GoP against these if you have 18/** strength
>> (one can reverse-genocide giants and use a tinning kit
>> for quite fast Str boosting).
>
>It's true that if I give up throwing Mjollnir I can enchant these up
>for some rather nice damage (?) and AC bonuses (at least I think so).
>My base strength is already 18/**.

Doesn't look like dexterity ever increases damage (unless you
count helping to hit in the the first place . And if your
character has maximum luck (only potion/wand of elightenment
knows for sure) at this point you should never miss anyway.

(dexterity damage estimate based on:

<http://www.steelypips.org/nethack/343/weap-343.txt>

and three cheers for the update!)



>
>> > Potions
>> > p - a blessed potion of healing
>> > q - 2 uncursed potions of full healing
>> > r - 3 uncursed potions of healing
>> > s - a cursed potion of healing
>> > t - 2 cursed potions of extra healing
>> > u - 3 blessed potions of extra healing
>>
>> Alchemy is hindered somewhat by lack of energy potions.
>> However, using the speed potions, some founatin--dipping
>> and 5 potions of holy water, you should be able to get 11
>> blessed diluted potions of extra healing from this. Always
>> keep some blessed potions of full healing for emergency.
>
>In main inventory, where they're more useful but more exposed, or in a
>bag?

One or two in main inventory, the rest in a blessed greased
bag of holding. Be sure to take more out of the bag when you
use up the ones in main inventory.

>
>> > Rings
>> > s - an uncursed silver ring
>> > t - an uncursed black onyx ring
>> > u - a blessed twisted ring
>> > v - an uncursed black onyx ring
>> [..]
>> Get those rings identified. Useful rings are levitation (on my last
>> ascension, I somehow lost my =oL on earth -- Aaargh!), free action
>> conflict (!) and slow digestion. The rest is of less importance and
>> can be dropped.
>
>I've already IDed levitation and conflict, but still need free action
>(sounds like this one is very important) and SD (will this help me vs.
>Famine?).

Free action is wonderful with wielded potions of paralysis
against the Riders on Astral, especially Death (who's *likes*
being death-rayed.)

SD should help against Famine, but scarfing K-rations until
satiated just before you meet Famine works better. A wand of
death also works against Famine. A wand of teleport will
let you zap a path past Famine (Don't zap the riders with wands
of teleport!) (If you have jumping boots and a light source
you can jump past the Riders, sometimes without being touched.)

There's no universally useful ring for Astral. There isn't
even a consensus on free action. Conflict would be great if
it weren't for the 4 hostile angels it summons next to you.
(Check the details on conflict. It's possible to wear it
without summoning the hostile angels but you need to know
what you're doing.)

Levitation in any form is pretty much useless on Astral.

>
>> > o - 7 blessed candles
>>
>> ;-)
>
>As a matter of fact, I found these randomly sitting in the dungeons,
>all seven of them, already blessed. Not a bones file, either.
>
>>
>> > p - an uncursed pair of lenses
>> > q - an uncursed oil lamp
>> > r - an uncursed magic whistle
>> > s - an uncursed oil lamp
>> > t - an uncursed unicorn horn
>> > u - an uncursed oil lamp
>> > v - an uncursed bugle
>> > a - an uncursed tinning kit
>>
>> Drop.
>
>I do like Jove's jumping boots idea, as I'm already intrinsically fast,
>so I think I'll hold on to one oil lamp.

Thanks. The magic whistle can be useful for any monsters you
tame. And you get a tame guardian angel if you enter Astral not
wearing a ring of conflict.

Light (or any other method of seeing monsters around you) is
helpful maneuvering through monsters. It can also help prevent
accidentally aapping a rider with a wand of teleport (12/13
chance of teleporting the rider next to you.)

A spare unicorn horn in a blessed bag of holding seems like
a good idea to me.

>
>> Watch out on Astral for Role Monsters.
>
>Why, exactly? Are they just really tough?

They have great armor and good weapons, including a chance of
an artifact weapon with an insta-kill chance. The frequently
have reflection or magic resistance which negate wand(s) of
death.

>
>> Be careful to read _any_
>> Message on the planes. Get rid of Rodney ASAP, hurry up the way
>> down and up (use TC and wands of teleport on yourself to save
>> time when crossing levels), and consult the spoilers if you want
>> about the planes and the uses of ?oGD.
>
>I'm already rather spoiled, so I'll review the scrolls spoiler.
>Incidentally, I think the ?oGD thing is a case of TNHCTOE (The NetHack
>Community Thinks Of Everything), since it's such a clever application
>of what the DevTeam seems to have intended as a negative effect.
>

Good point. Well stated.


Cursed scrolls of gold detection should work fine on Earth and
Air, without having to be confused. You'll get a single '$'
symbol on the map, but it will disappear when you directly view
the square it's on.

The most important item in your Ascension Kit is an Ascension
state of mind: Run, don't fight. Slow down your play. Pay
attention to your status line. (If you're showing the turn
counter and/or experience points on the status line turn them
off.)

Don't forget Elbereth. A wand or two of fire/lightning are
worth taking for a permanent one. Elbereth is of limited use
on Astral: Doesn't work on A,@, or the riders.

Don't forget you can #pray on the Astral planes.

Breaking a wand of teleport will teleport away any monsters
around you in an emergency. (Even better than zapping a path
and #jumping, in the short term.)

Scroll of magic mapping for the Plane of Air. Let's you
find the shortest route through the clouds.

Being invisible/displaced and wearing conflict works well
on all the planes. Conflict is not recommended on Astral
unless it's an emergency or you know what you're doing.

--
All the best,

Jove

 

[Guest]

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

In article <3cgih1th7rj2kdmkievpma29p3r4onqqd8@4ax.com>, Jove
<invalid@invalid.invalid> says...
> Drew Levitt:
> >Jove:
> >> Watch out on Astral for Role Monsters.
> >
> >Why, exactly? Are they just really tough?
>
> They have great armor and good weapons, including a chance of
> an artifact weapon with an insta-kill chance. The frequently
> have reflection or magic resistance which negate wand(s) of
> death.

>
Is that just a chance of Vorpal Blade, or can they get the Tsurugi of
Muramasa?

I'm guessing a bullwhip could be useful. I'm also guessing throwing
cockatrice eggs at the Role Monsters would be a good idea. Or wield/hit?
Sounds dangerous.

My good Priest gained a couple of stoning nades from a Horn of Plenty. Good
thing he IDed them before eating.

 

[Guest]

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

On Sat, 03 Sep 2005 08:00:06 GMT, Andrew Kerr
<andykerr@SPAMGUARD.blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

>In article <3cgih1th7rj2kdmkievpma29p3r4onqqd8@4ax.com>, Jove
><invalid@invalid.invalid> says...
>> Drew Levitt:
>> >Jove:
>> >> Watch out on Astral for Role Monsters.
>> >
>> >Why, exactly? Are they just really tough?
>>
>> They have great armor and good weapons, including a chance of
>> an artifact weapon with an insta-kill chance. The frequently
>> have reflection or magic resistance which negate wand(s) of
>> death.
>
>>
>Is that just a chance of Vorpal Blade, or can they get the Tsurugi of
>Muramasa?

I know there's a chance of Vorpal. I once had to kill the Role
Monster wielding it twice. Don't see why not the Tsurugi, unless
the character was a samurai.


>
>I'm guessing a bullwhip could be useful. I'm also guessing throwing
>cockatrice eggs at the Role Monsters would be a good idea. Or wield/hit?
>Sounds dangerous.

At least one poster saved a wish for a cockatrice corpse on
the astral planes. They said it was the best weapon imaginable.

As for danger to the player, hitting 'x' before moving should
handle that. Then 'x' again before hitting.

I don't think traps appear on Astral in any case, but better
safe then dying on Astral. (Too much chance of someone using a
magic trap to tame Death, I guess.)

>
>My good Priest gained a couple of stoning nades from a Horn of Plenty. Good
>thing he IDed them before eating.

Or read a blessed scroll of food detection? Stoning grenades
do have most of the advantages of cockatrice corpses without the
self-stoning danger through clumsiness.


--
All the best,

Jove

 

[Guest]

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

Andrew Kerr wrote:

> Is that just a chance of Vorpal Blade, or can they get the Tsurugi of
> Muramasa?

The Tsurugi of Muramasa is never generated other than at the feet of
Ashikaga Takauji.

> My good Priest gained a couple of stoning [gre]nades from a Horn of
> Plenty. Good thing he IDed them before eating.

My characters *never* eat eggs. They may indeed be cockatrice's eggs,
and if not, they are often rotten. Good dogfood, though, but don't toss
them (drop them instead).

Boudewijn.

--
"I have hundreds of other quotes, just waiting to replace this one
as my signature..." - Me

 

[Guest]

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

"Drew Levitt" <drew.levitt@yale.edu> writes:

> What about throwing MJ?

Nice sometimes, particular for mind flayers. But the
drawback ist that you might not catch it, and this can
destroy your wands and rings. I'd rather genocide
mind flayers or use death wands for them.

> I feel like I should either keep the daggers
> (I'd enchant them) or still wield Mjollnir - to have some sort of
> ranged ability.

On astral, there are _lots_ of monsters. Your 15 daggers
are gone quite fast, and Mjollnir does not do extra damage
against some really nasty monsters. But I think you should
also be able to run with Mjollnir.

> > > g - a blessed +1 pair of gauntlets of dexterity
> >
> > Exchange GoP against these if you have 18/** strength
> > (one can reverse-genocide giants and use a tinning kit
> > for quite fast Str boosting).
>
> It's true that if I give up throwing Mjollnir I can enchant these up
> for some rather nice damage (?) and AC bonuses (at least I think so).
> My base strength is already 18/**.

Up to Mjollnir, Str 18/** is equivalent to Str 25 in combat
terms. Dex > 18 will raise your to-hit, though you may not
even rcognize it, and your spellcasting.

> > > Potions
> > > p - a blessed potion of healing
> > > q - 2 uncursed potions of full healing
> > > r - 3 uncursed potions of healing
> > > s - a cursed potion of healing
> > > t - 2 cursed potions of extra healing
> > > u - 3 blessed potions of extra healing
> >
> > Alchemy is hindered somewhat by lack of energy potions.
> > However, using the speed potions, some founatin--dipping
> > and 5 potions of holy water, you should be able to get 11
> > blessed diluted potions of extra healing from this. Always
> > keep some blessed potions of full healing for emergency.
>
> In main inventory, where they're more useful but more exposed, or in a
> bag?

I'd keep one in my main inventory, particular on air, but
not on fire. One should go in the emergency sack.

> > Get those rings identified. Useful rings are levitation (on my last
> > ascension, I somehow lost my =oL on earth -- Aaargh!), free action
> > conflict (!) and slow digestion. The rest is of less importance and
> > can be dropped.
>
> I've already IDed levitation and conflict, but still need free action
> (sounds like this one is very important) and SD (will this help me vs.
> Famine?).

Actually, free action can be crucial, but does not to. It
saves you from paralyzation by hurled potions. SD just helps
you in that in saves time if you don't have to eat too often.
Plus, if you run around satiated (since you have a unicorn
horn, there's no problem with that -- provided you don't
eat anything before checking your satiation status), which SD
prolonges, Famine is much less scary.

> > Watch out on Astral for Role Monsters.
>
> Why, exactly? Are they just really tough?

They're tough, they can have reflection, they have healing
potions, and they can wield Artifacts like Vorpal Blade
(5% instadeath chance per hit, IIRC, so _be_ careful).

> Incidentally, I think the ?oGD thing is a case of TNHCTOE (The NetHack
> Community Thinks Of Everything), since it's such a clever application
> of what the DevTeam seems to have intended as a negative effect.

I think TDDTOE and intended this. After all, almost every
object and effect in nethack has some use, some more obvious
than others.

Best,
Jakob

 

[Guest]

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

Jove wrote:

> - A ring of conflict for Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. This
> works especially well with being invisible/displaced. Take it
> off BEFORE entering the Astral plane. For safety, take it
> off on the Plane of Water.

For more safety, don't take it off on the Plane of Water. The many
benefits of conflict on Astral easily outweigh the minor inconvenience of
a few extra hostile angels.

> - The secret on Astral is to start jumping immediately toward
> the nearest altar. That way you can get to it (and back, if
> necessary) before the plane starts to fill up.

The plane won't fill up if the residents are busy killing each other.


--
"Ruleless 'law' will be a political weapon and control of the
judiciary will therefore be a political prize. 'Democracy' will
consist of the chaotic struggle to influence decision makers who are
not responsive to elections." -- Robert Bork