YASD: GrIE - All Kinds of Strange

[kartng]

So after fooling around with a few straight melee chars after my recent win, I ended up deciding to go for a hybrid Gargoyle. Though Ice was a good choice for support from Ozocubu's Armor and Condensation Shield, but this one has been...odd.

  Code:

 Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup version 0.13.0 (tiles) character file.

BashItOnTheHead the Thaumaturge (GrIE)             Turns: 25094, Time: 02:29:23

HP  68/68        AC 19     Str 13      XL: 12   Next: 22%
MP  38/38        EV 13     Int 21      God: Vehumet [***...]
Gold 80          SH  2     Dex 10      Spells:  8 memorised,  3 levels left

Res.Fire  : + . .   See Invis. : .   y - +8,+5 flail of Yddokk {freeze, Contam +Inv rF+ rN+ Str-2 Int+3}
Res.Cold  : . . .   Warding    : .   M - +2 robe {MR+}
Life Prot.: + + .   Conserve   : .   (no shield)
Res.Poison: +       Res.Corr.  : .   V - +1 wizard hat
Res.Elec. : +       Clarity    : .   R - +1 cloak
Sust.Abil.: . .     Spirit.Shd : .   (no gloves)
Res.Mut.  : .       Stasis     : +   v - +0 pair of boots
Res.Rott. : +       Flight     : .   d - amulet of stasis
Saprovore : . . .                    m - ring of wizardry
                                     e - ring of magical power

@: studying Bows, quite resistant to hostile enchantments, fairly stealthy
A: fangs 1, horns 1, talons 2, life protection 1, electricity resistance, slow
metabolism 1, unbreathing, petrification resistance, AC +11, SH +2
a: Renounce Religion, Evoke Invisibility


You are on level 1 of the Lair of Beasts.
You worship Vehumet.
Vehumet is most pleased with you.
You are hungry.

You have visited 3 branches of the dungeon, and seen 14 of its levels.
You have also visited: Ossuary.

You have collected 660 gold pieces.
You have spent 600 gold pieces at shops.

Inventory:

Hand weapons
 u - a +1,+0 whip of electrocution
 y - the +8,+5 flail of Yddokk (weapon) {freeze, Contam +Inv rF+ rN+ Str-2 Int+3}
   (You found it on level 11 of the Dungeon)   
   
   It has been specially enchanted to freeze those struck by it, causing extra
   injury to most foes and up to double damage against particularly susceptible
   opponents. It can also slow down cold-blooded creatures.
   
   It affects your strength (-2).
   It affects your intelligence (+3).
   It protects you from fire.
   It protects you from negative energy.
   It lets you turn invisible.
   It causes magical contamination when unequipped.
 D - the sling of Bienous {velocity, rC+ Int+4, was cursed}
   (You took it off a kobold on level 5 of the Dungeon)   
   
   Any stone fired from it inflicts extra damage.
   
   It affects your intelligence (+4).
   It protects you from cold.
Armour
 a - a +0 robe
 v - a +0 pair of boots (worn)
 x - a +1 ring mail of magic resistance
 M - a +2 robe of magic resistance (worn)
 R - a +1 cloak (worn)
 V - a +1 wizard hat (worn)
Magical devices
 s - a wand of magic darts {zapped: 6}
 O - a wand of heal wounds (3)
 P - a wand of enslavement {zapped: 1}
Comestibles
 c - 5 bread rations
 f - 2 chokos
 p - 6 chunks of centaur flesh
 w - 2 pears
 z - a rambutan
 G - an apple
 U - 2 meat rations
Scrolls
 b - a scroll of magic mapping
 h - a scroll of fog
 l - 3 scrolls of blinking
 o - a scroll of random uselessness
 E - 4 scrolls of remove curse
Jewellery
 d - an amulet of stasis (around neck)
 e - a ring of magical power (left hand)
 i - an uncursed ring of fire
 m - a ring of wizardry (right hand)
Potions
 g - 12 potions of curing
 k - a viscous cyan potion
 q - 2 potions of invisibility
 r - a potion of flight
 t - 2 potions of restore abilities
 A - a potion of berserk rage
 C - 2 potions of cure mutation
 H - a potion of might
 K - a potion of mutation
 L - 2 potions of speed
 S - 2 bubbling cyan potions
 W - a potion of heal wounds
Books
 n - a book of Frost   
   
   Spells                             Type                      Level
   *Freeze                            Ice                          1
   *Throw Frost                       Conjuration/Ice              2
   *Ozocubu's Armour                  Charms/Ice                   3
   *Throw Icicle                      Conjuration/Ice              4
   *Summon Ice Beast                  Ice/Summoning                4
   Condensation Shield                Ice                          4
 B - a book of Ice   
   
   Spells                             Type                      Level
   Freezing Aura                      Charms/Ice                   2
   Ensorcelled Hibernation            Hexes/Ice                    2
   Ozocubu's Refrigeration            Ice                          6
   *Bolt of Cold                      Conjuration/Ice              6
   Freezing Cloud                     Conjuration/Ice/Air          6
   Metabolic Englaciation             Hexes/Ice                    6
   Simulacrum                         Ice/Necromancy               6
 F - a book of Wizardry   
   
   Spells                             Type                      Level
   Summon Elemental                   Summoning                    4
   Agony                              Necromancy                   5
   Force Lance                        Conjuration                  5
   Fireball                           Conjuration/Fire             5
   Haste                              Charms                       6
   Invisibility                       Hexes                        6
 I - a book of Flames   
   
   Spells                             Type                      Level
   Flame Tongue                       Conjuration/Fire             1
   Throw Flame                        Conjuration/Fire             2
   Conjure Flame                      Conjuration/Fire             3
   Inner Flame                        Hexes/Fire                   3
   Sticky Flame                       Conjuration/Fire             4
   Fireball                           Conjuration/Fire             5
 J - a Young Poisoner's Handbook   
   
   Spells                             Type                      Level
   Sting                              Conjuration/Poison           1
   Cure Poison                        Poison                       2
   *Mephitic Cloud                    Conjuration/Poison/Air       3
   Olgreb's Toxic Radiance            Poison                       4
   Venom Bolt                         Conjuration/Poison           5
 N - a Grand Grimoire {highlevel}   
   This book is beyond your current level of understanding.
   
   Spells                             Type                      Level
   Demonic Horde                      Summoning                    6
   Mass Abjuration                    Summoning                    6
   Haunt                              Necromancy/Summoning         7
   Summon Greater Demon               Summoning                    7
   Malign Gateway                     Summoning/Translocation      7
   Summon Horrible Things             Summoning                    8
 Q - a manual of Bows
Miscellaneous
 Z - a fan of gales


   Skills:
 - Level 8.1 Fighting
 + Level 7.6 Maces & Flails
 - Level 5.0 Dodging
 - Level 2.1 Stealth
 * Level 9.4 Spellcasting
 * Level 9.1 Conjurations
 - Level 1.0 Summonings
 * Level 9.2 Ice Magic


You have 3 spell levels left.
You know the following spells:

 Your Spells              Type           Power        Failure   Level  Hunger
a - Freeze                Ice            ####         1%          1    None
b - Throw Frost           Conj/Ice       #####.       1%          2    None
c - Ozocubu's Armour      Chrm/Ice       ####......   1%          3    None
d - Throw Icicle          Conj/Ice       #####...     1%          4    ##.....
e - Summon Ice Beast      Ice/Summ       ####......   4%          4    ##.....
f - Mephitic Cloud        Conj/Pois/Air  ###.....     1%          3    None
g - Stone Arrow           Conj/Erth      ####..       1%          3    None
h - Bolt of Cold          Conj/Ice       #####.....   3%          6    ######.


Dungeon Overview and Level Annotations

Branches:
Dungeon (12/27)            Temple (1/1) D:6            Lair (1/8) D:12
   Orc: D:6-11     

Altars:
Ashenzari
Cheibriados
Elyvilon
Fedhas
Kikubaaqudgha
Makhleb
Nemelex Xobeh
Okawaru
Sif Muna
Trog
Vehumet
Xom
Yredelemnul
Zin
the Shining One

Shops:
D:4 (   D:7 %   D:8 /

Portals:
Trove: D:10 (give +5 fire dragon armour)

Annotations:
Lair:1 exclusion: 2 oklob plants


Innate Abilities, Weirdness & Mutations

You are resistant to torment.
You are immune to poison.
Your stone body is very resilient (AC +8).
You have very sharp teeth.
You have razor-sharp toenails.
You resist negative energy.
You are resistant to electric shocks.
You have a slow metabolism.
You can survive without breathing.
You are immune to petrification.
You have a pair of small horns on your head.
You are partially covered in icy blue scales (AC +1).
You are partially covered in large bone plates (AC +2, SH +2).


I have never seen half this many books before L1, but I think I've pretty much got access to more than enough spells to clear everything outside of extended, with no help from Vehumet.

Speaking of Vehumet, how bad did I screw myself going with him? I wanted to go Makhleb and rely more on the melee side of my game, but he wasn't in an already late temple, so I changed my plans.

That flail...I really should really learn to ident artifacts before wielding them. How bad is that Contam+ going to mess me up? I can probably keep the weapon on through the Lair branches at the least (watch me roll an Ice Cave...), so should I just ride it as far as I can and hope to hell I find an amulet of rMut to protect me from the worst of what it will cause? I have an eveningstar of draining that showed up around D6 (!), but it has a lousy enchantment (-3, -1) - any value in pouring scrolls into that as a late game weapon (along with a buckler)?

Of course, I've had some insane luck with mutations this game too. Ended up with AC+3, SH+2, and horns 1 from an early round of potion roulette. I'm even more loathe to unwield that flail because I don't want to lose the good Muts along with any bad ones (though I do have 2 potions of cure Mut, which I imagine would get me back to 0 or close to it, right?)

Thoughts? This one has been a lot of fun, but I feel like I'm stretching myself too thin to win it.

[Siegurt]

Vehumet's good, passive conjuration support. If you want to blow stuff up with conjurations, he's a good choice, even if you don't need his spell gifts. That being said, he will offer you some top-end conjurations eventually. So if you want those it's nice to have a guaranteed source.

Contam will give you yellow glow when unwielding, I've found if I start uncontaminated, then unwiweld and rest it off, I have about a 50:50 chance of getting mutations, nearly always bad, sometimes more than one. That being said, 1-3 bad mutations *usually* isn't a death sentence.

Cure mutation potions cure a bunch of mutations (A max of I think 9, but most of the time 4-5 ish) so yes, 1-2 cure mutation potions should set you back to nothing should you end up with something really horrible, but cure mutation potions are VERY rare, and there's lots of things that can provide you with nasty mutations late game, so I'd reserve them for mutations you just aren't willing to live with.

Training wise, you've got good success rate with your spells, so training more spell skills isn't really needed right now (At least until you decide to get higher level spells, and Bolt of Cold can do as your staple if you choose, you can win the game with that as your top-end conjuration.)

Ideally at this point I'd be working on your defenses. If you can find a buckler, strap it on and put a point or two into shields (5 if you have access to nice leather armour that you'd prefer to wear over those robes, but MR robes are pretty good, so unless it's really special, I'd skip it.) Lacking a buckler I'd train more dodging and more fighting.

[and into]

Nah going Vehumet wasn't a mistake, that's a fine choice for this character and adapting to the absence of Makhleb in temple was likely a good strategic decision.

I would stop training magic skills and put those !cure mut and whatnot in a safe place. I would wait until I had full HP somewhere safe, and no contamination, then drop that flail and wield the whip of electrocution; pump the electric whip with any scrolls of enchant weapon I have until it is +5.

For skills, personally I would train a bit of dodging (just to get EV to 16 or so) as those levels will come cheap now despite the aptitude, and don't forget to be liberal in your ozo's armor. After some dodging, I'd get charms high enough to cast haste. After that M&F to 12 for whip of electrocution. You should get all of that online before end of Lair.

After that, there's any number of things you could do, but your character will be extremely well established by that point, so basically any way you go should work out fine, provided it isn't completely unreasonable or something.

EDIT: Siegurt beat me to the post. Agree with his advice, I forgot to mention buckler. He's right, keep an eye out for one.

[HenryFlower]

Ctrl-F vuln

Check if there are any scrolls of vulnerabilty about, on the floor or in shops.

[kartng]

Well, that ended about the way I expected it to. After finding the path to L2 blocked by FOUR Oklob plants, I headed back out onto D12 and immediately got overconfident with an 8-headed Hydra. Thought I had enough AC to go 2-3 rounds with it in Melee with support from an Ice Beast (had already softened it up with a bolt of cold) - I was wrong. Should have just blown it away with as many BoCs as required - I had plenty of space. I am not cut out for Hybrids - too damn confusing to try to think "do I bash or zap" on every enemy.

[Sandman25]

Well, that ended about the way I expected it to. After finding the path to L2 blocked by FOUR Oklob plants, I headed back out onto D12 and immediately got overconfident with an 8-headed Hydra. Thought I had enough AC to go 2-3 rounds with it in Melee with support from an Ice Beast (had already softened it up with a bolt of cold) - I was wrong. Should have just blown it away with as many BoCs as required - I had plenty of space. I am not cut out for Hybrids - too damn confusing to try to think "do I bash or zap" on every enemy.

I use the following for melee/conjurations hybrids:
1) cast magic while melee-only monster is approaching you
2) lure ranged monsters like Centaurs/Yaktaurs into melee range (and use the strongest of melee/conjurations)
3) cast Silence and use melee for magic monsters (or lure to anti-magic melee if available)

[and into]

Well, that ended about the way I expected it to. After finding the path to L2 blocked by FOUR Oklob plants, I headed back out onto D12 and immediately got overconfident with an 8-headed Hydra. Thought I had enough AC to go 2-3 rounds with it in Melee with support from an Ice Beast (had already softened it up with a bolt of cold) - I was wrong. Should have just blown it away with as many BoCs as required - I had plenty of space. I am not cut out for Hybrids - too damn confusing to try to think "do I bash or zap" on every enemy.

Pay attention to the head count. An 8-headed hydra is much more dangerous than a 3- or 4-headed hydra. Outside of the Lernean Hydra unique, 8 heads is (I believe) the highest that will generate.

[duvessa]

I am not cut out for Hybrids - too damn confusing to try to think "do I bash or zap" on every enemy.

Pay attention to the head count. An 8-headed hydra is much more dangerous than a 3- or 4-headed hydra. Outside of the Lernean Hydra unique, 8 heads is (I believe) the highest that will generate.

You might want to read the seventh word in that quote again.

[Psiweapon]

Well, that ended about the way I expected it to. After finding the path to L2 blocked by FOUR Oklob plants, I headed back out onto D12 and immediately got overconfident with an 8-headed Hydra. Thought I had enough AC to go 2-3 rounds with it in Melee with support from an Ice Beast (had already softened it up with a bolt of cold) - I was wrong. Should have just blown it away with as many BoCs as required - I had plenty of space. I am not cut out for Hybrids - too damn confusing to try to think "do I bash or zap" on every enemy.

To try to think is not the way, to be a sorting algorithm is the way.

(not that I manage to, lol )

[mattington]

Seems like Ice Beasts could have handled the Oklobs.