CIP: SpNe (no god yet)

[Roy]

I'm playing my first necromancer and was looking for some advice. (I'm also on my first streak ever (yay!) and I'd like to keep it that way.)

1. I was trying to get Kiku since that is the default necromancer god, but of course Kiku the very last altar to be found. Should I give up on Kiku? What other gods are good for this build?

2. I haven't found any armour at all that I've been able to wear, so I'm getting slaughtered by things that have ranged attacks - centaurs hit for 1/3 of my hp. I started training fighting to get more hp to counterbalance, but is there any other thing I can do to prevent this?

3. I found a pretty good (I think) fustibalus so I've been using that as my main weapon. Good idea? I assume I'll switch to short blades once I find a quickblade.

4. Any other advice?

  Code:

Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup version 0.20.1-1-g8b1a95d (webtiles) character file.

Roy the Vandal (Spriggan Necromancer)              Turns: 12509, Time: 01:28:32

Health: 39/39      AC:  3    Str:  4    XL:     8   Next: 57%
Magic:  18/18      EV: 18    Int: 23    God:   
Gold:   307        SH:  0    Dex: 16    Spells: 3/19 levels left

rFire    + . .     SeeInvis +   a - +1 fustibalus of Kaup {venom, rF+ Int+4 Stlth-} (curse)
rCold    . . .     Gourm    .   (shield restricted)
rNeg     . . .     Faith    .   u - +1 robe
rPois    .         Spirit   .   (helmet restricted)
rElec    .         Reflect  .   (no cloak)
rCorr    .         Harm     .   (gloves unavailable)
MR       +....                  (boots unavailable)
Stlth    +.........             (no amulet)
Regen    0.2/turn               (no ring)
MPRegen  0.2/turn               (no ring)

@: very quick
A: unfitting armour, see invisible, herbivore 3, speed 3, slow metabolism 2
a: no special abilities


You are on level 7 of the Dungeon.
You are not hungry.

You have visited 2 branches of the dungeon, and seen 8 of its levels.
You have also visited: Ossuary.

You have collected 307 gold pieces.

Inventory:

Hand Weapons
 a - the cursed +1 fustibalus of Kaup (weapon) {venom, rF+ Int+4 Stlth-}
   (You found it on level 4 of the Dungeon)   
   
   It poisons the ammo it fires.
   
   It affects your intelligence (+4).
   It protects you from fire.
   It makes you less stealthy.
   It has a curse placed upon it.
 b - a +3 whip of flaming
 q - a blowgun
 s - a glowing dagger
 D - a short sword of draining
Missiles
 f - 96 stones (quivered)
 i - 6 poisoned needles
 w - 36 sling bullets
 F - 3 throwing nets
Armour
 u - a +1 robe (worn)
Jewellery
 B - an uncursed ring of fire
 E - an uncursed ring of ice
Wands
 m - a wand of digging (?/24) {zapped: 3}
 o - a wand of flame (?/48) {zapped: 3}
 t - a wand of lightning (?/15) {recharged}
 v - a wand of paralysis (?/24)
 y - a wand of flame (?/48)
Scrolls
 e - a scroll of enchant weapon
 g - 3 scrolls of teleportation
 k - 2 scrolls of remove curse
 r - 4 scrolls of recharging
 A - a scroll of magic mapping
 I - a scroll labeled WOMEIM NUTEFF
 J - a scroll of enchant armour
 K - a scroll labeled ZIRERI WERGHIOTI
Potions
 d - a fizzy black potion
 h - a potion of brilliance
 j - 2 potions of invisibility
 l - a potion of agility
 n - 2 potions of might
 p - 3 potions of flight
 x - 2 potions of heal wounds
 z - 5 potions of curing
 C - 2 bubbling pink potions {stack of 2}
 G - a green potion
 H - a glowing green potion
Comestibles
 c - 2 bread rations


   Skills:
 + Level 2.0 Fighting
 + Level 7.2 Slings
 - Level 3.0 Dodging
 - Level 3.0 Stealth
 - Level 6.3 Spellcasting
 - Level 6.7 Necromancy
 - Level 3.6 Evocations


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

 Your Spells              Type           Power        Failure   Level  Hunger
a - Animate Skeleton      Necr           N/A          1%          1    None
c - Control Undead        Necr           #####.....   4%          4    ###....
d - Vampiric Draining     Necr           #####.....   1%          3    #......
r - Regeneration          Chrm/Necr      ###.......   6%          3    #......
z - Pain                  Necr           ####         1%          1    None
A - Animate Dead          Necr           N/A          4%          4    ###....


Dungeon Overview and Level Annotations

Branches:
Dungeon (7/15)             Temple (1/1) D:4         

Altars:
Ashenzari
Cheibriados
Dithmenos
Elyvilon
Fedhas
Gozag
Hepliaklqana
Makhleb
Nemelex Xobeh
Okawaru
Qazlal
Ru
Sif Muna
Trog
Uskayaw
Vehumet
Xom
Yredelemnul
Zin
The Shining One

Annotations:
D:3 Grinder
D:4 Eustachio
D:5 exclusion: centaur, rozman's ghost, novice MiMo


Innate Abilities, Weirdness & Mutations

You are very small and have problems with some larger weapons.
You are too small for most types of armour.
You have supernaturally acute eyesight. (SInv)
You are a herbivore.
You cover ground extremely quickly.
You need consume almost no food.


Message History

Things that are here:
a dagger; a leather armour; an orc corpse
f - 86 stones (gained 1)
There is an escape hatch in the ceiling here.
Things that are here:
a dagger; a leather armour; an orc corpse
Found a shimmering altar of Xom.
Found a scroll of enchant weapon.
Found a sparkling altar of Nemelex Xobeh and a radiant altar of Vehumet.
f - 89 stones (gained 3)
Things that are here:
a flail; a war axe; a dagger
Found a sacrificial altar of Ru.
f - 92 stones (gained 3)
f - 94 stones (gained 2)
There is a blossoming altar of Fedhas here.
f - 96 stones (gained 2)
e - a scroll of enchant weapon
There is a sacrificial altar of Ru here.
There is a radiant altar of Vehumet here.

   #.....# ....
  ##.....##.#.#
   ............
 ###..........
  ...... ...
   #...##.#
 ###......# #.#.#
 #..._....# #....
##.....@..# #...
#.........#.#... ...
#._..8....#.#..##..###
#............... .....
##....._..###..# ...#
 #..._....###.<##...#
 ###................#
  ###.)##.####.##...#
 ##.................#


There are no monsters in sight!

Vanquished Creatures
  3 ogres
  A centaur (D:6)
  A bullfrog (D:6)
  A scorpion (D:5)
  A howler monkey (D:4)
  A crimson imp (D:5)
  A hound (D:6)
  An orc priest (D:7)
  A jelly (D:6)
  Jessica (D:3)
  4 orc wizards
  8 worker ants
  10 big kobold zombies (Ossuary)
  A mummy (Ossuary)
  A howler monkey skeleton (D:6)
  10 adders
  3 gnolls (D:6)
  A river rat (D:3)
  A shadow imp (D:7)
  An ooze (D:3)
  An adder zombie (D:5)
  An adder skeleton (D:5)
  2 worms (D:4)
  3 dart slugs
  2 leopard geckos
  18 orcs
  A spectral bat (Ossuary)
  4 ball pythons
  9 bats
  4 giant cockroaches
  2 gnoll zombies (Ossuary)
  8 goblins
  8 hobgoblins
  13 jackals
  11 kobolds
  6 quokkas
  2 bat simulacra (Ossuary)
  5 frilled lizards
  2 goblin simulacra (Ossuary)
  6 goblin zombies (Ossuary)
  6 hobgoblin zombies (Ossuary)
  2 kobold simulacra (Ossuary)
  5 kobold zombies (Ossuary)
  An orc zombie (Ossuary)
  A quokka skeleton (D:4)
  10 rats
  5 rat simulacra (Ossuary)
  8 spectral goblins (Ossuary)
  3 spectral kobolds (Ossuary)
  2 spectral rats (Ossuary)
203 creatures vanquished.

Vanquished Creatures (collateral kills)
  A wyvern skeleton (D:6)
  2 crimson imps (D:6)
  A worker ant (D:6)
  A hound zombie (D:6)
5 creatures vanquished.

Vanquished Creatures (others)
  A plant (D:1)
1 creature vanquished.

Grand Total: 209 creatures vanquished

Notes
Turn   | Place    | Note
-------+----------+-------------------------------------------
     0 | D:1      | Roy the Spriggan Necromancer began the quest for the Orb.
     0 | D:1      | Reached XP level 1. HP: 9/9 MP: 5/5
   542 | D:1      | Reached skill level 4 in Necromancy
   818 | D:1      | Reached XP level 2. HP: 9/13 MP: 6/6
   821 | D:1      | Learned a level 1 spell: Animate Skeleton
  1904 | D:1      | Reached XP level 3. HP: 15/16 MP: 5/8
  1909 | D:1      | Learned a level 3 spell: Vampiric Draining
  3262 | D:2      | Reached skill level 3 in Spellcasting
  3292 | D:2      | Learned a level 3 spell: Regeneration
  3629 | D:2      | Reached XP level 4. HP: 17/21 MP: 3/9
  3793 | D:2      | Reached skill level 5 in Necromancy
  3838 | D:3      | Noticed Grinder
  4151 | D:3      | Noticed Jessica
  4217 | D:3      | Reached skill level 1 in Evocations
  4364 | D:3      | Killed Jessica
  4547 | D:3      | Reached skill level 2 in Evocations
  4548 | D:3      | Reached XP level 5. HP: 22/24 MP: 7/11
  5080 | D:3      | Reached skill level 4 in Spellcasting
  5312 | D:4      | Reached skill level 3 in Evocations
  5417 | D:4      | Found a staircase to the Ecumenical Temple.
  5427 | Temple   | Entered the Ecumenical Temple
  5732 | D:4      | Noticed Eustachio
  5752 | D:4      | Reached XP level 6. HP: 24/28 MP: 8/13
  5777 | D:4      | Learned a level 4 spell: Animate Dead
  6033 | D:4      | Got a crude fustibalus
  6041 | D:4      | Identified the cursed +1 fustibalus of Kaup {venom, rF+ Int+4 Stlth-} (You found it on level 4 of the Dungeon)
  7327 | D:4      | Reached skill level 1 in Slings
  7390 | D:5      | Entered Level 5 of the Dungeon
  7443 | D:4      | Reached skill level 6 in Necromancy
  7631 | D:5      | Reached skill level 2 in Slings
  7631 | D:5      | Reached skill level 5 in Spellcasting
  7631 | D:5      | Reached XP level 7. HP: 32/32 MP: 13/15
  7777 | D:5      | Found a sand-covered staircase.
  7783 | D:5      | Noticed rozman's ghost (novice MiMo)
  7850 | D:5      | Learned a level 4 spell: Control Undead
  7874 | Ossuary  | Entered an ossuary
  9147 | Ossuary  | Reached skill level 3 in Slings
  9934 | D:5      | Reached skill level 6 in Spellcasting
 10372 | D:5      | Reached skill level 4 in Slings
 10691 | D:6      | Reached XP level 8. HP: 36/36 MP: 18/18
 11074 | D:6      | Reached skill level 5 in Slings
 11493 | D:6      | Reached skill level 6 in Slings
 11908 | D:6      | Reached skill level 1 in Fighting
 12073 | D:6      | Reached skill level 7 in Slings
 12457 | D:7      | Found a blossoming altar of Fedhas.
 12461 | D:7      | Reached skill level 2 in Fighting
 12489 | D:7      | Found a shimmering altar of Xom.
 12491 | D:7      | Found a sparkling altar of Nemelex Xobeh.
 12491 | D:7      | Found a radiant altar of Vehumet.
 12493 | D:7      | Found a sacrificial altar of Ru.

Skill      XL: |  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8 |
---------------+-------------------------+-----
Necromancy     |  4        5     6       |  6.7
Spellcasting   |        3     4  5  6    |  6.3
Evocations     |           2  3          |  3.6
Slings         |                 2  4  7 |  7.2
Fighting       |                       2 |  2.0
Dodging        |                         |  3.0
Stealth        |                         |  3.0

Action                   |  1- 3 |  4- 6 |  7- 9 || total
-------------------------+-------+-------+-------++-------
Melee: Unarmed           |    20 |       |       ||    20
       Whip              |       |     3 |       ||     3
 Fire: Hunting sling     |       |     3 |       ||     3
       Fustibalus        |       |    79 |   460 ||   539
Throw: Stone             |     1 |     4 |       ||     5
 Cast: Pain              |    78 |    94 |     4 ||   176
       Animate Skeleton  |    10 |     5 |     5 ||    20
       Vampiric Draining |     1 |     4 |       ||     5
       Regeneration      |       |     1 |     4 ||     5
       Animate Dead      |       |       |     2 ||     2
Evoke: Wand              |       |     1 |     1 ||     2
  Use: Scroll            |     1 |     7 |     8 ||    16
 Stab: Sleeping          |     1 |       |       ||     1
  Eat: Royal jelly       |     1 |       |       ||     1
       Bread ration      |       |     1 |       ||     1
Armor: Robe              |     9 |     1 |     3 ||    13
Dodge: Dodged            |    38 |    19 |    65 ||   122


[edgefigaro]

Gozag is always a good fit for spriggan. Kiku is odd for Necromancer start. Generally kiku is better suited to diversify a non-necromancer character into necromancy, rather than reinforce a necromancer start. Specifically his 1* book is generally weak for a necromancer start. SpEn^Kiku plays way better than SpNe^Kiku.

A good quickblade may never generate, and certainly shouldn't be part of any plan for your character pre-Hall of Blades. Some random dagger is all you need for stabs.
Related note: An invis source (2 pots, one for each side, or another source) gives you hall of blades at a really low level so you can potentially ninja a quick blade.

Some +slay is really useful on this character, i've ran rapier characters that preform rather solidly around the +5 slay mark, though never at 4 str. Rapier into demon blade is a rather natural progression. At a certain point, however, any melee weapon is a form of trash killing utility rather than standing toe to toe with threats on a spriggan.

Confuse at max range kills centaurs, or lets you reset if you get tagged for 1/3 your health.

You should be able to clear Lair Orc and D15 with just your starting book, a dagger, and that fustibalus. You don't need to kill everything. Anything in lair without MR is free XP. Hydras and death yaks may be more trouble than they are worth.

Final note: SpEn is the classic streakbreaker. Edit: you are playing SpNe not SpEn.

ID your para wand. You have 4 scrolls of recharging. That gives you centaurs + most of lair, and you can walk away from the rest of lair.

[WingedEspeon]

Kiku is fine. as Sp, you can probably afford to wait as long as you was to take the god that you want. Fustibalus has the same damage and min delay as a double sword if you use sling bullets. Oka would be a reasonable god choice to eventually get an enchantable or better artifact fustibalus as well as give sling bullets. Nem is OP but summoning decks are a bit redundant with necro allies and damage decks a bit redundant with bolt of draining/dispell undead (still a strong choice). Ru is generaly good for anybody. Trog would let you be reasonably powerful but not what you singed up for at all. Mak is easonbly good on just about everybody. Dith could be good if you want to go hevily into ranged combat, but doesn't give weapon gifts.