YASD first run in with death yaks

[Konebred]

One of those times I was on cruise mode and as usual DCSS threw me for a loop. Playing a Draconian (mottled) monk of Mahkleb. Found an early book of alchemy on D3 and started working transmutations up a little. Got to lair and was doing alright despite running in to a 4 headed hydra on level 4 or 5. Went in to a spider lair and tore it up. Evaporated poison clouds left and right and flew up in exp, getting spellcasting and transmutations to 7 or 8 each and fire to 5, not much loot though. Pretty confident working my way down to 7 and saw a big pack of death yaks. Started kiting them around with confusion and poison clouds and got a couple, but wasn't killing them fast enough. Turned to run and BAM, oklob plant blocking my only way out. Shit. Death yaks were all over my shit now, summoned a couple demons to help but they weren't killing them fast enough. Got backed in to a corner and didnt have any teleport scrolls and everything was either death yaks or oklob territory to blink to. Lasted a little while but ran out of confusions and they just wore me down. It was fun though, and as usual reminded me DCSS doesn't care how well you are doing.

[slowcar]

Death Yaks are usually too tough when you encounter them, at least the whole herd of them at once. Try to separate them by using stairs.
As they have the same speed as you (10) you can walk them wherever you want.
Your main fault was engaging them all at once, and your second fault was not running to a stair. (just noting it so you can do it better next time)

[Konebred]

Yah, I just didn't realize how many of them there were in a herd. It was my own fault when I engaged them though. I had killed yaks and sheep all day and didn't pay attention to what they were, so I can take full blame on this one.

[XuaXua]

Look it might be one of those selective things again, but the last 3 games I've played have had Death Yaks up the wah-zoo. There are way many of them and some of the herds are twice the size I've seen before.

Freaking tanks.

[Stormfox]

Me too. But not a whole lot of catoblepas (although if I'm remembering correctly, for a while in trunk their generation rate was turned up to playtest them). Seems that there's a 4-for-1 trading special going on, catos for death yaks.

[MADDOGmjb]

Interesting. I've never actually died to a death yak. I don't know what all the fuss is about. Guess I've just gotten lucky.