YAVP: VpEn of Dithmenos (15 Runes)

[Queen Cassie]

PAIN.

  Code:

Seeded DCSS version 0.28-a0-1629-gf728b707aa (tiles) character file.

Game seed: 2782291189974185260 (custom seed)

15655547 Dewdrops the Ninja (level 27, 100/148 (168) HPs)
             Began as a Vampire Enchanter on Feb 7, 2022.
             Was an Elder of Dithmenos.
             Escaped with the Orb
             ... and 15 runes on Feb 20, 2022!
             
             The game lasted 10:15:32 (98493 turns).

Dewdrops the Ninja (Vampire Enchanter)             Turns: 98493, Time: 10:15:33

HP:   100/148 (168) AC: 13    Str: 16 (20) XL:     27
MP:   36/36         EV: 33    Int: 29 (30) God:    Dithmenos [****..]
Gold: 1725          SH: 11    Dex: 22 (23) Spells: 3/44 levels left

rFire   + + .      SeeInvis +   C - +9 quick blade (venom)
rCold   + + .      Faith    .   f - +3 warlock's mirror {reflect}
rNeg    + + +      Spirit   .   L - +1 robe "Iqautzaw" {*Slow Str+6 Archmagi}
rPois   8          Reflect  +   H - +1 helmet of the First Tusks {Fly}
rElec   .          Harm     .   Y - scarf {repulsion}
rCorr   .          Rampage  +   l - +4 pair of gloves "Unyf" {rF+ Int+3 Slay+2}
Will    +++++      Archmagi +   W - +2 pair of boots {rampage}
Stlth   ++++++++.. Clarity  +   u - amulet of the Four Winds {rN+ Will+++ Clar}
HPRegen 0.00/turn               U - ring of Tipug {EV+4 Str+5 Int+4}
MPRegen 0.25/turn               t - ring "Ralyrghi" {rF+ Int+6}

@: flying, bloodless, inhibited regen, wreathed by umbra, studying 2 skills,
heavily drained, repel missiles
A: bloodless, fangs 3, see invisible, vampiric 2, thin skeletal structure 1,
camouflage 1, clumsy 1, dopey 2, sense surroundings 1, evolution 1
0: Orb of Zot
}: 15/15 runes: decaying, serpentine, slimy, silver, golden, iron, obsidian,
icy, bone, abyssal, demonic, glowing, magical, fiery, dark
a: Bat Form, Revivify, Renounce Religion, Shadow Step


You escaped.
You worshipped Dithmenos.
Dithmenos was greatly pleased with you.
You visited 18 branches of the dungeon, and saw 87 of its levels.
You visited Pandemonium 1 time, and saw 11 of its levels.
You visited the Abyss 4 times.
You visited 1 ziggurat, and saw 13 of its levels.
You also visited: Sewer, Ossuary, Bailey and Ice Cave.

You collected 11777 gold pieces.
You spent 10052 gold pieces at shops.


This run took forever. Part of it was due to me playing a ton of Stardew Valley during the past couple of weeks as well, part of it due to simple fact this was... not easy. Back in the day around .14? .15? One of those anyway. Back then I had a Spriggan Enchanter that managed 11 runes, and gave up on the Hells as "too hellish." Well, I wanted to get an Enchanter to 15 runes this time.

But I didn't want to just do another Spriggan. That'd be boring. So instead I decided to try out a vampire. I've played around with them in the past, but before the removal of food, they were always... goofy. Bizarre, difficult to use, and very, very gimmicky. Same as ghouls and mummies... I didn't care for them one bit.

This time around however, with the ability to swap between alive and bloodless, it made a massive difference. I played this as a stabber primarily, with some magic backup that I brought online later. That quick blade I was using I acquired from a scroll early on and never abandoned, even though I could've had better loadouts. (Like the Elemental Staff, which I bought strictly to use during my end run because I had no intention of doing anything other than zipping in and out with the Orb. And then I swapped off it once I got to the Dungeon levels so I could wallop any popcorn that got in my way.)

There were so many close calls I can't even begin to count them. First off, I dunno who was behind the Hells and their redesigns but good LORD. Maybe it was just my luck--the seed, by the way, is one I started on and splatted three or four vampires before I got things going. When I see a beginning I like I prefer to just keep trying it again and again a few times--had no idea what the rest of the seed was like.

And if I had known I would've passed because wow did I get some bad layouts at times. Cocytus:7 was one giant tunnel of titans and wendigos and other such junk. Dis:7 was a complete fortress where you had to literally go around everything to reach the rune at the very end, Tartarus:7 was a maze to the rune with one tile wide corridors and hidden rooms full of monsters. I do not recall seeing layouts like this in the past.

And yet I got past everything. In some cases in hilarious manners, like when I stabbed the Royal Jelly to death and had to flee from all the slimes, then come back way later to get the actual rune. Or in Tomb, where I decided to try out my teleport roulette luck, *somehow* got lucky enough to get into the right section of the first level from the second scroll, then bounced around things using shadow step and shadow form.

Which were the MVPs of this run in its later trials by the way. Don't underestimate the use of these skills as escape tools. Shadow step might look like it's just for getting close to stab, but it's not: you can use it to move super fast around the map. It's how I darted in to get the Orb.

The Orb was ridiculous... I actually couldn't step *on* the Orb because I kept rampaging back and forth between two Orb Guardians and had to burn a blink scroll just to land on the Orb spot. Very silly--I hope this is something they fix next go around.

Anyways thank y'all. Full morgue file here:

https://controlc.com/9d4d7910