help me evaluate this randart

[prospero14]

Hi folks. I relatively new to crawl; I have never had a character make it through the midgame. My current effort is a XL10 MiBe of Trog. I just found the following in a shop on D7:

the cursed +8,-4 battleaxe of Integrity {flame, rPois rC+ rN+ SInv}

Everything except the -4 to damage makes this battleaxe a minotaur berserker's wet dream. I have no idea how to evaluate how crippling that -4 to damage is. How good a randart is this? Should I buy it when I can afford it.

On a related note, there are two randart axes encased in transparent stone walls around an entrance to Bailey on the same level. Is there any way for me to get them? (I guess wait until I have teleport and teleport control.)

Thanks internets!

[cerebovssquire]

sInv, rN+ and rPois are unimportant. rC+ is sort of helpful but not helpful enough to justify spending a lot of $ on it just to get a swap against ice dragons and the like - and -4 to damage makes it pretty weak as a main weapon. Trog will provide something much better (like an antimagic executioner's axe). Don't buy it unless it's for sale for like 200 gold, and if you do buy it because it is like 200 gold don't use it as your main weapon, but use a decent Trog gift.
(it's better than your starting weapon and probably a normal +0 battleaxe... that's about it though)

Is there any way for me to get them? (I guess wait until I have teleport and teleport control.)

Other than that, there are spells (Lee's Rapid Deconstruction, Shatter) and god abilities (Corrupt), both of which you don't have... so it's wait for these, yes. A good Trog gift is likely to be better than nearly all non-executioner's-axe-randart-axes, though.

[prospero14]

Huh. I guess I think of sInv and rPois as important, because I've had a lot of characters die to things like poison and orc wizards. It sounds like you are telling me that this tribulations are unimportant in the long run. When will I start getting Trog gifts?

[prospero14]

I found the +3 plate armour "Pomutiun" {+Blink MR} in a shop on the same level, for 1200 gold. Is that worth it for a MiBe? (I only have around 600 right now so it's not an urgent question.)

[Yet Another Stupid Noob]

Since I hate the unseen horrors that start showing up around D14, I like to have a source of sinv, but alone I don't think that is worth buying the axe for.

[smock]

I tend to value blinking quite highly. I think that plate armour would be fine for most of a 3-rune game if (1) you already have rF+ and rC+, (2) have some money left over after buying it, and (3) don't have many enchant armour scrolls. (Some gave I find 20, others I find 2.)

Having some source of rC+, rPois, rN and sInv is helpful. Combining them all into one item is great. This would be great on a ring! On a battle axe, not so great. But it would make a good backup for invisible things, draining things, poisoning things, things that freeze you, or hydras. This is not an end game axe and Trog will give you a better one eventually, but if Trog waits until V4 to give you that executioner's axe, then the above randart can fill in in a good many situations until the end game. I would get it if it's cheap and you don't have rC or rPois or sInv yet.

I think that cerebovssquire's comments are in true but they pertain better to experienced players than to newbies. I haven't died any of those threats in a long time, though I'm not a great player yet. Newbies die to poison, invisible stalkers and orc wizards. If you're a newbie, respect those threats by picking up resistances. But also learn other ways to mitigate them, like using projectiles in tunnels and potions of curing.

[rebthor]

Since I hate the unseen horrors that start showing up around D14, I like to have a source of sinv, but alone I don't think that is worth buying the axe for.

Same here, if I can find one. That's mostly because I seem to have EV based characters. I understand that AC based characters don't have the same fear of unseen horrors. Of course, many EV based characters can also cast mephitic cloud if needed by the time they start running into invisible things which helps a lot too.