CIP - Black DrAE of Vehumet XL9 (now YASD)

[Moanerette]

Right, I thought I'd seek specific character advice for the first time. I've reached the point where I usually die, but I think this chap is quite promising. Lightning Bolt at 8% failure thanks to Vehumet's bonus, a blowgun with loads of poison needles plus some curare and confusion, what looks like a good melee weapon if necessary (+6,+7 captain's cutlass {speed}).

Currently focusing on Air, Conjuration and Dodge to build up EV, while putting a few points in Short Blades, Stealth, Throwing and Traps/Doors to bolster auxiliary skills. I was thinking of turning off Air (currently 8) as all my spells are at minimal failure and any books from Vehumet will be Conjuration based.

I have lightning breath, but seem unable to control it, so not sure exactly what use it is right now. I have two unID-ed magic staves, I don't know how useful these might be as I'm unfamiliar with what staves are available. I've found the Orc Mines and am unsure whether to head there or carry on with the main dungeon (just reached D 8)

I'm aware I have virtually no healing (one pot of Heal Wounds), though I have two un-IDed wands. My main tactics are to kite using Swiftness and poison/Shock, and jockey groups of monsters so I can Shock or Lightning Bolt multiple targets in one go.

Any advice would be much appreciated, as I've not got a character higher than XL10 yet and I'd really like to take this one to the mid-game at least. Thanks!

  Code:

 Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup version 0.10.0 character file.

Tenzing the Cloud Mage (DrAE)                      Turns: 10256, Time: 01:48:08

HP  56/62        AC  8     Str 10      XL: 9   Next: 43%
MP  18/18        EV 14     Int 18      God: Vehumet [**....]
Gold 143         SH  0     Dex 13      Spells:  5 memorised,  2 levels left

Res.Fire  : . . .   See Invis. : .    Q - +6,+7 captain's cutlass {speed}
Res.Cold  : . . .   Warding    : . .  (armour unavailable)
Life Prot.: . . .   Conserve   : .    (no shield)
Res.Acid. : . . .   Res.Corr.  : .    (helmet restricted)
Res.Poison: .       Clarity    : .    g - +0 cloak (curse)
Res.Elec. : +       Spirit.Shd : .    (no gloves)
Sust.Abil.: . .     Stasis     : .    (no boots)
Res.Mut.  : .       Ctrl.Telep.: .    (no amulet)
Res.Rott. : .       Levitation : .    (no ring)
Saprovore : . . .   Ctrl.Flight: +    (no ring)

@: slightly resistant to hostile enchantments, stealthy
A: breathe lightning, unfitting armour, electricity resistance
a: Breathe Lightning, Renounce Religion


You are on level 7 of the Dungeon.
You worship Vehumet.
Vehumet is most pleased with you.
You are not hungry.

You have visited 2 branches of the dungeon, and seen 9 of its levels.

You have collected 294 gold pieces.
You have spent 171 gold pieces at shops.

Inventory:

Hand weapons
 k - a +2,+0 elven short sword
 p - an uncursed mace of crushing
 y - an uncursed sling
 N - an uncursed runed elven blowgun
 Q - the +6,+7 captain's cutlass (weapon) {speed}
   (You bought it in a shop on level 4 of the Dungeon)   
   
   Attacks with this weapon take half as long, but cause slightly less damage.
   
   This infamous weapon was used by a vile pirate captain to slaughter
   countless innocents. Finally, he met his destiny when a kraken swallowed his
   ship with all the crew aboard. The cutlass was thought to be forever lost,
   but now you have proof to the contrary in your very hands.
 R - a runed orcish dagger
 S - a bow
Missiles
 d - 20 +0 darts (quivered)
 i - 4 needles of confusion
 j - 29 runed sling bullets
 m - 95 arrows
 n - 4 steel darts
 q - 29 runed darts
 v - 2 darts of flame
 E - 11 poisoned needles
 H - 14 curare-tipped needles
 J - 73 poisoned needles
 T - 20 bolts
 W - 10 runed arrows
Armour
 g - a cursed +0 cloak (worn)
Magical devices
 C - a wand of slowing (24)
 L - a sharpened bone wand
 U - a curved wooden wand {zapped: 3} {tried by monster}
 V - a wand of confusion (6)
Comestibles
 a - 2 meat rations
 c - 2 bread rations
 r - an apple
 t - an orange
Scrolls
 o - 5 scrolls of remove curse
 F - a scroll of immolation
 I - 2 scrolls of recharging
Potions
 l - a blue potion
 s - 2 sedimented purple potions
 u - a lumpy purple potion
 w - an orange potion
 z - a fuming red potion
 K - a potion of heal wounds
 M - a smoky white potion
 P - a fizzy brown potion
Books
 b - a book of Air   
   
   Spells                             Type                      Level
   *Shock                             Conjuration/Air              1
   *Swiftness                         Charms/Air                   2
   *Repel Missiles                    Charms/Air                   2
   Flight                             Charms/Air                   3
   *Static Discharge                  Conjuration/Air              3
   *Lightning Bolt                    Conjuration/Air              5
Magical staves
 A - a twisted smoking staff
 G - a weird smoking staff


   Skills:
 + Level 1.2 Short Blades
 + Level 2.5 Throwing
 * Level 4.2 Dodging
 + Level 4.4 Stealth
 + Level 2.6 Traps & Doors
 + Level 3.7 Spellcasting
 * Level 5.7 Conjurations
 - Level 4.0 Charms
 * Level 8.0 Air Magic


You have 2 spell levels left.
You know the following spells:

 Your Spells              Type           Power        Failure   Level  Hunger
a - Shock                 Air/Conj       #####        1%          1    None
b - Repel Missiles        Air/Chrm       #####.....   1%          2    Strawberry
c - Swiftness             Air/Chrm       #####.....   1%          2    Strawberry
d - Static Discharge      Air/Conj       #####....    1%          3    Choko
e - Lightning Bolt        Air/Conj       #####.....   8%          5    Honeycomb


Dungeon Overview and Level Annotations

Branches:
Dungeon (8/27)             Temple (1/1) D:4             Orc (0/4) D:7
  Lair: D:8-13     

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

Shops:
D:4: (

Annotations
D:4 Tapioca's ghost, average OgEn
D:7 orcmines
D:8 exclusion: statue


                    Innate Abilities, Weirdness & Mutations

You can breathe wild blasts of lightning.
Your glossy black scales are hard (AC +7).
Your body does not fit into most forms of armour.
You are resistant to electric shocks.


Message History

Found a scroll of curse armour.
You see here a dagger.
You see here a scroll of curse armour.
There is a stone staircase leading up here.
You climb upwards.
Level annotation: orcmines
There is a stone staircase leading down here.
You drop a blowgun.
You drop a blowgun.
You drop an uncursed blowgun.
You drop 25 stones.
Your possessions no longer seem quite so burdensome.
Drop how many? 61
You drop 61 +0 darts.
You drop a scroll of curse armour.
As you read the scroll labeled KUSEAVE XUA, it crumbles to dust.
The scroll dissolves into smoke. It was a scroll of fog.
As you read the scroll labeled SMASIDO PSUDGHI, it crumbles to dust.
The +6,+7 captain's cutlass {speed} very briefly gains a red sheen.
It was a scroll of enchant weapon II.

#
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#
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###########
##........#
.%.....§§§#
##.....§§§#
##.....§§@#
###....####
# #....#
# #....#
# #..).#
# #>...#
# #....#
# #....#
# ###.##
#####.#


There are no monsters in sight!

Vanquished Creatures
  Eustachio (D:7)
  2 sky beasts
  An ice beast (D:6)
  An orc warrior (D:6)
  A centaur (D:8)
  4 ogres
  A phantom (D:7)
  8 big kobolds
  2 giant frogs
  A water moccasin skeleton (D:4)
  A killer bee (D:8)
  2 crimson imps
  7 hounds
  A shadow (D:7)
  A big kobold skeleton (D:7)
  A hound zombie (D:8)
  2 orc priests
  3 worker ants
  6 orc wizards
  An iguana (D:5)
  4 jellies
  2 goliath beetle zombies
  5 adders
  4 giant mites
  An iguana skeleton (D:6)
  An adder skeleton (D:5)
  2 worms
  A bat skeleton (D:5)
  A giant eyeball (D:4)
  6 giant geckos
  2 oozes
  18 orcs
  5 ball pythons
  7 giant cockroaches
  6 hobgoblins
  10 jackals
  34 kobolds
  2 quokkas
  13 bats
  A giant gecko skeleton (D:5)
  9 giant newts
  10 goblins
  A hobgoblin skeleton (D:4)
  12 rats
  A toadstool (D:5)
205 creatures vanquished.

Vanquished Creatures (others)
  An ooze (D:5)
  2 halflings (D:5)
  2 kobolds (D:6)
  A giant newt (D:6)
  2 rats
  2 plants (D:5)
  19 toadstools
29 creatures vanquished.

Grand Total: 234 creatures vanquished

Notes

[donblas]

I normally play DEWz/DECj/DEFE, but I think similar advice holds:

I'd turn off all skills but Spellcasting/Air/Conj until you get lightning bolt closer to 3% than 8%, and then Spellcasting alone until you get it closer to hungerless. Beyond that, I'd pick one or two aux skills to focus on, right now you are spreading xp out way more than I'd suggest.

You can wield ID the staves, which you should right now. Some of them are amzing for casters. ID the wands by shooting them at rats.

Drop off the recharging scrolls in a stash you make in the temple.

Now that you've found the lair, I'd do it as far as you can and not be scared (down to 7 if you can). Be careful of yellow frogs and sheep/yak/death yaks, they hit harder than you think. Be ready to GTFO if you get surrounded.

[hxy]

Magical staves will auto-id on wield, so just go ahead. The act as enhancers when you cast spells of the corresponding school (i.e. boosts the damange output).
One trick you can try with Shock or Lightning Bolt is to aim for bi-zaps by aiming at a wall beyond your target, so that you can double-hit your enemy. I recall seeing some posts on the forum explaining this.
Bear in mind that Short Blades are not going to be much good in the later part of the game when you find high AC enemies.

[donblas]

http://crawl.chaosforge.org/index.php?title=Multizap

[Moanerette]

Cheers everyone. One of the staves turns out to be Conjuration, so I assume I want to keep and wield that! (The other is Fire). Would putting XP in staves be an idea, or does that just affect their whacking prowess?

The wands are Slowing, Paralysis, Confusion and Magic Darts. I get the impression none of them would be very much use against high level targets, is that correct?

I know the XP is being spread around too much, but I wanted just a few points in the aux skills, to improve needle accuracy in particular. Is general advice to always leave that sort of thing till after you have your main attack at very high skill level then?

[Moanerette]

It's moot - got chased down and killed by bees within minutes of resuming the game...

[donblas]

Cj staff is great unless your spell power (number of #'s next to spell) is maxed out. I'd use it for sure.

"Would putting XP in staves be an idea, or does that just affect their whacking prowess?"
I believe just whacking power. Unless you want to play a hybrid, you shouldn't be close enough to hit things.

"I get the impression none of them would be very much use against high level targets, is that correct?"

Magic Darts can be useful if you run into something immune to your damage type until you get Mystic Blast or something equivalent, but probably isn't useful (decent against imps as FE). Slowing can be useful against Ogres and the other "big" creatures, but they always resist unless you dump xp into evocation from what i can tell. I'd dump them all unless you have extra carrying capacity myself.

"Is general advice to always leave that sort of thing till after you have your main attack at very high skill level then?

I'm far from a great player, but the general rule I hear is roughly: "Focus on your main killing method until you can kill things reliably, then branch out". As a FE, I focus until I get Fireball as 3% or so with kinda low food consumption, as AE same with Lightning Bolt.

EDIT: That's crawl for you. Bees are mean, they have high Evasion. Unless I have resist poison, I retreat when I see one and try to pull them away. If you saw more than a few, you could have ran into a "hive" vault.

[Moanerette]

This was on D8, two of them saw me. Even with Swiftness I couldn't outrun them - I might have had a better chance if I'd just spammed Lightning at them from the off rather than trying to escape. Tsk.

It absolutely boggles me when people talk about streaks and challenge runs. I've been playing for over six months and more than 200 characters, and I've never got further than D:10, Orc:3 or Lair:2. Not that I'm complaining, I can't think of a thing I'd change about Crawl, and I know that victory will be all the sweeter if it ever comes.

[donblas]

Yeah, for a long time I couldn't get to lair 7 often, but 3/5 characters or so have made it that far at least, which is great for me.

Much of my improvement I believe comes from:

- Knowing better when to GTFO, leaving floors, dragging things (Imps) up stairs and losing them and going back
- Knowing better when to burn consumables. Knowing "oh crap, use that potion of haste" before things go bad is very helpful.
- Knowing better when to skip content for now. "Oh that's Sigmand, let's dive another 2 floors and the come back for him."

Hope that helps.