Shoals Surfer
Posts: 311
Joined: Wednesday, 15th August 2012, 07:13
Extradimensional Runes: New Game+ rather than Bonus Dungeon
To fix this sad state of affairs, I proposed that entering Pan and Hells should be akin to starting an entirely new game of crawl, only with everything turned up to 11. As one of the lead Developers and Programmers in charge of the .14 release, I have been instructed to share with you some of the new features.
Firstly, Pan will now be the "Main Branch" of Extended and will have numerical Depth, off of which the Hells branch off into. Demons within Pan and Hells will receive buffs to HD, AC, and similar based on the depth they are in. Furthermore, "Greater" versions of creatures will begin showing up, which will utilize the "Extended" Spells, Items and Abilities only available in Pan. For example, A Greater Neqoxec would be roughly equivalent to the current Mnoleg, though weaker if discovered on the 1st floor of Pan and stronger if discovered on the 666th. It will also have access to Summon Horrible Things, Mass Polymorph, and similar entertaining things, such as having the same effect as an Orange Crystal Statue upon the unprepared!
"But how will I combat such fearsome creatures!?" you, the hopelessly underpowered Level 27 Hasted Firestorming Lichform Int-Shuffled Troll of Cheibriados cries. Well fear not, because just as the monsters are getting souped up, so too will you be!
Within ÜberPan, you will be able to find new items and spells that will allow you to combat the fearsome denizens, such as the the upgraded "Hellfireball" and the Level 10 Summoning/Conjurations spell Ratstorm, bread and butter evocables such as "Wand of Banishment," "Rod of Chaos Blast," and "Lamp of Orbs of Fire!" Exciting unrandarts like the Axe of Woe can be located by the lucky, and bizarre and wonderful items like Blowguns of Chaos and Dual Branded Combo Weapons like the classic "Triple Executioner's Axe of Holy Wrath & Reaching" will make up your new repertoire of equipment! And Let's not forget jewelry and consumables either! Enjoy the comfort of "Amulets of Mutation Immunity," Rings of Double Invisibility(Here's looking at you, Stabbers!) and the power of Potion of Borgnjor's Revivification and Scroll of Step from Time!
And don't think this is just an exercise in Rune Grabbing, either! You'll have to adapt to these strange new monsters and items just as you did back on Dungeon: 3, because it's not just Dispater and his Iron Shot Storm you need to worry about. Without spoiling too much more, suffice it to say that you haven't seen the last of Sigmund...