Help for a CeSt

[Luquillo]

Hey everyone! I've got a centaur stalker of Nemelex who's made it to level 10, which is usually about the time I do something stupid and die. So I'd appreciate any general tips or advice you might have as far a skills or spells or whatever.

My current strategy is to keep enemies from getting too close using confusion or flame columns, although I've got enough short blades skill and AC to manage one-on-one melee with most of the monsters I've been meeting at this level. At the moment, I'm on D:10 trying to find the Lair, but I'm not sure what branch I should pursue after that...

I'd put more, but I'm not sure what would be the most relevant in seeking advice. The full character dump is here, in case you're curious: http://crawl.develz.org/morgues/trunk/L ... quillo.txt

Thanks,
--Luquillo

[Stormfox]

I'm not a terribly good Nemelexite, but based on where you are at the moment, you're just looking for general advice.

(Tagging up your dump so that it's easier to refer to.)

  Code:

 Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup version 0.8.0-a0-4116-gd08ecb6 character file.

Luquillo the Conjurer (Centaur Stalker)            Turns: 11260, Time: 01:45:07

HP  77/77        AC 15     Str 14      Exp: 10/6913 (562), need: 3950
MP  14/14        EV 11     Int 13      God: Nemelex Xobeh [**....]
Gold 2346        SH  0     Dex 12      Spells:  6 memorised,  3 levels left

Res.Fire  : . . .   See Invis. : .   a - +2,+3 dagger {=f}
Res.Cold  : . . .   Warding    : .   x - +2 robe
Life Prot.: . . .   Conserve   : .   (no shield)
Res.Acid. : . . .   Res.Corr.  : .   G - +1 helmet
Res.Poison: .       Clarity    : .   m - +2 cloak {darkness}
Res.Elec. : .       Spirit.Shd : .   (no gloves)
Sust.Abil.: . .     Stasis     : .   (no barding)
Res.Mut.  : .       Ctrl.Telep.: .   (no amulet)
Res.Rott. : .       Levitation : .   A - ring of sustenance
Saprovore : . . .   Ctrl.Flight: .   r - ring of wizardry

@: very quick, somewhat resistant to hostile enchantments, unstealthy
A: claws 1, hooves 3, deformed body 1, deterioration 1, speed 2, fast
metabolism 2, tough skin 3, AC +3, Dex +1
a: Draw One, Peek at Two, Renounce Religion, Evoke Invisibility


You are on level 10 of the Dungeon.
You worship Nemelex Xobeh.
Nemelex Xobeh is most pleased with you.
You are hungry.

You have visited 2 branches of the dungeon, and seen 11 of its levels.

You have collected 2458 gold pieces.
You have spent 132 gold pieces at shops.

Inventory:

Hand weapons
 a - a +2,+3 dagger (weapon) {=f}
Missiles
 k - 31 poisoned needles
 l - 2 darts of dispersal {=f}
 J - 38 +0 darts (quivered)
 M - 3 curare-tipped needles
 O - 3 needles of frenzy
Armour
 m - a +2 cloak of darkness (worn)
 x - a +2 robe (worn)
 G - a +1 helmet (worn)
Magical devices
 j - a wand of digging (10)
 q - a wand of disintegration
 t - a wand of polymorph other {zapped: 1}
 v - a wand of disintegration (4)
 E - a wand of fire {zapped: 4}
 H - a wand of random effects {zapped: 4}
 L - a wand of confusion {zapped: 1}
 Q - a wand of magic darts {zapped: 1}
 R - a wand of polymorph other
Comestibles
 f - 9 bread rations
 g - a honeycomb
 p - 5 meat rations
 K - a lemon
Scrolls
 o - 4 scrolls of teleportation
 z - 2 scrolls of remove curse
 B - 3 scrolls of recharging
Jewellery
 r - a ring of wizardry (left hand)
 w - an uncursed blackened sapphire amulet {tried}
 y - a +2 ring of dexterity
 A - a ring of sustenance (right hand)
 C - a +0,+3 ring of slaying
 F - an uncursed ring of ice
 I - a +3 ring of dexterity
Potions
 e - 20 potions of confusion
 h - 15 potions of water
 i - 2 potions of strong poison
 n - a potion of poison
 P - a potion of degeneration
 S - a potion of healing
 T - a potion of speed
Books
 d - a book of Stalking   
   Spells                             Type                      Level
   *Fulsome Distillation              Transmutation/Necromancy     1
   *Evaporate                         Fire/Transmutation           2
   Passwall                           Transmutation/Earth          3
   Petrify                            Transmutation/Earth          4
   Dig                                Transmutation/Earth          4
   
 s - a book of Minor Magic [flame]   
   Spells                             Type                      Level
   *Magic Dart                        Conjuration                  1
   Summon Small Mammals               Summoning                    1
   Throw Flame                        Conjuration/Fire             2
   *Blink                             Translocation                2
   Slow                               Enchantment                  3
   *Mephitic Cloud                    Conjuration/Poison/Air       3
   *Conjure Flame                     Conjuration/Fire             3
   
 u - a Monster Manual   
   Spells                             Type                      Level
   Summon Small Mammals               Summoning                    1
   Sticks to Snakes                   Transmutation/Summoning      2
   Call Canine Familiar               Summoning                    3
   Dragon Form                        Fire/Transmutation           8
   
 N - a book of Conjurations [ice]   
   Spells                             Type                      Level
   *Magic Dart                        Conjuration                  1
   Throw Frost                        Conjuration/Ice              2
   *Mephitic Cloud                    Conjuration/Poison/Air       3
   Static Discharge                   Conjuration/Air              4
   Bolt of Cold                       Conjuration/Ice              6
   Freezing Cloud                     Conjuration/Ice/Air          6
   


 You have 562 experience left.

   Skills:
 + Level 4 Fighting
 + Level 6 Short Blades
 - Level 4 Throwing
 + Level 4 Dodging
 + Level 2 Stealth
 + Level 1 Stabbing
 + Level 3 Unarmed Combat
 + Level 3 Spellcasting
 + Level 8 Conjurations
 + Level 1 Necromancy
 + Level 2 Transmutations
 + Level 1 Air Magic
 + Level 2 Evocations


You have 3 spell levels left.
You know the following spells:

 Your Spells              Type           Power        Success   Level  Hunger
a - Fulsome Distillation  Trmt/Necr      N/A          Great       1    Sultana
b - Evaporate             Fire/Trmt      ##........   Great       2    Choko
c - Magic Dart            Conj           #####        Excellent   1    Sultana
d - Blink                 Tloc           N/A          Very Good   2    Choko
e - Mephitic Cloud        Pois/Air/Conj  ###.......   Very Good   3    Honeycomb
f - Conjure Flame         Fire/Conj      ####.....    Great       3    Honeycomb


Dungeon Overview and Level Annotations

Branches:
Dungeon (10/27)            Temple (1/1) D:5             Orc (0/4) D:9
  Lair: D:8-13     

Altars:
Cheibriados
Fedhas
Kikubaaqudgha
Makhleb
Nemelex Xobeh
Trog
Xom
Yredelemnul

Shops:
D:10: /

Annotations
D:5 exclusion: 78 flame clouds


                    Innate Abilities, Weirdness & Mutations

You have hooves in place of feet.
Armour fits poorly on your unusually shaped body.
You cover ground very quickly.
You have a very fast metabolism.
You have extremely tough skin (AC +3).
You have sharp fingernails.
You are partially covered in iridescent scales (AC +4).
You are agile (Dex +1).
Your body is slowly deteriorating.


Message History

a glowing halberd; a robe
You offer a prayer to Nemelex Xobeh.
Nemelex Xobeh is most pleased with you.
The glowing halberd glows slightly brighter and disappears.
The robe disappears without a glow.
Your prayer is over.
There is an open door here.

           .
       .....#
      #.....#
  .   #.....#
 ...  #.....#
 ...  #.....#
 ...  #.....#
 #.#  #.....########....
 #.####.....'..@........
 #.#>##.....########....       #
##.#.##.#####                  .
........#                      .
........#                      .
........#
........##
####.....#
..##.....#


There are no monsters in sight!

Vanquished Creatures
  A centaur warrior (D:10)
  A hill giant (D:10)
  Pikel (D:7)
  A troll (D:10)
  Edmund (D:6)
  A steam dragon (D:9)
  A hippogriff (D:7)
  A hungry ghost (D:10)
  3 war dogs (D:10)
  A phantom (D:10)
  2 slaves (D:7)
  A centaur (D:7)
  4 ogres
  4 orc warriors
  A sky beast (D:7)
  Duvessa (D:6)
  4 wargs (D:9)
  5 giant frogs
  A water moccasin (D:8)
  Blork the orc (D:7)
  5 wights (D:10)
  A big kobold skeleton (D:8)
  2 imps
  Dowan (D:6)
  3 orc priests
  Crazy Yiuf (D:7)
  A hound skeleton (D:7)
  A quasit (D:10)
  8 hounds
  5 giant ants
  5 orc wizards
  2 iguanas
  2 scorpions
  A giant ant zombie (D:6)
  2 jellies
  6 gnolls
  An iguana skeleton (D:10)
  13 snakes
  A snake skeleton (D:9)
  2 worms (D:8)
  5 giant geckos
  5 oozes
  3 giant cockroaches
  16 goblins
  11 hobgoblins
  5 jackals
  26 orcs
  9 quokkas
  12 giant bats
  A giant gecko skeleton (D:7)
  6 giant newts
  A hobgoblin skeleton (D:4)
  A jackal skeleton (D:7)
  5 kobolds
  A kobold skeleton (D:5)
  An orc skeleton (D:6)
  10 rats
  3 small snakes
  A toadstool (D:10)
221 creatures vanquished.

Vanquished Creatures (collateral kills)
  A slave (D:7)
  An orc (D:8)
  A rat (D:8)
3 creatures vanquished.

Vanquished Creatures (others)
  A dancing weapon (D:10)
  A yak (D:7)
  A giant ant (D:7)
  A goblin (D:7)
  2 hobgoblins
  A giant newt (D:10)
  An orc skeleton (D:7)
  A rat (D:7)
  A toadstool (D:7)
10 creatures vanquished.

Grand Total: 234 creatures vanquished

Notes
Turn   | Place   | Note
--------------------------------------------------------------
     0 | D:1     | Luquillo, the Centaur Stalker, began the quest for the Orb.
     0 | D:1     | Reached XP level 1. HP: 15/15 MP: 1/1
     3 | D:1     | Learned a level 1 spell: Fulsome Distillation
    92 | D:1     | Reached skill level 1 in Short Blades
   186 | D:2     | Reached skill level 1 in Transmutations
   516 | D:1     | Reached XP level 2. HP: 21/21 MP: 2/2
  1072 | D:2     | Reached skill level 1 in Stealth
  1077 | D:2     | Reached XP level 3. HP: 27/27 MP: 2/2
  1215 | D:2     | Reached skill level 1 in Throwing
  1480 | D:3     | Learned a level 2 spell: Evaporate
  1482 | D:3     | Learned a level 1 spell: Magic Dart
  1542 | D:3     | Reached skill level 2 in Throwing
  1837 | D:3     | Reached skill level 1 in Dodging
  1851 | D:3     | Reached XP level 4. HP: 22/33 MP: 1/4
  2064 | D:4     | Gained mutation: You are partially covered in iridescent scales (AC +4).
  2064 | D:4     | Gained mutation: You have sharp fingernails.
  2086 | D:4     | Reached skill level 1 in Conjurations
  2468 | D:4     | Found a blossoming altar of Fedhas.
  2510 | D:5     | Entered Level 5 of the Dungeon
  2565 | D:5     | Found a bloodstained altar of Trog.
  2654 | D:5     | Found a staircase to the Ecumenical Temple.
  2664 | Temple  | Entered the Ecumenical Temple
  2673 | Temple  | Became a worshipper of Nemelex Xobeh
  2725 | D:5     | Reached XP level 5. HP: 26/40 MP: 3/5
  2794 | D:5     | Reached skill level 3 in Throwing
  3246 | D:5     | Reached XP level 6. HP: 39/46 MP: 2/7
  3250 | D:5     | Learned a level 2 spell: Blink
  3254 | D:5     | Learned a level 3 spell: Mephitic Cloud
  3312 | D:5     | Reached skill level 4 in Conjurations
  3622 | D:6     | Received a gift from Nemelex Xobeh
  3832 | D:6     | Noticed Edmund
  3846 | D:6     | Noticed Duvessa
  4231 | D:7     | Reached XP level 7. HP: 45/53 MP: 5/8
  4235 | D:7     | Received a gift from Nemelex Xobeh
  4252 | D:7     | Reached skill level 1 in Unarmed Combat
  4270 | D:7     | Noticed Pikel
  4295 | D:6     | HP: 2/53 [poison (toxic radiance)]
  4652 | D:6     | Noticed Dowan
  5007 | D:6     | Defeated Edmund
  5105 | D:6     | Acquired Nemelex Xobeh's first power
  5135 | D:6     | Reached skill level 5 in Conjurations
  5417 | D:6     | Defeated Duvessa
  5453 | D:6     | Defeated Dowan
  5453 | D:6     | Reached XP level 8. HP: 50/60 MP: 1/10
  5869 | D:7     | Reached skill level 6 in Conjurations
  5938 | D:7     | Received a gift from Nemelex Xobeh
  6082 | D:7     | Reached skill level 1 in Evocations
  6260 | D:7     | Noticed Crazy Yiuf
  6262 | D:7     | Gained mutation: Your body is slowly deteriorating.
  6273 | D:7     | Defeated Crazy Yiuf
  6522 | D:7     | Acquired Nemelex Xobeh's second power
  6522 | D:7     | Received a gift from Nemelex Xobeh
  6563 | D:7     | Defeated Pikel
  6600 | D:7     | Reached skill level 1 in Necromancy
  6607 | D:7     | Learned a level 3 spell: Conjure Flame
  6659 | D:7     | Reached XP level 9. HP: 66/66 MP: 9/12
  6711 | D:7     | Reached skill level 1 in Stabbing
  6727 | D:7     | Noticed Blork the orc
  6754 | D:7     | Defeated Blork the orc
  7543 | D:8     | Found a basalt altar of Yredelemnul.
  7573 | D:8     | Reached skill level 7 in Conjurations
  7639 | D:8     | Reached skill level 5 in Short Blades
  7655 | D:8     | Found a shimmering altar of Xom.
  7658 | D:8     | Found a shimmering altar of Xom.
  8423 | D:9     | Found a snail-covered altar of Cheibriados.
  8557 | D:9     | Reached skill level 1 in Air Magic
  8949 | D:9     | Identified a scroll of acquirement
  9076 | D:9     | Found a staircase to the Orcish Mines.
  9282 | D:9     | Reached skill level 8 in Conjurations
  9504 | D:9     | Found an ancient bone altar of Kikubaaqudgha.
  9581 | D:10    | Entered Level 10 of the Dungeon
  9879 | D:10    | Found Pnauto Psacs' Magical Wand Emporium.
  9883 | D:10    | Bought a wand of digging (10) for 132 gold pieces
  9939 | D:10    | Reached XP level 10. HP: 73/77 MP: 11/14
  9989 | D:10    | Noticed a red ugly thing
 10000 | D:10    | Noticed a white ugly thing
 10878 | D:10    | Gained mutation: You are agile (Dex +1).
 10912 | D:10    | Noticed a centaur warrior
 10939 | D:10    | Defeated a centaur warrior


Let's see here.

You're carrying a ton of stuff, more than you probably should be. The wand of random effects? Unless you're going to victory dance with it to raise Evoc, just sac it. Stash some of the food, too -- centaurs may be eating machines, but you're just asking for a giant spore to ruin your day. The remove curse and recharging scrolls should also get stashed. For the amount of hunger that Evaporate costs you, you're carrying way too many potions -- when I play an Evaporator, I tend to carry about 8-10 of confusion, water, and poison, and 4-5 of strong poison and degeneration. (And however many decay that I can scrounge up, but necrophage corpses are rare.)

If you're planning to make a side career of spells, you have got to raise that Spellcasting skill to offset the hunger. Turn off Tmut and Necro and victory dance with Distillation (you can cast it without a corpse with the 'Z' key -- and corpses are good sacrifice fodder for you).

With your spell loadout, I would actually head for Orc first rather than Lair. You'll end up with more corpses and items to sacrifice, and you can really tailor the sacrificing to determine what kind of deck you'll get. For instance, pile up all the corpses first and sac those, then do the armour, then the weapons. You need to get yourself some decks to start up the positive feedback loop of using decks to get piety to earn more decks.

[Luquillo]

Ooh, good ideas all around. I'll try that out. Also, I didn't know about the Code tag. Thanks! ^^;

[lucy_ferre]

I play with Nemelex from time to time. My main tip is to wear an amulet of faith and never sacrifice weapons. You'll still receive plenty of decks.

Here's a more in-depth guide:

http://crawl.chaosforge.org/index.php?t ... elex_guide

It should be up-to-date.

And add this to your options file (init.txt in your settings folder):

# Nemelex
: if you.god() == "Nemelex Xobeh" then
autoinscribe = weapon|missile:!D
: end

And however many decay that I can scrounge up, but necrophage corpses are rare.

I like to strip naked and kill a (regular) mummy. Then, the death curse will convert a stack of useless potions into decay.

[galehar]

There's a new (undocumented) feature in trunk to help with Nemelex's sacrifices. In the ^! screen, you can select the item types you wish to sacrifice.

[Stormfox]

And however many decay that I can scrounge up, but necrophage corpses are rare.

I like to strip naked and kill a (regular) mummy. Then, the death curse will convert a stack of useless potions into decay.

There's never a mummy handy, it seems. Although I will take that advice when I've got 30 extra potions of water.