The 'Questions too small to need their own thread' thread

[AtT]

Will Zin/elvy get mad at your for stabbing sleeping monsters or using poison?

[Tiber]

Will Zin/elvy get mad at your for stabbing sleeping monsters or using poison?

No, TSO has a stricter code of conduct. They won't let you use any necromancy spell though.

[sir_laser]

If a Mummy wants to train Air but has really high Earth, do they get an overall -6 to Air or does it cap off at -5?

[galehar]

If a Mummy wants to train Air but has really high Earth, do they get an overall -6 to Air or does it cap off at -5?

-6

[sirprim]

Is there a "best" way to play the ID-Minigame? I have the feeling mine needs improving.

[paplaukes]

Is there a "best" way to play the ID-Minigame? I have the feeling mine needs improving.

I usually quaff-id potions by d3 end (bonus points if there's a sleeping mob over the corner so you can then rush it with might or agility potion), scrolls by d4 (wielding at least something so enchant weapon scrolls show up too). That way you get heal/heal wounds/most of the booster good potions, hopefully without cure mutation. Scroll wise, as long as you have teleport/blink identified you're good. Might as well carry everything else until you find enough identify scrolls. But face it, the first orc wizard you meet will shatter your unidentified potions and burn your unidentified scrolls

[sirprim]

Is there a "best" way to play the ID-Minigame? I have the feeling mine needs improving.

I usually quaff-id potions by d3 end (bonus points if there's a sleeping mob over the corner so you can then rush it with might or agility potion), scrolls by d4 (wielding at least something so enchant weapon scrolls show up too). That way you get heal/heal wounds/most of the booster good potions, hopefully without cure mutation. Scroll wise, as long as you have teleport/blink identified you're good. Might as well carry everything else until you find enough identify scrolls. But face it, the first orc wizard you meet will shatter your unidentified potions and burn your unidentified scrolls

I just tried that even though I was afraid of potions of mutations. Guess what? I drank one and now have the blinking and clarity mutation. In combination with my ring of Teleport Control that makes for quite a lucky start on D:4 (And probably an ugly death on D:5).

[KoboldLord]

Is there a "best" way to play the ID-Minigame? I have the feeling mine needs improving.

The 'best' way depends on some degree on your specific game situation, but generally speaking you compare your identified consumables to your unidentified consumables and play the odds.

If you find a consumable shop, buy whatever you haven't identified yet. The cost is rarely prohibitive. Shops are pretty rare, though, so waiting to identify important consumables in hopes of getting one rarely pays off.

Scrolls are generally pretty safe to use-identify as soon as you have at least two of a kind. You'll probably lose out on some good ones this way, but as long as you take the basic precaution of read-identifying them on a cleared level while in good health none of them can meaningfully harm you. Scrolls of identify, teleportation, and blinking are extremely important to get identified as soon as possible by any means necessary, fog and fear to a lesser extent. If you have a big stack of identify scrolls and some single-scroll stacks, and are still looking for blinking, it is probably worth using those identify scrolls to find it.

Potions are somewhat more dangerous. Mutation potions are far more dangerous than any other form of consumable, and cure mutation far more valuable than any other consumable. These two are pretty much the whole of the case against use-identifying potions, and because of their existence you should probably favor scroll-identification whenever scrolls are available. Unfortunately sometimes they aren't. The important potions to get identified as soon as possible by any means necessary are usually healing, heal wounds, and speed, so if you have these identified but not mutation and/or cure mutation you should definitely stop use-identifying until you've sorted out these two. Once you've identified mutation and cure mutation you might as well use-identify everything else because none of them do anything particularly dangerous, the worst possible results just costing a spare healing or restore abilities potion.

Amulets and rings should be tried on first, but will usually require a scroll. You don't really have a choice there. Armor should simply be tried on. Weapons should only be tried on if you're seriously interested in the base type of the weapon, because distortion on a blunt or piercing weapon can ruin your game immediately.

[sanka]

How can I inscribe a rod with !a? I am very annoyed that I regullary fight with my rod with berserkers when I forgot to switch back to my axe. Strangely, I cannot inscribe anything on a rod, which is a very annoying limitation.

[rchandra]

will jellies eat large rocks?

[thenewflesh]

will jellies eat large rocks?

No.

[Grimm]

Amulets and rings should be tried on first, but will usually require a scroll. You don't really have a choice there. Armor should simply be tried on. Weapons should only be tried on if you're seriously interested in the base type of the weapon, because distortion on a blunt or piercing weapon can ruin your game immediately.

Don't forget to pop a detect curse scroll before wear-identifying a bunch of new gear.

[sir_laser]

If a Mummy wants to train Air but has really high Earth, do they get an overall -6 to Air or does it cap off at -5?

-6

Is the formula 2^(-n/4), where n is the modified final aptitude, applicable in this case? (formula from the wiki)

[paplaukes]

How can I inscribe a rod with !a? I am very annoyed that I regullary fight with my rod with berserkers when I forgot to switch back to my axe. Strangely, I cannot inscribe anything on a rod, which is a very annoying limitation.

I was doing the same, often enough. Add this line to the options file, 4-m bit:

  Code:

autoinscribe = rod:!a

From then on (might have to reload the game), all rods you ever find will be inscribed with that and you won't have to bother.

[sirprim]

If there are two portals on a level (Ice Cave and Labyrinth in this case) is there a sane way to get both? If no, which one gives better loot to a XL10 MDBe with an Executioners Axe?

[Galefury]

Probably the Labyrinth will have better loot, I have often found manuals of ice magic and ice spellbooks in ice caves. They tend to have rC branded armour, so if you need that the cave should be good. The lab is far less likely to kill you if you have some food. Use BiA and/or curare/poison for the minotaur, he will probably kill you if you don't. If you haven't seen the ice cave portal but only the outside of the entrance vault you might be able to do both if you are exceptionally fast in the labyrinth. Digging would help. If you have seen the actual ice cave portal you cant do both.

[sirprim]

Probably the Labyrinth will have better loot, I have often found manuals of ice magic and ice spellbooks in ice caves. They tend to have rC branded armour, so if you need that the cave should be good. The lab is far less likely to kill you if you have some food. Use BiA and/or curare/poison for the minotaur, he will probably kill you if you don't. If you haven't seen the ice cave portal but only the outside of the entrance vault you might be able to do both if you are exceptionally fast in the labyrinth. Digging would help. If you have seen the actual ice cave portal you cant do both.

Thanks, I've made it to both. The minotaur was a piece of cake, but no real good loot either. Wand of digging didn't work though. Now let's see what the Ice Cave has to offer

[sir_laser]

Does Necromutation "reset" your satiation level?

[AtT]

Does Necromutation "reset" your satiation level?

No but while in lichform, you do not need to eat. If you keep the spell on at all times, you will never have to eat again. There's a way to edit your settings file to put up a message every time you're about to fall out of lichform so you can recast it. Someone else would have to tell you how to do that, though.

[ldierk]

Is there a "best" way to play the ID-Minigame? I have the feeling mine needs improving.

There is also this hint on the wiki: Only ident, enchant armour and recharge scrolls allow you to select an item. If you use a scroll that lets you select an item, use it on an unidentified armour or wand.

[ilpalazzo]

Noob question: everybody talks about fancy stuff I've never seen (octopodes, abjuration nerf, ...) - I thought I got the latest stable version of crawl (9.1), is there a special version people play?

[Grimm]

Noob question: everybody talks about fancy stuff I've never seen (octopodes, abjuration nerf, ...) - I thought I got the latest stable version of crawl (9.1), is there a special version people play?

http://crawl.develz.org/trunk

[AtT]

Noob question: everybody talks about fancy stuff I've never seen (octopodes, abjuration nerf, ...) - I thought I got the latest stable version of crawl (9.1), is there a special version people play?

http://crawl.develz.org/trunk

Play trunk if you LIKE the changes. They aren't decided for certain yet. I play either depending on what type of game I want to play. Also I obviously have to play trunk for Octopodes or Arcane Marksmen. Or if I want to play a supernerfed transmuter

[bobross419]

Do the creatures summoned by Hell Effects give exp?

[pratamawirya]

Do the creatures summoned by Hell Effects give exp?

Yes. They're treated as normal creatures, so mummies will death-curse you if you kill them, for example.

[sanka]

How can I inscribe a rod with !a? I am very annoyed that I regullary fight with my rod with berserkers when I forgot to switch back to my axe. Strangely, I cannot inscribe anything on a rod, which is a very annoying limitation.

You inscribe it the same as you would inscribe anything else: by pressing {. I'm not sure what method you are using that can somehow inscribe some items but not others.

Thanks, that works. I only used the other way: selecting the item in the inventory, and then pressed "i". It works nicely for most items, unfortunately not for rods for some reason.

[rchandra]

As an Ogre, should I use a giant [spiked] club as soon as I find one, or is it better to wait for a certain maces & flails level?
edit: guess I should add that my alternate is +1/+2 mace of crushing, but this is something I'm not sure about over tens of Ogre failures.
edit2: the spreadsheet in the sticky on weapon comparisons can answer questions like mine, sorry for asking here :)

[galehar]

If a Mummy wants to train Air but has really high Earth, do they get an overall -6 to Air or does it cap off at -5?

-6

Is the formula 2^(-n/4), where n is the modified final aptitude, applicable in this case? (formula from the wiki)

Well, yes and no. Actually, anti-training double the XP cost of buying skill points. Aptitudes changes how many skill points you need to reach a certain skill level. Since anti-training is not permanent, changing aptitude doesn't really work. So it's equivalent to a -4 aptitude penalty regarding the XP cost, but hunder the hood, it's treated differently.

I only used the other way: selecting the item in the inventory, and then pressed "i". It works nicely for most items, unfortunately not for rods for some reason.

Books and rods don't have the action prompt because of conflicting keybindings.

[tehsnarf]

let's say I have a wielded +6,+8 sabre, and a +4,-1 quivered dagger (the numbers are irrelevant, I guess). Is the quivered weapon factored in to my accuracy/damage at all? I noticed that if the dagger is rP or something, that I gain those benefits, so I wasn't sure about the other bonuses.

[Burningled]

No, damage and to-hit are only on the weapons themselves, so only your +6/+8 sabre.

Question - Could I, as a mummy, collect a ton of armor; switch to Cheibriados, spam Make Ponderous on all of my gear to turn them into artifacts, and then abandon him, wait out his relatively harmless punishments in the temple (no food clock rocks) and then go Nemelex and sacrifice all of my artifact armor for tons of free piety and Escape decks?

[Blade]

No, damage and to-hit are only on the weapons themselves, so only your +6/+8 sabre.

Question - Could I, as a mummy, collect a ton of armor; switch to Cheibriados, spam Make Ponderous on all of my gear to turn them into artifacts, and then abandon him, wait out his relatively harmless punishments in the temple (no food clock rocks) and then go Nemelex and sacrifice all of my artifact armor for tons of free piety and Escape decks?

Yes, yes you could (tested in Wizmode). Make Ponderous no longer exists in .10 (Chei's been reformed so you get slower and increase stats with piety), though, so make use of it while you can. Awesome exploit, though.

What are the penalties for wielding a 1-2 handed weapon (such as a lajatang) one-handed? Would it ever be worth wielding them with shields, or are they two-handed weapons in all but name?

[Kerslake]

Is an amulet that's {Ward, -TELE Hunger rEle rPois rN+ AC+1 EV+1} worth wearing? It's more of an N++ but it says it's only one.

[bobross419]

Anything with -TELE is pretty dangerous as it prevents you from really relying on blink/tele as a quick getaway. Granted, Cekugob isn't quite as bad as Maxwell because you can take it off quickly, but it could possibly lead to a situation where you have to decide to remove the amulet or use a heal.

On a related note... Cekugob+Maxwell for the ultimate hardcore experience

[Kerslake]

Thanks, switched it out for another amulet, and that -TELE was a killer in a few spots.

Is Mephitic Cloud a good crowd control for The Vaults:8?

[bobross419]

It can work on the Vault Guards but beyond that I wouldn't count on it too much, too many threats in there that are either immune or high HD so will be difficult to stick or drop quickly. If you're a weak caster you might consider blinking down one of the side corridors so you aren't surrounded, if you're made of tougher stuff then stair dancing works pretty well. I wouldn't discount Meph CC for the break in, but I wouldn't count on it to keep me safe if I went down and tried to fight from the stairs. Blinking down a corridor then using Meph might work a bit better. I've never used Meph in the Vault break in myself though, so you might consider waiting for more advice before proceeding.

[Kerslake]

It's just that I can't find a book that has Alistair's Intoxication and Mephitic Cloud is all I have to keep them at bay. But I have a good amount of HP with some horrid AC and probably can't stair dance well. But went down a corridor for my first time there, although I was forced into there.
And this is a good time to unequip that necklace before I do something stupid.

[tehsnarf]

If I hit a monster, then charm it, and another monster kills my charmed monster, do I receive xp for the death?

[Burningled]

http://crawl.akrasiac.org/rawdata/Led/m ... 234702.txt

Are flame traps supposed to just randomly instagib you with absolutely no warning or what?

[Blade]

If I hit a monster, then charm it, and another monster kills my charmed monster, do I receive xp for the death?

It looks like it. I tested in wizmode and gained a level after my damaged slave was killed.

http://crawl.akrasiac.org/rawdata/Led/morgue-Led-20111006-234702.txt
Are flame traps supposed to just randomly instagib you with absolutely no warning or what?

They're currently under testing in Trunk; the damage has been or will be toned down somewhat. In other words, no, this is probably not intended behaviour.

[Mattchew]

I've got the habit of popping down stairs as soon as I see them, sometimes clearing a little safe zone around the staircase. Extra escape route, and I like knowing where the up stairs are when I explore the new level.

However, I'm finding empty stone arches this way. I think I missed a bailey, something with a bunch of goblins around an empty stone arch. Other things (sewers) don't seem to start decaying until I've seen the entrance. (?)

Did I do something dumb to miss that bailey, maybe there was a message upon entering the level for example? Is there a "best practice" for entering a new level to make sure you get a shot at the fun stuff?

[KoboldLord]

I've got the habit of popping down stairs as soon as I see them, sometimes clearing a little safe zone around the staircase. Extra escape route, and I like knowing where the up stairs are when I explore the new level.

However, I'm finding empty stone arches this way. I think I missed a bailey, something with a bunch of goblins around an empty stone arch. Other things (sewers) don't seem to start decaying until I've seen the entrance. (?)

Did I do something dumb to miss that bailey, maybe there was a message upon entering the level for example? Is there a "best practice" for entering a new level to make sure you get a shot at the fun stuff?

There's a long timer and a short timer for most portals, including Sewers, Ossuaries, Baileys, Volcanoes, Ice Caves, Spiders' Nests, and Wizlabs. The long timer starts as soon as you peep into the level, and the short timer only kicks in when you actually see the portal itself. The long timer is very long, and you usually have plenty of time to fully explore the level. Typically, I find I can even fully explore and loot one portal vault and still have time to find a second one that spawned on the same level. However, the long timer does eventually run out, so if you have an exceptionally long delay you can miss a portal because of it.

I try to minimize stair-dipping for this reason and also because there's a small chance of ending up in melee with a nasty bruiser every time you descend a staircase. If you want to minimize the portal trouble, stair-dip the next level only after you've completely cleared the current level. This won't alleviate the danger of a giant or hydra running over to camp the next set of stairs after it hears you stair-dipping the first one, though.

[Kerslake]

It can work on the Vault Guards but beyond that I wouldn't count on it too much, too many threats in there that are either immune or high HD so will be difficult to stick or drop quickly. If you're a weak caster you might consider blinking down one of the side corridors so you aren't surrounded, if you're made of tougher stuff then stair dancing works pretty well. I wouldn't discount Meph CC for the break in, but I wouldn't count on it to keep me safe if I went down and tried to fight from the stairs. Blinking down a corridor then using Meph might work a bit better. I've never used Meph in the Vault break in myself though, so you might consider waiting for more advice before proceeding.

Took your advice and cast a few Meph while stair dancing, taking a few of them up with me into the zombie hoard. Also brought some summons prevent that whole "Square dance of Death" jig. Damn awesome, and I'm now wickedly glad that I trained up a shield skill. Meph overall didn't do much as you said but it confused them enough when I brought them up to slide a blade into their squishy organs. Should have named him Manly Flex.

And it led me to my game's crowning moment of heartwarming, tearjerker, awesome and sheer majesty, and then crushed that. You just set off a chain reaction of mass destruction and undeniably sexy glory!

[bobross419]

You just set off a chain reaction of mass destruction and undeniably sexy glory!

Ya... I'm known to do that quite frequently.

[sirprim]

I have a question about Nemelex, basically I want to know whether I am doing it right. Here's what I do:

1) Spam all plain and ornate decks as I roll through the dungeon
2) Sacrifice everyting I don't need until I hit ******
3) Raid the Hive
4) Sacrifice 30 Honeycombs to weigh the deck giving towards decks of wonders
5) Use Stack 5 on the decks of wonders and have fun

Right?

On a side note: Nemelex + Amulet of Faith = totally nuts?

[joellercoaster]

Oops. Needing just a few more piety for Lugonu's weapon corruption, I stupidly read an unidentified scroll. Vorpalise Weapon.

Am I stuck with a Great Sword of Slicing now, until I can find a new unbranded Big Hurty Thing?

[galehar]

http://crawl.akrasiac.org/rawdata/Led/morgue-Led-20111006-234702.txt
Are flame traps supposed to just randomly instagib you with absolutely no warning or what?

They're currently under testing in Trunk; the damage has been or will be toned down somewhat. In other words, no, this is probably not intended behaviour.

He's playing a version with the damage nerf. But seems like he was already in pretty bad shape when he stepped on it. A mechanical trap would have killed him just as well.

Oops. Needing just a few more piety for Lugonu's weapon corruption, I stupidly read an unidentified scroll. Vorpalise Weapon.

Am I stuck with a Great Sword of Slicing now, until I can find a new unbranded Big Hurty Thing?

No, gods have no problem overriding brands.

[minstrel]

Is there a way to use ctr-F to search for a specific worn slot? I often wonder if I've missed some headgear or handwear somewhere in the dungeon, and the only way I can seem to find it is to search for each type (helm, hat, cap, gloves, gauntlet, bracers, etc).

[galehar]

Is there a way to use ctr-F to search for a specific worn slot? I often wonder if I've missed some headgear or handwear somewhere in the dungeon, and the only way I can seem to find it is to search for each type (helm, hat, cap, gloves, gauntlet, bracers, etc).

There is, and if you look at the in-game help (^F then ?), you'll see that it's even documented. Just search for "helmet".

[minstrel]

There is, and if you look at the in-game help (^F then ?), you'll see that it's even documented. Just search for "helmet".

Thanks - I had to read it over twice before I saw it there.