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

[runequester]

If I want to throw daggers at people should I be concerned with short blade skill or just throwing?

[PerverseSuffering]

If I want to throw daggers at people should I be concerned with short blade skill or just throwing?

You shouldn't want throwing daggers at people at any time and any place in the Dungeon (and outside it, too!)
Still, Throwing only.

[Skygazer]

Does fighting increase damage and accuracy for unarmed attacks, or melee weapons?
What training is better-auto or manual? I am playing berserk or fighter-type characters, since i'm new to this game, and manual training is fine for me.
What weapon is better? +2,+2 whip, or +1,+3 whip?
How fighting Hp formula works?

[Tutankham]

What training is better-auto or manual? I am playing berserk or fighter-type characters, since i'm new to this game, and manual training is fine for me.

Manual training allows much more control over where the experience points go, and does not really entail more micromanagement than automatic training.

[CommanderC]

Could someone kindly explain what percentage actually is boosted to melee damage per weapon skill?

I know I should turn it off after reaching min delay, but what is the actual benefit if I continue training it?

Thanks!

It's about 4% of your weapon base damage per level.

[runequester]

Fighting skill does not, to my knowledge, affect damage. It affects hit points and attack rolls.

Weapon skill does improve damage as mentioned above.

[runequester]

ah okay, thanks!

[tormodpwns]

Part of the 0.10 changelog was "custom shops." What exactly is this? The one time (out of dozens of trunk games) that I found anything out of the ordinary was an "Abandoned shop," which showed up as a gray arch.

Also, is it possible to abuse health regeneration? I know it works by adding "regen points" each turn and heals you by 1 HP every 100 points. Would attacking with a quick blade give you more "turns" in the same amount of in-game time, thus healing you faster?

[MyOtheHedgeFox]

"Custom shops" means "vaults with pre-defined shops".

[TehDruid]

In settings\autopickup_exceptions.txt, on line 40, starts this piece of code:

: if you.race() ~= "Ogre" and you.race() ~= "Troll"
: and you.race() ~= "Centaur" and you.race() ~= "Octopode" then
ae = ring of sustenance
: end

Could anyone explain what this means when it comes to equipping multiple rings of sustenance?

[Confidence Interval]

Guardian spirit: on a spriggan caster is it good (gives you more health, in effect) or bad (sucks your mana when you need it most and leaves you helpless)?

I feel like I should be able to tell whether it's positive or negative but I can't really figure it out.

[MyOtheHedgeFox]

If you heavily rely on spells, finding yourself completely drained of energy after, say, catching a crystal spear in the face would be quite unpleasant.

[Confidence Interval]

If you heavily rely on spells, finding yourself completely drained of energy after, say, catching a crystal spear in the face would be quite unpleasant.

If you're a spriggan and get hit by a crystal spear you're likely to end up dead so what you describe might, in fact, be the preferable option...

[KoboldLord]

On any character that uses mp for any other significant purpose, guardian spirit is absolutely terrible. One of the worst possible item effects, in fact. In exchange for a tiny bit of extra health, you are rendered absolutely helpless whenever even minor threats try to attack you.

[srulz]

Could someone kindly explain what percentage actually is boosted to melee damage per weapon skill?

I know I should turn it off after reaching min delay, but what is the actual benefit if I continue training it?

Thanks!

It's about 4% of your weapon base damage per level.

That .. is actually quite a whole lot! Thanks CommanderC!

OT: does anyone knows if Makhleb's Greater Servant is abjurable? I would test it myself in Wizard Mode if I know how, but I don't know how.

[BlackSheep]

In settings\autopickup_exceptions.txt, on line 40, starts this piece of code:

: if you.race() ~= "Ogre" and you.race() ~= "Troll"
: and you.race() ~= "Centaur" and you.race() ~= "Octopode" then
ae = ring of sustenance
: end

Could anyone explain what this means when it comes to equipping multiple rings of sustenance?

Ogres, trolls and centaurs all have faster than normal metabolisms. Characters with normal metabolisms won't benefit from multiple rings of sustenance, so once you have one, you don't need a second. I don't think octopodes have fast metabolisms, but they could want to wear a second ring of sustenance if they're also wearing a randart that causes hunger, or some such.

[eeviac]

How/When does Dispel Undead work against player Vampires?

[eeviac]

Can a randart amulet have multiple amulet-only brands? e.g. rMut and Faith?

[dk]

In settings\autopickup_exceptions.txt, on line 40, starts this piece of code:

: if you.race() ~= "Ogre" and you.race() ~= "Troll"
: and you.race() ~= "Centaur" and you.race() ~= "Octopode" then
ae = ring of sustenance
: end

Could anyone explain what this means when it comes to equipping multiple rings of sustenance?

Ogres, trolls and centaurs all have faster than normal metabolisms. Characters with normal metabolisms won't benefit from multiple rings of sustenance, so once you have one, you don't need a second. I don't think octopodes have fast metabolisms, but they could want to wear a second ring of sustenance if they're also wearing a randart that causes hunger, or some such.

For Octodopes, it's because you could wear a Ring of Regeneration (which will make you more hungry) and two Rings of Sustenance.

[TehDruid]

In settings\autopickup_exceptions.txt, on line 40, starts this piece of code:

: if you.race() ~= "Ogre" and you.race() ~= "Troll"
: and you.race() ~= "Centaur" and you.race() ~= "Octopode" then
ae = ring of sustenance
: end

Could anyone explain what this means when it comes to equipping multiple rings of sustenance?

Ogres, trolls and centaurs all have faster than normal metabolisms. Characters with normal metabolisms won't benefit from multiple rings of sustenance, so once you have one, you don't need a second. I don't think octopodes have fast metabolisms, but they could want to wear a second ring of sustenance if they're also wearing a randart that causes hunger, or some such.

For Octodopes, it's because you could wear a Ring of Regeneration (which will make you more hungry) and two Rings of Sustenance.

Thanks for the replies; I made a topic about metabolism rates and then was informed that the knowledge bots had all the info I wanted. Will try to remember this next time I'm about to ask something.

[Sphara]

If a treasure trove asks you for +4 ice dragon armour, is it possible to find that same exact piece of crap from the trove inside? (if one considers +4 IDA a crap)

[KoboldLord]

OT: does anyone knows if Makhleb's Greater Servant is abjurable? I would test it myself in Wizard Mode if I know how, but I don't know how.

Yes, you can Abjure the hostile ones if you know the spell. This is highly recommended if you find it. Some enemy summoners will also wipe your Greater Servants, though, so be aware that they're not entirely reliable later on.

If a treasure trove asks you for +4 ice dragon armour, is it possible to find that same exact piece of crap from the trove inside? (if one considers +4 IDA a crap)

Trove loot generally uses acquirement code, which tends to produce high-quality items, so it is certainly possible to get a demon weapon or dragon armor inside. It would be an extremely unusual bit of luck to get a nearly exact copy of your entry fee, though, and not really a welcome one since if you actually wanted that item you wouldn't have used it to open the Trove. There's just nothing preventing that unlikely coincidence except long odds.

[spillover]

Can I hit myself with a dispersal dart for an emergency blink?

If I'm following Trog, can I use his "Burn spellbooks" ability to kill roxanne?

[Moanerette]

I know that Trolls should go unarmed in melee. Is the same true of Centaurs and Minotaurs? I'm looking at the Unarmed formula on the knowledge bot, but it's quite hard to figure out and compare to weapons.

Also, I'm currently playing a Centaur Transmuter, and having a tough time trying to decide which god to follow. Seems like a choice between Sif, Nemelex, Yredelemnul and Okawaru, but I'm really not sure. I'd like to boost the magic as the skills seem slow to train, but maybe this is a foolish hope and I should keep magic as backup to combat capabilities.

[tormodpwns]

Trolls should go unarmed because they have few alternatives. Centaurs and Minotaurs are much more versatile so while Unarmed is certainly viable, so are other weapon schools. Kiku is not a bad choice for a transmuter.

[crate]

Unarmed is very good for basically any race if you get to very high skill (UC 27 is better than most 27-skill executioner's axes are). It is very bad for most races at 0 skill (0 skill unarmed is worse than a 0 skill dagger unless you have claws).

You can choose any god you like as Tm (well, Trog is probably not a sensible choice ... he'd still be strong but you should probably have just started as **Be instead) since it is a very flexible background. Choose the god that gives you what you want. Nemelex and Yred are maybe the strongest gods for a simple 3-rune win in my opinion, and that's as true for Tm as anyone else.

[jejorda2]

I like Makhleb on transmuters, especially ones that are bad at most magic schools like Centaurs and Minotaurs. I get ranged attacks and summoning without having to train summoning and conjuring, and the power doesn't go down when I cast blade hands.

[ChokingPuppies]

+0/+7 exe-axe of chopping or +6/+5 battleaxe of speed? I can't get my head around the damage formulas, which one does most DPS?

[Mattchew]

Does Zin piety automatically increase with time in 0.9? Bot says yes, wiki says not anymore.

(Probably going to ditch Trog for Zin, wondering if I should join Zin before waiting out Trog's wrath or after.)

[TehDruid]

Does Zin piety automatically increase with time in 0.9? Bot says yes, wiki says not anymore.

(Probably going to ditch Trog for Zin, wondering if I should join Zin before waiting out Trog's wrath or after.)

Not sure if Zin piety increased over time in 0.9.

Zin's piety decays over time in 0.10, that's for sure. Other than killing unclean/mutagenic beings you increase it by collecting money (1/10 of what you pick is paid automatically as a tithe to Zin) and you can (p)ray at an altar of Zin which will prompt you to "sacrifice" half of your gold for a quick increase in piety (it happens over the course of a few hundreds of turns after you do).

[Jeremiah]

Do summoned monsters pick up equipment, and if so, do they drop it again when they disappear?

There seems to be an artifact missing from the Elf:5 vault and I'm wondering if a summoned demon could have picked it up and then taken it away forever when it disappeared (or maybe it disappeared over lava and dropped the artifact to its doom...)

I guess its more likely that an elf picked it up and then wandered off somewhere, but I'd like to know about summoned monsters anyway.

[KoboldLord]

Summoned intelligent creatures with hands will go for weapons, but the weapon will drop to the ground when their time expires. Odds are an elf is wandering around with the missing item.

[tormodpwns]

Do mummies regenerate stats naturally? Is it worth using a ball of energy on a MuFE in 0.10?

[runequester]

What on earth does "kiting" mean?

[MyOtheHedgeFox]

The act of hitting a slower monster during free turns with spells or melee and never taking damage.

[Moanerette]

What on earth does "kiting" mean?

I think it means to attack a monster with missiles and/or ranged spells while keeping it at a distance by moving in between attacks. So you need to be faster than the monster. Think of a spriggan armed with a sling taking down an ogre.

[Tiber]

You don't need to be faster than the monster to kite it. You can kite things with damage-over-time effects like sticky flame or poison, and let them waste their time chasing you instead of hitting you while their health is being drained. Very few monsters can kill you instantly, so so what if you get hit a couple of times in the process?

[eeviac]

Does an rMut amulet stack with the rMut mutation, specifically with a halfling?

[Kate]

Yes.

[TehDruid]

Yes.

So I suppose you get two separate chances of resisting? One at {mutation level resistance value} and one at {amulet resistance value}. Or (although this sounds OP) do they stack to the max (100%)?

[KoboldLord]

So I suppose you get two separate chances of resisting? One at {mutation level resistance value} and one at {amulet resistance value}. Or (although this sounds OP) do they stack to the max (100%)?

They're rolled separately, so they stack to being about 96% resistance. Not perfect, but still much better.

[TehDruid]

So I suppose you get two separate chances of resisting? One at {mutation level resistance value} and one at {amulet resistance value}. Or (although this sounds OP) do they stack to the max (100%)?

They're rolled separately, so they stack to being about 96% resistance. Not perfect, but still much better.

Thought that would be the case, but thanks for clarifying it anyway.

[runequester]

Does stabbing work for unarmed attacks? Might be a dumb question but I am not sure how literal the skill name is

[rebthor]

As far as I remember it works, but not well. Only daggers and to a lesser extent other short blades are any good at stabbing.

Learndb says the following

A successful stab with a short blade increases your damage from dam to (dam+bonus)*mult, where bonus depends on your dex and stab skill and is capped at 30, and mult depends on your stab skill and the type of stab (sleep/paralysis is best). Non-short blades don't get a bonus and have lower mult. Daggers get bonus doubled, so use one of those.
If you are using short blades, stab damage bonus is (DEX * (stabbing skill + 1)) / 5, halved if you are not wielding a dagger, and then put through a stepdown function (halve at over 10, halve again over 10, halve again over 30, cap at 30)
For short and long blades, stab damage gets a bonus multiplier of (10 + (stabbing skill) / (stab opportunity tier + (2 if using a short blade, 0 else))) / 10
Finally, stab damage gets an additional bonus multiplier of (12 + (stabbing skill) / (stab opportunity tier)) / 12 for all weapons, including short and long blades.

[eeviac]

did a recent trunk change up the frequency of shops? My last few games have been seeing tons of them, floor after floor. My current run has ~9 shops before D10.