noob wonders why he can't use magic

[dakl]

Hi there everyone,

I'm new to this game, playing the recommended DDNe. Could anyone tell me why I suddenly lost the ability to cast magic and why it no longer recharges?

Thanks,
D

[galehar]

Did you put an amulet of guardian spirit?

[MyOtheHedgeFox]

You mean you need to find a non-natural way of regaining mana when a guardian spirit protects your Deep Dwarf? Channeling or potions, that is?

In advance: Deep Dwarves do not regenerate. Since guardian spirits protect their life in the same way dwarves' own lifespans do, the mana regeneration gets blocked (otherwise a guardian spirit would be a GAME BREIKA).

[dakl]

No, I didn't have an amulet. Here's exactly what happened - I didn't know what it meant: first, mana looked to be full except the whole bar looked to have shifted to the right (there was a blank space at the left of the bar, not at the end (had no idea what that was about). Then the bar went away completely and stopped recharging. And I can't see that anything happened to bring that about. I ran around uselessly for a lot of turns, thinking it might come back, but it didn't.

[KoboldLord]

All right, how about a cap with a guardian spirit effect? Hat of the Bear Spirit, or something like that. Or a shield, perhaps? I think the Shield of the Gong has it.

Double-check your inventory, because it really does sound like the guardian spirit effect.

[dakl]

No, there's nothing like that in my inventory. I didn't see anything in the messages that gave any clue to it either. Thanks for those suggestions.

[jejorda2]

Did you press 5 to rest? It can take a while for mp to regenerate.

[dakl]

As a DDNe, I guess I can't do that.

[slowcar]

As a DDNe, I guess I can't do that.

what, press 5? give it a try

[Happy Corner]

It would help if you posted a dump of your character. Hit # and the game will create a text file of your character (and tell you where it is). Then you can copy and paste its contents here, and we'd probably be able to tell instantly what went wrong.

[dakl]

sure thing. here is is...

  Code:

dev the Reanimator (Deep Dwarf Necromancer)                                                                        Turns: 10218, Time: 01:41:36

HP  35/50        AC  3     Str 14      Exp: 7/1218 (43), need: 94
MP   0/0         EV 15     Int 17      God: Makhleb [**....]
Gold 162         SH  0     Dex 13      Spells:  3 memorised,  2 levels left

Res.Fire  : . . .   See Invis. : .    f - spear
Res.Cold  : . . .   Warding    : . .  a - +0 robe
Life Prot.: . . .   Conserve   : .    (no shield)
Res.Acid. : . . .   Res.Corr.  : .    (no helmet)
Res.Poison: .       Clarity    : .    (no cloak)
Res.Elec. : .       Spirit.Shd : .    q - +0 pair of gauntlets
Sust.Abil.: . .     Stasis     : .    (no boots)
Res.Mut.  : .       Ctrl.Telep.: .    (no amulet)
Res.Rott. : .       Levitation : .    L - +1 ring of evasion
Saprovore : . . .   Ctrl.Flight: .    e - +2 ring of strength

@: non-regenerating, somewhat resistant to hostile enchantments, stealthy
A: sense surroundings 1, slow healing 3
a: Device Recharging, Minor Destruction, Renounce Religion


You are on level 5 of the Dungeon.
You worship Makhleb.
Makhleb is most pleased with you.
You are not hungry.

You have visited 2 branches of the dungeon, and seen 7 of its levels.

You have collected 178 gold pieces.
You have spent 36 gold pieces at shops.

Inventory:

Hand weapons
 f - an uncursed spear (weapon)
 g - an uncursed knife
 j - a dagger (quivered)
 p - an uncursed dagger
 t - an uncursed sling
 w - an uncursed orcish club
 z - an uncursed club
 A - an uncursed orcish club
 D - a sling
 G - an orcish club
 H - a runed spear
 M - an ancient hand axe
Missiles
 k - 9 +3 darts
 m - 12 arrows
 r - 27 poisoned needles
 s - a throwing net
 N - 72 darts
 S - a throwing net
Armour
 a - a +0 robe (worn)
 i - a buckler
 q - a +0 pair of gauntlets (worn)
Magical devices
 c - a wand of healing (3)
 y - a wand of slowing {zapped: 3}
 Q - a wand of magic darts {empty}
 R - a wand of frost {zapped: 7}
Comestibles
 d - 3 bread rations
 u - 2 meat rations
Scrolls
 h - a scroll of random uselessness
 l - 6 scrolls labeled XYNAUD UHURHI {tried on scratched silver ring}
 n - a scroll labeled AZXACO LAYMEL {tried}
 o - 4 scrolls of remove curse
 x - 3 scrolls of identify
 B - 4 scrolls of teleportation
 I - a scroll of detect curse
 K - a scroll of curse jewellery
Jewellery
 e - a +2 ring of strength (left hand)
 v - an uncursed ring of fire
 E - an uncursed bone ring {tried}
 J - an uncursed scratched silver ring {tried}
 L - a +1 ring of evasion (right hand)
Potions
 C - a potion of poison
 F - a potion of brilliance
 O - a potion of paralysis
Books
 b - a book of Necromancy   
   
   Spells                             Type                      Level
   *Pain                              Necromancy                   1
   Animate Skeleton                   Necromancy                   1
   Lethal Infusion                    Charms/Necromancy            2
   *Vampiric Draining                 Necromancy                   3
   Regeneration                       Charms/Necromancy            3
   *Dispel Undead                     Necromancy                   4
   Animate Dead                       Necromancy                   4


 You have 43 experience left.

   Skills:
 - Level 1 Polearms
 + Level 3 Throwing
 + Level 5 Dodging
 + Level 4 Stealth
 - Level 1 Traps & Doors
 + Level 2 Spellcasting
 + Level 9 Necromancy
 + Level 2 Evocations


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

 Your Spells              Type           Power        Success   Level  Hunger
a - Pain                  Necr           #####        Excellent   1    Strawberry
b - Vampiric Draining     Necr           #####.....   Excellent   3    Honeycomb
c - Dispel Undead         Necr           #####....    Great       4    Honeycomb


Dungeon Overview and Level Annotations

Branches:
Dungeon (6/27)             Temple (1/1) D:4         
   Orc: D:6-11     

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

Shops:
D:6: ?


                    Innate Abilities, Weirdness & Mutations

You are resistant to damage.
You can recharge devices by infusing magical energy.
You passively map a small area around you.
You do not heal naturally.


Message History

Welcome back, dev the Deep Dwarf Necromancer.
Blood and souls for Makhleb!
Press ? for a list of commands and other information.
Save game and exit?
Welcome back, dev the Deep Dwarf Necromancer.
Blood and souls for Makhleb!
Press ? for a list of commands and other information.

????????)????????????    ???????????
?????????????????????????????????[??
???????????????????????>[???????????
??????????  ????????????????????
??????????  ???????      ???????
    ???     ???????      ???????
    ???       ???????    ??????
    ???       ?????????   ??????????
??????????    ?????????  ?????????)?
??????????        ?????? ???????????
??????????  ???????????????????
??????????  ???????????????????
??????????  ??????@????????????
??????????  ???????????????????
???????????????????????????^????
????????????????????????????????
???????????????????????^???????????
???????????????????????????????????
???????????????????????????????????
  ????    ????^????      ??????????
????????? ?????????????????????????
????????? ?????????????????????????
????????? ?????????????????????????
????????????????         ???????????
????????????????         ???????????


There are no monsters in sight!

Vanquished Creatures
  Edmund (D:6)
  An ice beast (D:5)
  2 ogres
  A goliath beetle (D:5)
  A hound (D:5)
  2 worker ants
  A scorpion (D:4)
  A jelly (D:5)
  5 gnolls
  2 snakes
  A snake skeleton (D:4)
  3 giant mites
  2 worms (D:4)
  A giant eyeball (D:6)
  A megabat skeleton (D:4)
  4 orcs
  11 giant cockroaches
  20 goblins
  4 hobgoblins
  12 jackals
  A quokka (D:3)
  A small snake (D:1)
  5 giant geckos
  7 giant newts
  2 hobgoblin skeletons
  10 kobolds
  15 megabats
  9 rats
  4 fungi (D:3)
  2 toadstools
132 creatures vanquished.

Vanquished Creatures (others)
  2 giant newts (D:1)
  A goblin (D:5)
  6 toadstools
9 creatures vanquished.

Grand Total: 141 creatures vanquished

Notes
Turn   | Place   | Note
--------------------------------------------------------------
     0 | D:1      | dev, the Deep Dwarf Necromancer, began the quest for the Orb.
     0 | D:1      | Reached XP level 1. HP: 11/11 MP: 3/3
   449 | D:1      | Reached XP level 2. HP: 6/17 MP: 2/4
   798 | D:1      | Reached skill level 5 in Necromancy
  1638 | D:2      | Reached XP level 3. HP: 5/24 MP: 3/5
  1815 | D:2      | Found a sparkling altar of Nemelex Xobeh.
  2024 | D:2      | Learned a level 3 spell: Vampiric Draining
  2174 | D:2      | Found a shimmering altar of Xom.
  2432 | D:2      | Found an iron altar of Okawaru.
  2503 | D:2      | Found a burning altar of Makhleb.
  2802 | D:2      | Became a worshipper of Makhleb the Destroyer
  3117 | D:2      | Reached XP level 4. HP: 10/30 MP: 3/4
  3260 | D:3      | Reached skill level 6 in Necromancy
  3528 | D:3      | Found a blossoming altar of Fedhas.
  3994 | D:3      | Acquired Makhleb's first power
  5281 | D:4      | Reached XP level 5. HP: 30/37 MP: 4/4
  5384 | D:4      | Reached skill level 7 in Necromancy
  5472 | D:4      | Found a staircase to the Ecumenical Temple.
  5544 | D:4      | Reached XP level 6. HP: 24/43 MP: 4/6
  5637 | D:4      | Reached skill level 1 in Throwing
  5747 | D:4      | Reached skill level 8 in Necromancy
  5822 | D:4      | Acquired Makhleb's second power
  6222 | Temple   | Entered the Ecumenical Temple
  6694 | D:5      | Entered Level 5 of the Dungeon
  6804 | D:4      | Learned a level 4 spell: Dispel Undead
  7634 | D:5      | Reached XP level 7. HP: 32/50 MP: 5/5
  7697 | D:5      | Reached skill level 9 in Necromancy
  7766 | D:5      | Got an ancient hand axe
  7800 | D:5      | Reached skill level 1 in Traps & Doors
  8540 | D:5      | Reached skill level 1 in Evocations
  8831 | D:6      | Found Tayprutufo's Magic Scroll Emporium.
  8851 | D:6      | Paralysed by a giant eyeball for 4 turns
  8858 | D:6      | Paralysed by a giant eyeball for 2 turns
  8926 | D:6      | Noticed Edmund
  9421 | D:6      | Defeated Edmund
  9477 | D:6      | Bought a scroll of teleportation for 36 gold pieces
  9564 | D:5      | Reached skill level 1 in Polearms
  9902 | D:4      | Reached skill level 5 in Dodging

[absolutego]

you have no magic points whatsoever ("MP 0/0"). were you using your ability to recharge wands freely? it takes not 1 MP, but 1 *permanent* MP.
deep dwarves are the only ones with this ability, and it's there basically to allow them to recharge the wand of healing they start with, but it's something you can only use sparely, unless you don't use magic at all (and even so).

also: please put character dumps between code tags, it makes them easier to read and reduces clutter to the forums.

[dakl]

okay. haha. i didn't know that. yes, I was recharging the wand freely. (i said I was a noob, after all). i thought i must be able to do that, otherwise i didn't know how I was supposed to heal. how do I heal, in that case?

(thanks for telling me, by the way).

[dakl]

ha. I'm totally f###ed, obviously. oh well. i only recently gotten into this kind of game. i've been playing sword of fargoal and now this. i kind of love them for being so unforgiving. it makes it truly funny (and existential). haven't progressed very far but i love this game.

[absolutego]

as you've gueseed, now, you... don't heal :D
you've dug yourself one hell of a hole. deep dwarves are very strong, but i don't recommend them to new players (although others do) because managing health can be annoying. DDNe of makhleb is strong because you can rely on consumables, makhleb's healing for kills, and vampiric draining, but you can't cast the latter anymore. i'd say forget about spellcasting, maybe switch to heavy armour, use that sling, and have fun trying to survive as long as possible. alternatively, just get back to d:1, go back up the stairs, and try again, which has the benefit that you won't leave a ghost roaming around (if you're playing offline).

[dakl]

So, you get health only from draining? (And when God grants it?) Draining sounded good to me at first but when I realized I could only use it when enemies were one tile away, and when I realized i couldn't really even do that much damage with it, I didn't think it was all that great. i guess it probably gets stronger.

I was thinking I'd just give up and start again. But you're saying if I go back to dungeon 1, it'll give me a fresh mana bar? Do I have to do anything for that to happen?

Thanks again for the advice.

[Happy Corner]

The Deep Dwarf page on the wiki has a list of ways they can heal. For DDNe's, the big one in the early game will be Vampiric Draining... memorize that spell the instant you hit level 3.

The thing about Vampiric Draining, though, is that it can't cause damage if you don't have HP missing for it to replace. If you cast it when you're fully healed, you won't get anywhere. So only cast it when you're wounded. And yes, it will get more badass with practice (and as your Necromancy skill rises).

EDIT: Yes, if you quit, die, or go upstairs from level 1, you have to make a brand new character. This resets everything, mana bar and all. The only thing past games affect is that if you die below D:2, you spawn a player ghost that future characters might have to deal with on that particular level. That can be both good and bad. (Player ghosts are tough and they won't drop their past gear, but they're also worth a lot of XP.)

[absolutego]

you're mixing up a few concepts.
i know you mean "vampiric draining", but i'll just point out that "draining" is a weapon brand that does other things. the vampiric draining spell hurts an ajdacent enemy and heals you for part of the damage you caused. the vampiric weapon brand does the same thing, but it's rare.
as for gods, makhleb, at 1 star of piety or above, sometimes heals you when you kill an enemy. that makes him a very good god for deep dwarves.

there's no refreshing the mana bar, you're still screwed ;D. all i meant was that you can ascend without the orb, at any time: go back to d:1 and walk up the stairs. the game ends, and you can start another one. the advantage is that the character does not die, and does not leave a ghost. you may not have found any of your ghosts yet, but you will, and they can be hard. but it's just an option, at this point you can just charge ahead and learn the ropes.

[dakl]

I'm playing the downloadable version of the game, by the way. I don't know if it's substantially different from the online version I just found out about. Anyway, that's interesting about the ghosts. Whenever you die, the character you had can come back to haunt you later? Sounds awful, although, in my case, not too threatening yet.

Thanks for your help, guys. (I always say "guys." I guess I shouldn't assume. I'd be interested to know how many women play this game.) Thanks for your help, everyone.

[dakl]

One more thing I was wondering (I don't think it's worth starting a new thread to ask)...

How long do people take to make it to the end of this game? I'm not a big gamer and I'm pretty sure it'll take me a long time (if I beat it at all). I'm alright with that, actually, and I've only recently started to play it, but I'd like to know I wasn't the only person slogging away on it without beating it.

[Happy Corner]

I've been playing on and off for a couple years, and only recently won my first game.

Or did you mean how long does a usual winning run last? For that, you can look at the various YAVP posts here. Mine was around 9 and a half hours, and it was a 4 rune game.

[dakl]

No, I meant how long do people play before winning a game. Personally, I don't want to be able to win easily. So, odd as it sounds, I'm glad it took you a long time.

[Curio]

around a year with 2 month break.

[Happy Corner]

No, I meant how long do people play before winning a game. Personally, I don't want to be able to win easily. So, odd as it sounds, I'm glad it took you a long time.

You've come to the right place, then. Like most roguelikes, Crawl is about as far as you can get from a game you beat the first (or hundredth) time you try it.

[Yet Another Stupid Noob]

I probably lead over 500 suckers to thier death before I got out with a KeBr.

[slowcar]

No, I meant how long do people play before winning a game. Personally, I don't want to be able to win easily. So, odd as it sounds, I'm glad it took you a long time.

took me about two months till my first win, and another month until i managed 15 runes.
but some (most?) of my buddies i started crawl with still have not won, so i guess i invested more time, played more carefully or read the knowledge bots more

i still kill a LOT of characters in the early stages, but after they have finished lair/orc they survive much better than before.

[lordfrikk]

I still haven't won, but the one advice I'd give you if you want your character to survive is that you don't have to kill everything you see, in fact knowing what to kill later will probably save you a lot of deaths. Sure, you might get that 200 XP if you kill this sucker but then again you might not and it will mean you'll have to start over, especially the first few games. This applies especially to monsters from the ogre family if you play anything but a heavy armor melee character. If you go toe to toe with an ogre on level 3 he will wreck your shit, probably in one hit.

Someone mention the knowledge bots, you should use them everytime you encounter an enemy you don't know:

http://crawl.develz.org/wordpress/bots

You can play without it, spoiler-free, but it will take much longer to learn your enemies' strengths and weaknesses or tactics used to fight them effectively. The knowledge bots are partially factual and partially humorous, you can enter anything from monster name to words like shield, death or you can ask them "why" and it will tell you