Draconian Gl/EE

[Rokirem]

http://pastebin.com/cHQjDaV5
I started a Draconian Gladiator with the plan of picking up some magic based off of what color I turn into. I picked up a Staff of Earth around D:3, and luckily turned into a Grey Draconian (one of my favorite types) as well as finding Sif Muna and getting a book of geomancy. I immediate turned on Earth Magic until I got Stone Arrow/Rapid Deconstruction castable and picked up some Evo for my staff of Earth. I also got a Book of Annihilations and a Book of Earth (Crystal Spear/Iron Shot/Shatter) as well as some other useful utility books. My main concern however is that I won't be able to cast Crystal Spear because of my low intelligence, I currently have 15 int and 15 skill in Earth Magic (9 in Conjurations) and it is still at 100% failure rate. So my main questions are,

1. If I keep putting all of my points into INT, as well as training Earth and Conjurations more, will I be able to cast Crystal Spear? Could I do it with some INT increasing gear?
2. What other utility spells should I consider getting based off of what books I already have available?
3. If I play carefully, should I be overly-concerned that I only have 3 available pips of MR, and a ring of fire for resistances?
4. How should I consider progressing as far as skills go? Should I keep dumping all of my XP into Earth Magic?

Overall I feel like I am playing casters a bit better, but I still need a couple things cleared up. Thanks in advance.

[ydeve]

Can you post the morgue inside spoiler tags? I'm having trouble following the link.

[Rokirem]

Can you post the morgue inside spoiler tags? I'm having trouble following the link.

I put it inside /url tags, I didn't see the spoiler ones. If it still doesn't work it's just http://pastebin.com and then forward slash cHQjDaV5

[Sprucery]

You want code tags, not spoiler tags btw.

1) Sure but note that level 9 spells are not generally needed in a 3-rune game. Iron Shot is good enough.
2) Ozo's armour I guess.
3) No, just be careful around hexers.
4) Memorize Iron Shot and get it to low %. Get Ozo's and train some Charms and Ice. Fighting and Dodging are good skills. Staves to 14.

[KoboldLord]

1. If I keep putting all of my points into INT, as well as training Earth and Conjurations more, will I be able to cast Crystal Spear? Could I do it with some INT increasing gear?

Yes, you will eventually be able to cast Crystal Spear. On the other hand, your plan is a bad one. With a gladiator start, going for high-level earth magic is just straight-up worse than just picking up a crossbow and skilling that instead. There is nothing that Iron Shot can do that is substantially different than what a triple crossbow can do, and a triple crossbow does not run out of mp. The crossbow is also cheaper to train, because you only need one skill to make it work instead of three. If you want a conjurations build that isn't strictly worse than a non-conjurations build with the same character, you pretty much have to start with a book that has conjurations in it.

2. What other utility spells should I consider getting based off of what books I already have available?

Nothing you have showing is worth bothering with, generally translocations and charms are going to be your best bets for utility and support and you have Sif Muna so they'll show up eventually.

3. If I play carefully, should I be overly-concerned that I only have 3 available pips of MR, and a ring of fire for resistances?

You've only finished Lair, so you can hardly expect to have full coverage of everything at this point. You'll find more loot.

4. How should I consider progressing as far as skills go? Should I keep dumping all of my XP into Earth Magic?

You probably should never have put a single point into earth magic in the first place, but what's done is done and now that you've sunk an overwhelming majority of your xp into that kill method you might as well stick with it. Iron Shot is your most urgent goal, and once that works fine you'll want to work on defenses. You'll eventually want a bit more staves and evocations if you plan to hit things with that staff of earth, but if you want to hit things with staves a lajatang is a better weapon. The staff of earth is for making earth magic do more damage, not so much for hitting things that are dangerous.

[njvack]

... note that if you're hitting things that *aren't* dangerous, staff of earth is fine (and better than wasting MP on conjurations killing them).

Once you have Iron Shot up, LCS isn't an immediate goal. Maybe when you're ready to enter Zot or thereabouts -- but really, more defenses is probably better than getting LCS up in a three-rune game. You absolutely shouldn't be able to cast it by the end of Lair.

aw jeez you're a gladiator with a +2 dblade of freezing on L:8 and you're swinging a staff of earth and skilling for Iron Shot, my heart cries a little

[dowan]

Hey, it's more important to have fun than to win every time. Just don't write a guide saying this is the best way to win...

[Rokirem]

The reason I went Draconian Gladiator instead of a class starting with a book was because I have a hard time with casters starting out, and gladiator is a lot easier for me. Anyways I wanted more experience with Earth magic, especially since I find that it isn't vert good at the beginning of the game unless you use stones. Anyways after I get Iron Shot fully castable and maybe some other spells I am going to switch to dodging/shields and maybe long-blades for my demon blade or something, idk yet.

Also I finished Orcish Mines and still haven't even found poison resistance...This is going to be fun.

[njvack]

it's just
that's a pretty nice sword is all

Don't sweat rPois at the moment, you can kill most poisoners at range and rest off whatever poison you do get and anything else you can ?cure. In most cases, it's convenient more than it is life-saving. Do treat especially clouds of poison and monsters with poison arrow with great respect.

Unless you have a buckler, I wouldn't wear a shield on this char. XP is going to be spread kind of thin as it is, and swapping to a lajatang (assuming you find one) is going to be better than earth staff + shield. For the same XP reason, I wouldn't use the sword.