Boots of the assassin UC

[Da5id]

Do boots of the assassin work with UC? I have a DSGl of Oka effective 27 UC with claws and nightstalker and just found a pair.

[ThreeInvisibleDucks]

Do boots of the assassin work with UC?

They should:

  Code:

/**
 * Can we get a good stab with this weapon?
 */
bool melee_attack::player_good_stab()
{
    return wpn_skill == SK_SHORT_BLADES
           || player_mutation_level(MUT_PAWS)
           || player_equip_unrand(UNRAND_BOOTS_ASSASSIN)
              && (!weapon || is_melee_weapon(*weapon));
}


A good way to confirm is to wear them and if you are suddenly seeing a lot more exclamation points, they work alright.

[kuniqs]

Time to learn Confusing Touch.

[Rast]

Casting confusing touch sounds like a waste of a turn compared to swinging twice with 27 UC

[Siegurt]

Casting confusing touch sounds like a waste of a turn compared to swinging twice with 27 UC

A confusion stab is worth about 8 normal hits, and stabs bypass evasion, and confused critters will often fail to hit you back and sometimes hit their allies (or themselves) instead, and of course you can cast confusing touch before the thing is adjacent to you (so you only actually lose one attack rather than two)

However the range of things that are both "able to be effected by confusing touch" and "More than just a speed bump at 27 UC" is almost invisibly small, so you're right that it's almost never going to be worth it at 27 UC.

Probably getting distraction stabs from allies is a more useful way to go (Also invis for things like draconian packs)

[CanOfWorms]

just train throwing, get a decently enchanted blowgun and a bunch of needles from oka

[VeryAngryFelid]

Casting confusing touch sounds like a waste of a turn compared to swinging twice with 27 UC

A confusion stab is worth about 8 normal hits, and stabs bypass evasion, and confused critters will often fail to hit you back and sometimes hit their allies (or themselves) instead, and of course you can cast confusing touch before the thing is adjacent to you (so you only actually lose one attack rather than two)

However the range of things that are both "able to be effected by confusing touch" and "More than just a speed bump at 27 UC" is almost invisibly small, so you're right that it's almost never going to be worth it at 27 UC.

Probably getting distraction stabs from allies is a more useful way to go (Also invis for things like draconian packs)

Vs weak monsters:
1) With Confusing Touch. 1 turn to cast Confusing Touch, 0.5 turn to hit (and hopefully confuse), 0.5 turn to hit without confusion attack (hopefully stabbing is triggered and kills). Total 2 turns minimum.
2) Without Confusing touch. 0.5 minimum, you can kill the monster with 3 hits and still save 0.5 turn comparing to Confusing Touch.

Vs dangerous monsters:
1) With Confusing Touch. Finesse (1 turn), then 1.0 + 0.25+0.25= 1.5 turns per monster.
2) Without Confusing Touch. 1.0 turn to activate Finesse, 0.25 turn per attack, you can hit 6 times every monster to make it even with Confusing Touch. 6 hits with UC 27 kills even orbs of fire more often then not, most monsters die in just 2-4 hits as usual.

[Sar]

just train throwing, get a decently enchanted blowgun and a bunch of needles from oka

Holy crap, never thought of it!

[Siegurt]

Casting confusing touch sounds like a waste of a turn compared to swinging twice with 27 UC

A confusion stab is worth about 8 normal hits, and stabs bypass evasion, and confused critters will often fail to hit you back and sometimes hit their allies (or themselves) instead, and of course you can cast confusing touch before the thing is adjacent to you (so you only actually lose one attack rather than two)

However the range of things that are both "able to be effected by confusing touch" and "More than just a speed bump at 27 UC" is almost invisibly small, so you're right that it's almost never going to be worth it at 27 UC.

Probably getting distraction stabs from allies is a more useful way to go (Also invis for things like draconian packs)

Vs weak monsters:
1) With Confusing Touch. 1 turn to cast Confusing Touch, 0.5 turn to hit (and hopefully confuse), 0.5 turn to hit without confusion attack (hopefully stabbing is triggered and kills). Total 2 turns minimum.
2) Without Confusing touch. 0.5 minimum, you can kill the monster with 3 hits and still save 0.5 turn comparing to Confusing Touch.

Vs dangerous monsters:
1) With Confusing Touch. Finesse (1 turn), then 1.0 + 0.25+0.25= 1.5 turns per monster.
2) Without Confusing Touch. 1.0 turn to activate Finesse, 0.25 turn per attack, you can hit 6 times every monster to make it even with Confusing Touch. 6 hits with UC 27 kills even orbs of fire more often then not, most monsters die in just 2-4 hits as usual.

You dont cast confusing touch while in melee range of critters, you cast it before you could attack them with melee, the actual casting time of confusing touch is immaterial, unless you have some other ranged attack you are sacrificing.

(I would also expect you to use finesse prior to being in melee range)

[prozacelf]

None of which addresses the point that the number of monsters that can be confused that aren't going to get completely steamrolled by you at that point is still vanishingly small. Why not just pick up one of the 27 confusion wands that are undoubtedly lying around and train some evo so you can confuse them from range? Or even better you could paralyze or enslave them! You could even use that evo for things like rods!