Want to go into extended

[Rokirem]

Hey guys, haven't posted here in a few years. Like I mentioned previously I pick this game up randomly and then get really into it for while and stop again lol. I've beaten the game twice before, once as a Merfolk Gladiator, another as a Hill Orc Fighter (Of Beogh ofc). After a while making O+Tab melee characters gets pretty boring so I'm trying something new out! A Gargoyle Earth Elementalist! I've heard (and now seen with my own eyes) the power of this combo with the high AC and good aptitudes. Anyways I personally feel that 3-rune runs are boring now and am more interested in trying new content rather than just saying I've gotten another normal win, even if I die. Anyways I guess what I need is Caster advice suited towards Hell etc (Although maybe a bit of general advice would be nice too). I'm sure there are other posts like this but I really need to start on some Schoolwork rn and don't have time to look so feel free to link to other posts if you feel inclined.

Pastebin : https://pastebin.com/MNExAXjh

I've been using Ozocubu's armour and a Demonwhip to kill a lot of the smaller enemies and then Spellforged Servitor + Ironshot for the toughies, it's worked pretty well for me so far but the hardest part is to try and not become a full melee character, I could easily just start training Armor and M&Fs again and it's really tempting but I'm trying not to lol.

Working on some fire magic to work on getting Fire-Storm a bit more stable (I know I don't need it until later on but I thought I'd focus on training it since Conjurations and Earth Magic are both at 20)

As you can see from my books I can also learn Glaciate/Shatter and some translocations and stuff. I know I have dropped a lot of other books so if you guys have spell suggestions throw em at me.

Anyways thanks in advance.

[VeryAngryFelid]

Don't train Armour, in robe you get 1 AC per 22/6=3.7 levels. If you want defense, train just Dodging unless you switch to Steam Dragon Scales.
Check blue robes, probably there is a robe of archmagi somewhere, you don't need robe of resistance due to having rF+ and rC+ already.
I would go for Shatter instead of Fire Storm, the former will be castable pretty soon, also put all remaining bonus points into Int, 26 is kind of low for GrEE at XL 21.

Edit. I have just checked wiki and found that GrEE gets Int 22 at XL 21 if it puts all bonus points into Int and then there is a 50% to get Int every 4th level so maybe my advice is not relevant because you are already playing this way.

[RoGGa]

http://crawl.chaosforge.org/Majang%27s_Disquisition_on_the_Nether_Reaches

[Airwolf]

Yeah, more Int, Fire, and Spellcasting, but don't neglect Fighting and Dodging.

Bolt of Fire and Orb of Destruction are great, both being full LOS (BoF only with Vehumet) but OoD taking a few tirns to arrive. I like to also add Bolt of Cold for extended since some monsters are resitant to fire but not cold and vice versa. In fact, some random Panlords are *susceptible* to one or the other: examine them to find out.

LCS is a mild upgrade to Iron Shot: better damage but a bit less range. These and OoD are great against monsters that resist fire and cold, and against sngle threats you want to do extra damage to.

[Berder]

You should get Shatter instead of Firestorm since you already have 20 earth magic and only a little fire magic. Also, Lehudib's Crystal Spear. You also want Regeneration, which you should keep on whenever you are below max HP. Passage of Golubria will be helpful for escaping from enemies, and you'll eventually want to upgrade to Controlled Blink. Controlled Blink will take a lot of Translocations to get, but it's absolutely worth it since it gives you an almost instant escape from any dangerous situation. Aura of Abjuration is also nice to have in extended for fighting summoners (demonspawn summoners, panlords, hell lords, greater mummies, serpents of hell), and fairly cheap to pick up for a mage character like you. And you need Apportation to help grab runes.

You need more Spellcasting, in the 15-20 range or more, not least because you need it in order to memorize these additional spells, and you also need more MP. I would amnesia Stone Arrow and Mephitic Cloud. Also you need more Fighting for the HP.

If possible you should wear an Amulet of Magic Regeneration.

Do Tomb last, with Controlled Blink and Shatter. On Tomb:1, you can Shatter near the entrance to Tomb, to open up the large central structure. Greater mummies will come out and start tormenting you, but you can Shatter or Iron Shot/Crystal Spear them, and retreat back out of Tomb to rest if it starts getting too hot. Fight near the entrance to stay safe. Once Tomb:1 is clear, there are several stairs down to Tomb:2. The stairs near the middle of Tomb:1 are the most dangerous ones. The central stairs are the ones characters who don't have Shatter are forced to take. You should instead take the stairs near the corners of Tomb:1. On Tomb:2, first you should read Magic Mapping to locate an up-stairs if one isn't already in view. Then, you need to get to the up-stairs, by walking or using Controlled Blink if necessary. Now while standing on the up-stairs you can fight the monsters using Shatter, and escape up the up-stairs when your HP gets low. Repeat this until all the monsters on Tomb:2 are dead. Now when you go down to Tomb:3, immediately read Magic Mapping. Get to the up-stairs back to Tomb:2 as fast as possible using Controlled Blink. Again, fight the monsters on Tomb:3 using Shatter while standing on the stairs. If your health gets too low, go back to Tomb:2 and repeat. I think you will be strong enough to kill everything on Tomb:3, but if you decide it's too dangerous, you can try to ninja the rune using Controlled Blink and Apportation to quickly get to it and then get back to the up-stairs.