Potions and transmuters: how to use appropiately?


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Crypt Cleanser

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Post Friday, 7th January 2011, 01:53

Potions and transmuters: how to use appropiately?

Hi there,

I am a newbie in Crawl coming from Nethack and Slash'EM.I don't understand the use (if any) of potions of confusion and poison because I cannot dip any item to make them poisoned or throw the flasks to shatter on any monster (is it possible?).

I don't get the point of having a transmuter starting with poison and confusion potions unless to identify them from start, but with the first spell you can obtain more potions like this from corpses, which for me are useless by now. Indeed I cannot go very long with transmuters for they can only fight or be silent... is there something else I can do with potions ?
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Temple Termagant

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Post Friday, 7th January 2011, 01:58

Re: Potions and transmuters: how to use appropiately?

The second spell in your starting book (atleast i think it's the second one...) lets you throw them at enemys. Confusion bottles makes confusion clouds and poison bottles make poison clouds. Both are very good early game. (you can also throw other bottles with various effects i haven't tried em all yet so someone more experienced may have some more advice)

Lair Larrikin

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Joined: Friday, 24th December 2010, 05:45

Post Friday, 7th January 2011, 01:58

Re: Potions and transmuters: how to use appropiately?

Check the third spell in their book ;)
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Slime Squisher

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Post Friday, 7th January 2011, 02:17

Re: Potions and transmuters: how to use appropiately?

The spell's name is Evaporate.
Refer to this for a detailed description and some tips:

http://crawl.chaosforge.org/index.php?title=Evaporate
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Slime Squisher

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Post Friday, 7th January 2011, 02:37

Re: Potions and transmuters: how to use appropiately?

With the clouds being 3x3, don't forget you can target the squares next to the enemies.
For example when you are chased closely and cannot throw the potion directly at the hobgoblin, you can decide to throw it next to him for the same effect.
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Mines Malingerer

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Post Friday, 7th January 2011, 20:35

Re: Potions and transmuters: how to use appropiately?

Don't assume you can stave off hunger with transmuted potions of water, either - you still have to chop chunks. I learned the hard way.

Mines Malingerer

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Post Saturday, 8th January 2011, 13:00

Re: Potions and transmuters: how to use appropiately?

Lugh wrote:Don't assume you can stave off hunger with transmuted potions of water, either - you still have to chop chunks. I learned the hard way.


Although water potions are fine as smoke bombs.
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The large rock hits Polyphemus.
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Mines Malingerer

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Post Saturday, 8th January 2011, 17:14

Re: Potions and transmuters: how to use appropiately?

fspades wrote:
Lugh wrote:Don't assume you can stave off hunger with transmuted potions of water, either - you still have to chop chunks. I learned the hard way.


Although water potions are fine as smoke bombs.


it might be my imagination, but i always seem to do a nice bit of damage to jellies with any potion that defaults to steam. does steam do bonus damage to them due to their less than solid nature?

Ziggurat Zagger

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Post Saturday, 8th January 2011, 17:48

Re: Potions and transmuters: how to use appropiately?

No bonus damage, but they don't have all that many hit points to begin with and they're too dumb to move out of the steam clouds if there's something they want. The acid is really their main defense, and it doesn't apply to steam clouds. Evaporated potions of water are actually very helpful pre-Temple, simply because so many threats are still extremely fragile.

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marikvulpina

Mines Malingerer

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Post Sunday, 9th January 2011, 13:19

Re: Potions and transmuters: how to use appropiately?

One question that's bugging me: does potions of strong poison create more toxic (as in stronger) clouds or are they exactly the same with standart poison potions? Should I carry them around?
Polyphemus throws a large rock.
Your +3 buckler of reflection reflects the large rock!
The large rock hits Polyphemus.
You kill Polyphemus!

Abyss Ambulator

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Post Wednesday, 12th January 2011, 17:10

Re: Potions and transmuters: how to use appropiately?

lollipopman91 wrote:(you can also throw other bottles with various effects i haven't tried em all yet so someone more experienced may have some more advice)


If you know Evaporate, looking at a potion's item description will tell you what kind of clouds it generates. Degeneration is fun and can show up pretty early if that ogre is kind enough to leave a corpse.
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