Ziggurat Zagger
Posts: 5832
Joined: Thursday, 10th February 2011, 18:30
[PROTIPS] Secret Tricks
MASTER LIST OF PROTIPS CONSOLIDATED FROM THIS THREAD
- These are single sentences categorized by type, read the thread for additional insight.
- THANK tips you like (sends you to the source post; some send you to the same post or other threads).
GENERAL
- Don't explore any branches the minute they pop up; you'll be better prepared for them if you explore the main Dungeon until you feel uncomfortable descending further. THANK
- If a fight isn't going your way and there's no clear escape, stop and check your inventory and abilities to see if there's anything that can help. Dying with a scroll of blinking in your inventory or forgetting a god ability is tragic. THANK
- SPEED: Haste, speed, and berserk are great enhancers for the short term, even if just to run away (be careful of fainting). THANK
- LURKERS: Play online if you can. Ask any spectators for advice if you need to. THANK
- STAIRS: Unless the prior level is unexplored (due to being shafted), always take unexplored up stairs on the current level to (1) check for unexplored areas and (2) qualify the stairs for autotravel. Then confirm all downward stairs from the prior level to the current. THANK
- SPEEDRUN: Use a high-speed distortion branded weapon for a speed run to quickly banish enemies in the Zot orb chambers. THANK
KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS
- AUTOFIGHT: Use 'TAB' for autofight. Useful against bats and crimson imps, or hydras with your sword if you want 27 heads. THANK
- ALL MONSTERS: 'Ctrl+X' lists all items, monsters, and allies in sight, with their equipment. THANK
- QUICK PICKUP: Avoid sorting through piles 1 item at a time in console mode by pressing 'm' (after you press 'g' to pick something up) to see the pile in an inventory-style list, or any of '*', '?', 'g', ',' for the same result. Double-tap 'g' to go straight to the pickup menu. THANK
- TARGET THROWS: Deliberately land a thrown item on a desired square (to avoid loss in deep water, etc.) by tapping '.' on the selected square while aiming to force your item to stay even if it misses a target monster. THANK
- TARGET SPELLS: As with TARGET THROWS, deliberately aim spells to avoid hitting allies by using '.' during aiming. Does not work with penetrating spells, such as lightning. THANK
- DUNGEON OVERVIEW: Locate portals (troves, ziggurats) discovered earlier, annotations, or uniques, by using the Dungeon Overview function via 'Ctrl+o'. THANK
- BINDING KEYS: Use '=' to bind keys to spells and items. To avoid accidents, spellcasters should put buffs and attacks on different rows (z - b for offense, q - t for defense, a - g for misc); uppercase can be used to prevent costly buffs like Revivification. THANK
CUSTOM INIT SETTINGS
- OPTIONS GUIDE: Read this file for all options. THANK
- TRACK DAMAGE: At 75% health, your fight should be concluding or start running. At 50% health, actively flee the fight. 25% health never happened because you ran away and rested. THANK
Add to settings/init.txt file THANK: - CONFUSE: If worshipping Beogh, to avoid accidentally attacking allies, add the following to the settings/init.txt file THANK:
- SEE INVISIBLE: To help pay attention to invisible attackers, add the following per CONFUSE above THANK:
- DISABLE AUTOTRAVEL DELAY: To go straight to the destination in autotravel, edit your init.txt or init.rc file; WebTiles will lag a lot less with travel delay set to -5. THANK
Example: - AUTO EXCLUDE: To automatically apply an area of exclusion around specific sleeping monsters or uniques, add them by name to the 'auto_exclude' line in init.txt or init.rc. THANK
- PAUSE AUTOTRAVEL: Autotravel does not stop if a spell expires and will keep traveling without buffs active. Add the following to settings/runrest_messages.txt file for Flight and Levitation (NEED OTHER SPELL MESSAGES) THANK:
COMBAT
- THROW ID: With a high throwing skill, use 'F' to throw throwable melee weapons (daggers, hand axes, spears, clubs) at a wall, which will eventually id them without needing the relevant weapon skill or a nearby target. THANK
- ELEMENTAL QUASH: Use an ice/fire-branded ammo / launcher or spells against opposite clouds of cold/flame to extinguish them. THANK
- CURARE NEEDLES: Many powerful monsters (orb guardians, quicksilver dragons, etc.) are vulnerable to curare. THANK
- CURSE ENEMY: (1) Drop highly-enchanted or randard cursed launchers and 1 appropriate ammo, (2) let enemy monster pick up and equip, (3) block, dodge or otherwise endure the first shot, (4) leisurely kill the enemy as it bashes you clumsily with the launcher. THANK
- USE REACHING: Weapons of reaching can kill disturbances (underwater and invisible monsters) from a distance. Use the 'v' key to evoke the reaching brand if necessary. THANK
- FLEEING: When running from weapon-wielding creatures, drop a club or similar in their path. It will be picked up and thrown for negligible damage, but also creates at least one square of distance. THANK
- STAIR FLEEING: If a monster has a slow weapon and you are escaping by stairs, to stop it from following, stand one square away from the stairs and swap weapons, which allows them one swing at you. Your next step onto the stairs to escape may be free from being followed. THANK
- INSULATION: Levitation / Flight prevents the electrocution brand from applying against you, but does not defend against electric-based spells. THANK
EQUIPMENT / STASHING
- STASH: Learn the value of stashes because your resistances don't protect your scrolls and potions; wearing an item of conservation isn't infallible. THANK
- CONSERVATION: Any given scroll or potion has the exact same chance of being destroyed by a flame/frost attack (respectively), regardless of how many you carry. THANK
- ROBES: Search 'Ctrl+f' for "robe" and try on all embroidered/runed robes after clearing orc will almost always get you a robe of fire resistance; after elf will find a robe of resistance (general). THANK
SCROLLS, WANDS, EVOKABLES (and Spellcasting)
- CHEAP SINV: If you can't see invisible, scrolls of fog (and cloud-based spells) are a good way to detect nearby invisible creatures. THANK
- REMOVE GLOW: Scrolls of vulnerability can remove glow / contamination. THANK
- COSTLY CURSE REMOVAL: Scrolls of enchant armor or weapon I/II/III can remove curses on armor/weapons, even on artefacts, which are otherwise unaffected. THANK
- ENSLAVE SUMMONERS: If you enslave a summoner, anything they summon while enslaved will be friendly and stay friendly after the summoner breaks free of enslavement. THANK
- ENSLAVE FLEE: Enslave a minor monster (a bat) to serve as a meat shield while running away down a hallway. THANK
- POLY CHUNKS: Swap creatures using a wand of polymorph to create a more useful corpse for meat chunks, Evaporate, Animate Dead or other spells. THANK
- CHEAP DIGGING: If you can easily kill earth elementals, the stone of earth elementals is a poor strong man's wand of digging/disintegration/dig spell. THANK
- USE BLINK SCROLLS: Do not lose the game to save your last blink scroll; use the blink scroll. THANK
- ACQUIRE RODS: Worshippers of Trog choosing 'e - Staff' from a Scroll of Acquirement will always receive a rod; alternately if Evocations is higher than any spell skill, chance to receive a rod increases to 75%. THANK
SPELLCASTING
- POTION: A potion of brilliance will push Great spells up to Excellent for the short term. THANK
- CLOUD DEFENSE: Clouds cannot occupy the same space as other clouds; casting Freezing / Poison (with rPois) / Memphitic (with Clarity) Cloud or even Ring of Flames in the volcano to prevent generated flames. THANK
- CLOUD OFFENSE: Place a cloud nearby, leaving an open space at edge of line of sight. Place a second cloud in the space for extra range and extend it out of sight. Memphitic Cloud or Conjure Flame can be used as the first cloud to reduce initial cost. THANK
- SANDBLAST FUEL: Non-Large Earth Elementalists can use 'F' to throw large rocks against a wall to eventually shatter them into a bunch of stones (1 in 25 chance) for Sandblast. THANK
- TRANSLOC BANISH: Heavy armor can be used to miscast Translocation spells to abyss yourself (to escape Pandemonium), and/or give a red glow (if needed). THANK
- TRANSLOC BLINK: Blink and Controlled Blink (the spells) are incredible tools. THANK
- TRANSMUTE: Alistair's Intoxication is excellent for confusing powerful uniques (Agnes, Norris, and Saint Roka), the Eleven Halls, and Vault Guards. Best used in combination with a cloud spell and clarity or Sustain Abilities. THANK
- POISON: Ignite Poison works with Mephitic Clouds and poisonous corpses to simulate Conjure Flame. Confuse the enemy, then watch them stagger into fires. THANK
- NECRO: Drag a freshly-killed valuable corpse to a different level and cast Animate Dead / Skeleton on it. THANK
- NECRO ARMY: Cast Death Channel, kill a dragon, cast Animate Skeleton on the corpse and Simulacrum on the chunks for an instant army. THANK
- SUMMON: Continually cast Summon Shadow Creatures while out of sight of a tough enemy until a hydra or dragon is created, then move in for the kill. THANK
- FIRE DANCE: If you cast conjure flame beside you, then step diagonally "behind it", the zombie will conveniently step into the flame. Works on skeletons, most undead, and generally brainless beings that like to step into fires. THANK
- EARTH STAB: Passwall gives the caster first strike, which makes it an excellent resource spell for stabbers (SpEn). With dig, tunnel next to a sleeping creature, then passwall ambush. Effective in mostly solid areas like the Elven Halls and Zot. THANK
- ICE FOR VAULTS: Haste, rC++(+), and Ozocuba's Refrigeration simplifies the entrance to Vaults:8. THANK
- BOMB 1 - EARTH: Petrify plus Lee's Rapid Deconstruction equals orc bombs. THANK
- BOMB 2 - FIRE: Use Inner Flame then Enslavement against a target near multiple enemies. Be cautions with enslaving too many lest they destroy an inner flame target close to you. THANK
- BOMB 3 - COMBO: (1) raise a skeleton or summon an earth elemental, (2) cast Inner Flame at the ally, (3) command ally to attack nearest monster group, (4) when the ally is at critical hp, cast Lee's Rapid Deconstruction at it.THANK
- HASTE ALLIES: Always cast Haste on your tough summoned allies, but beware casting Orb of Destruction as you may hit them. THANK
- UNCURSE STICKS: Cast Sticks to Snakes to remove a cursed wooden weapon (including blowguns), but beware the new hostile snake. THANK
GODS (and Card tricks)
- WRATH: Wait out god wrath in the Ecumenical Temple and temporarily switch to Zin so you don't have to waste food. (no longer works v0.10+). Alternately wait in Lair with an amulet of gourmand and ring of sustenance for reduced permanent food consumption. THANK
- CHEIBRIADOS: (1) drop a potion of speed to a monster with inventory, (2) let the monster pick up and quaff the potion, (3) invoke Slouch. THANK
- NEMELEX: use '^!' to toggle donation categories with Nemelex. THANK
- NEMELEX: Legendary Decks of Dungeons with Water are useful against non-swimmer swarms including the Royal Jelly (not near the stashes) and the Executioners near Gloorx Vloq. THANK
- NEMELEX: Vitrification card and smite-targeted abilities will take care of the Minotaur in the labyrinth. Using Tomb card, then Vitrification card and smite-targeted abilities will take care of any situation which doesn't involve smiting enemies. THANK
- YREDELEMNUL / BEOGH : Nergalle is an excellent ally who constantly hastes other allies. THANK
- MUTATIONS: If going to a good god, swap to Zin and donate gold to remove all bad mutations, then switch to TSO or Elyvilon THANK
MONSTERS
- MESMERIZE: Break mesmerization by targeting the monster with fear, confusion, or noise (lightning bolt or scroll of noise), breaking line of sight (scrolls of fog or steam clouds), or if you cannot Control Teleport away, use Control Teleport and target a deep water tile within the region of mesmerization to C-tele to and will then port off somewhere (usually) safe, or you can levitate out to the mermaid to kill her. THANK
- MIMIC: If you find a portal or a branch entry staircase, look at your game notes '? :' and if the portal/entrance hasn't just been notated, it is a mimic. Alternately, throw a dart at every store. THANK
- SONJA: Sonja's dagger is distortion; cast Mephitic Cloud and she may kill herself on unwield. THANK
- ROYAL JELLY: Neuter the Royal Jelly with a scroll of vulnerability and the spell Polymorph Other (or a wand of polymorphism). You can usually change it into a Titan, Gold Dragon, etc. in three or four casts. Can be useful if you don't want to deal with spawn (and maybe if you want a Gold Dragon Armour made from the skin of The Royal Jelly). THANK
- TORMENTORS: Airstrike is good against tormentors (2-3 hits). THANK
- UGLY THINGS AND SHAPESHIFTERS: Use wands of polymorph to change the color of an ugly thing as the wand ignores MR and always succeeds; use it on brown ones to stop them from corroding. MR is ignored on shapeshifters, so zap any that turn into a quicksilver dragons. THANK
- UNSEEN HORRORS: Poison cloud yourself to kill unseen horrors. THANK
- PLAYER GHOSTS: If you die while under the effect of a Potion of Resistance, your Player Ghost will spawn with the potion effects permanently applied. THANK
ORIGINAL POST
I am by no means any good at this game, but I'll start us off:
If your character has a high Throwing skill, but lacks a certain weapon skill and wants to ID a weapon without gaining skill in it, if he has some time he can throw them for a bit and they will ID.
At least, this works for me with hand axes that I throw.
Did I make a lame complaint? Check for Bingo!
Totally gracious CSDC Season 2 Division 4 Champeen!
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