Yet another mage skill thread

[xentronium]

I'd like to get some input on the skill training for this guy, since I'm not that used to playing caster type characters. I brought the character from mid lair to Zot, so the later skill training is mine. Currently focusing earth magic trying to get lcs online.

  Code:

comborobin the Devastator (High Elf Wizard)        Turns: 86676, Time: 07:23:57

Health: 150/173    AC: 34    Str: 20    XL:     24   Next: 37%
Magic:  43/43      EV: 29    Int: 27    God:    Vehumet [******]
Gold:   2032       SH: 11    Dex: 24    Spells: 12 memorised, 3 levels left

rFire  + . .     SeeInvis .     a - +9 double sword (elec)
rCold  + + .     Clarity  .     f - +7 swamp dragon armour
rNeg   + . .     SustAb   .     N - +5 buckler of the Wheelwright {rPois rC+ Int-2 Stlth+}
rPois  +         Gourm    .     B - +2 helmet
rElec  +         Spirit   .     s - +3 cloak "Iveutsog" {Str+5}
rCorr  .         Warding  +     h - +2 pair of gloves {Str+3}
rMut   .         Stasis   .     o - +2 pair of boots {run}
MR     +++..                    d - macabre finger necklace {Ward rN+}
Stlth  ++++......               y - ring of Scepticism {rElec rF+ Str+7 Dex+4}
                                j - ring of protection from magic
                                V - ring of protection from cold

@: quick, extremely resistant to hostile enchantments, stealthy
A: clever 1, clumsy 1, shaggy fur 1, slow healing 1, weak 1
a: Renounce Religion
}: 3/15 runes: decaying, slimy, gossamer


You are on level 1 of the Realm of Zot.
You worship Vehumet.
Vehumet is exalted by your worship.
You are not hungry.

You have visited 11 branches of the dungeon, and seen 57 of its levels.
You have visited 1 ziggurat, and seen 6 of its levels.
You have also visited: Labyrinth, Ice Cave, Volcano and Wizlab.

You have collected 5337 gold pieces.
You have spent 3305 gold pieces at shops.

Inventory:

Hand weapons
 a - a +9 double sword of electrocution (weapon)
Missiles
 E - 4 throwing nets (quivered)
Armour
 f - a +7 swamp dragon armour (worn)
 h - a +2 pair of gloves of strength (worn)
 o - a +2 pair of boots of running (worn)
 s - the +3 cloak "Iveutsog" (worn) {Str+5}
   (You found it on level 3 of the Elven Halls)   
   
   It affects your strength (+5).
 B - a +2 helmet (worn)
 N - the +5 buckler of the Wheelwright (worn) {rPois rC+ Int-2 Stlth+}
   (You took it off a minotaur in a labyrinth)   
   
   It affects your intelligence (-2).
   It protects you from cold.
   It protects you from poison.
   It makes you more stealthy.
Rods
 G - a +5 rod of shadows (13/13)
   (You took it off a deep elf annihilator on level 3 of the Elven Halls)
Jewellery
 b - an uncursed amulet of resist mutation
 c - an uncursed amulet of resist corrosion
 d - the macabre finger necklace (around neck) {Ward rN+}
   (You found it on level 4 of the Lair of Beasts)   
   
   [amulet of warding]
   
   It may prevent the melee attacks of summoned creatures.
   It protects you from negative energy.
 j - a ring of protection from magic (left hand)
 y - the ring of Scepticism (right hand) {rElec rF+ Str+7 Dex+4}
   (You bought it in a shop on level 4 of the Orcish Mines)   
   
   [ring of protection from fire]
   
   It affects your strength (+7).
   It affects your dexterity (+4).
   It protects you from fire.
   It insulates you from electricity.
 V - a ring of protection from cold (on amulet)
Magical devices
 u - a wand of hasting (5)
 w - a wand of digging (13)
 D - a wand of disintegration (2)
 I - a wand of teleportation (4)
 R - a wand of hasting
 U - a wand of invisibility (4)
Scrolls
 z - a scroll of holy word
 F - 14 scrolls of identify
 H - 4 scrolls of blinking
 J - a scroll of fog
 K - a scroll of summoning
 O - 25 scrolls of remove curse
 P - 6 scrolls of fear
 Q - 12 scrolls of teleportation
 S - 12 scrolls of recharging
 X - 9 scrolls of magic mapping
Potions
 g - 5 potions of cure mutation
 k - a potion of haste
 n - 25 potions of curing
 q - 6 potions of magic
 r - 4 potions of berserk rage
 t - 10 potions of agility
 v - 7 potions of heal wounds
 x - 12 potions of might
 A - 4 potions of restore abilities
 C - a potion of cancellation
 T - 3 potions of brilliance
 W - 4 potions of resistance
 Z - 3 potions of invisibility
Miscellaneous
 e - a lamp of fire
 m - the horn of Geryon
 L - a sack of spiders
 Y - a sack of spiders
Comestibles
 i - 3 slices of pizza
 l - 8 bread rations {@e1}
 p - 5 chunks of flesh {@w0}
 M - 28 meat rations {@e2}


   Skills:
 + Level 16.8 Fighting
 - Level 14.0 Long Blades
 + Level 13.3 Armour
 - Level 17.8 Dodging
 - Level 7.2 Stealth
 - Level 4.5 Shields
 - Level 15.1 Spellcasting
 - Level 17.9 Conjurations
 - Level 14.0 Charms
 - Level 11.5 Summonings
 - Level 5.7 Necromancy
 - Level 3.5 Translocations
 - Level 4.0 Fire Magic
 - Level 9.6 Ice Magic
 - Level 10.3 Air Magic
 * Level 6.8 Earth Magic
 - Level 10.1 Evocations


You have 3 spell levels left.
You know the following spells:

 Your Spells              Type           Power        Failure   Level  Hunger
a - Bolt of Cold          Conj/Ice       #######...   1%          6    ####...
b - Blink                 Tloc           N/A          1%          2    None
c - Regeneration          Chrm/Necr      ######....   1%          3    None
d - Repel Missiles        Chrm/Air       ######       1%          2    None
e - Freezing Cloud        Conj/Ice/Air   ######....   1%          6    ####...
f - Sticky Flame          Conj/Fire      ######..     1%          4    None
g - Searing Ray           Conj           ######       0%          2    None
h - Spellforged Servitor  Conj/Summ      #######...   2%          7    #####..
i - Haste                 Chrm           #######.     1%          6    ####...
j - Apportation           Tloc           #####.....   1%          1    None
k - Lehudib's Crystal Sp  Conj/Erth      ######....   63%         8    #######
x - Mephitic Cloud        Conj/Pois/Air  ######..     1%          3    None


Dungeon Overview and Level Annotations

Branches:
Dungeon (15/15)            Temple (0/1) D:5            Lair (8/8) D:8
  Swamp (5/5) Lair:4       Spider (5/5) Lair:5        Slime (6/6) Lair:7
    Orc (4/4) D:11            Elf (3/3) Orc:4        Vaults (4/5) D:14
  Crypt (0/3) Vaults:2     Depths (5/5) D:15           Hell (1/1)
    Zot (1/5) Depths:5   
   Dis: Hell:1         Geh: Hell:1         Coc: Hell:1         Tar: Hell:1

Altars:
Ashenzari
Elyvilon
Fedhas
Kikubaaqudgha
Makhleb
Okawaru
Qazlal
Ru
Sif Muna
Trog
Vehumet
Xom
Yredelemnul
The Shining One
Beogh
Jiyva

Shops:
D:10 ?   Orc:1 [   Orc:4 %%%[}=*(*   Elf:1 =   Elf:2 (   Elf:3 %
Vaults:1 ?%:[

Portals:
Hell: Depths:1 Depths:2 Depths:3 Depths:4 Depths:5
Abyss: Depths:2 Depths:4
Pandemonium: Orc:4 Depths:1 Depths:3
Trove: Elf:2 (give 22 scrolls of identify)

Annotations:
Lair:4 exclusion: ice statue
Elf:2 3 runed doors
Depths:1 5 runed doors


Innate Abilities, Weirdness & Mutations

Your mind is acute. (Int +2)
You are clumsy. (Dex -2)
You are covered in fur (AC +1).
You heal slowly when monsters are visible.
You are weak. (Str -2)


[Sandman25]

IIRC it is a good idea to stop training magic skills at .5 and .0 for dual schools spells, otherwise 17.9 conjurations is identical to 17.5. Skills look ok to me (Charms are overtrained a bit)

[Sphara]

Double sword is 2 points from minimum attack delay and Air magic is overtrained but otherwise a solid character with good skill distribution.

[Sar]

It's a HE that actually looks pretty good, nice job!

[mps]

Agree w/ sphara. comborobin needs dudes like this one.

As I suggest in every advice thread, if shadow creatures is available, you can just go get it and win right now. It's the monosodium glutamate of 3 rune games.

[xentronium]

Cool, thanks! I love my melee dudes but this guy has also been fun.

[Jeremiah]

If you have Iron Shot available, I'd think about gettin that instead of LCS. In my experience it's almost as good, but quite a bit easier to get castable.

[xentronium]

Someone finished this and trained air magic for chain lightning...never used that spell, is it good in zot?

  Code:

Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup version 0.16.2-2-g470672f (webtiles) character file.

1442501 comborobin the Stormcaller (level 26, 169/189 HPs)
             Began as a High Elf Wizard on July 30, 2015.
             Was the Champion of Vehumet.
             Escaped with the Orb
             ... and 3 runes on Aug 16, 2015!
             
             The game lasted 08:03:32 (99851 turns).

comborobin the Stormcaller (High Elf Wizard)       Turns: 99851, Time: 08:03:33

Health: 169/189    AC: 30    Str: 22      XL:     26   Next: 98%
Magic:  39/44      EV: 30    Int: 24 (25) God:    Vehumet [******]
Gold:   2266       SH: 11    Dex: 25 (26) Spells: 11 memorised, 2 levels left

rFire  + . .     SeeInvis .     a - +9 double sword (elec)
rCold  + . .     Clarity  .     f - +7 swamp dragon armour
rNeg   + . .     SustAb   .     N - +5 buckler of the Wheelwright {rPois rC+ Int-2 Stlth+}
rPois  +         Gourm    .     (helmet restricted)
rElec  +         Spirit   .     s - +3 cloak "Iveutsog" {Str+5}
rCorr  .         Warding  +     h - +2 pair of gloves {Str+3}
rMut   .         Stasis   .     o - +2 pair of boots {run}
MR     +++..                    d - macabre finger necklace {Ward rN+}
Stlth  ++........               y - ring of Scepticism {rElec rF+ Str+7 Dex+4}
                                j - ring of protection from magic
                                i - ring of wizardry

@: mildly poisoned (169 -> 169), very slightly contaminated, hasted, very quick,
extremely resistant to hostile enchantments, unstealthy
A: antennae 1
a: Renounce Religion
0: Orb of Zot
}: 3/15 runes: decaying, slimy, gossamer


You escaped.
You worshipped Vehumet.
Vehumet was exalted by your worship.
You were not hungry.

You visited 11 branches of the dungeon, and saw 61 of its levels.
You visited 1 ziggurat, and saw 6 of its levels.
You also visited: Labyrinth, Ice Cave, Volcano and Wizlab.

You collected 5906 gold pieces.
You spent 3640 gold pieces at shops.

Inventory:

Hand weapons
 a - a +9 double sword of electrocution (weapon)
Missiles
 E - 5 throwing nets (quivered)
 R - 2 tomahawks
Armour
 f - a +7 swamp dragon armour (worn)
 h - a +2 pair of gloves of strength (worn)
 o - a +2 pair of boots of running (worn)
 s - the +3 cloak "Iveutsog" (worn) {Str+5}
   (You found it on level 3 of the Elven Halls)   
   
   It affects your strength (+5).
 B - a +2 helmet
 N - the +5 buckler of the Wheelwright (worn) {rPois rC+ Int-2 Stlth+}
   (You took it off a minotaur in a labyrinth)   
   
   It affects your intelligence (-2).
   It protects you from cold.
   It protects you from poison.
   It makes you more stealthy.
Rods
 G - a +5 rod of shadows (13/13)
   (You took it off a deep elf annihilator on level 3 of the Elven Halls)
Jewellery
 b - an uncursed amulet of resist mutation
 c - an uncursed amulet of resist corrosion
 d - the macabre finger necklace (around neck) {Ward rN+}
   (You found it on level 4 of the Lair of Beasts)   
   
   [amulet of warding]
   
   It may prevent the melee attacks of summoned creatures.
   It protects you from negative energy.
 i - a ring of wizardry (on amulet)
 j - a ring of protection from magic (left hand)
 y - the ring of Scepticism (right hand) {rElec rF+ Str+7 Dex+4}
   (You bought it in a shop on level 4 of the Orcish Mines)   
   
   [ring of protection from fire]
   
   It affects your strength (+7).
   It affects your dexterity (+4).
   It protects you from fire.
   It insulates you from electricity.
Magical devices
 u - a wand of hasting (4)
 w - a wand of digging (12)
 D - a wand of disintegration (0)
 I - a wand of teleportation (4)
 U - a wand of invisibility (4)
Scrolls
 z - 2 scrolls of holy word
 F - 14 scrolls of identify
 H - 4 scrolls of blinking
 J - a scroll of fog
 K - a scroll of summoning
 O - 25 scrolls of remove curse
 P - 6 scrolls of fear
 Q - 12 scrolls of teleportation
 S - 13 scrolls of recharging
 X - 8 scrolls of magic mapping
Potions
 g - 3 potions of cure mutation
 k - 2 potions of haste
 n - 29 potions of curing
 q - 7 potions of magic
 r - 4 potions of berserk rage
 t - 6 potions of agility
 v - 6 potions of heal wounds
 x - 9 potions of might
 A - 4 potions of restore abilities
 T - 2 potions of brilliance
 W - 5 potions of resistance
 Z - 3 potions of invisibility
Miscellaneous
 e - a lamp of fire
 m - the horn of Geryon
 p - a lamp of fire
 L - a sack of spiders
 Y - a sack of spiders
Comestibles
 l - 8 bread rations {@e1}
 M - 20 meat rations {@e2}


   Skills:
 - Level 17.7 Fighting
 - Level 14.0 Long Blades
 - Level 13.4 Armour
 - Level 17.8 Dodging
 - Level 7.2 Stealth
 - Level 4.5 Shields
 - Level 15.1 Spellcasting
 - Level 17.9 Conjurations
 - Level 14.0 Charms
 - Level 11.5 Summonings
 - Level 5.7 Necromancy
 - Level 3.5 Translocations
 - Level 4.0 Fire Magic
 - Level 9.6 Ice Magic
 * Level 19.5 Air Magic
 * Level 15.2 Earth Magic
 - Level 10.1 Evocations


You had 2 spell levels left.
You knew the following spells:

 Your Spells              Type           Power        Failure   Level  Hunger
a - Bolt of Cold          Conj/Ice       ######....   1%          6    ####...
b - Blink                 Tloc           N/A          1%          2    None
c - Regeneration          Chrm/Necr      ######....   1%          3    None
d - Repel Missiles        Chrm/Air       ######       0%          2    None
e - Freezing Cloud        Conj/Ice/Air   #######...   1%          6    ####...
f - Sticky Flame          Conj/Fire      ######..     1%          4    None
g - Chain Lightning       Conj/Air       #######...   1%          8    #######
h - Spellforged Servitor  Conj/Summ      ######....   1%          7    ######.
i - Haste                 Chrm           ######..     1%          6    ####...
j - Apportation           Tloc           #####.....   1%          1    None
k - Lehudib's Crystal Sp  Conj/Erth      #######...   4%          8    #######


Dungeon Overview and Level Annotations

Branches:
Dungeon (15/15)            Temple (0/1) D:5            Lair (8/8) D:8
  Swamp (5/5) Lair:4       Spider (5/5) Lair:5        Slime (6/6) Lair:7
    Orc (4/4) D:11            Elf (3/3) Orc:4        Vaults (4/5) D:14
  Crypt (0/3) Vaults:2     Depths (5/5) D:15           Hell (1/1)
    Zot (5/5) Depths:5   
   Dis: Hell:1         Geh: Hell:1         Coc: Hell:1         Tar: Hell:1


[tabstorm]

It was bad. WIthout enhancers earth/air magic are kind of crap until you get your level 9. Shatter is still kind of crap but tornado is good. This is true of fire and ice too but at least they have enhancer rings which are easier to come by, and have more MP-efficient spells that don't make a ton of noise.

[Sandman25]

It was bad. WIthout enhancers earth/air magic are kind of crap until you get your level 9. Shatter is still kind of crap but tornado is good. This is true of fire and ice too but at least they have enhancer rings which are easier to come by, and have more MP-efficient spells that don't make a ton of noise.

What do you mean? Unhappy with Bolt of Cold/Fire, Fireball and Freezing Cloud? Or just comparing spells to plutonium sword?

[Jeremiah]

IMO, the trouble with Chain Lightning is that in theory it can be good for doing a lot of damage to one monster if you get next to it; unfortunately most of the monsters you really want to do a lot of damage to have rElec.

[dowan]

In my one and only successful AE game, the character was just horrible, weak, and unfun to play - until I got chain lightning. Then, I simply pressed z, then the chain lightning button, then 'o' to the next encounter.

Seriously, chain lightning is great. I assume you do need relec for it not to be hazardous to your health though.

[tabstorm]

It was bad. WIthout enhancers earth/air magic are kind of crap until you get your level 9. Shatter is still kind of crap but tornado is good. This is true of fire and ice too but at least they have enhancer rings which are easier to come by, and have more MP-efficient spells that don't make a ton of noise.

What do you mean? Unhappy with Bolt of Cold/Fire, Fireball and Freezing Cloud? Or just comparing spells to plutonium sword?

They don't do that much damage with only 20~ int and no enhancers (except freezing cloud)

The more power-dependent a spell is, the worse it is for characters that aren't taking a lot of int and using enhancers if they don't want to spend an eternity luring and recovering MP.
it's much easier to just use an elec double sword.

[Sandman25]

Int 20, no enhancers, 10 Spellcasting, 12 Fire/Conj

  Code:

c - Bolt of Fire          Conj/Fire      55 (200)     10%         6    350
d - Flame Tongue          Conj/Fire      40 (40)      1%          1    0
e - Fireball              Conj/Fire      55 (200)     1%          5    200


  Code:

Aiming: Bolt of Fire
Press: ? - help, Shift-Dir - straight line, f - four-headed hydra
Aim: a four-headed hydra (chance 85%)
Rolled 36 for 6d9
The bolt of fire hits the four-headed hydra.(damage 36)


  Code:

Aiming: Fireball
Press: ? - help, Shift-Dir - straight line, f - six-headed hydra
Aim: a six-headed hydra (resting, chance 100%)
The fireball explodes!
Rolled 30 for 3d12
The fireball engulfs the six-headed hydra.(damage 30)

  Code:

Aiming: Flame Tongue
Press: ? - help, Shift-Dir - straight line, f/p - six-headed hydra
Aim: a six-headed hydra (moderately wounded, chance 88%)
Rolled 7 for 1d14
The flame tongue hits the six-headed hydra.(damage 7)

6d9 is not bad IMHO, considering it can hit multiple monsters.

[Lasty]

IIRC it is a good idea to stop training magic skills at .5 and .0 for dual schools spells, otherwise 17.9 conjurations is identical to 17.5.

For spell success, it's the total of your skills that has to be a multiple of .5, IIRC. For spell power, the rounding is different. In both cases, I've made a note to smooth out the influence of skill on outcome, since these breakpoints are lame.

Edit: discussed w/ neil, and it may be that there isn't a 0.5 breakpoint at all. Gonna have to look into this before I comment intelligently.

[bel]

I really like chain lightning, though I usually have staff of air as well, because you need rElec to not get fried with your own spell. It will kill basically any single monster without rElec in a couple of casts, and is decent for packs like deep trolls and draconians. You should try to get as close to the monster as possible before casting it. It creates a hell of a racket though.