Dungeon Dilettante
Posts: 4
Joined: Saturday, 30th July 2011, 00:23
VpEn, better than SpEn?
Vamps can do things Sprigs could only wish for. With no food clock and mutation resistance, a Thirsty Vamp can cast powerful spells such as Haste and Invisibility, and use controlled Translocations repetitively, without fear of bad mutations from glow or death from spell hunger. Vamps can wear armor and have higher HP, skyrocketing their survival ability compared to a Sprig. Vamps can also use two handers, or one handers with a shield, while Sprigs cannot. I don't need to mention Bloodless Vamps get a heap of useful resistances.
There's another important reason to pick a Vamp for your next stabber instead of a Sprig. At thirsty or less, completing a successful stab gives a Vamp a small heal. This only works against mobs whose corpses you can drain, but imagine a Vamp with a Vampiric Dagger happily engaging invisibility and wrecking herds of Death Yaks and Elephants in the open without a scratch. A fun little ability, but a shame it doesn't work on insects (like killer bees!) or corpseless mobs, like undead and demons.
This all said, Sprigs are the champions for a reason. Unlike other stabby species, Sprigs are strong from the gate. They laugh at the D:2 Ogre while a vampire will be running for his life. And running slower than a Sprig could.
I had a very promising VpEn of Oka make it to the Dire Elephant vault on Lair:8 where my hubris and poor play got me killed after consecutive fights with an Anaconda and a Dire Elephant. All I really needed to do was read a Tele scroll and I would've been golden to go back and make elephant stew.
All said and done, I hope this inspires people to pick up a Vamp Enchanter or Stalker, as I had a great time with it.
You open the helpless Yak like a pillowcase!
You bite the Yak, and draw its blood! You feel slightly less thirsty. You feel better.
You kill the Yak.