Best tactic fo dealing with D:1 jakkels as a mage


Ask fellow adventurers how to stay alive in the deep, dark, dangerous dungeon below, or share your own accumulated wisdom.

User avatar

Pandemonium Purger

Posts: 1386

Joined: Sunday, 5th April 2015, 22:37

Post Monday, 25th April 2016, 13:49

Best tactic fo dealing with D:1 jakkels as a mage

Mainly when you are at level 1 and have run out of MP trying to use your starter spell. Is it better to run away trying to recover MP or to use 0 skill UC?
http://crawl.akrasiac.org/scoring/playe ... speon.html. I started playing in 0.16.1
I achieved greatplayer in less than a year.
Remove food

Ziggurat Zagger

Posts: 6454

Joined: Tuesday, 30th October 2012, 19:06

Post Monday, 25th April 2016, 15:14

Re: Best tactic fo dealing with D:1 jakkels as a mage

Generally I back up to regain mana, unless I have some extra damage for my melee attacks (aux attacks or claws), or I am unusually well off defensively.

Usually I will start as soon as I see one jackal by backing up preferably into a choke point, hopefully around a corner from where I saw it (with a little luck, a few points of stealth, and good positioning less than the entire pak will chase me)

Sometimes if I do damage to one and it is not dead, I give it a melee attack or two to save the mana for the others in the pack.

Typically I can kill two jackals with starting mp and starting skills equipment this way with no problems (although there is always the possibility of bad rolls), killing a third usually either involves backing up a lot to regain mana and hoping I don't die or whacking on it with untrained uc and hoping I don't die.
It usually comes down in my favor either way I choose, but rarely I die to the process, encountering another critter while killing the jackals without resting is likely to be really bad for me, which is why pulling the fight back at the outset to a cleared area is so important.
Spoiler: show
This high quality signature has been hidden for your protection. To unlock it's secret, send 3 easy payments of $9.99 to me, by way of your nearest theta band or ley line. Complete your transmission by midnight tonight for a special free gift!
User avatar

Pandemonium Purger

Posts: 1386

Joined: Sunday, 5th April 2015, 22:37

Post Monday, 25th April 2016, 15:24

Re: Best tactic fo dealing with D:1 jakkels as a mage

I'm asking because I randomed into a HuFE and was unable to kill a single jackel by backing up trying to regain mana.
http://crawl.akrasiac.org/scoring/playe ... speon.html. I started playing in 0.16.1
I achieved greatplayer in less than a year.
Remove food

Vestibule Violator

Posts: 1601

Joined: Sunday, 14th July 2013, 16:36

Post Monday, 25th April 2016, 15:39

Re: Best tactic fo dealing with D:1 jakkels as a mage

Siegurt wrote: I am unusually well off defensively.

Does this matter? Having better defenses shouldn't affect whether you lose less HP by trying unarmed combat or by running and regaining MP.

I suppose your motivation is that if you're not in mortal danger, you want to spend the extra HP to reduce the likelihood of running into something else.

Vestibule Violator

Posts: 1601

Joined: Sunday, 14th July 2013, 16:36

Post Monday, 25th April 2016, 15:40

Re: Best tactic fo dealing with D:1 jakkels as a mage

WingedEspeon wrote:I'm asking because I randomed into a HuFE and was unable to kill a single jackel by backing up trying to regain mana.

There is some strategy to it. e.g. if the jackal is unharmed, you might be better off regaining 2 MP or 3 MP rather than attacking every time you get back up to 1 MP.

Abyss Ambulator

Posts: 1193

Joined: Friday, 16th January 2015, 20:20

Post Monday, 25th April 2016, 17:35

Re: Best tactic fo dealing with D:1 jakkels as a mage

Hit Ctrl+Q to regenerate all MP!

For this message the author Airwolf has received thanks:
ZoFy

Tomb Titivator

Posts: 885

Joined: Sunday, 28th June 2015, 14:44

Post Tuesday, 26th April 2016, 00:18

Re: Best tactic fo dealing with D:1 jakkels as a mage

When playing a mage background I tend to pick up the first dagger or short sword I find mostly because of jackals. Backing up to a choke point right off the bat is very important as well.
Edit: spelling
Last edited by ydeve on Tuesday, 26th April 2016, 15:46, edited 1 time in total.

Ziggurat Zagger

Posts: 4055

Joined: Tuesday, 10th January 2012, 19:49

Post Tuesday, 26th April 2016, 00:31

Re: Best tactic fo dealing with D:1 jakkels as a mage

The main thing is to avoid waking up the whole pack if possible, one jackal is unlikely to kill you (unless you're some terrible start like a mummy or something). So be absolutely sure to back up once you wake one up.
User avatar

Ziggurat Zagger

Posts: 4478

Joined: Wednesday, 23rd October 2013, 07:56

Post Tuesday, 26th April 2016, 06:54

Re: Best tactic fo dealing with D:1 jakkels as a mage

Also remember that doors are your friends and if you can close a door between you and the pack, the jackals will start wandering again.
DCSS: 97:...MfCj}SpNeBaEEGrFE{HaAKTrCK}DsFESpHu{FoArNaBe}
FeEE{HOIEMiAE}GrGlHuWrGnWrNaAKBaFi{MiDeMfDe}{DrAKTrAMGhEnGnWz}
{PaBeDjFi}OgAKPaCAGnCjOgCKMfAEAtCKSpCjDEEE{HOSu
Bloat: 17: RaRoPrPh{GuStGnCa}{ArEtZoNb}KiPaAnDrBXDBQOApDaMeAGBiOCNKAsFnFlUs{RoBoNeWi
User avatar

Pandemonium Purger

Posts: 1386

Joined: Sunday, 5th April 2015, 22:37

Post Tuesday, 26th April 2016, 16:21

Re: Best tactic fo dealing with D:1 jakkels as a mage

SO I guess I was just unlucky. I got killed by a jackel 1v1 as a HuFE before finding a single item.
http://crawl.akrasiac.org/scoring/playe ... speon.html. I started playing in 0.16.1
I achieved greatplayer in less than a year.
Remove food

Tartarus Sorceror

Posts: 1694

Joined: Tuesday, 31st March 2015, 20:34

Post Tuesday, 26th April 2016, 18:35

Re: Best tactic fo dealing with D:1 jakkels as a mage

On D1, especially your first encounter, there's a lot of room for the RNG to screw you. It's not terribly unusual to miss or miscast your 3 flame tongues, and then you're forced to pillar dance with a jackal nipping at your heels. Obviously this is bad enough with just 1 jackal, but much worse with each additional one.

I think you were unlucky, but fast high EV monsters really suck on D1. Even a lizard can get some lucky rolls and kill you, since it's faster than you there's nothing you can do if the RNG goes really against you.

I think starting mages with a dagger would go a long way. A little more starting MP might be nice, but then, who wants to re-jigger the whole MP formula just to help out level 1 mages.

Ziggurat Zagger

Posts: 8786

Joined: Sunday, 5th May 2013, 08:25

Post Tuesday, 26th April 2016, 20:16

Re: Best tactic fo dealing with D:1 jakkels as a mage

If you avoid autoexploring on D:1 you will basically never need to fight multiple jackals even with 0 stealth. It sucks that autoexplore is so much more dangerous than manual exploration in the first place, of course.
User avatar

Pandemonium Purger

Posts: 1386

Joined: Sunday, 5th April 2015, 22:37

Post Tuesday, 26th April 2016, 20:52

Re: Best tactic fo dealing with D:1 jakkels as a mage

I didn't fight multiple jackals. A single jakal was enough to kill me, which sucked because I was on a streak...
http://crawl.akrasiac.org/scoring/playe ... speon.html. I started playing in 0.16.1
I achieved greatplayer in less than a year.
Remove food

Cocytus Succeeder

Posts: 2173

Joined: Saturday, 2nd February 2013, 09:52

Post Tuesday, 26th April 2016, 22:59

Re: Best tactic fo dealing with D:1 jakkels as a mage

WingedEspeon wrote:jakkel

WingedEspeon wrote:jackel

WingedEspeon wrote:jackal

WingedEspeon wrote:jakal

I wonder what the next variation might be.
User avatar

Pandemonium Purger

Posts: 1386

Joined: Sunday, 5th April 2015, 22:37

Post Tuesday, 26th April 2016, 23:06

Re: Best tactic fo dealing with D:1 jakkels as a mage

Magipi wrote:
WingedEspeon wrote:jakkel

WingedEspeon wrote:jackel

WingedEspeon wrote:jackal

WingedEspeon wrote:jakal

I wonder what the next variation might be.

For the record, I am dyslexic and I can't spell.
http://crawl.akrasiac.org/scoring/playe ... speon.html. I started playing in 0.16.1
I achieved greatplayer in less than a year.
Remove food

Return to Dungeon Crawling Advice

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 8 guests

cron
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group.
Designed by ST Software for PTF.