YAVP - NAIE - My (almost)first ziggurat raid + all rune run

[hayenne]

Hi all, I used to avoid ziggurats like black plague for a long time, afraid of the various threats out there. Now, basking in a overconfidence, I decided to give it a go and died on Zig:25:

  Code:

652308 hayenne the Archmage (level 27, -1/188 (189) HPs)
             Began as a Naga Ice Elementalist on Feb 24, 2012.
             Was the Champion of Vehumet.
             Killed by divine providence
             ... invoked by a daeva
              (13 damage)
             ... in level 24 of a ziggurat on Mar 1, 2012.
             The game lasted 09:21:51 (139018 turns).

hayenne the Archmage (Naga Ice Elementalist)      Turns: 139018, Time: 09:21:52

HP  -1/188 (189) AC 34     Str 14      XL: 27
MP   4/54        EV  8     Int 30      God: Vehumet [******]
Gold 1753        SH 29     Dex 17      Spells: 19 memorised,  4 levels left

Res.Fire  : . . .   See Invis. : +    a - staff of conjuration
Res.Cold  : + + .   Warding    : . .  v - +1 robe {Archmagi}
Life Prot.: . . .   Conserve   : +    h - +2 shield {rC+}
Res.Acid. : + . .   Res.Corr.  : +    g - +3 hat of Pondering {ponderous, MR MP+10 I
Res.Poison: +       Clarity    : .    Z - +2 dwarf cloak {rCorr, Cons} (curse)
Res.Elec. : .       Spirit.Shd : .    n - +1 pair of gloves {Str+3}
Sust.Abil.: + .     Stasis     : .    m - +4 naga barding {Lev}
Res.Mut.  : +       Ctrl.Telep.: x    W - amulet of resist mutation
Res.Rott. : .       Levitation : .    w - ring of protection from cold
Saprovore : . . .   Ctrl.Flight: .    I - ring of Qoomikam {SustAb Dex+2 Dam+4}


(http://crawl.develz.org/morgues/0.10/ha ... 234238.txt)

The holy level was downright vicious to me and I completely failed to breach its defences and finally tried to escape, ending in a painful death.

But the ziggurat idea appeared to be interesting to me and I decided to give it a go again.

I like the new character better as it is more powerful and fun all the time - I am able to cast both storms and have more runes this time.

  Code:

 Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup version 0.10.0-21-g6e717ff character file.

hayenne the Archmage (Naga Ice Elementalist)      Turns: 164578, Time: 10:33:47

HP 262/262       AC 30     Str 18      XL: 27
MP  49/49        EV 20     Int 34      God: Vehumet [******]
Gold 1652        SH 30     Dex 15      Spells: 18 memorised,  0 levels left

Res.Fire  : + . .   See Invis. : +    G - staff of channeling
Res.Cold  : + + .   Warding    : . .  L - +2 robe {Archmagi}
Life Prot.: . . .   Conserve   : .    f - +5 shield of Resistance {rF+ rC+ MR}
Res.Acid. : . . .   Res.Corr.  : .    w - +1 spiked helmet {Int+3}
Res.Poison: +       Clarity    : .    T - +2 cloak of Analysis {Str+4 Int+3}
Res.Elec. : .       Spirit.Shd : .    P - +2 pair of gloves {Str+3}
Sust.Abil.: . .     Stasis     : .    l - +4 naga barding {rC+}
Res.Mut.  : +       Ctrl.Telep.: x    X - amulet "Lianehon" {rMut Stlth+}
Res.Rott. : .       Levitation : .    Z - ring of the Mage {Wiz MR Int+3}
Saprovore : . . .   Ctrl.Flight: .    S - ring of Vitality {Regen HP+15}

@: delayed fireball, very slow, incredibly resistant to hostile enchantments,
uncannily stealthy
A: spit poison, constrict 1, see invisible, deformed body, poison resistance,
slowness 2, AC +2, SH +2
a: Spit Poison, Renounce Religion, Release Delayed Fireball
}: 11/15 runes: serpentine, barnacled, slimy, silver, iron, obsidian, bone,
glowing, magical, fiery, dark


You are on level 19 of a ziggurat.
You worship Vehumet.
Vehumet is exalted by your worship.
You are completely stuffed.

You have visited 16 branches of the dungeon, and seen 102 of its levels.
You have visited Pandemonium 1 time, and seen 22 of its levels.
You have visited 1 Labyrinth.
You have visited 2 bazaars.
You have visited 1 Ziggurat, and seen 19 of its levels.
You have visited 2 portal chambers: ossuary, ice cave.

You have collected 12129 gold pieces.
You have spent 6047 gold pieces at shops.
You have used 4450 gold pieces for miscellaneous purposes.

Inventory:

Hand weapons
 b - the cursed +5,+5 demon whip of Evil {venom, rElec Str+1}
   (You found it on level 5 of the Elven Halls)   
   
   It poisons the flesh of those it strikes.
   
   It affects your strength (+1).
   It insulates you from electricity.
   It has a curse placed upon it.
Armour
 f - the +5 shield of Resistance (worn) {rF+ rC+ MR}
   (You bought it in a shop in a bazaar)   
   
   It protects you from fire.
   It protects you from cold.
   It increases your resistance to enchantments.
 l - a +4 naga barding of cold resistance (worn)
 s - a heavily runed large shield
 w - a +1 spiked helmet of intelligence (worn)
 A - the cursed +3 robe of Sloth {rF++ rC+}
   (You acquired it on level 7 of Gehenna)   
   
   It greatly protects you from fire.
   It protects you from cold.
   It has a curse placed upon it.
 L - a +2 robe of the Archmagi (worn)
 P - a +2 pair of gloves of strength (worn)
 T - the +2 cloak of Analysis (worn) {Str+4 Int+3}
   (You found it on level 8 of the Vaults)   
   
   It affects your strength (+4).
   It affects your intelligence (+3).
Magical devices
 m - a wand of heal wounds (9)
 y - a wand of teleportation (7)
 z - a wand of teleportation (11)
 H - a wand of disintegration
 N - a wand of hasting (9)
 O - a wand of teleportation (6)
 V - a wand of teleportation
Comestibles
 c - 4 honeycombs
 d - 12 meat rations
Scrolls
 j - 4 scrolls of blinking
 q - 8 scrolls of fog
 F - 4 scrolls of holy word
 I - 3 scrolls of teleportation
 M - 2 scrolls of remove curse
 Q - 2 scrolls of recharging
Jewellery
 e - a cursed amulet of clarity
 h - a vibrating emerald amulet
 i - the cursed amulet "Cryivvoi" {Gourm rN+ SInv}
   (You found it in Pandemonium)   
   
   [amulet of the gourmand]
   
   It protects you from negative energy.
   It enhances your eyesight.
   It has a curse placed upon it.
 n - a cursed ring of protection from fire
 o - the cursed ring of the Moon {+Rage rN+ Acc+5 Dam+5 Stlth++}
   (You found it on level 6 of the Pits of Slime)   
   
   [ring of slaying]
   It affects your accuracy (+5).
   It affects your damage-dealing abilities (+5).
   
   It protects you from negative energy.
   It lets you go berserk.
   It makes you much more stealthy.
   It has a curse placed upon it.
 p - the cursed ring "Utini" {rF++ rC+}
   (You found it in Pandemonium)   
   
   [ring of protection from cold]
   
   It greatly protects you from fire.
   It has a curse placed upon it.
 u - an uncursed ring of teleportation
 C - a cursed ring of sustain abilities
 E - the cursed ring of the Four Hells {+Lev rC+ Int+2 Dam-2}
   (You found it on level 13 of a ziggurat)   
   
   [ring of protection from cold]
   
   It affects your intelligence (+2).
   It affects your damage-dealing abilities (-2).
   It lets you levitate.
   It has a curse placed upon it.
 S - the ring of Vitality (left hand) {Regen HP+15}
   (You found it on level 5 of the Elven Halls)   
   
   [ring of regeneration]
   
   It affects your health (+15).
   
   This famed ring greatly improves its wearer's health.
 U - the cursed amulet "Phuemall" {Cons +Rage rPois}
   (You found it on level 5 of the Elven Halls)   
   
   [amulet of conservation]
   
   It protects you from poison.
   It lets you go berserk.
   It has a curse placed upon it.
 X - the amulet "Lianehon" (around neck) {rMut Stlth+}
   (You found it on level 7 of the Iron City of Dis)   
   
   [amulet of resist mutation]
   
   It makes you more stealthy.
 Z - the ring of the Mage (right hand) {Wiz MR Int+3}
   (You found it on level 7 of the Iron City of Dis)   
   
   [ring of wizardry]
   
   It affects your intelligence (+3).
   It increases your resistance to enchantments.
Potions
 g - 12 potions of curing
 r - 5 potions of brilliance
 v - 9 potions of heal wounds
 x - 7 potions of restore abilities
 B - 4 potions of levitation
 J - 6 potions of resistance
 K - 2 potions of might
 Y - 2 potions of cure mutation
Books
 W - a book of Fire   
   
   Spells                             Type                      Level
   Fire Brand                         Charms/Fire                  2
   Ignite Poison                      Fire/Transmutation           5
   *Fireball                          Conjuration/Fire             5
   *Bolt of Fire                      Conjuration/Fire             6
   *Delayed Fireball                  Conjuration/Fire             7
   Ring of Flames                     Charms/Fire                  7
   Dragon Form                        Fire/Transmutation           7
Magical staves
 a - a cursed staff of conjuration
 k - a cursed staff of fire
 t - a cursed staff of energy
 G - a staff of channeling (weapon)
Miscellaneous
 D - a crystal ball of energy
 R - a lantern of shadows


   Skills:
 + Level 15.0 Fighting
 - Level 12.1 Maces & Flails
 - Level 20.0 Dodging
 O Level 27 Stealth
 - Level 0.4 Stabbing
 - Level 9.0 Shields
 - Level 14.0 Traps & Doors
 O Level 27 Spellcasting
 O Level 27 Conjurations
 - Level 9.0 Charms
 - Level 13.2 Translocations
 - Level 15.9 Fire Magic
 - Level 21.0 Ice Magic
 - Level 1.3 Poison Magic
 O Level 27 Evocations


You cannot memorise any spells.
You know the following spells:

 Your Spells              Type           Power        Failure   Level  Hunger
a - Bolt of Fire          Fire/Conj      #########.   1%          6    None
b - Bolt of Cold          Ice/Conj       #########.   0%          6    None
c - Throw Icicle          Ice/Conj       #########    0%          4    None
d - Poison Arrow          Pois/Conj      #########.   1%          6    None
e - Delayed Fireball      Fire/Conj      N/A          1%          7    None
f - Haste                 Chrm           #########    1%          6    None
g - Ice Storm             Ice/Conj       #########.   1%          9    Choko
h - Abjuration            Summ           #######...   1%          3    None
i - Fulsome Distillation  Trmt/Necr      N/A          1%          1    None
j - Apportation           Tloc           #########.   0%          1    None
k - Blink                 Tloc           N/A          0%          2    None
l - Projected Noise       Hex            N/A          1%          2    None
m - Regeneration          Chrm/Necr      ########..   1%          3    None
n - Dig                   Erth/Trmt      #######..    2%          4    None
o - Control Teleport      Chrm/Tloc      #########.   1%          4    None
p - Controlled Blink      Tloc           N/A          1%          7    None
q - Fire Storm            Fire/Conj      #########.   1%          9    Choko
r - Fireball              Fire/Conj      #########.   0%          5    None


Dungeon Overview and Level Annotations

Branches:
Dungeon (27/27)            Temple (1/1) D:5             Orc (4/4) D:8
    Elf (5/5) Orc:4          Lair (8/8) D:11         Shoals (5/5) Lair:4
  Slime (6/6) Lair:6        Snake (5/5) Lair:6        Vault (8/8) D:15
  Blade (1/1) Vault:5       Crypt (5/5) Vault:3        Tomb (0/3) Crypt:3
   Hell (1/1)                 Dis (7/7) Hell            Geh (7/7) Hell
    Tar (7/7) Hell            Zot (5/5) D:27       
   Coc: Hell:1     

Altars:
Ashenzari
Cheibriados
Elyvilon
Fedhas
Kikubaaqudgha
Makhleb
Nemelex Xobeh
Okawaru
Sif Muna
The Shining One
Trog
Vehumet
Xom
Yredelemnul
Zin
Beogh

Shops:
D:13: (!=  D:16: (%  D:17: +  D:23: ?  D:25: +(!+  Orc:2: [  Orc:4: %=/(
Elf:3: %  Shoals:3: (*![  Shoals:4: [  Snake:1: [  Vault:1: %  Vault:2: =
Vault:3: !  Vault:5: *(([  Vault:6: [  Vault:7: */

Portals:
Hell: D:22 D:23 D:24 D:25 D:26 D:27
Abyss: D:25 D:27
Pan: D:24 D:25

Annotations
D:20 castle
Lair:3 hive


                    Innate Abilities, Weirdness & Mutations

You cannot wear boots.
You can spit poison.
You can use your snake-like lower body to constrict enemies.
Your serpentine skin is tough (AC +9).
You have supernaturally acute eyesight.
Armour fits poorly on your strangely shaped body.
Your system is resistant to poisons.
You cover ground very slowly.
You are partially covered in large bone plates (AC +2, SH +2).


Message History

Items here: %% )) [[[
Butcher a rotting pearl dragon corpse? [(y)es/(c)hop/(n)o/(a)ll/(q)uit/?]
You start butchering the rotting pearl dragon corpse with your knife.
You continue butchering the corpse.
You finish chopping the rotting pearl dragon corpse into pieces.
You start butchering the rotting human corpse with your knife.
You continue butchering the corpse.
You finish chopping the rotting human corpse into pieces.
Items here: %% )) [[[[
Firing (i - inventory): No suitable missiles.
Press: ? - help, Shift-Dir - straight line, f - you
Okay, then.
There are several objects here.
Pick up a pearl dragon hide? ((y)es/(n)o/(a)ll/(m)enu/*?g,/q)
Unknown command.
Unknown command.
Save game and exit?
Welcome back, hayenne the Naga Ice Elementalist.
Vehumet says: Let it end in hellfire!
Press ? for a list of commands and other information.

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There are no monsters in sight!


(http://crawl.develz.org/morgues/0.10/ha ... ayenne.txt)

Mummy levels are the biggest menace so far to me (I don't have necromutation, but plan to put some exp into necromancy now).
Holy level was an easy blast now since somehow, the monsters were less scattered and I just stormed all of them.

Any suggestions on how do I progress further or improve the character are appreciated!

[slowcar]

I don't see much room for improvement on a character like that, you have all your spells mastered.
Still, a ziggurat can kill you if you are not careful, especially if you get a Pan or Mummy level on the last ones.
necromutation and mass abjuration would be useful to have, and cTele could maybe substituted by a ring. some old spells like fulsome etc could be removed, but unless you have something new to learn, why bother?

[nago]

First of all, some suggestions regarding spells: as already said, Necromut is really useful in the most difficult floors (pan's lord and mummy). Maass abj is surely useful, but generally enemies able to summon greater demons are already dangerous on their own, so in ziggurats is usually better to keep x-storming rather than abjuring. Deflect missiles isn't a vital spell, but it helps a lot in some floors (elfs' and giants', for example)
Two spells I personally consider a pre-requisite to enter and clear a zig are bjorg's and death's channel, as they are one of the few things that can save your character in a deadly situation - and remember that you can exit from dc with bjorg, but that will paralyse and confuse you (resistible effects).



Finally, considering you have a lot of useless spell (in zig), I'd learn shadow creatures: it's (almost) useless as offensive spells, but it allows to see which creatures populate every floors (on snakes' floor, only snakes and nagas are spawned, and so on), and this is a huge advantage in most cases.

Now, regarding resist: you need much better resistances to clear a zig easily. I'd say at least rf++, relec (for pans and giants' floor), racid (for slimes' floor) and rn+++ (for every floor where you can get tormented). Conservation is nice to have but not vital.

About items: if you have, bring a couple of royal jelly - stat rot can happen (ball of energy, and mummies floor) and potions are happy to be destroyed. You don't want to stat-die on zig:26! You should bring any other wand of healing, if you have and it's useful to have a way to get invisible: while invis is easy to escape from deep dwarves' floor and ghost moth in insects' one can't drain your mp. You can probably clear those floor brawling only, but it's a real pain.
Oh, I don't know if banishment put back in the same zig floor in 0.10, but bringing a weapon of distortion *could* be useful to escape and restore your hp. Just be aware that it's a really risky and way to escape from a floor and there are better solution - I've lost a character who tried vainly to banish himself with a weapon, while he was in death's door (and that means a lot of turns!)

If you have some spare identify scrolls and some ornate/legendary deck, I'd identify those: in 0.10 tomb card is rarer, but this object is another thing that allow to clear floor too difficult otherwise.

[hayenne]

Thanks everyone for your comments, I managed to complete that ziggurat (got lucky with the last levels - snakes and draconians) and collect the rest of runes. Three last zig levels gave me enough exp to get Necromutation online from scratch.

Two-storm variability is a beast! Used fire storms (by default) on almost everything in ziggurat - vortices break the line of fire between you and missile users (yaktaurs, stone giants, deep elves, shining eyes etc) and it helps to avoid unnecessary attention to your body.
Ice storm was used as well since most demons tend to resist it worse, and in situations where additional vortex spawn was not wanted.

The easiest levels were:
Jelly (I even had not had a single hit most of the time - vortices ate all the acid spits+mutations for me)
Snake (nothing remarkable whatsoever)
Orc+giants (just the same)

The harder ones were:
Mummies - I think it must be the worst - had no necromutation and had to eat all the death curses
Pan lords (though ice storm made short work of them)
Holy level (not as easy to do when the monsters are scattered) - TSO wrath is a cake though - was not undead

I still have to learn to play the game faster with a lesser turn count!

  Code:

9534899 hayenne the Archmage (level 27, 311/311 HPs)
             Began as a Naga Ice Elementalist on Mar 3, 2012.
             Was the Champion of Vehumet.
             Escaped with the Orb
             ... and 15 runes on Mar 6, 2012!
             
             The game lasted 13:01:18 (180722 turns).

hayenne the Archmage (Naga Ice Elementalist)      Turns: 180722, Time: 13:01:18

HP 311/311       AC 30     Str 14      XL: 27
MP  49/49        EV 20     Int 28      God: Vehumet [******]
Gold 3455        SH 34     Dex 14 (15) Spells: 14 memorised,  6 levels left

Res.Fire  : + . .   See Invis. : +    (no weapon)
Res.Cold  : + + .   Warding    : . .  L - +2 robe {Archmagi}
Life Prot.: + . .   Conserve   : +    f - +5 shield of Resistance {rF+ rC+ MR}
Res.Acid. : + . .   Res.Corr.  : +    w - +1 spiked helmet {Int+3}
Res.Poison: +       Clarity    : .    c - +2 cloak {rCorr, Cons} (curse)
Res.Elec. : .       Spirit.Shd : .    P - +2 pair of gloves {Str+3}
Sust.Abil.: . .     Stasis     : .    l - +4 naga barding {rC+}
Res.Mut.  : +       Ctrl.Telep.: x    X - cursed amulet "Lianehon" {rMut Stlth+}
Res.Rott. : .       Levitation : .    S - ring of Vitality {Regen HP+15}
Saprovore : . . .   Ctrl.Flight: .    o - cursed ring of the Moon {+Rage rN+ Acc+5 D

@: delayed fireball, very slow, extraordinarily resistant to hostile
enchantments, very stealthy
A: spit poison, constrict 1, see invisible, deformed body, poison resistance,
slowness 2, AC +2, SH +2
a: Spit Poison, Renounce Religion, Release Delayed Fireball, Evoke Berserk Rage
}: 15/15 runes: serpentine, barnacled, slimy, silver, golden, iron, obsidian,
icy, bone, abyssal, demonic, glowing, magical, fiery, dark


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

You visited 18 branches of the dungeon, and saw 112 of its levels.
You visited Pandemonium 2 times, and saw 40 of its levels.
You visited the Abyss 1 time.
You visited 1 Labyrinth.
You visited 2 bazaars.
You completed 1 Ziggurat, and saw 27 of its levels.
You visited 2 portal chambers: ossuary, ice cave.

You collected 15614 gold pieces.
You spent 7729 gold pieces at shops.
You used 4450 gold pieces for miscellaneous purposes.


(http://crawl.develz.org/morgues/0.10/ha ... 220058.txt)

[slowcar]

congratulations on the full win!
(extra-full with a complete ziggurat as well)

I loved the double storms as well on my last DeFe