Vaults Vanquisher
Posts: 431
Joined: Friday, 30th September 2011, 01:00
Tuesday, 27th November 2012, 01:43
CiP->YASD - Plate Armor DsAK, survived epic Shaft
Have I got a story for you. 
So, first things first, I've been trying many different kinds of backgrounds with Demonspawn. I have to say Demonspawn is my ultimate favorite race to play as anything, since they're straightforward but interesting at the same time; they have -1 aptitudes in almost everything, and in a lot of ways that's nice for me because I don't have to limit myself in advance to a certain play style with major + aptitudes in certain things (and the +2 in Invocations is a catch-all so it doesn't have to count as "inclined to specialize", it's just nice).
I rolled my beloved dungeon crawling avatar Mitzy up this time as an Abyssal Knight, probably my favorite melee background in general (used to be Monk, now it's AK) because Lugonu is a rare god to find normally and it's fun to be able to play her when I get the chance, and also they're extremely branchable, starting with almost perfectly even STR, DEX and INT, a +2+2 weapon and simple Leather Armor, so depending on what you find you can decide to be a caster, a pure melee, a hybrid, even a stabber, and no matter what you have Banish at your disposal which is a fantastic ranged "attack" and AMAZING against early Orc Priests and Warriors.
So! On to the story so far.
What I do as AK is explore the Abyss for a little while and see if I pick up any good Loot right away, because I can gate out any time and the slight hit to Piety to do so can easily be gained back. A White Imp approached me, and I was barely able to kill it and I instantly leveled up by doing so. Great start. No Loot though other than a Bread Ration, and something else nasty was approaching, and the exit was still in sight, so I headed for it and left the Abyss to officially start the game. I was still almost dead from the White Imp battle and when I was mobbed by Goblins and Hobgoblins it was scary to survive and keep my head start, but I did so. I ate the extra Bread Ration so I could sacrifice corpses more often and not have to stress out over the food clock right away. Then I discovered a Large Shield. Decided to try wearing it for a while, even with my low starting STR, see how effective it was. Cleared out the rest of D:1 no problem, continued on.
When I hit XL 3 I discovered two of my mutations: Hoof Feet and Demonic Guardian. Awesome, awesome. It means I wouldn't be able to wear Boots of Running later but no worries, early and mid game I enjoy the extra melee attack power with kicks. My Large Shield is also doing its job wonderfully, I'm not even noticing any accuracy penalties, and I'm able to raise my STR a couple points in the next few levels, and it was especially wonderful to find a +2 Ring of Strength early on, that helped me out when I found the +1 Scale Mail and chose to wear it. I was deciding at this point that this character would very likely become a pure melee character with heavy armor, considering the kind of Loot I was finding and making use of, plus Demonic Guardian is wonderful for non-spellcasters, it's like automatic summoning without any of the major hassle or drawbacks of becoming a (heavy armor) hybrid, plus they're GREAT for escaping an early game Ogre that's got you trapped! In D:2 Terrence and Jessica ambushed me in a hallway in tandem. I had picked up two poisoned darts just a bit ago and I killed Terrence with them, even with 0.0 in Throwing the poison damage was extremely helpful assisting my melee attacks to get past his AC. ^^ I also noticed that a couple months ago I never even would have thought about that. I'm remembering a lot more often to use everything I have in my inventory, spells and abilities for every situation, and my games have improved because of it.
The next several dungeon levels were somewhat uneventful; I found a BUNCH of Identify and Enchant Armor scrolls, and I became extremely cautious around Orc Wizards, not wanting my scrolls to get burned up like they have been known to do. Later I found a Silver Statue vault guarding treasures, I blew it up with my Wand of Disintegration (those things are SO HANDY) and barely escaped from the Sun Demon it summoned (with about half my HP left), thank God I had Bend Space available. When I came back to loot the treasure, I found a Medium Shield of Reflection, and decided to switch from my Large Shield to this one; the difference in SH was 29 down to 20. That's fine, I thought, I had about 9 Shield skill at this point so I was thinking the loss of penalty would make a big difference in the long run. Discovered more of my demonic mutations: Repulsive Field for the scales facet (which is already maxed out, meaning permanent Repel Missiles on a MELEE CHARACTER WOOHOO). Also got Demonic Guardian 2 fairly quickly, just in time for Erolcha to show up and my Smoke Demon buddy to come out and roast her. That was kind of nice. ^^
So. The "epic shaft trap" noted in the thread title happened at about D:11, dropping me down to D:14, which I totally deserved for having not raised Traps & Doors up at ALL yet. This was the wake up call to do so. The shaft landed me directly next to a transparent container filled with Golden Dragons, Shadow Dragons, Guardian Serpents, Stone Giants, oh my god it was scary. But at least they were behind glass, right? ...Not when a couple of them shape-shifted into Boring Beetles. OH GOD TELEPORT TELEPORT TELEPORT ... and it put me right in the middle of about 50 monsters, including Centaur Warriors, about two dozen Ugly Things, a couple Cyclops and a bunch of Yaks... it basically made the Orcish Mines look abandoned in comparison. I decided to use the Scroll of Fear. Thankfully it sent everything on the screen careening away from me, and I was able to maneuver my way to an upstairs just in time; the single turn I took going up the stairs got me sent from max HP to 20% of my HP, taking multiple arrows, large stones and a couple goring attacks in one turn. Some Yaks and some of my Demonic Guardians followed me up, and there was Harold waiting for me. No healing potions left either, and I thought about banishing Harold if I couldn't get away from him, but thankfully my Sun Demon and Sixfirhy were able to kill him and the two Yaks while I hid behind them in a corridor. I spent the next several hundred turns TRYING to rest up, but every time it was interrupted by Unseen Horrors (thank God I had a Ring of See Invisible as a switch-off), Skeletal Warriors, Orc Priests, Cyclopses, etcetera. Basically all kinds of normal monsters for D:13, none of which I was ready for. My Demonic Guardians saved my life over and over, and there were a ton of corridors on this map to duck behind. I got very lucky. When I was finally at full health, I explored the stage a bit and found where all the dangerous foes (multiple Unseen Horrors and Orc Warriors) were coming from: a steel fortress to the northeast, with a sweet stash of gold at the end. With careful attack and retreat maneuvers, I forced my way through the enemies one room at a time, killed them all, and looted it, just in time for those Skeletal Warriors to show up. Three of them. But one was defeated with a Smoke Demon + Sun Demon tag team, the second one I banished, and the final one was mortally wounded and I finished it off in melee combat victoriously. It went GREAT.
Then I decided to go back down to D:14 and take care of that massive horde... with Touch of Corruption. God it was beautiful. With Invocations at 12, an enormous amount of demons were gated in, and when I teleported to safety, I waited a couple hundred turns and basically everything on the floor died. I got experience for it too, which really surprised me! There was one corner of the dungeon left unexpored and Azarel jumped out which was an even nastier surprise, and so far it was the only unique I decided to Banish, as I had no rF yet and I didn't really want his Loot (I had a Scroll of Acquirement earlier and got an Eveningstar of Protection, so wasn't interested in his sword).
On my way back up to D:11, and the Lair, in D:12 I found a circular Vampire Fortress, with a Vampire Mage and a dangerous Vampire Knight inside! It took some work, and the Knight freaked me out when it Paralyzed me, but once I lured them into the corridors I was able to defeat them all with the assistance of my Demonic Guardians. When I looted their core room, a +3 Plate Mail of Magic Resistance was waiting for me, and I gleefully swapped it in for my +0 Splint Mail I'd been using. That gambit worked out after all, thankfully. ^^
Finally I finished backtracking to the Lair, set my stash up, saved my game and wrote this post. My T&D skill is currently 8.1 and I intend to raise it to 10 or 11, so no more epic shaft traps for a while I hope.
I have a couple of questions:
* I have an Eveningstar of Protection, and am playing a Demonspawn. Stick with this? Or switch to a Demon Whip later? I had thought Demon Whips are better on DEX-based characters, or mages, but I am playing a high-STR character. Lugonu's Distortion Gift is ready and waiting to be used (and I corrupted the Temple so I have some altars I can use
) but since I'm using a Mace, it means I can't chop up corpses if I brand Distortion to it. Any recommendations on what to do with that?
* Skills to train up next? Obviously Shields to 15.0, and more in Maces, but other than that?
* What my character is missing, and should try to have? I have some of the late-game essentials already, such as Amulet of Resist Mutation and one Potion of Cure Mutation waiting in my stash, but I'm currently lacking rF, rC and rN. Thanks to my randart gloves I have rPois and rElec though, which are a bit rarer and it means if I meet Nikola I can handle him without stressing out.
Thanks for reading! I missed some details in the story but it's because I'm rushed for time, Starbucks is about to close and kick me out.
I'll check the thread late tonight. Have a great week everyone and I hope people's Thanksgiving went nicely! --Schwa
EDIT: Died a bit ago. Orb of Fire. Next time must remember to bring rF+++ instead of rF++ to Zot:5.
- Code:
Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup version 0.11.0 (tiles) character file.
Mitzy the Corrupter of Planes (DsAK) Turns: 16919, Time: 01:09:38
HP 89/89 AC 26 Str 17 XL: 12 Next: 97%
MP 27/27 EV 8 Int 14 God: Lugonu [******]
Gold 355 SH 27 Dex 13 Spells: 0 memorised, 11 levels left
Res.Fire : . . . See Invis. : + p - +0,+3 eveningstar (protect) (curse)
Res.Cold : . . . Warding : . R - +3 plate armour {MR}
Life Prot.: . . . Conserve : . w - +3 shield {rflct}
Res.Poison: + Res.Corr. : + t - +0 helmet
Res.Elec. : + Clarity : + q - +0 cloak
Sust.Abil.: . . Spirit.Shd : . v - +1 pair of gloves of Mirth {rElec rPois Ac
Res.Mut. : . Stasis : . (boots unavailable)
Res.Rott. : . Ctrl.Telep.: . i - amulet of resist corrosion
Saprovore : . . . Levitation : . y - +6 ring of protection
Ctrl.Flight: . z - ring of see invisible
@: studying Stabbing, quite resistant to hostile enchantments, extremely
unstealthy
A: hooves 3, repel missiles, clarity, deformed body, demonic guardian 2, EV +4
a: Depart the Abyss, Bend Space, Banish, Corrupt, Enter the Abyss, Renounce
Religion
You are on level 1 of the Lair of Beasts.
You worship Lugonu.
Lugonu is exalted by your worship.
You are completely stuffed.
You have visited 3 branches of the dungeon, and seen 16 of its levels.
You have visited the Abyss 1 time.
You have collected 796 gold pieces.
You have spent 461 gold pieces at shops.
Inventory:
Hand weapons
p - a cursed +0,+3 eveningstar of protection (weapon)
G - a +2,+3 orcish hand axe of returning (quivered)
H - a +2,+3 orcish hand axe of returning
I - a +2,+3 orcish hand axe of returning
Armour
q - a +0 cloak (worn)
t - a +0 helmet (worn)
v - the +1 pair of gloves of Mirth (worn) {rElec rPois Acc+4 Curse}
(You found it on level 7 of the Dungeon)
It affects your accuracy (+4).
It insulates you from electricity.
It protects you from poison.
It may recurse itself.
w - a +3 shield of reflection (worn)
R - a +3 plate armour of magic resistance (worn)
Magical devices
a - a wand of fire (10)
b - a wand of digging (10)
V - a wand of lightning (6)
Comestibles
U - 6 honeycombs
Scrolls
e - a scroll of remove curse
g - a scroll of teleportation
o - a scroll of fog
s - a scroll of magic mapping
u - a scroll of fear
P - 3 scrolls of identify
Jewellery
i - an amulet of resist corrosion (around neck)
j - an uncursed amulet of resist mutation
y - a +6 ring of protection (right hand)
z - a ring of see invisible (left hand)
Potions
A - a potion of curing
Books
C - a manual of Stabbing (studied)
You are currently studying this manual.
Skills:
- Level 8.0 Fighting
+ Level 9.5 Maces & Flails
- Level 6.0 Throwing
- Level 6.0 Armour
- Level 2.0 Dodging
+ Level 4.7 Stabbing
+ Level 11.5 Shields
* Level 8.1 Traps & Doors
- Level 12.0 Invocations
+ Level 3.4 Evocations
You have 11 spell levels left.
You don't know any spells.
Dungeon Overview and Level Annotations
Branches:
Dungeon (14/27) Temple (1/1) D:6 Orc (0/4) D:9
Lair (1/8) D:10
Vaults: D:14-19
Altars:
Ashenzari
Cheibriados
Elyvilon
Fedhas
Kikubaaqudgha
Makhleb
Nemelex Xobeh
Okawaru
Sif Muna
Trog
Vehumet
Xom
Yredelemnul
Zin
the Shining One
Shops:
D:5: [ D:7: [[[(* D:12: =((
Portals:
Trove: D:10 (give +2 storm dragon armour)
Annotations
Abyss Azrael
Innate Abilities, Weirdness & Mutations
You have hooves in place of feet.
You are surrounded by a strong repulsion field (EV +4, rMsl).
A demonic guardian rushes to your aid.
You possess an exceptional clarity of mind.
Armour fits poorly on your strangely shaped body.
Message History
You drop 2 potions of brilliance.
You drop a potion of cure mutation.
You drop a potion of speed.
You offer a prayer to Lugonu.
Lugonu only cares about fresh corpses!
Lugonu is exalted by your worship.
You can't go down here!
You have 355 gold pieces.
You haven't found any runes yet.
Inscribe which item? (? for menu, Esc to quit)
Okay, then.
Inscribe which item? (? for menu, Esc to quit)
Okay, then.
Unknown command.
Unknown command.
Enter note:
You can't go down here!
Inscribe which item? (? for menu, Esc to quit)
Okay, then.
Unknown command.
##+##
###...##
#......####
##.......#P#
#.........#
+.........+
#.........#
#P#......<#P#
#.....@## #
###...##
##+.#
.##
#.
#.
..
.
There are no monsters in sight!
Vanquished Creatures
A vampire knight (D:12)
A wolf spider zombie (D:13)
A centaur warrior (D:9)
A skeletal warrior (D:13)
3 unseen horrors
A hydra zombie (D:13)
Joseph (D:10)
3 hill giants
A guardian serpent (shapeshifter) (D:13)
Maurice (D:8)
5 slime creatures
A spiny worm zombie (D:13)
9 ugly things
5 trolls
A basilisk (D:13)
9 human zombies (D:12)
2 hungry ghosts (D:9)
2 wyverns (D:13)
2 wraiths (D:13)
5 yaks
7 vampires (D:12)
Eustachio (D:10)
A vampire mosquito (D:14)
A hippogriff (D:7)
4 trapdoor spiders
A blink frog skeleton (D:10)
5 fire elementals (D:14)
A yaktaur zombie (D:14)
2 manticores
A soldier ant (D:14)
A hell hound (D:14)
An ice beast (D:6)
A rock worm (D:14)
4 orc warriors
3 yellow wasps
3 ogres
2 phantoms
A troll zombie (D:9)
7 sky beasts
9 centaurs
2 big kobolds
Sigmund (D:7)
Duvessa (D:6)
A silver statue (D:10)
11 giant frogs
A gnoll sergeant (D:7)
An eye of draining (D:12)
14 killer bees
A wight (D:13)
3 big kobold skeletons
7 goliath beetles
5 ogre zombies (D:9)
11 crimson imps
4 orc priests
2 shadows (D:14)
5 worker ants
A hound skeleton (D:8)
7 scorpions
10 hounds
4 iguanas
7 orc wizards
2 sheep (D:13)
3 jellies
10 orange rats (D:12)
A worm zombie (D:5)
Ijyb (D:7)
Jessica (D:2)
Terence (D:2)
2 mummies
12 gnolls
22 flying skulls (D:12)
9 green rats
A shadow imp (D:10)
A giant centipede zombie (D:10)
A scorpion zombie (D:10)
7 adders
An adder skeleton (D:12)
2 white imps
4 worms
2 ufetubi
5 grey rats (D:12)
A giant eyeball (D:6)
6 giant geckos
An ooze (D:3)
28 orcs
37 bats
6 giant cockroaches
12 goblins
15 hobgoblins
3 jackals (D:4)
23 kobolds
7 quokkas
11 giant newts
4 giant spores
2 goblin zombies (D:9)
3 hobgoblin skeletons
2 hobgoblin zombies (D:9)
A jackal skeleton (D:4)
3 orc skeletons (D:9)
10 orc zombies (D:9)
A quokka zombie (D:8)
21 rats
A rat skeleton (D:4)
10 ballistomycetes
2 toadstools
508 creatures vanquished.
Vanquished Creatures (collateral kills)
Harold (D:13)
2 hydras (D:13)
A stone giant zombie (D:14)
A centaur warrior (D:13)
Erolcha (D:9)
A skeletal warrior (D:13)
An unseen horror (D:13)
A cyclops (D:13)
2 hill giants
A vampire mage (D:12)
4 ugly things
Prince Ribbit (D:7)
A wyvern (D:13)
A hippogriff (D:7)
A wraith (D:13)
A deep elf fighter (D:14)
A vampire mosquito (D:14)
Menkaure (D:6)
A necrophage (D:6)
3 orc warriors
A black bear (shapeshifter) (D:13)
A phantom (D:8)
An ice beast (D:13)
An ogre (D:13)
4 centaurs
2 big kobolds
A giant frog (D:14)
Dowan (D:6)
A hound (D:4)
3 worker ants
An iguana (D:7)
A goliath beetle zombie (D:12)
2 giant centipedes
A gnoll (D:3)
A green rat (D:12)
2 adders (D:4)
An orc (D:8)
5 bats
3 kobolds (D:13)
An orc zombie (D:13)
A rat (D:12)
62 creatures vanquished.
Vanquished Creatures (others)
A golden dragon (D:14)
A shadow dragon (D:14)
An Executioner (D:14)
A stone giant (D:14)
A hydra (D:14)
A sphinx skeleton (D:14)
A very ugly thing (D:14)
3 sun demons
6 ice devils
3 skeletal warriors
A deep elf knight (D:14)
2 large abominations (D:14)
2 cyclopes (D:14)
A slime creature (shapeshifter) (D:14)
A yaktaur (D:14)
A rock troll (D:14)
5 slime creatures (D:14)
2 orange demons (D:14)
4 sixfirhies
8 ugly things (D:14)
7 smoke demons
A ynoxinul (D:14)
2 neqoxecs (D:14)
A vampire mosquito (D:14)
5 small abominations
A soldier ant (D:14)
A phantom (D:14)
2 boring beetles (D:14)
3 centaurs (D:14)
A soldier ant zombie (D:14)
3 giant frogs
2 iron imps (D:14)
A big kobold skeleton (D:14)
A mottled dragon zombie (D:14)
A quasit (D:14)
3 orc priests
A worker ant (D:13)
3 jellies
4 lemures
6 white imps
10 ufetubi
An orc (D:10)
A giant spore (D:10)
A hobgoblin skeleton (D:14)
A ballistomycete (D:9)
3 toadstools
112 creatures vanquished.
Grand Total: 682 creatures vanquished
Notes
Turn | Place | Note
--------------------------------------------------------------
0 | Abyss | Mitzy, the Demonspawn Abyssal Knight, began the quest for the Orb.
0 | Abyss | Reached XP level 1. HP: 16/16 MP: 1/1
51 | Abyss | Reached skill level 1 in Dodging
59 | D:1 | Escaped the Abyss.
67 | D:1 | Reached XP level 2. HP: 5/22 MP: 2/2
635 | D:1 | Acquired Lugonu's second power
637 | D:1 | Gained mutation: A weak demonic guardian rushes to your aid. [demonic ancestry]
637 | D:1 | Gained mutation: You have large cloven feet. [demonic ancestry]
637 | D:1 | Reached XP level 3. HP: 28/28 MP: 4/4
1389 | D:2 | Acquired Lugonu's third power
1402 | D:2 | Reached skill level 1 in Shields
1666 | D:2 | Noticed Terence
1667 | D:2 | Noticed Jessica
1670 | D:2 | Gained mutation: You are surrounded by a mild repulsion field (EV +2). [demonic ancestry]
1670 | D:2 | Reached XP level 4. HP: 18/34 MP: 6/6
1678 | D:2 | Killed Terence
1683 | D:2 | Killed Jessica
1683 | D:2 | Reached skill level 4 in Invocations
2170 | D:3 | Gained mutation: You have hoof-like feet. [demonic ancestry]
2170 | D:3 | Reached XP level 5. HP: 38/40 MP: 8/8
2699 | D:4 | Acquired Lugonu's fourth power
2768 | D:4 | Reached skill level 1 in Throwing
2868 | D:4 | Gained mutation: You have hooves in place of feet. [demonic ancestry]
2868 | D:4 | Reached XP level 6. HP: 36/46 MP: 10/10
2953 | D:4 | Reached skill level 5 in Invocations
3488 | D:5 | Entered Level 5 of the Dungeon
3548 | D:5 | Found a sparkling altar of Nemelex Xobeh.
3873 | D:5 | Acquired Lugonu's fifth power
3882 | D:5 | Found Zabbuob's Armour Emporium.
4424 | D:6 | Gained mutation: A demonic guardian rushes to your aid. [demonic ancestry]
4424 | D:6 | Reached XP level 7. HP: 52/52 MP: 13/13
4445 | D:6 | Found a radiant altar of Vehumet.
4503 | D:6 | Noticed Duvessa
4503 | D:6 | Noticed Dowan
4514 | D:6 | Killed Duvessa
4524 | D:6 | Killed Dowan
4543 | D:6 | Reached skill level 6 in Invocations
4635 | D:6 | Found a white marble altar of Elyvilon.
4711 | D:6 | Noticed a necrophage
4715 | D:6 | Killed a necrophage
4787 | D:6 | Noticed Menkaure
4799 | D:6 | Killed Menkaure
4799 | D:6 | Gained mutation: You are surrounded by a moderate repulsion field (EV +3). [demonic ancestry]
4799 | D:6 | Reached XP level 8. HP: 30/59 MP: 16/16
4921 | D:6 | Found a staircase to the Ecumenical Temple.
4928 | D:6 | Paralysed by a giant eyeball for 4 turns
4966 | Temple | Entered the Ecumenical Temple
5038 | Temple | Corrupted Temple
5038 | Temple | Noticed a large abomination
5038 | Temple | Noticed a sun demon
5038 | Temple | Noticed a skeletal warrior
5038 | Temple | Noticed a large abomination
5038 | Temple | Noticed a pale draconian skeleton
5038 | Temple | Noticed a smoke demon
5040 | Temple | Noticed an orange demon
5044 | Temple | Noticed an orange demon
5047 | Temple | Noticed an orange demon
5053 | Temple | Noticed a large abomination
5065 | Temple | Noticed a large abomination
5076 | Temple | Noticed a smoke demon
5258 | D:7 | Noticed Sigmund
5266 | D:7 | Noticed Ijyb
5269 | D:7 | Killed Sigmund
5277 | D:7 | Reached XP level 7. HP: 31/52 MP: 14/14
5286 | D:7 | Killed Ijyb
5440 | D:7 | Reached XP level 8. HP: 51/59 MP: 16/16
5511 | D:7 | Noticed Prince Ribbit
5522 | D:7 | Killed Prince Ribbit
5522 | D:7 | Reached skill level 7 in Invocations
5542 | D:7 | Found Iceff's Antique Weapon Boutique.
5561 | D:7 | Found Guamatin's Armour Shop.
5568 | D:7 | Bought a +0 cloak for 22 gold pieces
5581 | D:7 | Found Leaq's Armour Boutique.
5692 | D:7 | Reached skill level 5 in Shields
5763 | D:7 | Got a pair of warped gloves
5767 | D:7 | Identified the +1 pair of gloves of Mirth (You found it on level 7 of the Dungeon)
5873 | D:7 | Found Zepeilop's Antique Armour Boutique.
5883 | D:7 | Bought a runed shield for 121 gold pieces
6033 | D:7 | Found Mialeci's Assorted Antiques.
6048 | D:7 | Bought a scroll labeled RUFUTHROOMU for 27 gold pieces
6269 | D:8 | Reached skill level 5 in Fighting
6309 | D:8 | Noticed Maurice
6325 | D:8 | Killed Maurice
6374 | D:8 | Reached XP level 9. HP: 57/65 MP: 19/19
6680 | D:8 | Reached skill level 8 in Invocations
6875 | D:9 | Noticed a centaur warrior
6903 | D:9 | Killed a centaur warrior
6903 | D:9 | Reached skill level 5 in Maces & Flails
7789 | D:9 | Gained mutation: You are surrounded by a strong repulsion field (EV +4, rMsl). [demonic ancestry]
7789 | D:9 | Reached XP level 10. HP: 71/73 MP: 21/21
7844 | D:9 | Reached skill level 9 in Invocations
7926 | D:9 | Noticed Erolcha
7935 | D:9 | Killed Erolcha
7941 | D:9 | Noticed a wolf spider zombie
8139 | D:9 | Found a staircase to the Orcish Mines.
8642 | D:10 | Entered Level 10 of the Dungeon
8686 | D:10 | Noticed Joseph
8710 | D:10 | Killed Joseph
8710 | D:10 | Reached skill level 5 in Armour
8827 | D:10 | Found a portal to a secret trove of treasure.
8904 | D:10 | Found a staircase to the Lair.
9035 | D:10 | Noticed a hill giant
9047 | D:10 | Killed a hill giant
9087 | D:10 | Noticed a sun demon
9090 | D:10 | Reached skill level 10 in Invocations
9183 | D:10 | Noticed Eustachio
9326 | D:10 | Killed Eustachio
9952 | D:10 | Got a crude ring mail
9969 | D:10 | Identified the cursed -5 ring mail of Feasting (You found it on level 10 of the Dungeon)
10066 | D:11 | Noticed a hill giant
10075 | D:11 | Killed a hill giant
10075 | D:11 | Reached XP level 11. HP: 72/81 MP: 22/24
10452 | D:11 | You fall through a shaft!
10452 | D:14 | Entered Level 14 of the Dungeon
10452 | D:14 | Noticed a sphinx skeleton
10452 | D:14 | Noticed a deep elf knight
10452 | D:14 | Noticed a stone giant
10452 | D:14 | Noticed a shadow dragon
10452 | D:14 | Noticed a golden dragon
10452 | D:14 | Noticed a hill giant
10470 | D:14 | Killed a hill giant
10491 | D:14 | Noticed a siren
10541 | D:14 | Noticed an ettin
10542 | D:14 | Noticed a minotaur
10542 | D:14 | an ettin changed into a minotaur
10544 | D:14 | a minotaur changed into an agate snail
10552 | D:14 | Noticed a centaur warrior
10555 | D:14 | Noticed a seven-headed hydra
10560 | D:14 | Noticed a four-headed hydra
10561 | D:14 | Noticed a dragon
10561 | D:14 | a four-headed hydra changed into a dragon
10562 | D:14 | a dragon changed into a slime creature
10563 | D:13 | Noticed Harold
10571 | D:13 | Killed Harold
10844 | D:13 | Noticed a skeletal warrior
10844 | D:13 | Noticed a skeletal warrior
10845 | D:13 | Noticed a skeletal warrior
11200 | D:13 | Noticed a five-headed hydra
11261 | D:13 | Killed a five-headed hydra
11403 | D:13 | Noticed a centaur warrior
11408 | D:13 | Killed a centaur warrior
11408 | D:13 | Reached skill level 11 in Invocations
11488 | D:13 | Reached skill level 10 in Shields
11729 | D:13 | Noticed a wolf spider zombie
11737 | D:13 | Killed a wolf spider zombie
11972 | D:13 | Reached skill level 1 in Traps & Doors
12125 | D:13 | Identified a scroll of acquirement
12220 | D:13 | Noticed a lindwurm
12220 | D:13 | an elf changed into a lindwurm
12227 | D:13 | a lindwurm changed into a moth of wrath
12242 | D:13 | Noticed an unseen horror
12281 | D:13 | Killed an unseen horror
12311 | D:13 | Killed a skeletal warrior
12351 | D:13 | Banished a skeletal warrior
12371 | D:13 | Killed a skeletal warrior
12547 | D:13 | Reached skill level 5 in Throwing
12843 | D:13 | Gained mutation: You possess an exceptional clarity of mind. [mutagenic meat]
12844 | D:13 | Gained mutation: Armour fits poorly on your strangely shaped body. [mutagenic meat]
12954 | D:13 | Noticed a six-headed hydra
12972 | D:13 | Killed a six-headed hydra
12972 | D:13 | Reached XP level 12. HP: 80/89 MP: 26/26
12993 | D:13 | Noticed a hill giant
13008 | D:13 | Killed a hill giant
13016 | D:13 | Noticed an unseen horror
13042 | D:13 | Reached skill level 12 in Invocations
13066 | D:13 | Noticed an unseen horror
13078 | D:13 | Killed an unseen horror
13285 | D:13 | Killed an unseen horror
13722 | D:12 | Found Sheuptij's Jewellery Emporium.
13784 | D:12 | Found Avaon's Distillery.
13840 | D:12 | Bought a potion of paralysis for 15 gold pieces
13840 | D:12 | Bought a potion of agility for 37 gold pieces
13848 | D:12 | Bought a potion of strong poison for 30 gold pieces
13860 | D:12 | Bought a potion of speed for 82 gold pieces
13860 | D:12 | Bought a potion of curing for 30 gold pieces
13860 | D:12 | Bought a potion of heal wounds for 45 gold pieces
13860 | D:12 | Bought a potion of brilliance for 37 gold pieces
13860 | D:12 | Bought a potion of paralysis for 15 gold pieces
13875 | D:12 | Found Nogousch's Antique Weapon Shoppe.
13880 | D:12 | Found Stytiyvi's Weapon Shop.
14085 | D:12 | Reached skill level 5 in Traps & Doors
14378 | D:12 | Found a basalt altar of Yredelemnul.
14832 | D:12 | Noticed a vampire knight
14839 | D:12 | Paralysed by a vampire knight for 7 turns
14890 | D:12 | Killed a vampire knight
15503 | D:13 | Reached skill level 1 in Stabbing
15503 | D:13 | Reached skill level 1 in Evocations
15798 | D:14 | Noticed a hill giant
15913 | D:14 | Noticed Azrael
15913 | D:14 | Banished Azrael
15961 | D:14 | Killed a hill giant
16288 | D:14 | Corrupted D:14
16288 | D:14 | Noticed an Executioner
16288 | D:14 | Noticed a lich
16297 | D:14 | Killed a stone giant
16298 | D:14 | Killed an Executioner
16310 | D:14 | Killed a seven-headed hydra
16319 | D:14 | Killed a brown very ugly thing
16319 | D:14 | Killed a sphinx skeleton
16321 | D:14 | Killed a golden dragon
16338 | D:14 | Killed a deep elf knight
16341 | D:14 | Killed a shadow dragon
16363 | D:14 | Noticed an angel
16883 | Lair:1 | Entered Level 1 of the Lair of Beasts
So, first things first, I've been trying many different kinds of backgrounds with Demonspawn. I have to say Demonspawn is my ultimate favorite race to play as anything, since they're straightforward but interesting at the same time; they have -1 aptitudes in almost everything, and in a lot of ways that's nice for me because I don't have to limit myself in advance to a certain play style with major + aptitudes in certain things (and the +2 in Invocations is a catch-all so it doesn't have to count as "inclined to specialize", it's just nice).
I rolled my beloved dungeon crawling avatar Mitzy up this time as an Abyssal Knight, probably my favorite melee background in general (used to be Monk, now it's AK) because Lugonu is a rare god to find normally and it's fun to be able to play her when I get the chance, and also they're extremely branchable, starting with almost perfectly even STR, DEX and INT, a +2+2 weapon and simple Leather Armor, so depending on what you find you can decide to be a caster, a pure melee, a hybrid, even a stabber, and no matter what you have Banish at your disposal which is a fantastic ranged "attack" and AMAZING against early Orc Priests and Warriors.
So! On to the story so far.
What I do as AK is explore the Abyss for a little while and see if I pick up any good Loot right away, because I can gate out any time and the slight hit to Piety to do so can easily be gained back. A White Imp approached me, and I was barely able to kill it and I instantly leveled up by doing so. Great start.
No Loot though other than a Bread Ration, and something else nasty was approaching, and the exit was still in sight, so I headed for it and left the Abyss to officially start the game. I was still almost dead from the White Imp battle and when I was mobbed by Goblins and Hobgoblins it was scary to survive and keep my head start, but I did so. I ate the extra Bread Ration so I could sacrifice corpses more often and not have to stress out over the food clock right away. Then I discovered a Large Shield. Decided to try wearing it for a while, even with my low starting STR, see how effective it was. Cleared out the rest of D:1 no problem, continued on.When I hit XL 3 I discovered two of my mutations: Hoof Feet and Demonic Guardian. Awesome, awesome. It means I wouldn't be able to wear Boots of Running later but no worries, early and mid game I enjoy the extra melee attack power with kicks. My Large Shield is also doing its job wonderfully, I'm not even noticing any accuracy penalties, and I'm able to raise my STR a couple points in the next few levels, and it was especially wonderful to find a +2 Ring of Strength early on, that helped me out when I found the +1 Scale Mail and chose to wear it. I was deciding at this point that this character would very likely become a pure melee character with heavy armor, considering the kind of Loot I was finding and making use of, plus Demonic Guardian is wonderful for non-spellcasters, it's like automatic summoning without any of the major hassle or drawbacks of becoming a (heavy armor) hybrid, plus they're GREAT for escaping an early game Ogre that's got you trapped! In D:2 Terrence and Jessica ambushed me in a hallway in tandem. I had picked up two poisoned darts just a bit ago and I killed Terrence with them, even with 0.0 in Throwing the poison damage was extremely helpful assisting my melee attacks to get past his AC. ^^ I also noticed that a couple months ago I never even would have thought about that. I'm remembering a lot more often to use everything I have in my inventory, spells and abilities for every situation, and my games have improved because of it.
The next several dungeon levels were somewhat uneventful; I found a BUNCH of Identify and Enchant Armor scrolls, and I became extremely cautious around Orc Wizards, not wanting my scrolls to get burned up like they have been known to do. Later I found a Silver Statue vault guarding treasures, I blew it up with my Wand of Disintegration (those things are SO HANDY) and barely escaped from the Sun Demon it summoned (with about half my HP left), thank God I had Bend Space available. When I came back to loot the treasure, I found a Medium Shield of Reflection, and decided to switch from my Large Shield to this one; the difference in SH was 29 down to 20. That's fine, I thought, I had about 9 Shield skill at this point so I was thinking the loss of penalty would make a big difference in the long run. Discovered more of my demonic mutations: Repulsive Field for the scales facet (which is already maxed out, meaning permanent Repel Missiles on a MELEE CHARACTER
WOOHOO). Also got Demonic Guardian 2 fairly quickly, just in time for Erolcha to show up and my Smoke Demon buddy to come out and roast her. That was kind of nice. ^^So. The "epic shaft trap" noted in the thread title happened at about D:11, dropping me down to D:14, which I totally deserved for having not raised Traps & Doors up at ALL yet. This was the wake up call to do so. The shaft landed me directly next to a transparent container filled with Golden Dragons, Shadow Dragons, Guardian Serpents, Stone Giants, oh my god it was scary. But at least they were behind glass, right? ...Not when a couple of them shape-shifted into Boring Beetles. OH GOD TELEPORT TELEPORT TELEPORT ... and it put me right in the middle of about 50 monsters, including Centaur Warriors, about two dozen Ugly Things, a couple Cyclops and a bunch of Yaks... it basically made the Orcish Mines look abandoned in comparison. I decided to use the Scroll of Fear. Thankfully it sent everything on the screen careening away from me, and I was able to maneuver my way to an upstairs just in time; the single turn I took going up the stairs got me sent from max HP to 20% of my HP, taking multiple arrows, large stones and a couple goring attacks in one turn. Some Yaks and some of my Demonic Guardians followed me up, and there was Harold waiting for me. No healing potions left either, and I thought about banishing Harold if I couldn't get away from him, but thankfully my Sun Demon and Sixfirhy were able to kill him and the two Yaks while I hid behind them in a corridor. I spent the next several hundred turns TRYING to rest up, but every time it was interrupted by Unseen Horrors (thank God I had a Ring of See Invisible as a switch-off), Skeletal Warriors, Orc Priests, Cyclopses, etcetera. Basically all kinds of normal monsters for D:13, none of which I was ready for. My Demonic Guardians saved my life over and over, and there were a ton of corridors on this map to duck behind. I got very lucky. When I was finally at full health, I explored the stage a bit and found where all the dangerous foes (multiple Unseen Horrors and Orc Warriors) were coming from: a steel fortress to the northeast, with a sweet stash of gold at the end. With careful attack and retreat maneuvers, I forced my way through the enemies one room at a time, killed them all, and looted it, just in time for those Skeletal Warriors to show up. Three of them. But one was defeated with a Smoke Demon + Sun Demon tag team, the second one I banished, and the final one was mortally wounded and I finished it off in melee combat victoriously. It went GREAT.
Then I decided to go back down to D:14 and take care of that massive horde... with Touch of Corruption. God it was beautiful. With Invocations at 12, an enormous amount of demons were gated in, and when I teleported to safety, I waited a couple hundred turns and basically everything on the floor died. I got experience for it too, which really surprised me! There was one corner of the dungeon left unexpored and Azarel jumped out which was an even nastier surprise, and so far it was the only unique I decided to Banish, as I had no rF yet and I didn't really want his Loot (I had a Scroll of Acquirement earlier and got an Eveningstar of Protection, so wasn't interested in his sword).
On my way back up to D:11, and the Lair, in D:12 I found a circular Vampire Fortress, with a Vampire Mage and a dangerous Vampire Knight inside! It took some work, and the Knight freaked me out when it Paralyzed me, but once I lured them into the corridors I was able to defeat them all with the assistance of my Demonic Guardians. When I looted their core room, a +3 Plate Mail of Magic Resistance was waiting for me, and I gleefully swapped it in for my +0 Splint Mail I'd been using. That gambit worked out after all, thankfully. ^^
Finally I finished backtracking to the Lair, set my stash up, saved my game and wrote this post. My T&D skill is currently 8.1 and I intend to raise it to 10 or 11, so no more epic shaft traps for a while I hope.
I have a couple of questions:
* I have an Eveningstar of Protection, and am playing a Demonspawn. Stick with this? Or switch to a Demon Whip later? I had thought Demon Whips are better on DEX-based characters, or mages, but I am playing a high-STR character. Lugonu's Distortion Gift is ready and waiting to be used (and I corrupted the Temple so I have some altars I can use
) but since I'm using a Mace, it means I can't chop up corpses if I brand Distortion to it. Any recommendations on what to do with that?* Skills to train up next? Obviously Shields to 15.0, and more in Maces, but other than that?
* What my character is missing, and should try to have? I have some of the late-game essentials already, such as Amulet of Resist Mutation and one Potion of Cure Mutation waiting in my stash, but I'm currently lacking rF, rC and rN. Thanks to my randart gloves I have rPois and rElec though, which are a bit rarer and it means if I meet Nikola I can handle him without stressing out.
Thanks for reading! I missed some details in the story but it's because I'm rushed for time, Starbucks is about to close and kick me out.
I'll check the thread late tonight. Have a great week everyone and I hope people's Thanksgiving went nicely! --SchwaEDIT: Died a bit ago. Orb of Fire. Next time must remember to bring rF+++ instead of rF++ to Zot:5.
Last edited by SchwaWarrior on Wednesday, 28th November 2012, 01:23, edited 1 time in total.
--Schwa, your local muse forever and long-time High Elf fangirl ^_~
(also the master of Quadri-Birds)
TheProvocateur: I like how we're sprinting at a pile of greater mummies
(also the master of Quadri-Birds)
TheProvocateur: I like how we're sprinting at a pile of greater mummies
Dangit. I got the Rune though and it is an experience I hope never ever to repeat.