Endgame Advice Needed

[Doc Brown]

Hello,

I finally managed to open the gates to Zot, but I feel rather unprepared for the endgame and wonder how to change that. For one, I haven't found an amulet of resist mutation, which makes me a bit nervous about the upcoming levels. I also don't have any of the awesome spells that seem like they are best suited for the endgame, as I've mostly relied on stabbing monsters. However, I just found a book with Tornado in it. Unfortunately it's at Terrible right now - should I grind XP and victory dance until it's castable or is it too late now?

I'm also unsure where to go from here. Zot:1 was really tough and I'm not sure I can clear Zot:2-4 just yet. I've got four runes so far (Snake, Swamp, Vault, Abyss) and have opened the four Hell branches, but not entered them yet.There's a Ziggurat I could enter, but I'd probably not get very deep. Other than that, the other places I could visit are Slime, Tomb and Crypt:5, but my character doesn't seem particularly suited to do any of these yet.

My plan was to go for the Ziggurat and hope to find an amulet of resist mutation, then maybe start on the first few slime levels and Hell before I try to go for the Orb. Is there anything fundamentally wrong with this plan?

Also, after clearing Crypt: 1-4 I assume it's too late for me to switch to TSO?

  Code:

 Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup version 0.8.0-a0-5951-g8f09abf character file.

Goonzales the Intangible (Spriggan Venom Mage)                    Turns: 182706, Time: 13:14:30

HP 164/164 (168) AC 19     Str  9      Exp: 27/1308189 (2834)
MP  45/45        EV 40     Int 28      God: Nemelex Xobeh [****..]
Gold 5595        SH 26     Dex 20      Spells: 17 memorised,  3 levels left

Res.Fire  : . . .   See Invis. : +    h - +3,+5 quick blade of Tivut {stab, Dex+3 In
Res.Cold  : + + .   Warding    : . .  w - +4 skin of Zhor {rC++}
Life Prot.: + . .   Conserve   : .    A - +3 buckler {rflct}
Res.Acid. : + . .   Res.Corr.  : +    g - +2 cap of Oroculoth {Acc+3 Curse}
Res.Poison: .       Clarity    : .    p - +2 cloak {MR}
Res.Elec. : .       Spirit.Shd : .    (gloves unavailable)
Sust.Abil.: + .     Stasis     : .    (boots unavailable)
Res.Mut.  : .       Ctrl.Telep.: .    c - amulet "Klararuj" {rCorr rN+ Int+3}
Res.Rott. : .       Levitation : .    f - ring of Robustness {AC+8}
Saprovore : . . .   Ctrl.Flight: .    x - ring of sustain abilities

@: very quick, incredibly resistant to hostile enchantments, incredibly stealthy
A: unfitting armour, see invisible, deterioration 1, herbivore 3, speed 3, slow healing 2, slow
metabolism 3, Int -1
a: Draw One, Peek at Two, Triple Draw, Mark Four, Renounce Religion


You are on level 1 of the Lair of Beasts.
You worship Nemelex Xobeh.
Nemelex Xobeh is extremely pleased with you.
You are completely stuffed.

You have visited 13 branches of the dungeon, and seen 73 of its levels.
You have visited the Abyss 2 times.
You have visited 1 Labyrinth.
You have visited 1 portal chamber: wizlab.

You have collected 8497 gold pieces.
You have spent 2870 gold pieces at shops.

Inventory:

Hand weapons
 h - the +3,+5 quick blade of Tivut (weapon) {stab, Dex+3 Int+2}
   (You found it on level 4 of the Lair of Beasts)   
   It inflicts extra damage upon your enemies.
   It affects your intelligence (+2).
   It affects your dexterity (+3).
Armour
 g - the +2 cap of Oroculoth (worn) {Acc+3 Curse}
   (You acquired it on level 3 of the Elven Halls)   
   It affects your accuracy (+3).
   It may recurse itself.
 p - a +2 cloak of magic resistance (worn)
 w - the +4 skin of Zhor (worn) {rC++}
   (You found it on level 18 of the Dungeon)   
   It greatly protects you from cold.
 A - a +3 buckler of reflection (worn)
Magical devices
 j - a wand of cold (2)
 r - a wand of disintegration (5)
 u - a wand of disintegration (3)
 H - a wand of fire (1)
 T - a wand of lightning (8)
Comestibles
 a - 2 bread rations
 E - 2 royal jellies
Jewellery
 c - the amulet "Klararuj" (around neck) {rCorr rN+ Int+3}
   (You bought it in a shop on level 10 of the Dungeon)   
   [amulet of resist corrosion]
   It affects your intelligence (+3).
   It protects you from negative energy.
 f - the ring of Robustness (right hand) {AC+8}
   (You found it on level 5 of the Elven Halls)   
   [ring of protection]
   It affects your AC (+8).
 l - the ring "Shronta" {rPois rF+}
   (You found it in a Labyrinth)   
   [ring of poison resistance]
   It protects you from fire.
 x - a ring of sustain abilities (left hand)
 F - an uncursed ring of life protection
 K - an uncursed ring of invisibility
 L - the ring "Xyimiov" {*TELE Str+4 Int+3}
   (You bought it in a shop on level 4 of the Orcish Mines)   
   [ring of teleportation]
   It affects your strength (+4).
   It affects your intelligence (+3).
Potions
 b - a potion of agility
 e - a potion of heal wounds
 i - a potion of might
 n - 3 potions of restore abilities
 q - a potion of brilliance
 C - 6 potions of healing

Miscellaneous
 d - a plain deck of defence {drawn: 2}
 G - an ornate deck of summonings {god gift}
 I - a legendary deck of summonings {god gift}
 M - a plain deck of changes
 R - a plain deck of changes {drawn: 2}


 You have 2834 experience left.

   Skills:
 - Level 15 Fighting
 - Level 17 Short Blades
 * Level 27 Dodging
 + Level 19 Stealth
 - Level 14 Stabbing
 + Level 14 Shields
 + Level 9 Traps & Doors
 - Level 4 Unarmed Combat
 + Level 14 Spellcasting
 + Level 8 Conjurations
 - Level 2 Hexes
 - Level 2 Charms
 - Level 10 Translocations
 - Level 1 Fire Magic
 + Level 2 Ice Magic
 - Level 4 Air Magic
 + Level 11 Poison Magic
 + Level 15 Evocations


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

 Your Spells              Type           Power        Success   Level  Hunger
a - Sting                 Pois/Conj      #####        Excellent   1    None
b - Mephitic Cloud        Pois/Air/Conj  #######...   Excellent   3    None
c - Cure Poison           Pois           #######...   Excellent   2    None
d - Ensorcelled Hibernat  Ice/Hex        #####..      Excellent   2    None
e - Repel Missiles        Air/Chrm       ######....   Excellent   2    None
f - Blink                 Tloc           N/A          Excellent   2    None
g - Alistair's Intoxicat  Pois/Trmt      N/A          Excellent   4    None
h - Poisonous Cloud       Pois/Air/Conj  #######...   Excellent   5    None
i - Levitation            Air/Chrm       ######....   Excellent   2    None
j - Throw Flame           Fire/Conj      ######.      Excellent   2    None
k - Airstrike             Air            ######....   Great       4    None
l - Phase Shift           Tloc           #######...   Excellent   5    None
m - Abjuration            Summ           ####......   Great       3    None
n - Venom Bolt            Pois/Conj      #######...   Excellent   5    None
o - Throw Icicle          Ice/Conj       ######...    Excellent   4    None
p - Insulation            Air/Chrm       ######....   Great       4    None
q - Fulsome Distillation  Trmt/Necr      N/A          Excellent   1    None


Dungeon Overview and Level Annotations

Branches:
Dungeon (27/27)            Temple (1/1) D:7             Orc (4/4) D:11
    Elf (5/5) Orc:3          Lair (8/8) D:11          Swamp (5/5) Lair:4
  Slime (1/6) Lair:6        Snake (5/5) Lair:3         Hive (2/2) D:14
  Vault (8/8) D:15          Blade (0/1) Vault:5       Crypt (4/5) Vault:3
   Tomb (0/3) Crypt:3         Dis (0/7) Hell            Geh (0/7) Hell
    Coc (0/7) Hell            Tar (0/7) Hell            Zot (2/5) D:27

[KoboldLord]

I finally managed to open the gates to Zot, but I feel rather unprepared for the endgame and wonder how to change that. For one, I haven't found an amulet of resist mutation, which makes me a bit nervous about the upcoming levels.

The amulet of resist mutation is only super-ultra-important if you actually plan to play any part of the game after clearing Zot. Any confrontation with an orb of fire without having one equipped will turn into a mutated wreck, but once the game is over (one way or the other) you don't have to care about that any more.

So, uh, yeah. You have a good chance of simply being able to avoid orbs of fire until Zot 5, since they're fairly uncommon and slower than spriggans. Actually killing them will be excruciating for you, so you might want to try teleport roulette in Zot 5 if you don't have Tornado working by then. There's always several of them guarding the route to the Orb.

I also don't have any of the awesome spells that seem like they are best suited for the endgame, as I've mostly relied on stabbing monsters. However, I just found a book with Tornado in it. Unfortunately it's at Terrible right now - should I grind XP and victory dance until it's castable or is it too late now?

Once you make it past hopeless, you'll actually get new adjectives pretty fast as you continue to train. You can also try stacking sources of wizardry. I don't think you can get Tornado up just on Zot 2-4 alone, but if you victory dance through Pan for a bit, it actually isn't that hard to get castable.

I'm actually not sure how you're already all the way to terrible, mind you. You're basically starting from scratch here.

I'm also unsure where to go from here. Zot:1 was really tough and I'm not sure I can clear Zot:2-4 just yet. I've got four runes so far (Snake, Swamp, Vault, Abyss) and have opened the four Hell branches, but not entered them yet.There's a Ziggurat I could enter, but I'd probably not get very deep. Other than that, the other places I could visit are Slime, Tomb and Crypt:5, but my character doesn't seem particularly suited to do any of these yet.

My plan was to go for the Ziggurat and hope to find an amulet of resist mutation, then maybe start on the first few slime levels and Hell before I try to go for the Orb. Is there anything fundamentally wrong with this plan?

Crypt 5 is going to be easy for you. Worst thing you can face there are ancient liches, and those spawn in Zot, too. Which you're already starting to clear.

Pandemonium is probably easier than any of the other post-endgame branches. Everything in there is possible to stab, and you have easy options for escape if you get in over your head. Loot isn't very good, but you should find enough bread rations to keep you going and there's lots of xp.

There's no point in doing 'the first few' levels of Slime or Hell. There is zero loot until the last levels, and you have safer xp available from Pandemonium if that's all you want.

If you try the Ziggurat, make sure you bail before it's too late. They get nasty fast.

Also, after clearing Crypt: 1-4 I assume it's too late for me to switch to TSO?

No, a short walk through Pan or the Abyss builds up TSO piety just fine. I'm not sure TSO is going to be anywhere as good as Nemelex, though, particularly if you're still clearing Zot at the time.

I'd advise you to clear out some of your redundant spells, and add some utility or buffs into the opened slots. There's no reason to have Throw Icicle and Airstrike and Throw Flame and Sting, for instance; just use the highest-level hungerless direct damage you have and amnesia the rest away. There's a lot of other spells I'm betting you hardly ever use any more, too. Buff like Haste will supplement your stabbing game, which has been your major focus until now.

[Doc Brown]

The amulet of resist mutation is only super-ultra-important if you actually plan to play any part of the game after clearing Zot. Any confrontation with an orb of fire without having one equipped will turn into a mutated wreck, but once the game is over (one way or the other) you don't have to care about that any more.

So, uh, yeah. You have a good chance of simply being able to avoid orbs of fire until Zot 5, since they're fairly uncommon and slower than spriggans. Actually killing them will be excruciating for you, so you might want to try teleport roulette in Zot 5 if you don't have Tornado working by then. There's always several of them guarding the route to the Orb.

That's good to know, I was afraid that I'll be a mutated mess before I even get to Zot:5, which might be a game breaker since I don't have any Potions of Cure Mutation either.

Crypt 5 is going to be easy for you. Worst thing you can face there are ancient liches, and those spawn in Zot, too. Which you're already starting to clear.

Pandemonium is probably easier than any of the other post-endgame branches. Everything in there is possible to stab, and you have easy options for escape if you get in over your head. Loot isn't very good, but you should find enough bread rations to keep you going and there's lots of xp.

There's no point in doing 'the first few' levels of Slime or Hell. There is zero loot until the last levels, and you have safer xp available from Pandemonium if that's all you want.

Excellent, I'll do some victory dancing through Crypt:5 and Pan then, Tornado looks like it's worth that bit of extra grind as long as I can get it castable for Zot:5. The only reason I was looking to do a bit of Slime and Hell was the XP, as I assumed those zones to be safer than Pan.

No, a short walk through Pan or the Abyss builds up TSO piety just fine. I'm not sure TSO is going to be anywhere as good as Nemelex, though, particularly if you're still clearing Zot at the time.

Ah, I was considering a switch because spamming Decks of Summoning lost a bit of its power, but if Nemelex is better for Zot there's really no point in abandoning her. It's still good to know though that TSO piety can be built sufficiently without the Crypt.

I'd advise you to clear out some of your redundant spells, and add some utility or buffs into the opened slots. There's no reason to have Throw Icicle and Airstrike and Throw Flame and Sting, for instance; just use the highest-level hungerless direct damage you have and amnesia the rest away. There's a lot of other spells I'm betting you hardly ever use any more, too. Buff like Haste will supplement your stabbing game, which has been your major focus until now.

Another excellent point, I've hardly used any spells besides Mephitic Cloud, Blink, Repel Missiles and Phase Shift. In fact, most of them I haven't even used at all, I just memorized them because I had the free slots. I've got over half a dozen amnesia scrolls, so I'll get rid of everything I don't need.

Thank you kindly for taking the time to answer my questions! I wouldn't have gotten anywhere near this far if it wasn't for the knowledge shared in this forum.

[XuaXua]

Times like this make me want another branch as hard as crypt. Probably the deep dwarf branch, right?

I assume you cleared orc, elf and hive then?

[Doc Brown]

Times like this make me want another branch as hard as crypt. Probably the deep dwarf branch, right?

I assume you cleared orc, elf and hive then?

I did indeed, there's nowhere left for me to go but the places I mentioned. I've kinda assumed that the slime pit filled that void, but it looks like I was wrong about that. I still find it rather counterintuitive that the slime branch opens so early, but is apparently one of the very last branches that can be cleared.

[FilthyApe]

Definitely go clear crypt 5. It is easier than zot. Heck, barring extreme rarities, it is easier than vault 8 as well. Ancient liches can show up in vault 8 too, and their friends in vault are usually much more dangerous.

My question is, are you asking about doing postgame branches because you want to do some postgame branches, or only because you are nervous about zot? Is your goal at the moment to win, or to get more runs?

If your goal is simply to win, I would suggest doing crypt 5, and then doing zot and going for the orb. You look pretty ready for zot to me, though your resists could use shoring up. I would definitely be using "the ring "Shronta" {rPois rF+}" for some fire resist, and probably some other rF+ ring, if you have it. The AC+8 ring, while not bad, isn't really something I would lust after as a spriggan.

What in zot1 did you find difficult? As a spriggan with well developed stabbing skills, you should be able to flay most things there, and dodge the attacks of the rest. I generally find the big drac packs there to be the most dangerous common foes, but they can't see invis. See if you can cast it, or if not, evoke it. As a nemelex worshipper, your evocations is plenty good for evokable invisibility.

Your lack of rF is more worrying than the lack of rMut. Like KoboldLord said, if you don't plan on continuing to do more stuff, rMut doesn't really matter. You'll want at least rF++ while fighting orbs of fire though.

You have insulation, which is good enough rElec for zot. Electric golems are the big electrical threat, but they aren't very common. You are unlikely to see them outside of zot 5 most games. Sometimes you don't see them at all.

I probably wouldn't suggest teleroulette in zot5. While teleroulette can work, for you I think it is riskier than simply clearing a lung slowly. I consider it more of a strategy for very weak characters. You are high level, have a good fighting skill (so decent hp for a spriggan), are worshiping a powerful god, and have good defenses. Just go slowly, drawing enemies backwards out of a lung, and don't hesitate to draw liberally from your summoning decks .

Usually when it comes to zot5, my biggest fear aren't orbs of fire or electric golems. Those are powerful, but they are also predictable. Ancient liches are usually the ones that keep me on my toes. Will it send crystal spears or OODs at you? Will it start chain-spamming 1s? A bunch of uninvited 1s can suddenly make a situation much worse, and your abjuration spellpower isn't very good.

If your goal is to get more runes, my suggestion would be slime. It is fairly short, predictable, and it has a bunch of loot at the end. The royal jelly doesn't regen, so take it slow. If you need to retreat and regroup, do so. Feel free to abuse summoning decks on the jelly too.

Pan isn't too hard, especially if you plan on stealing runes instead of killing the harder lords, but it is more unpredictable and the treasure isn't as good. You never know where a pan gate will land you. It could be sending you on a trip to hellion island.

[pratamawirya]

It could be sending you on a trip to hellion island.

N A S T Y

[Doc Brown]

Definitely go clear crypt 5. It is easier than zot. Heck, barring extreme rarities, it is easier than vault 8 as well. Ancient liches can show up in vault 8 too, and their friends in vault are usually much more dangerous.

My question is, are you asking about doing postgame branches because you want to do some postgame branches, or only because you are nervous about zot? Is your goal at the moment to win, or to get more runs?

As it's the first time I got this far, my main objective is to escape with the Orb, although I want to see as much of the late game content as I (safely) can. But yeah, I definitely am a bit nervous about Zot.

What in zot1 did you find difficult? As a spriggan with well developed stabbing skills, you should be able to flay most things there, and dodge the attacks of the rest. I generally find the big drac packs there to be the most dangerous common foes, but they can't see invis. See if you can cast it, or if not, evoke it. As a nemelex worshipper, your evocations is plenty good for evokable invisibility.

I didn't realize that Draconians can't see invisible, I just kinda assumed they can. Also, some of the dragons took more than one hit, even if I stabbed them while asleep. This lead to me trying to melee them in corridors, resting after every two fights or so (which took quite a few turns and bread rations, as I got slow healing 2). I'll go back with a ring of invisibility, that should make things a lot easier.

Your lack of rF is more worrying than the lack of rMut. Like KoboldLord said, if you don't plan on continuing to do more stuff, rMut doesn't really matter. You'll want at least rF++ while fighting orbs of fire though.

I can get rf+++ if I need to, so I'll keep that in mind.

You have insulation, which is good enough rElec for zot. Electric golems are the big electrical threat, but they aren't very common. You are unlikely to see them outside of zot 5 most games. Sometimes you don't see them at all.

Oh, I already fought two of them in Zot 2, which was one of the reasons I backed out. Good to know that I'm unlikely to see a lot more of these.

Usually when it comes to zot5, my biggest fear aren't orbs of fire or electric golems. Those are powerful, but they are also predictable. Ancient liches are usually the ones that keep me on my toes. Will it send crystal spears or OODs at you? Will it start chain-spamming 1s? A bunch of uninvited 1s can suddenly much a situation much worse, and your abjuration spellpower isn't very good.

I find ancient liches a lot scarier than electric golems, they're the reason I've stayed clear of Crypt 5 so far.

Pan isn't too hard, especially if you plan on stealing runes instead of killing the harder lords, but it is more unpredictable and the treasure isn't as good. You never know where a pan gate will land you. It could be sending you on a trip to hellion island.

I'm a bit nervous about doing Pan, as I don't have a weapon of distortion to get me out when things get sticky. I'll try to do Crypt 5 and a bit more Zot , then reevaluate.

One more question: I found a Potion of Cure Mutation (first one in this game!), should I use it now to get rid of deterioration 1 and slow healing 2 or keep it just in case I get something really nasty before Zot 5? Deterioration worries me a bit, as I'm running out of royal jellies and I could use the second ring slot for something better than the ring of sustain abilities.

Thank you for the advice, it's much appreciated!

[FilthyApe]

Deterioration 1 isn't much more than an annoyance. You don't really need to wear a sustain abilities ring because of it. Slow healing 2 would irritate me a lot more. Try to see if you have a spellbook with regeneration lying around somewhere. It would help ease some of the pain.

While I would be severely tempted to quaff the potion to get rid of the slow healing, I think I would probably hold off if I had regeneration. If you had more cure mut potions, I would definitely suggest quaffing. While it is true that your lack of rMut in zot5 will probably not matter, there is always the chance they could give you something irritating like berserkitus or teleportitus, and you might want to use the potion to cure that. You may want to bring a stasis amulet with you just in case, if you have one lying around.

Don't keep the potion on your person either. Cure mut is too valuable to carry around, what with the risk of potions shattering.

[vintermann]

You can get mutation resistance from Zin if it's very important, but Zin would otherwise not be much use for you. Piety could also be hard to build unless you've got lots of gold to spare.

[Scalding Steam]

rF+++ is mandatory for Zot; quaff a potion of resistance before fighting orbs of fire if necessary. rMut is important, but you could live without it if you have some potions of cure mutation stashed.

[Doc Brown]

I quaffed my only potion of cure mutation, hoping to get rid of slow healing 2 as I don't have a book with Regeneration. It didn't work. Then I stepped into a Zot trap in Crypt 5 and caught shoutitis. This is particularly annoying as I'm down to 7 royal jellies and 4 bread rations and I haven't found any bee vaults besides the Hive( which is empty by now). I've got a spare scroll of acquirement that I can use for food, but I have no idea how long that will last.

Does it make sense to sacrifice most of my potions and wands in hope of a Helix card? I'll just keep the speed, resistance and invisibility potions and a wand of teleportation, they're probably all I need anyway.

Edit: Heh, an ancient lich blew up himself while following me down a corridor - I thought it was funny, but how did it manage to do that? Did it run into its own orb of destruction?

[FlyingPants]

Ya high power helix is very nice. Experience is good too.
Using scroll of acquirement on food!!!!!!!

[Doc Brown]

Using scroll of acquirement on food!!!!!!!

Heh, it does sound like a bit of a waste, but I'm in dire need for food. I sacrificed all my remaining potions except speed, invisibilty, restore abilities and resistance. I did the same with all my wands except teleport, haste and disintegration, but still no luck. At least the two legendary decks of summoning that I got should be useful for Zot.

Sooo, can anyone tell me how many royal jellies I'd get from a scroll of acquirement? The wiki only says I'll get "some" royal jellies.

[XuaXua]

Sooo, can anyone tell me how many royal jellies I'd get from a scroll of acquirement? The wiki only says I'll get "some" royal jellies.

I've received bread and sometimes meat rations.

Sacrifice to Nemelex.

[Doc Brown]

Could I receive meat rations from the scroll as a Spriggan? I read that you'll never get armour you can't wear, does the same principle apply to food?

I'm down to slow healing 1 and got back 2 int thanks to a Helix card. Also got a 89k XP pool and studious about spellcasting from the same deck, so yeah, I'm pretty happy with my sacrifices. Crypt 5 was easy due to the ancient lich suiciding and Zot 2 and 3 didn't pose much of challenge so far either, so I might not even need the extra food.

[Kate]

You'll only get food you can eat. It'll either be rations or royal jellies (3 to 7), or honeycombs (3 to 16). Or you get fruit if you worship Fedhas, blood if you're a Vampire, chunks of meat if you're a Ghoul...

[Doc Brown]

Thank you for the reply! This pretty much eliminated all my hunger issues.


I've cleared Zot 4 and probably should go for the Orb at this point, but the Orb Chamber looks really scary on the wiki.

My plan is to summon a big army (4 legendary decks of summoning, 2 bottled efreets at 75% success chance) and hide. I've got two Tomb cards stacked in case things get hairy. That's pretty much where my plan ends. My spellcasting is only at 20, so I won't be able to cast Tornado.

- Should I put on the amulet of Cekugob {Ward -TELE Hunger rElec rPois rN+ AC+1 EV+1}? Taking an extra turn to blink away looks a bit dangerous, but the warding and rN+ are really nice.

- When I stack that Deck of Destruction, what cards should I look for? I've never really used these decks much.

- What spells do I cast while my army engages in combat? I've pretty much relied on Airstrike through Zot 2-4 and the only AoE spells I have are Mephitic and Poisonous Cloud, are these any good in the Orb Chamber?

  Code:

 Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup version 0.8.0-a0-5951-g8f09abf character file.

Goonzales the Intangible (Spriggan Venom Mage)                    Turns: 229223, Time: 16:21:41

HP 162/162 (168) AC 11     Str  8      Exp: 27/1896489 (34738)
MP  47/47        EV 40     Int 30      God: Nemelex Xobeh [*****.]
Gold 1543        SH 26     Dex 20      Spells: 18 memorised,  9 levels left

Res.Fire  : + + .   See Invis. : +    h - +3,+5 quick blade of Tivut {stab, Dex+3 In
Res.Cold  : + + .   Warding    : . .  w - +4 skin of Zhor {rC++}
Life Prot.: + . .   Conserve   : .    A - +3 buckler {rflct}
Res.Acid. : + . .   Res.Corr.  : +    g - +2 cap of Oroculoth {Acc+3 Curse}
Res.Poison: +       Clarity    : .    p - +2 cloak {MR}
Res.Elec. : .       Spirit.Shd : .    (gloves unavailable)
Sust.Abil.: . .     Stasis     : .    (boots unavailable)
Res.Mut.  : .       Ctrl.Telep.: .    c - amulet "Klararuj" {rCorr rN+ Int+3}
Res.Rott. : .       Levitation : .    m - ring of protection from fire
Saprovore : . . .   Ctrl.Flight: .    l - ring "Shronta" {rPois rF+}

@: very quick, incredibly resistant to hostile enchantments, incredibly stealthy
A: unfitting armour, beak, see invisible, herbivore 3, speed 3, screaming 1, slow healing 1,
slow metabolism 3
a: Draw One, Peek at Two, Triple Draw, Mark Four, Stack Five, Renounce Religion


You are on level 1 of the Lair of Beasts.
You worship Nemelex Xobeh.
Nemelex Xobeh is exalted by your worship.
You are completely stuffed.

You have visited 13 branches of the dungeon, and seen 76 of its levels.
You have visited the Abyss 2 times.
You have visited 1 Labyrinth.
You have visited 1 Ziggurat, and seen 7 of its levels.
You have visited 1 portal chamber: wizlab.

You have collected 9299 gold pieces.
You have spent 2870 gold pieces at shops.
You have used 4790 gold pieces for miscellaneous purposes.

Inventory:

Hand weapons
 h - the +3,+5 quick blade of Tivut (weapon) {stab, Dex+3 Int+2}
   (You found it on level 4 of the Lair of Beasts)   
   It inflicts extra damage upon your enemies.
   It affects your intelligence (+2).
   It affects your dexterity (+3).
Armour
 g - the +2 cap of Oroculoth (worn) {Acc+3 Curse}
   (You acquired it on level 3 of the Elven Halls)   
   It affects your accuracy (+3).
   It may recurse itself.
 p - a +2 cloak of magic resistance (worn)
 w - the +4 skin of Zhor (worn) {rC++}
   (You found it on level 18 of the Dungeon)   
   It greatly protects you from cold.
 A - a +3 buckler of reflection (worn)
Magical devices
 i - a wand of hasting {zapped: 1}
 r - a wand of disintegration (5)
 M - a wand of teleportation (5)
Comestibles
 k - a bread ration
 E - 2 royal jellies
Scrolls
 n - a scroll of recharging
 o - 2 scrolls of teleportation
Jewellery
 c - the amulet "Klararuj" (around neck) {rCorr rN+ Int+3}
   (You bought it in a shop on level 10 of the Dungeon)   
   [amulet of resist corrosion]
   It affects your intelligence (+3).
   It protects you from negative energy.
 f - the ring of Robustness {AC+8}
   (You found it on level 5 of the Elven Halls)   
   [ring of protection]
   It affects your AC (+8).
 l - the ring "Shronta" (left hand) {rPois rF+}
   (You found it in a Labyrinth)   
   [ring of poison resistance]
   It protects you from fire.
 m - a ring of protection from fire (right hand)
 s - the amulet of Cekugob {Ward -TELE Hunger rElec rPois rN+ AC+1 EV+1}
   (You found it on level 4 of a ziggurat)   
   [amulet of warding]
   It affects your AC (+1).
   It affects your evasion (+1).
   It insulates you from electricity.
   It protects you from poison.
   It protects you from negative energy.
   It prevents most forms of teleportation.
   It speeds your metabolism.
 F - an uncursed ring of life protection
Potions
 b - 5 potions of restore abilities
 t - 2 potions of invisibility
 x - 3 potions of resistance
 C - 7 potions of healing
 K - 2 potions of speed
Miscellaneous
 a - an ornate deck of escape {Warpwright, left: 4} {god gift}
 e - an ornate deck of destruction {drawn: 1} {god gift}
 j - a legendary deck of summonings {drawn: 1} {god gift}
 q - an ornate deck of escape {the Tomb, left: 5} {god gift}
 u - a sealed bronze flask
 v - a legendary deck of summonings {drawn: 1} {god gift}
 z - a legendary deck of summonings {drawn: 1} {god gift}
 D - a sealed bronze flask
 I - a legendary deck of summonings {god gift}
 L - a grey disc


 You have 34738 experience left.

   Skills:
 - Level 15 Fighting
 - Level 18 Short Blades
 * Level 27 Dodging
 - Level 20 Stealth
 - Level 14 Stabbing
 - Level 14 Shields
 - Level 10 Traps & Doors
 - Level 5 Unarmed Combat
 + Level 20 Spellcasting
 - Level 8 Conjurations
 - Level 2 Hexes
 - Level 6 Charms
 - Level 1 Summonings
 - Level 2 Necromancy
 - Level 11 Translocations
 - Level 1 Fire Magic
 - Level 2 Ice Magic
 - Level 11 Air Magic
 - Level 11 Poison Magic
 + Level 17 Evocations


You have 9 spell levels left.
You know the following spells:

 Your Spells              Type           Power        Success   Level  Hunger
a - Sting                 Pois/Conj      #####        Excellent   1    None
b - Mephitic Cloud        Pois/Air/Conj  #######...   Excellent   3    None
c - Cure Poison           Pois           #######...   Excellent   2    None
d - Ensorcelled Hibernat  Ice/Hex        ######.      Excellent   2    None
e - Repel Missiles        Air/Chrm       #######...   Excellent   2    None
f - Blink                 Tloc           N/A          Excellent   2    None
g - Slow                  Hex            ######...    Excellent   2    None
h - Poisonous Cloud       Pois/Air/Conj  #######...   Excellent   5    None
i - Levitation            Air/Chrm       #######...   Excellent   2    None
j - Throw Flame           Fire/Conj      #######      Excellent   2    None
k - Airstrike             Air            #######...   Excellent   4    None
l - Phase Shift           Tloc           #######...   Excellent   5    None
m - Abjuration            Summ           ######....   Excellent   3    None
n - Venom Bolt            Pois/Conj      #######...   Excellent   5    None
o - Tornado               Air            #######...   Useless     9    Honeycomb
p - Insulation            Air/Chrm       #######...   Excellent   4    None
q - Fulsome Distillation  Trmt/Necr      N/A          Excellent   1    None
r - Regeneration          Chrm/Necr      #######...   Excellent   3    None


Dungeon Overview and Level Annotations

Branches:
Dungeon (27/27)            Temple (1/1) D:7             Orc (4/4) D:11
    Elf (5/5) Orc:3          Lair (8/8) D:11          Swamp (5/5) Lair:4
  Slime (1/6) Lair:6        Snake (5/5) Lair:3         Hive (2/2) D:14
  Vault (8/8) D:15          Blade (0/1) Vault:5       Crypt (5/5) Vault:3
   Tomb (0/3) Crypt:3         Dis (0/7) Hell            Geh (0/7) Hell
    Coc (0/7) Hell            Tar (0/7) Hell            Zot (4/5) D:27


I apologize for all the questions, but I'd really hate to die after getting this far.

[XuaXua]

Also, turn on Fighting and don't ever think about turning it off again on any character (until it gets nerfed).

+1

Also hope you've been using Fulsome Distillation on mutated meat to make potions of mutation to sacrifice to nemelex for decks of wonder.

[pratamawirya]

Take it slow when dealing with the denizens of Zot:5. It's actually not that hard to do, due to the layout. Get rid of the creatures one by one. Lure one or two creatures out of the "lungs", and then finish them off. And it should get even easier because you're playing a Spriggan


EDIT: You don't have Poison Arrow in your spell list? It kills Orb Guardians, Draconians, and Killer Klowns pretty easily.

[Doc Brown]

I misunderstood how the fighting > HP formula worked, so I turned it off when I reached L27. I won't make that mistake again.

The only reason I Iearned fulsome distillation was to make and sacrifice potions of mutation, I learned that from the last thread I posted.

And yeah, no Poison Arrow for me. I tend to only find that one when I'm already following Vehumet.

Thank you all for the answers, I think I should be ready for Zot 5 now.


Edit: This is turning out to be harder than I imagined. I only managed to clear one wing of the chamber before running out of summoning decks. As expected I also caught a nasty set of mutations (teleportitis, -30% MP, -10% HP, all stats -2), so things could get ugly.

Edit 2: Waaaah, I died. Thanks a ton for all the help! With all the newly gained knowledge I'll be much better prepared next time.

  Code:

719032 Goonzales the Intangible (level 27, -24/149 (155) HPs)
             Began as a Spriggan Venom Mage on Apr 11, 2011.
             Was a High Priest of Nemelex Xobeh.
             Annihilated by an Orb Guardian (40 damage)
             ... on Level 5 of the Realm of Zot on Apr 14, 2011.
             The game lasted 18:30:55 (256653 turns).