DCSS 0.10

[Salamok]

bleh had a good run going and took a chance putting on an un id'd cloak w/o a remove curse scroll, cloak was a unique cursed, can't take it off and it starts attracting wights and shit.

[Slayerik]

I really wish you could just pick a god at start for all classes, instead of having to find the alter. Last playthrough I did (Demonspawn Fighter) the stairs to the temple were behind a wall of glass, and I died before finding any means through said glass. In fact, it's pretty rare that my characters survive long enough to pick a religion.

When you see the temple stairs surrounded by glass, just hit 5 to search and you will find a secret door from my experience.

[Pezzle]

Oh man.  My Demonspawn Berserker just found

N - the cursed +12,+15 obsidian axe (weapon) {chop, +Lev Str+3 SInv Curse}
   (You found it on level 3 of the Lair of Beasts)   
   
   It inflicts extra damage upon your enemies.
   
   It affects your strength (+3).
   It enhances your eyesight.
   It lets you levitate.
   It may recurse itself.
   
   This axe has had a curse placed on it by one of the lords of Pandemonium so
   that unsuspecting adventurers like you would unleash demons into this world.
   Beware, for this axe has ways of taking its wielder under its command...
   It has a curse placed upon it.

Lets see how long I live with being forced to fight and crazy demons popping in all over the place (they have been friendly!)

[Thrawn]

Cripes this game is rough, 2/4 of my games so far the first item I picked up was cursed.  My last one I was only on my 3rd level when I ran into a pack of 5-6 orcs and half of them were mages, I teleported away only to get almost instantly gibbed by 2 adventurers. 

[Slayerik]

Oh man.  My Demonspawn Berserker just found

N - the cursed +12,+15 obsidian axe (weapon) {chop, +Lev Str+3 SInv Curse}
   (You found it on level 3 of the Lair of Beasts)   
   
   It inflicts extra damage upon your enemies.
   
   It affects your strength (+3).
   It enhances your eyesight.
   It lets you levitate.
   It may recurse itself.
   
   This axe has had a curse placed on it by one of the lords of Pandemonium so
   that unsuspecting adventurers like you would unleash demons into this world.
   Beware, for this axe has ways of taking its wielder under its command...
   It has a curse placed upon it.

Lets see how long I live with being forced to fight and crazy demons popping in all over the place (they have been friendly!)

I once found a +13, +13 scythe of draining that made reapers spawn after it killed stuff (only lasted like 5 turns). Only drawback was it cursed EVERY ITEM ABLE TO BE CURSED in your inventory. By that point, however, the gear was solid enough to roll with...and I just died in some dumb way I'm sure.

[Slayerik]

Cripes this game is rough, 2/4 of my games so far the first item I picked up was cursed.  My last one I was only on my 3rd level when I ran into a pack of 5-6 orcs and half of them were mages, I teleported away only to get almost instantly gibbed by 2 adventurers. 

Ah, but it's so rewarding when that first ring you find on D1 is a +6 to evasion or protection or a stat....Without the sour, the sweet just ain't as sweet! :)

[Thrawn]

Cripes this game is rough, 2/4 of my games so far the first item I picked up was cursed.  My last one I was only on my 3rd level when I ran into a pack of 5-6 orcs and half of them were mages, I teleported away only to get almost instantly gibbed by 2 adventurers.  

Ah, but it's so rewarding when that first ring you find on D1 is a +6 to evasion or protection or a stat....Without the sour, the sweet just ain't as sweet! :)

My first two rings I had my second game were a cursed ring of hunger and a ring of sustenance.    Enjoying it so far though, but I will probably lose interest if it's too luck based.

[Sky]

Too luck based? The entire game is set up on the RNG!

My dragon necro just found a +4 str ring  Ah, well. He also found a book with the stalker spells, so I can at least carry the potions to esplode.

Raising the dead is pretty awesome. And I'm carrying a scythe I found (first I've ever seen), just because. Actually, I figure polearms would be good in conjunction with minions.

[Thrawn]

Too luck based? The entire game is set up on the RNG!

Thats not what I meant and you know it. 

[Slayerik]

Too luck based? The entire game is set up on the RNG!

My dragon necro just found a +4 str ring  Ah, well. He also found a book with the stalker spells, so I can at least carry the potions to esplode.

Raising the dead is pretty awesome. And I'm carrying a scythe I found (first I've ever seen), just because. Actually, I figure polearms would be good in conjunction with minions.

Polearms are now great for reaching over your minions and hacking things...good call. That STR will help lope heads!

[Teleku]

Few questions:

1.)  How should I level up my stats?   For instance, doing a Mino fighter right now.  Should I always take strength, or will I die later on if I keep ignoring dex?  Same for if I build a mage.  All int, or do I need to invest in others?

2.)  When you view the stats on an item, it doesn’t reflect the modifiers in the stats, correct?  So if I found a Splint Mail +5, and it says AC 5 under item stats, its really AC 10, correct?  But if I put the item on, under my character stats, it should be reflecting the bonuses under AC?  Sorry, couldn’t really find a straight explanation for fully understanding item modifiers last night.  I think the last time I was playing this game heavily was version .02 or .03, heh.

3.)  Is it important to level up that traps skill, or can I still win while ignoring it?

Starting out pretty well on my first run in years, as a mino fighter.  I’ve found two artifacts in 5 levels, both of which are perfect for me.  One is a +6/+5 long sword which lets me see invisible and interferes with all magic casting around me, and other is a piece of +5 Splint mail which gives plus strength (but -1 dex and -2 int.  But who needs int anyways!).

Was cruising along without any difficulty when I ran into a large group of orcs in front of orc mines.  I dove head long into them killing, but then remembered what slay was saying earlier about the priest, of which there were two.  I promptly got smited down to 5 hp in short order.  I read a scroll of teleportation and randomly blinked to safety.  Healed up and drew them into a corridor for slaughter.  Definitely going to level up more before touching those damn mines.

[Slayerik]

Cripes this game is rough, 2/4 of my games so far the first item I picked up was cursed.  My last one I was only on my 3rd level when I ran into a pack of 5-6 orcs and half of them were mages, I teleported away only to get almost instantly gibbed by 2 adventurers.  

Ah, but it's so rewarding when that first ring you find on D1 is a +6 to evasion or protection or a stat....Without the sour, the sweet just ain't as sweet! :)

My first two rings I had my second game were a cursed ring of hunger and a ring of sustenance.    Enjoying it so far though, but I will probably lose interest if it's too luck based.

It's not. I have played this game a long time now and you really do get better. I find myself able to escape some really shitty encounters that would have easily gibbed me previous, and how to not get in those situations entirely. I can pretty much use the skills I have learned in the game, and knowledge of monsters, to get about any character to decent level...most the time I have a feel if it will be a good crawl or not but it only takes one item to change that drastically. Tip : If you have 4+ of an un-IDed scroll its going to be identify, or rarely remove curse. If you have 4+ of an unID'ed potion, it will be curing (or rarely heal wounds).

New challenge for Slay! Pick a race/class (and god if you really want to). I'm bored at work...

[Slayerik]

Few questions:

1.)  How should I level up my stats?   For instance, doing a Mino fighter right now.  Should I always take strength, or will I die later on if I keep ignoring dex?  Same for if I build a mage.  All int, or do I need to invest in others?

2.)  When you view the stats on an item, it doesn’t reflect the modifiers in the stats, correct?  So if I found a Splint Mail +5, and it says AC 5 under item stats, its really AC 10, correct?  But if I put the item on, under my character stats, it should be reflecting the bonuses under AC?  Sorry, couldn’t really find a straight explanation for fully understanding item modifiers last night.  I think the last time I was playing this game heavily was version .02 or .03, heh.

3.)  Is it important to level up that traps skill, or can I still win while ignoring it?

Starting out pretty well on my first run in years, as a mino fighter.  I’ve found two artifacts in 5 levels, both of which are perfect for me.  One is a +6/+5 long sword which lets me see invisible and interferes with all magic casting around me, and other is a piece of +5 Splint mail which gives plus strength (but -1 dex and -2 int.  But who needs int anyways!).

Was cruising along without any difficulty when I ran into a large group of orcs in front of orc mines.  I dove head long into them killing, but then remembered what slay was saying earlier about the priest, of which there were two.  I promptly got smited down to 5 hp in short order.  I read a scroll of teleportation and randomly blinked to safety.  Healed up and drew them into a corridor for slaughter.  Definitely going to level up more before touching those damn mines.

1. I used to build PURE STR warrior types. Now I have found dex to be useful in getting a bit of evasion/ranged attacks. I kinda build around the items I find (after holding out for my 'planned stuff'). If I get an amazing whip, I'll start working up DEX and focusing more on dodging/unarmed (dex based). You can find items to bolster stats, gloves of dex/str, rings and such. Not sure if this helps, but I like my characters at least a little well rounded. But never INT on non-casters.

Since you are using a long sword, it is actually weighted more to DEX. If you feel you will stick with swords (I would with a +6 +5 antimagic long sword), start putting points into dex. So, actually a perfect item for you would have been a mace or axe like that, but beggars can't be choosers!


2. My understanding is yes, it would be +10 - and then your armour skill takes effect for even more bonus.

3. I've never leveled up traps.


Yes, I always ignore the mines until I either  A. Need some money   B. Feel the regular dungeon is getting too hard.

[Pezzle]

I have leveled up traps on a few of my assassin types before.  On one of my runs there was a 5x9 corridor leading to the orc mines.  EVERY square was trapped.  Disarming them can get you thrown weapon stuff, some of it can be poisoned too.  For most builds it is a skip though.

[Sky]

New challenge for Slay! Pick a race/class (and god if you really want to). I'm bored at work...

Ogre assassin!

Thrawn, I've only been playing a week or so and already I've been getting better at the game. There's a lot to learn, while still being a very basic game at its core, which is pretty awesome. The RNG just provides the peaks and valleys. Mostly valleys...but that might just be because the valleys usually end in a swift death.

But as someone said earlier, most deaths are caused by mistakes, not RNG rolls.

[Slayerik]

Thanks Sky! Here goes nothing!

First ring is cursed! Dun dun duuunnnn

Oh, and this was my first try (I died cause I was too proud to poison with needles!)

62 KillEmAll the Cudgeler (level 1, -1/19 HPs)
             Began as an Ogre Assassin on Mar 28, 2012.
             Slain by a hobgoblin
             ... wielding a +0,+0 club
              (6 damage)
             ... on Level 1 of the Dungeon.
             The game lasted 00:01:17 (170 turns).


2nd attempt is going alright! Dead! Noob mistake, forgot I left an Ogre hovering at a staircase!

293 KillEmAll the Cudgeler (level 5, -11/50 HPs)
             Began as an Ogre Assassin on Mar 28, 2012.
             Mangled by an ogre
             ... wielding a +0,+0 giant club
              (24 damage)
             ... on Level 4 of the Dungeon.
             The game lasted 00:16:29 (3543 turns).

I was starting to get stealth up enough where I would sneak up and bash things with my +2, +2 club! Overall, kind of a fun character!

3rd, and final, started! Grinder put it in my ass. Maybe I'm not as good at this as I thought ! Thought my berserk rage would finish him! :)


351 MeBashShit the Skirmisher (level 5, -1/75 HPs)
             Began as an Ogre Assassin on Mar 28, 2012.
             Was an Initiate of Nemelex Xobeh.
             Slain by Grinder (6 damage)
             ... on Level 4 of the Dungeon.
             The game lasted 00:15:54 (4099 turns).

[Teleku]

Deep Elf berserker.  

Actually you should test out one of the screwball characters, like Mummy or that new Octopode race.  You can wear up to 8 cursed rings!

[Slayerik]

Deep Elf Zerker run began, with +2 chain mail right at the start! .....   Grinder down! Payback is a mofo, mofo!

And I am put out of my misery by one of my ghosts! It was painful every INT level up, every skill was -2 aptitude! No more of those runs!


1821 IWillDaintilySliceYou the Cutter (level 8, -3/48 HPs)
             Began as a Deep Elf Berserker on Mar 28, 2012.
             Was a Priest of Trog.
             Slain by EndofBoris' ghost (8 damage)
             ... on Level 6 of the Dungeon.
             The game lasted 00:22:12 (6266 turns).

[Sky]

Began as an Ogre Assassin on Mar 28, 2012.
             Mangled by an ogre

This senseless ogre-on-ogre violence needs to stop!

[Slayerik]

Sorry, I LOLed at that. Damn, now people know I'm here. Guess I better do some work! Hopefully someone leaves a race/class for me to try tonight :)

[Raging Turtle]

Cripes this game is rough, 2/4 of my games so far the first item I picked up was cursed.  My last one I was only on my 3rd level when I ran into a pack of 5-6 orcs and half of them were mages, I teleported away only to get almost instantly gibbed by 2 adventurers. 

Most classes have a weapon or spell that will get you through D1-D3 without a problem (excusing the random ogre or unique).  I don't usually try on anything magical I pick up until I have a good number of unidentified scrolls, so I have a good chance of having remove curse (very common early on) or one of the +armor or +weapon scrolls (less common).   

A few exceptions:
Axes and swords - I don't typically care if I get a cursed one of these early on, as I can still cut baddies into food and they're rarely so terrible as to screw me over.  Maces and other things are the ones to be careful about.
Amulets are worth trying on, they're almost never cursed.  However, if they don't self-identify, don't leave it on - amulet of inaccuracy is common enough and bad enough to kill lots of classes.
Rings are dangerous - most aren't that bad, but if you get a cursed hunger or teleportation, you're in trouble.  If I'm on the first floor or close to it, though, I sometimes try them on anyway because it takes so little time to go through the first few levels.  And finally finding that remove curse scroll after dealing with a teleporting ring for 5 levels feels amazing.
Better armor is usually worth trying on - even if it's cursed you wouldn't want to take it off anyway, and a -1 or -2 isn't too big a deal for AC.
Potions I generally chug like there's no tomorrow, but almost always out of combat.  Scrolls I like to have a weak critter near me - but that's probably left over from when the scroll of fear needed an enemy nearby to identify itself. 
For both potions and scrolls, I find it's best to identify them in groups - if you accidentally chug poison, having a chance of a curing or heal wounds can save your life.  For scrolls, it's good to have something to use a scroll of identify on. 

I highly recommend using 'o' to auto-explore.  It doesn't always choose the most efficient route, but it's so much faster and makes sure you never forget to check a tunnel.

[Slayerik]

And it stops when that bastard Boris shows up on screen and is about to put an Orb of Destruction up your ass.

[Salamok]

So as an Abyssal Knight who (worships Logonu) is there any reason to enter the Ecumenical Temple?

[Slayerik]

Nope, besides checking the temple just to know what's there in case you want to change later....

[Raging Turtle]

Intelligent monsters can pick up a lot of the stuff you leave on the ground, and since you'll end up with a lot of conditional equipment or extra permanent food after 10 floors or so, most people make a stash somewhere.

Since monsters can't enter the temple, it's a great place for that.  Few things worse than having your one potion of cure mutation shattered by an ice spell while you're carrying it, or having to drop half your food because you're past your weight allowance, only to have it get eaten by a jelly while you're elsewhere

Second floor of the Lair works is another good place after you clear it, since intelligent monsters never wander lower than L1.

[ezrast]

1.)  How should I level up my stats?   For instance, doing a Mino fighter right now.  Should I always take strength, or will I die later on if I keep ignoring dex?  Same for if I build a mage.  All int, or do I need to invest in others?

I think int is always best for someone relying on spells. I tend to go all-in on one stat no matter what, but Slayerik's advice is probably better than mine here.

Hopefully someone leaves a race/class for me to try tonight :)

Ghoul Earth Elementalist.

[Sky]

Hate to leave level 6, had an ogre zombie for almost the entire level. Just sat back behind him smacking things with my scythe. Had a spectator briefly, that made me a little nervous, having someone watch me play poorly :p

[tazelbain]

Troll healer

[Slayerik]

1.)  How should I level up my stats?   For instance, doing a Mino fighter right now.  Should I always take strength, or will I die later on if I keep ignoring dex?  Same for if I build a mage.  All int, or do I need to invest in others?

I think int is always best for someone relying on spells. I tend to go all-in on one stat no matter what, but Slayerik's advice is probably better than mine here.

Hopefully someone leaves a race/class for me to try tonight :)

Ghoul Earth Elementalist.

Run 1, next one will probably be my last! That sling HURT

59 RottenMeatIsGood the Digger (level 2, -2/20 HPs)
             Began as a Ghoul Earth Elementalist on Mar 29, 2012.
             Shot with a runed sling bullet by a goblin (7 damage)
             ... on Level 2 of the Dungeon.
             The game lasted 00:03:38 (1011 turns).

2nd run, not horrible but ran into a ghost and got slowed by an orc wizard. Kinda liked Ghoul, it's different!

721 RottenMeatIsGood the Digger (level 7, -16/52 HPs)
             Began as a Ghoul Earth Elementalist on Mar 29, 2012.
             Demolished by KillEmAll's ghost (20 damage)
             ... on Level 4 of the Dungeon.
             The game lasted 00:23:24 (4495 turns).


Found this:
 B - the cursed -1,-5 flail of the Lurker {slay orc, +Lev MR}
   (You found it on level 5 of the Dungeon)  
  
   It is especially effective against all of orcish descent.
  
   It increases your resistance to enchantments.
   It lets you levitate.
   It has a curse placed upon it.

Lurking is a curse.

[Sky]

Zero post count users are of orcish descent? Who knew?

[Thrawn]

Hey, had a run that didn't feel like a total failure at last.

1032 Mitthrawnuruodo the Covered (level 7, 0/60 HPs)
             Began as a Minotaur Fighter on Mar 29, 2012.
             Succumbed to poison (a potion of poison)
             ... on Level 6 of the Dungeon.
             The game lasted 00:28:07 (6219 turns).

(I had some elite orc warrior or something completely kicking my ass and chugged my last few unidentified potions at like 5 hp as a last resort.)

For the first time I was able to wade through ogres and bunch of bands of orcs with casters and priests.  Was crushing stuff with a great mace and had found plate armor early.  Had a +7 ring of slaying in my inventory I hadn't identified yet it turned out too.

[Slayerik]

Oh wow. +7, +7 slaying??? That's godlike!

[Thrawn]

Oh wow. +7, +7 slaying??? That's godlike!

I could of read it wrong I dunno, maybe it was 0, +7.  (Which is 0, but +7 max right??)  I'll have to double check when I'm back at that PC now. 

Also, if I play a monk, do you just try to use robes and unarmed or do you use whatever weapons/armor you find like a fighter still?

[Slayerik]

My usual monk I go purely unarmed unless I find a nicely branded weapon 1 handed weapon that has good aptitudes for my race. My last run, though, I just dumped all points into unarmed until I found crazy artifact sword in the last 5% of my run. I was kinda using the monk class for the quick 2 stars with Mahkleb...I rock robes, and then I seem to find a decent leather armor. I prefer it due to the damage reduction.

+0 to hit, +7 damage.

My favorite brand is electrocution. Just don't be standing in water.... :)

[Teleku]

You can't sell items, correct?  So I should suppress my diablo urges and stop picking up anything that's glowing?  My inventory is filled with glowing daggers and robes..