Roguelike Comp #2: The Ord of the Ings variant

[Malificent]

Welcome to the 2nd roguelike competition, another Z+Angband adventure (see the first one), where you will get to play a Hobbit Rogue named Ilbo. Ilbo is most famous for his adventure with Maug, the dragon but is also well known for being the uncle to Rodo, the hobbit who threw the One Ing into Mount Oom. His character file is attached as a zip file.

The deadline for posting an official entry will be: 11:59pm EDT, Monday May 11th. As previously, to get an official entry into the comp, you must post the character dump here (do a Shift-C to get to your character sheet, then f to file-file should be in the lib/user folder).

In fact, I'm just going to quote the relevant info from the previous thread:

Once you started the game, you are allowed to make a new save file after you've run your new char through the stores, so you do not have to repeat that tedious chore after restarting the character due to the death of the previous one. Put the file in a seperate folder as I believe you will need to delete the comp file and perhaps the files in the user folder under the character's name before you can restart the character.

The goal of the comp is to either win the game by defeating the main bad guy at the bottom of the dungeon, the Serpent of Chaos, or get to the highest player level possible before the end of the comp. From reading the help files, you have to obtain a quest from one of the towns or cities to get to the level the Serpent is on. So it looks like you MUST do the various quests you can get from the town hall in the towns/cities. (use the capital letter Q in the town hall/warrior hall to get quests by the way, smallcase q won't work)

Feel free to alter the graphics, fonts, and certain options (like the keyset-I have it on roguelike), but do NOT change options that would make the game easier/harder for you as not everyone will be changing that option. In looking over the options, I think about the only one that should not be changed is the Monsters behaving stupidly one (not set), but I may have missed something. Ask if you aren't sure before changing an option.

If you're new to the competitions, be sure to read through the first competition thread - there's a lot of generally useful info there. Also feel free to ask questions in this thread, as well as post them in this thread.

Good luck all!

[Malificent]

Some initial thoughts on playing a Hobbit Rogue:

1) This initial start, the stores have missile weapons and lanterns, and you have 500 gold, so you should definitely take advantage and buy a lantern (for the extra light and less weight) and definitely buy a missile weapon - you're going to use it a lot as a rogue.

2) Speaking of which, inscriptions will be your friend. Read the help file on objects (/lib/help/objects.txt) for a fully detailed description, but in short, inscriptions on items let you create a semi-shortcut to the item. For example, if I inscribe my ammo with {@f1}, then when I select "f" to fire something, all I have to do is press 1 to fire that set of ammo, rather than having to figure out what letter the ammo is currently (since it shifts based on what you're carrying). And once you get quivers, this will be even more helpful. You can also do all sorts of neat stuff, like preventing you from accidentally dropping, destroying, or using things. Worth spending a little time to learn to use them, especially with this character.

3) Locked doors give you 1 XP for unlocking them - while that's inconsequential at the high levels, it's fantastic for the low levels of a hobbit rogue, which doesn't take a lot of XP to move up. Same goes for casting a spell for the first time - that XP can quickly move you up the early levels, which is necessary for survival with a character like Ilbo...

4)...because Ilbo is never going to be a melee machine. It's a change of pace from the previous Chaos Warrior. You don't have a lot of armor or HP. Sorcery is a great spell school, but it has no offensive spell capability. You're going to want to shoot with your bow/sling and sneak around a lot. Rogues do get a backstab, which does a lot of damage when you hit someone for the first time if they haven't noticed you, but it's hard to rely on that.

5) And later on, staves/wands/rods will be your friend as well. Rogues are great with magic items and while your bow provides a wonderful ranged attack, you'll need something that can provide an area attack.

Any other tips?

[JAG]

Nice writeup.

Another tip: in previous versions of Z, disarming traps gave very nice xp, and more the deeper you go (not sure this is still the case though). While that wasn't a great option with a chaos warrior, a hobbit rouge should theoretically excel in trap disarming. That option isn't 100% without risk though as the results may not be so happy if you accidentally set off the trap.

Yet another tip: If you use quivers, be sure your inventory doesn't get overly full. Quivers are susceptible to fire / acid attacks and you can find yourself dropping ammo or other items at an inconvenient time if you wander into a pack of flame hounds.

I fooled around with a hobbit rogue for a few minutes this weekend. That's how long it took to get killed by a large kobold. If you do nothing else, definitely follow tip 1's advice regarding missile weapons.

If anyone has an idea how to load options from a previous character I'd love to hear it. I dumped my last set of options to a file, however I wasn't able to figure out how to apply those options to subsequent characters. I can set them all back the way I like, just will be a bit of a pain.

[JAG]

I had an even quicker death than my runthrough with a rogue this weekend. I was killed by a mean-looking mercenary in town while doing my initial purchases.

[klayman]

My first run through with a hobbit rogue was ended when a leaper hit me and I was poisoned. Shortest game ever.

[path12]

Off and going. Up to level 5, got to learn Phase Door which should be helpful for Ilbo.

[JAG]

Was up to lvl 10 before kicking the bucket this time. I don't recommend the road to the west of the starting location.

[dwardzala]

I would also recommend not getting into melee with a white harpy when you are first level.

Saw the harpy (and he saw me). Ran away and jammed the door. Saw another door and jammed it, effectively locking him in. As I was passing the first door, the harpy crashes through and Ilbo dies.

Ilbo II is up to 7th level now. His motto - "you can never have too many arrows".

[Tasan]

Ilbo 1 for me made it up to level 3 before getting swarmed by repopped monsters at 50' in a large dungeon room. I think it was an ant, and icky thing, and a catepillar. What a way to go.

[JAG]

For me it was a number of monsters way stronger than I was ready to handle (at least all at once): a dark priest, a berserker, and a blink dog. That was a horrible mix...the blink dog would keep teleporting me back to it and the berserker while the priest would sit back and fling magic missiles and curses. I can't believe I didn't have any teleport scrolls on me. I tried to get out of it by learning teleport (which I wanted to learn anyway) but I didn't have enough mana to cast it. Looking back I should've tried anyway even with a chance of it not working since I had zero other chance to escape. Oh well. Will give it another shot tonight / tomorrow morning.

[Malificent]

Ok, stupid missile weapon question - I have a set of missiles that reads:

42 Iron Shots (4d2) (+0, +0%) (12/24)

I know the +0, +0% is the plus to skill and deadliness. What's the (12/24)?

Ilbo the First is up to level 8. I'm being very cautious with him, descending slowly, not even bothering to look at the wilderness right now.

[Thomkal]

Mali,

I believe, but not 100% sure that means average damage done/shot and average damage/round

[path12]

I've no interest in the wilderness until I get Ilbo up to at least level 10. Is that wrong?

[Malificent]

Originally Posted by path12

I've no interest in the wilderness until I get Ilbo up to at least level 10. Is that wrong?

I don't plan to enter the wilderness for a while. At least level 10, if not later.

[Thomkal]

yeah that's fine Path, especially since we seem to have started in a bit tougher part of the map than others. I usually go try to find the nearest big city when I need things I can't find in the starter town.

[Thomkal]

Well started my first attempt, and got him to Level 5 quickly thanks in a large part to a surprising xp rich pack of jackals. Disappointed to find no slings yet, but at least there was a bow in one of the shops. Took Phase Door at Level 5 which I can't use until I have five spell points...and I only have two, so that sucks. Back to the dungeon I go.

[Malificent]

Ilbo the First died at level 8, right when I started up tonight - recalled back down in the dungeon...on top of 10 phantom warriors with a shrieker mushroom waking them up. I was doomed.

Ilbo 2: Hobbit Boogaloo is up to level 5.

[Thomkal]

ooof that's a horrendous starting spot there Mali. My Ilbo the First is up to Level 7 now, and just found a sling in the dungeon, so I can switchout the bow for that.

[JAG]

Alright, Ilbo III seems to be off to a more reasonable start. Level 16 now. This is a fairly frustrating character thus far as I've found not even an ego item as of yet. Still using an unenchanted rapier as a primary weapon and a sling (+1, +10%) as my ranged weapon.

[Thomkal]

Found a Cloak of Stealth (+3) on 50' for my Ilbo. He now has a Stealth rating of "Chaos Rank"-had "Superb" before. Should be able to walk around the dungeon fairly undetectably I'm guessing. Of course the Cloak was cursed when I found it so had to wait for a remove curse scroll to show up in the stores. Level 9 now.

[Malificent]

The town directly to the north was relatively easy to get to, has a bigger selection of towns and a dungeon inside the town. Seems like a good choice to move to - it's not a long walk across the wilderness.

Added: Well, maybe a good visit, as there is no home and no general weapon store, which can be a killer when selling things.

[Thomkal]

There is also a town along the road leading west. The road will bend to the north and you will see a guarded underground temple there. Stay well to the east of that to avoid the baddies there, and the city is directly north of the temple. The road leading out of the city directly to the north of the starting town also connects with this city. It has a thieves guild and a home, but no dungeon entrance

[Godzilla Blitz]

Very cool. I might have more time for this one.

[klayman]

Ilbo II just found the sling 'Catapult' (x3) (+20,+50%) at 400'...woohoo.

[Thomkal]

woohoo Klayman-"Catapult" seems the appropriate the name there, or perhaps "Raining Death."

[JAG]

Originally Posted by klayman

Ilbo II just found the sling 'Catapult' (x3) (+20,+50%) at 400'...woohoo.

Wow, congrats. I saw a fantastic sling in a shop, but I was 6-7k gp short. The second town north of the starting town has a ton of ammo / fletcher type stores.

[Thomkal]

My first "horrible visions of death" level feeling at 300'. I'm hoping its an artifact cause I can't handle a pit or vault since the only good item I've found so far is that Cloak of Stealth.
......found a main gauche of Slay Orc (0, +5%) that could be the reason for the level feeling, but that would be a disappointment since the main gauche does even less damage than the rapier I use. Be handy to keep around for those pesky orcs that are about to appear though.
---I then find the real reason for the level feeling-its that damned pit of baby blue dragons again! Must be hard coded into the game for this level or so cause I get it a lot.

[Malificent]

Seems awfully low level for a horrible visions of death level. 300' is only level 6 right?

[klayman]

Got to level 22 tonight with Ilbo II. Haven't found anything else spectacular, but who needs it with The Catapult

Finally got enough money to fully identify it.

The Sling 'Catapult' (x3) (+20,+50%) (+2)
   You have full knowledge of this item.  It can be activated for heal (45)
   every 10 turns if it is being worn.  It increases your dexterity by +2. 
   It increases your infravision by 20 feet.  It fires missiles with extra
   might.  It cannot be harmed by the elements.  You found it on the floor at
   400'.

Almost bit the dust in a baby blue dragon lair though. My word of recall scroll pulled me up to the town with 9 hitpoints to spare.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by Malificent

Seems awfully low level for a horrible visions of death level. 300' is only level 6 right?

Yep Level 6, and I've had a few of them in this version-had the baby blue dragon pit right around this level with 2 of my Chaos warrior attempts in the last comp.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by klayman

Got to level 22 tonight with Ilbo II. Haven't found anything else spectacular, but who needs it with The Catapult

Finally got enough money to fully identify it.

The Sling 'Catapult' (x3) (+20,+50%) (+2)
   You have full knowledge of this item.  It can be activated for heal (45)
   every 10 turns if it is being worn.  It increases your dexterity by +2. 
   It increases your infravision by 20 feet.  It fires missiles with extra
   might.  It cannot be harmed by the elements.  You found it on the floor at
   400'.

Almost bit the dust in a baby blue dragon lair though. My word of recall scroll pulled me up to the town with 9 hitpoints to spare.

Yet another baby blue dragon pit. Too bad....er I mean glad you survived it. I got breathed on a couple times with my Ilbo's dragon pit and that was enough to port away and get off the level. No defense against anything yet with my guy. That heal ability is pretty nice on The Catapult.

[JAG]

I saw a ring of speed (+17) in a rare jeweler shop. Unfortunately the price tag of 1.8M was a bit beyond me.

Here's my 'abbreviated' dump for Ilbo.

  [Z+Angband 0.3.2 Character Dump]

Name     : Ilbo                 Age             30     STR:   17.0
Sex      : Male                 Height          39     INT:   19.0
Race     : Hobbit               Weight          64     WIS:   14.4
Class    : Rogue                Social Class    98     DEX:   28.2
Magic    : Sorcery                                     CON:   23.9
Title    : Low Thief                                   CHR:   13.6

+ Skill         13     Level                27     Max Hit Points     277
% Deadliness   150     Experience        44062     Cur Hit Points     277
+ To AC         29     Max Exp           44062     Max SP (Mana)       36
  Base AC       17     Exp to Adv.        3188     Cur SP (Mana)       21
                       Gold              54633

                         (Miscellaneous Abilities)
Fighting    : Very Good      Perception  : Superb         Blows/Round : 4
Bows/Throw  : Excellent      Sensing     : Superb         Shots/Round : 3.0
Saving Throw: Superb         Disarming   : Superb         Avg.Dam./Rnd: 44
Stealth     : Superb         Magic Device: Superb         Infra-Vision: 80'




  [Miscellaneous information]

 Preserve Mode:      ON
 Small Levels:       ON
 Maximum Level Reached:    35 (1750')


Stat Intrnl Rce Cls Mod Actual Currnt  abcdefghijkl@
Str:   15.0  -2   2   2   17.0         .............
Int:   16.0   2   1   0   19.0         .............
Wis:   15.4   1  -2   0   14.4         .............
Dex:   19.2   3   3   3   28.2         ..........3.s
Con:   20.9   2   1   0   23.9         .............
Chr:   13.6   1  -1   0   13.6         .............

Skill     abcdefghijkl@ 
BonusSP:  ............. 
Stealth:  ...2......... 
Search :  .........4... 
Infra  :  .........4... 
Tunnel :  ............. 
Speed  :  ..1.......... 
Blows  :  ............. 

        abcdefghijkl@
Acid  : ........+....
Elec  : ........+....
Fire  : +.......+....
Cold  : .+...+..+....
Poison: ........+....
Fear  : .............
Light : .............
Dark  : +............
Shard : .............
Blind : .........+...
Conf  : .............
Sound : .............
Nether: .............
Nexus : .............
Chaos : .............
Disnch: .............

           abcdefghijkl@
Reflect  : .............
Aura Acid: .............
Aura Fire: .............
Aura Elec: .............
Aura Cold: .............
No Magic : .............
Free Actn: ...........+.
SeeInvis.: .........+...
Hold Life: .............
Telepathy: .........+...
SlwDigstn: .............
Regen.   : .............
Levitate : ..+..........
PermLite : +....+.......
Mutate   : .............
Patron   : .............
Good Luck: .............
WeirdLuck: .............
Pass Wall: .............
GhulTouch: .............

           abcdefghijkl@
Pr Animal: .............
Pr Evil  : ....+........
Pr Undead: .............
Pr Demon : .............
Pr Orc   : .............
Pr Troll : .............
Pr Giant : .............
Pr Dragon: .............
Cursed   : .............
AutoCurse: .............
Teleport : .............
NoTeleprt: .............
Aggravate: .............
DrainStat: .............
Drain Exp: .............
Slow Heal: .............
Can't Eat: .............
EvilCurse: .............
                        

 You have defeated 1355 enemies.


  [Top 10 deepest kills]

 1 Bat of Gorgoroth                     Level 40 (2000')
 1 Giant red tick                       Level 38 (1900')
 1 Headless                             Level 38 (1900')
 1 Onras, the Green Wraith              Level 37 (1850')
 1 Hagen, son of Alberich               Level 35 (1750')
 1 Ulwarth, Son of Ulfang               Level 35 (1750')
13 Green wraith                         Level 34 (1700')
 1 Ardel, the Cloud Giant               Level 33 (1650')
 1 Wyvern                               Level 33 (1650')
 1 Lugdush, the Uruk                    Level 32 (1600')


  [Character Equipment]

a) The Dagger 'Narthanc' (1d6) (+5,+40%)
   You have full knowledge of this item.  It can be activated for fire
   bolt(11d8) every 8-16 turns if it is being worn.  It increases your
   strength by +2.  It does extra damage from fire.  It returns when thrown. 
   It provides resistance to fire and magical darkness.  It is perfectly
   balanced for throwing.  It provides permanent light.  It cannot be harmed
   by the elements.  It was dropped by a Novice ranger in a quest at 600'.  
b) a Sling of Extra Might (x3) (+10,+70%)
   You have full knowledge of this item.  It provides resistance to cold.  It
   fires missiles with extra might.  You bought it in a Advanced Fletcher in
   Zarglish Keep.  
c) a Ring of Flight (+1)
   It increases your speed by +1.  It allows you to levitate.  You bought it
   in a Jeweler in Duryave Town.  
d) a Ring of Invisibility (+2) {25% off}
   It increases your stealth by +2.  You bought it in a Bazaar in Mithdag
   Watch.  
e) an Amulet of Protection from Evil
   It provides protection from evil monsters.  It was dropped by Ulwarth, Son
   of Ulfang in a quest at 1750'.  
f) a Brass Lantern of Warmth
   It provides resistance to cold.  It provides permanent light.  It cannot
   be harmed by fire.  It was dropped by a Black orc in a wilderness monster
   pit.  
g) a Soft Leather Armor [4,+6] {cursed}
h) a Cloak [1,+4]
i) a Small Shield of Resistance [5,+4]
   You have full knowledge of this item.  It provides resistance to acid,
   electricity, fire, cold and poison.  It cannot be harmed by the elements. 
   You bought it in a Advanced Shieldsman in Zarglish Keep.  
j) a Hard Leather Cap of Seeing [2,+3] (+4)
   You have full knowledge of this item.  It increases your perception by +4. 
   It increases your infravision by 40 feet.  It provides resistance to
   blindness.  It allows you to see invisible monsters and gives telepathic
   powers.  It cannot be harmed by acid.  You bought it in a Temple in
   Zarglish Keep.  
k) a Set of Gauntlets of Agility [2,+2] (+3)
   It increases your dexterity by +3.  It was dropped by a Half-orc in a
   wilderness monster pit.  
l) a Pair of Hard Leather Boots of Free Action [3,+4]
   It provides immunity to paralysis.  You bought it in a Armoury in Zarglish
   Keep.  


  [Character Inventory]

a) 3 Sorcery Spellbooks [Beginner's Handbook]
b) 2 Sorcery Spellbooks [Master Sorcerer's Handbook]
c) 11 Mushrooms of Resist Confusion
d) 16 Mushrooms of Cure Critical Wounds {10% off}
e) 5 Pieces of Elvish Waybread
f) a Potion of Healing
g) 14 Scrolls of Phase Door
h) 4 Scrolls of Teleportation
i) a Rod of Trap Location
j) a Rod of Light
k) a Rod of Lightning Bolts
l) a Wand of Teleport Other (11 charges)
m) 2 Wands of Stinking Cloud (21 charges)
n) a Small quiver
o) a Staff of Perception (7 charges)
p) a Cord Armor [6,+6]
q) a Pair of Hard Leather Boots of Levitation [3,+5]
   It allows you to levitate.  It was dropped by Talhim, the Forest Troll in
   a quest at 1350'.  
r) 29 Iron Shots of Shocking (4d2) (+2,+40%) (32/97)
   It does extra damage from electricity.  It cannot be harmed by
   electricity.  They were dropped by a Forest troll in a quest at 1350'.  
s) 43 Diamond Shots (8d2) (+0,+0%) (55/165)

My only real trouble as of late was a unique demon I found in the northwest that cursed me for 100hp damage and could summon demons. I had to teleport away from him.

[dwardzala]

I'm still only level 10 - without any real cool stuff yet. What do you guys mean by vault or pit? Is this just a room with a seemingly infinite number of a certain type of creature?

Also, how deep do you normally go relative to your level - I think I may be too conservative since the only feeling I ever get is that this level is relatively safe.

[JAG]

Originally Posted by dwardzala

I'm still only level 10 - without any real cool stuff yet. What do you guys mean by vault or pit? Is this just a room with a seemingly infinite number of a certain type of creature?

A monster pit is usually a rectangular room with a lot of monsters of one type all awake. In some cases, these are good opportunities for good xp / items (orcs, trolls, giants). In other cases, these are best avoided (jellies early on, some undead / dragon / demon pits can be lucrative but very dangerous too depending on the type).

A vault is a different type of room altogether. They come in a wide variety of shapes but usually you will detect a horde of items in a compact area as well as a ton of traps and monsters. The items / monsters in there are usually out of depth, which means the risks are typically higher than your usual wandering, but if you're able to clear them out, the rewards can frequently be very good. Vaults are a good source of stat potions and artifacts. There are two types, lesser vaults and greater vaults. You can tell the difference because greater vaults will have permanent walls (walls that can't be dug out or wraithformed through), usually take up a good bit of the dungeon, and have even more extreme out of depth monsters and items.

Originally Posted by dwardzala

Also, how deep do you normally go relative to your level - I think I may be too conservative since the only feeling I ever get is that this level is relatively safe.

It depends on how things are going I'd say. You don't want to go too deep (1000'-2000') without fire/acid/cold/electricity resistance. I wouldn't go too far past 500' without some means of see / detect invisible since there are some cold-blooded creatures that can drain your stats if they hit you. Free action is a must before you go too deep or you can get paralyzed and killed, although I don't have a good feel for where that starts becoming important. If you have all those, some teleport scrolls for when things get nasty, and some way to heal and cure confusion / blindness (mushrooms work well for me), you can go pretty deep if you run when you see signs of trouble and avoid certain monsters (that all comes with experience).

Anyway, regarding level feelings, the deeper you go, the more likely you are to have 'interesting' feelings (a bad feeling, visions of death, etc...).

[dwardzala]

Cool - thanks for the info. Hopefully I'll some more playing time in this weekend.

[Malificent]

I feel so incomptent this time around - Ilbo 2 is only at level 13 and basically has nothing of any real value when it comes to items. [Shatner]So....very....weak[/Shatner]

[path12]

I got him to lvl 9 last night. Leaving for the weekend but I took Monday off and plan to see where I can get with Ilbo then. No good stuff yet but I've only been down to 300'.

[JAG]

Originally Posted by Malificent

I feel so incomptent this time around - Ilbo 2 is only at level 13 and basically has nothing of any real value when it comes to items. [Shatner]So....very....weak[/Shatner]

From my post above,

"This is a fairly frustrating character thus far as I've found not even an ego item as of yet. Still using an unenchanted rapier as a primary weapon and a sling (+1, +10%) as my ranged weapon."

What I ended up doing was loading up on phase door scrolls and iron shots, and doing some high danger quests (for my level) with uniques that didn't have a ranged attack. I was able to build up a good bit of cash that way and bought most of the good items I have (helm / sling / shield / ego ammo) via shops.

[Thomkal]

great start there JAG, 4 attacks and 3 with missile weapon is sweet. I'd just work on getting your AC up as much as possible with the armor you have and work on the remaining resistances. Nice find with that dagger too.

[JAG]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

great start there JAG, 4 attacks and 3 with missile weapon is sweet. I'd just work on getting your AC up as much as possible with the armor you have and work on the remaining resistances. Nice find with that dagger too.

Thanks. The listed damage for the dagger is pretty low, but since it's fire branded it does a good bit more vs. non resistant monsters. AC might be more of a concern later on, but for now most things die pretty quickly to the sling and if not I just phase door away and continue sniping. Ideally at this point I'd like to find a robe or ring of permanence (I saw a robe before, back when I was poor unfortunately) which would get me the sustains and hold life I need. Then I'd feel pretty good about diving to look for stat potions and the third sorcery book. Also, at lvl 29 comes haste self which will be very very nice.

EDIT: The cool thing about the dagger is even when I find a better weapon, I might still keep it around to throw at monsters.

[dwardzala]

Just curious - why the preference of sling over bow? Does shot not disappear like arrows do? More attacks per round?

[JAG]

Originally Posted by dwardzala

Just curious - why the preference of sling over bow? Does shot not disappear like arrows do? More attacks per round?

Slings fire at a faster rate than bows so they give you more shots per round. Also, rogues get an extra shot per round with the sling at level 20 and 40.

[Malificent]

Originally Posted by JAG

From my post above,

"This is a fairly frustrating character thus far as I've found not even an ego item as of yet. Still using an unenchanted rapier as a primary weapon and a sling (+1, +10%) as my ranged weapon."

What I ended up doing was loading up on phase door scrolls and iron shots, and doing some high danger quests (for my level) with uniques that didn't have a ranged attack. I was able to build up a good bit of cash that way and bought most of the good items I have (helm / sling / shield / ego ammo) via shops.

Yeah, good idea - I feel kind of fragile, so I've been avoiding the danger level 11 quest available to me up to now, but gotta dive in. Fighting Lagduf the Snaga, or rather all the cave orcs and hill orcs in the area, trying to save him for last. At least with that, I have a solid idea of what the layout is, so unlike a level, I'm not likely to get in a position where I'm boned.

[Malificent]

Up to level 15 - Lagduf was definitely good advice...I ended with some artifact armor out of it. I'm also, thanks to dual invisibility rings, at Amber [2] Stealth level.

My abbreviated file:

Name     : Ilbo                 Age             30     STR:   13.9
Sex      : Male                 Height          39     INT:   18.4
Race     : Hobbit               Weight          64     WIS:   14.7
Class    : Rogue                Social Class    98     DEX:   23.2
Magic    : Sorcery                                     CON:   21.4
Title    : Filcher                                     CHR:   11.8

+ Skill          8     Level                16     Max Hit Points     166
% Deadliness   110     Experience         3022     Cur Hit Points     166
+ To AC         23     Max Exp            3022     Max SP (Mana)       17
  Base AC       19     Exp to Adv.          83     Cur SP (Mana)       17
                       Gold                 24

                         (Miscellaneous Abilities)
Fighting    : Fair           Perception  : Superb         Blows/Round : 2
Bows/Throw  : Good           Sensing     : Superb         Shots/Round : 2.0
Saving Throw: Superb         Disarming   : Superb         Avg.Dam./Rnd: 10
Stealth     : Amber [2]      Magic Device: Superb         Infra-Vision: 40'




  [Miscellaneous information]

 Preserve Mode:      ON
 Small Levels:       ON
 Maximum Level Reached:    11 (550')


Stat Intrnl Rce Cls Mod Actual Currnt  abcdefghijkl@
Str:   12.9  -2   2   1   13.9         ......1......
Int:   15.4   2   1   0   18.4         .............
Wis:   14.7   1  -2   1   14.7         ......1......
Dex:   17.2   3   3   0   23.2         ............s
Con:   17.4   2   1   1   21.4         ......1......
Chr:   11.8   1  -1   0   11.8         .............

Skill     abcdefghijkl@ 
BonusSP:  ............. 
Stealth:  ..22.......3. 
Search :  ....5........ 
Infra  :  ............. 
Tunnel :  ............. 
Speed  :  ............. 
Blows  :  ............. 

        abcdefghijkl@
Acid  : .............
Elec  : ......+.+....
Fire  : ......+......
Cold  : .............
Poison: .............
Fear  : .............
Light : .............
Dark  : .............
Shard : .............
Blind : .............
Conf  : .............
Sound : .............
Nether: .............
Nexus : .............
Chaos : .............
Disnch: .............

           abcdefghijkl@
Reflect  : .............
Aura Acid: .............
Aura Fire: .............
Aura Elec: ......+......
Aura Cold: .............
No Magic : .............
Free Actn: .............
SeeInvis.: .............
Hold Life: .............
Telepathy: .............
SlwDigstn: .............
Regen.   : .............
Levitate : .............
PermLite : .............
Mutate   : .............
Patron   : .............
Good Luck: .............
WeirdLuck: .............
Pass Wall: .............
GhulTouch: .............

           abcdefghijkl@
Pr Animal: .............
Pr Evil  : .............
Pr Undead: .............
Pr Demon : .............
Pr Orc   : .............
Pr Troll : .............
Pr Giant : .............
Pr Dragon: .............
Cursed   : .............
AutoCurse: .............
Teleport : .............
NoTeleprt: .............
Aggravate: .............
DrainStat: .............
Drain Exp: .............
Slow Heal: .............
Can't Eat: .............
EvilCurse: .............
                        

 You have defeated 517 enemies.


  [Top 10 deepest kills]

 7 Wolf                                 Level 18 (900')
 5 Phantom warrior                      Level 12 (600')
 1 Lagduf, the Snaga                    Level 11 (550')
 1 Gnome mage                           Level 11 (550')
 1 Giant slug                           Level 11 (550')
 1 Novice ranger                        Level 11 (550')
62 Hill orc                             Level 10 (500')
 1 The wounded bear                     Level 10 (500')
 6 Manes                                Level 10 (500')
73 Cave orc                             Level 9 (450')


  [Character Equipment]

a) a Mace (2d4) (+4,+10%)
b) a Sling (x2) (+6,+30%)
c) a Carnelian Ring of Invisibility (+2)
   It increases your stealth by +2.  You bought it in a Jeweler in Duryave
   Town.  
d) a Carnelian Ring of Invisibility (+2)
   It increases your stealth by +2.  You bought it in a Jeweler in Duryave
   Town.  
e) a Coral Amulet of Sensing (+5)
   It increases your perception by +5.  You bought it in a Jeweler in Duryave
   Town.  
f) a Brass Lantern (with 3954 turns of light)
   It cannot be harmed by fire.  You bought it in a Supplies Store in Mirgaur
   Watch.  
g) The Hard Leather Armor 'Camelot' (-1) [6,+14] (+1)
   You have full knowledge of this item.  It increases your strength, wisdom
   and constitution by +1.  It sustains your constitution.  It provides
   resistance to electricity and fire.  It produces an aura of fear and an
   electric sheath.  It cannot be harmed by the elements.  It was dropped by
   a Hill orc in a quest at 550'.  
h) a Cloak [1,+0]
i) a Small Shield of Resist Lightning [5,+4]
   It provides resistance to electricity.  It cannot be harmed by
   electricity.  You bought it in a Shieldsman in Duryave Town.  
j) a Jingasa [4,+0]
k) (nothing)
l) a Pair of Hard Leather Boots of Stealth [3,+2] (+3)
   It increases your stealth by +3.  You bought it in a Warrior Hall in
   Mirgaur Watch.  


  [Character Inventory]

a) a Sorcery Spellbook [Beginner's Handbook]
b) a Sorcery Spellbook [Master Sorcerer's Handbook]
c) 5 Pieces of Elvish Waybread {25% off}
d) 2 Flasks of oil
e) a Brownish Potion of Cure Light Wounds
f) 3 Spicy Potions of Cure Serious Wounds
g) 9 Scrolls titled "fri solech nej" of Phase Door
h) 3 Scrolls titled "pot rolcomp" of Teleportation
i) 2 Scrolls titled "ivapp arze" of Word of Recall
j) a Shovel (1d2) (+0,+0%) (+1) {@w0}
   It increases your ability to dig by +1.  You bought it in a General Store
   in Duryave Town.  
k) 59 Iron Shots (4d2) (+0,+0%) (14/28)
l) 13 Mithril Shots (6d2) (+8,+10%) (22/45) {@f1}

[Malificent]

Definitely finally got over the hump - up to level 22 and fast approaching level 23. I'm actually starting to (coincidentally) look a lot like JAG's Ilbo - I have a ring of flight, a sling of extra might, ring of invisibility. I'm missing a See Invisible object, so for the time being, I'm restricting myself to quests where I know I can see all the creatures involved. I'm going to run out of reasonable quests before long though.

[JAG]

Just got a new armor piece a bit ago, for the small sum of 50k gp:

g) a Chaos Dragon Scale Mail (-2) [30,+13]
   It can be activated for breathe chaos/disenchant (740) every 30-60 turns
   if it is being worn.  It provides resistance to chaos and disenchantment. 
   It cannot be harmed by the elements.  You bought it in a Heavy Armoury in
   Thinwen Town. 

740 damage from chaos / disenchantment has been enough to knock off a couple danger lvl 40+ uniques in one shot, not to mention two good resistances and a high AC.

[JAG]

Aaaand another smack your forehead moment (not as bad as leaving an artifact on the ground). I found a greater vault at 950', from detection the monsters looked pretty easy and there were some unknown rods / staves / potions inside. The problem? I had no means of digging or stone to mud to get through the granite walls. Even better: inside the vault there were *3* stone-to-mud wands.

Anyway, chore break is over.

[Thomkal]

Ooof JAG, didn't I always say to carry a shovel? The RNG was certainly laughing when it put those stone to mud wands in there. I have forgotten, you can't port into a vault can you? Would be damn risky if you could, but when you have no other option....

And great find with that Chaos Dragon Scale Mail. You'll remember from our first comp how well my Blue Dragon Scale Mail did, seems like they really are more powerful in this version of Angband.

Still struggling along at level 16 with my guy. Still haven't found anything that powerful and can't do enough damage against things like Servants of Glaaki to handle more than one or two at a time.

[Tasan]

Ugh...died again.

I just can't the hang of this class. I never was the sneak-around-everything RPG player.

[Thomkal]

Sorry to hear that Tasan-its not an easy class to play especially in this version with good items being so infrequent. What level were you this time?