nethack spoiler site http://www.nethack.de/ Maintainer: Sascha Wostmann (sascha@nethack.de) ----------------------------------------------------------------- General rules for survivability. From: Wes Irby Subject: Newbie advice Date sent: Fri, 22 Aug 1997 17:32:14 -0700 Yeah, I know the goal is to get an Ascension Kit (tm), -40 AC and resistance to everything, have a studly weapon enchanted to the max, and wear an "AoLS so thinking is optional and ascension virtually guaranteed. And worthy goals all! But let's consider how to promote survivability before_ the castle. Understand that this is a work in progress, I don't read the code and don't pretend to have all the answers, but I will offer up some common sense strategies to extend the life of the lamest character. Information is your most important asset (well, until you get your AK (tm)). Information on the blessed/cursed status of your loot, the identity of stuff, where you left important goodies, what your own intrinsics are, where you neighbors are and what they're up to, when you last prayed, what you've genocided so far, etc. First, if you don't know the starting intrinsics for your character, you should, start one and quit. Be observant, use the / command to get the long description of everthing the first time you see it. It even gives info on some of the items in the game. Next, there's way too much to remember, particularly if, like me, your good games get spread out over weeks. KEEP NOTES! I start a text file in notepad for every character. It's not too tough to develop a feel for your prayer timeout if you know how long you waited before the successful and unsuccessful prayers. But, even if you find the algorithm from the spoilers, it won't do much good if you don't know how long ago you prayed. When you get a strange message like "you feel a strange mental acuity", make a note and try to associate it with a change. After you have deciphered the meaning of these messages, keep note of the intrinsics you've acquired. There are some fairly straight forward procedures for gaining information on wands by writing and experimenting and on gems by writing and pitching them to unicorns. Develop your own or get them from the spoilers. When you learn something about a class of wands or gems, name the item so others of that type will be recognized. Never pick up a gray stone unless you kick it around first. Armor and weapons are of particular interest to the fledging character. Drop them and watch how you're pet reacts to them. If he ever ends a turn on an item and you get no warning message, the item isn't cursed and you can try it out. What a boon a +5 cloak of invisibility is on the 3rd level of the dungeon. If you have no pet and you don't pray frequently, just try stuff on until you get a decent armor class. Nymphs, succubi, ?SoRCurse, ?SoDestroyA and praying are good ways to get rid of cursed armor. Pet test rings and amulets and call the individual item "cursed" or "ok". Then wear them for an extended period to attempt to discover what they are. Watch how fast you heal to detect regeneration. If you figure out a ring is "searching" for example, name the class of rings. If you have multiple rings of the same type you can drop one down a kitchen sink to get a clue. Potions: try to hold off until you acquire an unicorn horn and then just quaff 'em. If you find a shop that deals in scrolls, the ?oID is _much_ cheaper than all the rest, try it first. When you finally decide to read a scroll of identify (much better if you can wait until you can bless it) carry every unidentified thing you can when you read it because sometimes even an uncursed scroll will identify everything in your backpack inventory. If you have an ultimate weapon (wand of death maybe) you're saving for desperate straights, you might need to know how many shots you've got, a misfire could be fatal if you only use it in life or death situations. In stores, the good stuff is usually the most expensive, put it near the door for your pet to steal, stack the stuff you don't want in a corner, preferably with a cursed item in the stack. One way to ID gems is to sell them and then try to buy them back, if the shopkeeper asks two or three times as much, it's worthless glass, if he asks a hundred times what you sold it for, it's valuable, label the class either way. When you find an altar, drop every item that has an unknown blessed/cursed status on the altar, even if your pet has told you it's OK. Once you do this you'll know if the status changes (ever try to heal yourself with a cursed unicorn horn?). Now for your neighbors, make telepathy a high priority, and if you don't have a tinning kit, don't kill extras. Try to leave them so if you lose you're telepathy you can come back. Now, check out each level when you arrive so you know what you're dealing with and whether there's a store or a temple on the level. ESP is also highly prized, I believe being prepared is better than being protected so I prefer an "AoESP to an "AoLS. And lest we over look the obvious, before ESP, light is your friend in dark places. There are times you will want to search _verrry_ carefully. Stepping on a poly trap and bursting that fancy new armor you just wished for is an experience you don't want to repeat. You'll learn to spot the signs and learn the most likely places for certain types of traps, but it will do no good if you locate them by setting 'em off! Of course the poly trap may be more dangerous to you with the monsters stepping on it. These information and intelligence strategies and tactics are always available and for the most part free. They _will_ increase your life expectancy. Protection comes next. The quicker you can get that armor class down the better. But protection from other hazards is just as important. There are several protective intrinsics you need to acquire on the road to the castle. Most may be acquired by eating the appropriate corpse, or a tin of the same variety. Once you have a unicorn horn you can experiment freely, until then your life might depend on how you and your god are getting on. And only eat fresh food food, it spoils, you know. Some of the intrinsics can also/only be gained through the appropriate item. Reflection, for example, is a good general purpose protection for your life early on, then for your possessions after you have all the other intrinsics. Speed: I feel the need for speed! If you are faster than your foe and observant you can greatly increase the ratio of your swings to the monster's swings, even a valkyrie or barbarian doesn't need to go toe to toe with every monster they meet. Maybe you just want to create some space for a ranged attack or run around your pet until he kills the monster (good tactic with nymphs early on). It'll be tough to get that first unicorn horn if you're slow. There are a potion and a wand to increase speed. There's at least one kind of corpse to alter speed. Some classes gain speed when they reach a certain experience level. And then there are the beloved speed boots!!! Once you get speedy, it's a real shame to squander it because you refuse to make the hard choices about your inventory. Don't go around burdened. Certain containers are most helpful in this regard. Ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo, stayin' alive, stayin' alive! Watch those hit points, when things start to look desperate, do something about it! Don't be too proud to ask for a time out, (E)ngrave Elbereth with your finger, then don't move, it will smudge. (Disclaimer, doesn't work on "@" monsters nor does it prevent ranged attacks). Admire your handiwork and if it's good, add ElberethElbereth, as long as one of them is legible, you're OK. Acquire and keep an emergency exit item like a /oDigging or ?oTelepotation. Drop a scroll of scare monster. When heading into a tough fight, prepare an engraved Elbereth square in advance, then run to it if in trouble. A hard gem will engrave but it takes 8 turns. Polymorph yourself. Quaff a !oExHeal. Run!!! If you can reach the stairs, escape, (Warning, some monsters will follow if they are adjacent). Pray! If you're a knight, jump away, if you're a tourist try to create separation a confuse the monster. You get the idea. That ought to get you started, enjoy the journey, don't worry about the destination. Make your goal topping your prior high score, not winning, your goal. Keep a text file of clues you pick up from the game and observation you make, they will eventually make more sense. The easiest newbie character is the barbarian, he starts with poison resistance, but the most common first ascension seems to be the valkyrie, she get some really super equipment along the way! Hope I haven't deprived you of the pleasure of too many discoveries. Happy Hacking! Wes Irby, Carrollton, Texas ...onward through the fog...