Ancient Domains Of Mystery, forum overview / Spoilers / Keeping a Wizard Alive
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Inquisitiveone Unregistered user |
In all the rogulikes I've ever played, I like to play as a Wizard (or a magely type of fellow). The trends are usually pretty similar. (90% of them meet their doom not long after they were first created, 9.9% of them meet their doom sometime in mid-game, and .1% of them make it to end game, and/or win the game. Some of the deaths in this game seem to be completely unavoidable. (I'm hoping that this is just a result of my lack of knowledge.) Like 5 minutes ago, I decided to start a High-Elven Wizard. I gave him the "Healthy" talent. When he spawned I noticed he had a book of Lightning Bolts and a book of Teleportation. So I was thinking, "Hey, he can teleport, this'll be cool." So I went down to Terinyo and got the Carpenter quest from the mayor. Then I went straight to the VD (perhaps this was my first mistake.) So I spent some time experimenting with the "w" key. It made movement much faster and much safer. So I completely explored VD 1, (leveled up once) then I went down to VD 2. (Note: I never really did try out that Teleport spell, it was predictably expensive to cast, and since I'm used to Angband-Mages where if you waste mana you'll be sorry I never used it.) I got to Char-level 3 then decided that my Concentration being at 90, if I find a nice safe place to experiment with my Teleport spell, that I'll regenerate my PP quickly enough to not need to worry too much about being wasteful. So I decided to walk over to the next staircase and go down to VD 3. Before I made it to the staircase, I was suddenly surrounded by a large group of Pit-Vipers... So I decided... time to save my life with my fancy new teleport spell (that I don't clearly know how to use just yet) so I cast it and I was prompted "Which direction would you like to teleport?" So I typed "6", and it teleported the Pit Viper to the right of me away. I looked for more options, and I had no potions, or scrolls, just a lot of food. (In retrospect, I could have prayed, but not even that might've been enough to save this poor Wizard). The most successful character I've ever had was an Elementalist who managed to successfully make it below the Dwarf Town. He died because he also ended up being surrounded on two sides by a Jaguar (Which he could kill, but I know that would have been bad... later on) and some kind of a Chaos-Creature that he had already put several fire-bolts, lightning bolts, acid bolts etc.... into. (I don't really remember what it was exactly...) So I have a few questions... how does one keep a Wizard alive? How does one prevent death by instantaneously appearing pit-vipers? Was this death avoidable? |
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Jhonka Registered user Kickass player Last page view: 5356 days, 21 hours, 44 minutes and 55 seconds ago. |
that kind of death is not avoidable. In the beginning unavoidable death includes, an invisible/out-of-depth-monster, out of sight shots and traps. With a wizard, the point is to level as fast as possible and get some good books. When a wizard is at lvl 10 and has learned the cure minor wounds and tele spells, death is always avoidable, temples and d35 excluded. |
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Soirana Registered user Chaos Freak Last page view: 4150 days, 3 hours, 2 minutes and 2 seconds ago. |
pressing "5" would gave you chance. ADOm is pretty had game. Needs in game experience. That comes through char deaths. A root is a flower that disdains fame. Kahlil Gibran(1883-1931) |
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Silfir Registered user Writer of Overly Long Guides Last page view: 4068 days, 22 hours, 27 minutes and 21 seconds ago. |
Yeah, you use "5" to teleport yourself. Going to VD:2 right away was already kind of risky - for a beginner who desperately wants to keep his wizard alive it's a lot safer to just do repeated instances of ID:1, collecting books along the way. You drop the golden ball. You kick the golden ball. It slides to the west. Suddenly Harry Potter, the apprentice wizard, appears! "That's not how you play Quidditch! are you even listening?" Which direction? (123456789) 4 Harry Potter, the apprentice wizard, is hit by a bolt of acid! Harry Potter, the apprentice wizard, is annihilated. You hear the ecstatic cries of a large crowd! |
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gut Registered user Painted this one too. Last page view: 4898 days, 2 minutes and 7 seconds ago. |
For keeping a wizard alive, you need some exp. in playing the game. That's why I recommend playing a troll healer/orc barbarian until you learn the ropes. As a spellcaster though, if you have the teleport spell, you can escape from pit vipers, or anything else. If you have no interest in melee PC's, then here is a short list of important info: 1. Get morgia root as fast as possible. A wizard's HP's are pitiful, and eating 2/3 morgia will increase the To stat, and 4/5 will increase To potential. There is a huge difference in having To 10 or To 25 : ) Morgia is sometimes available in the DDL, the dungeon by the road, next to the Pyramid in the central part of the wilderness. It is also sometimes available in the big room of the Caverns of Chaos. If you don't already know the herb harvesting procedures, learn them from the guidebook. 2. Get your exp. points where you can. Killing powerful monsters may not be an early game option for many PC's, but wizards are another matter. Crime leaders, Old Barbarians, and greater/killer bugs, are available early, so consider killing them to level up a bit. 3. Read the guides at Silfir's blogspot. I did one for wizards about a year ago. It's far from perfect, but it should get you going. I have also made some demo's you could d/l, to help you get the hang of places like the BUGWIL. They are somewhere on these forums : ) Put me in the 'fool filter', where I belong! |
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Darren Grey Registered user Last page view: 4239 days, 21 hours, 45 minutes and 11 seconds ago. |
As has been said pressing "6" to teleport was a mistake. In ADOM you first select a target for the teleport spell - choose "5" to cast the spell on yourself. If you have teleportation control (at the start of the game normally you don't) then you get asked for an exact destination, otherwise it just teleports you to a random location. This could have saved your life in the situation you describe. It's important for you to experiment with your spells before you desperately need them. In this case experimenting with teleport in a safer location such as the wilderness or early dungeon might have led you to figure out how to use it properly. ADOM doesn't punish you severely for using up PP - in fact doing so trains your mana stat, giving you more PP in the long-run. If you run out of PP and need to cast a spell then you can actually drain your HP to cast spells, though this is obviously dangerous - you can kill yourself doing this, and it can cause the Ma stat to go down over time. However it quite often is a lifesaver. I'd personally recommend gnomish wizards as a more beginner wizard class, since they have a bit of toughness and still plenty of magic capability. Remember to blast your cannons whenever you feel the need, and run away at all other points. Traps can be lethal, but that's the way of things. Going to the infinite dungeon in the south-east can be a good source of spellbooks too - just don't go too deep. After a few levels and a decent array of spells wizards are quite unstobbable (apart from when you magic missile youself in a narrow corridor). Waldenbrook, the dwarven shopkeeper, mumbles: "I'd offer 9 gold pieces for yer dwarven child corpse." |
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Silfir Registered user Writer of Overly Long Guides Last page view: 4068 days, 22 hours, 27 minutes and 21 seconds ago. |
A Learning of 22 or above makes things so much easier. It gives you enough castings from your damage-dealing spell for you to kill anything until level 10, and by then you are bound to have found more books, and have gotten enough HP to do some melee. You drop the golden ball. You kick the golden ball. It slides to the west. Suddenly Harry Potter, the apprentice wizard, appears! "That's not how you play Quidditch! are you even listening?" Which direction? (123456789) 4 Harry Potter, the apprentice wizard, is hit by a bolt of acid! Harry Potter, the apprentice wizard, is annihilated. You hear the ecstatic cries of a large crowd! |
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Molach Registered user Lord of DurisMud Last page view: 5142 days, 3 hours, 39 minutes and 34 seconds ago. |
Wizards should a lot of time in coward mode. Pit vipers are one of the main early-game killers. They can even be generated on level 1, and are far more dangerous than anything else found there. Because they are not randomly generated, but come from a pit trap. They are close to unavoidable death for many characters that early. But as a wizard, you have an attack spell, usable in coward mode. You also have two prayers to refill HP. You could play safe (hop around on dungeon 1-2) till you reach level 6, then advance slowly. Many elite players won't even play wizards anymore, because they are too easy. So if you learn to (ab)use them, they shine. |
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gut Registered user Painted this one too. Last page view: 4898 days, 2 minutes and 7 seconds ago. |
Indeed, DV is a good friend to a wizard. So much so, that I would actually advise skipping a melee weapon entirely. Wield two shields for added safety. There are some monsters that can't be killed with elemental spells, so you'll have to use magic missiles for them. Also, some monsters shrug of bolt spells, so you have to use ball spells on them. Alternatively, just run from them if you can. Put me in the 'fool filter', where I belong! |
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Silfir Registered user Writer of Overly Long Guides Last page view: 4068 days, 22 hours, 27 minutes and 21 seconds ago. |
Two shields, yeah - a bit over the top, but true. If you must have a second form of attacking besides spells, you should just make it arrows and quarrels. Collect slaying ammunition to use against tough enemies you don't have the right spell for (once you have Magic Missile, you're set, since it can kill anything with enough castings). You drop the golden ball. You kick the golden ball. It slides to the west. Suddenly Harry Potter, the apprentice wizard, appears! "That's not how you play Quidditch! are you even listening?" Which direction? (123456789) 4 Harry Potter, the apprentice wizard, is hit by a bolt of acid! Harry Potter, the apprentice wizard, is annihilated. You hear the ecstatic cries of a large crowd! |
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t Unregistered user |
Short noob guide to harvesting herbs. "" "" Goal: To generate/find a 2x2 pattern shown above that has the herb(s) you intend to harvest (morgia root + moss of mareillon are the only ones you'll _really_ need, but some others are highly useful too, find their uses in the guidebook. That pattern is stable, and if one of the herb squares withers it'll grow back in some turns. If you have the herbalism skill, apply it on the herb squares prior to picking them. You get to see the bushes health, and can avoid harvesting it to death. |
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Inquisitiveone Unregistered user |
Thanks for the advice folks! I found that guide that you wrote, gut. The advice increased my wizard's survival rating by a large factor. Killing the focus of the Druid quest has been a hassle. He seems to resist fire-bolts, and frost-bolts, so I'll have to Magic Missile him... |
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Darren Grey Registered user Last page view: 4239 days, 21 hours, 45 minutes and 11 seconds ago. |
It's usually best to generate him at a low level and then come back later when you're buff enough. Acid bolt makes very short work of him if you have it. Waldenbrook, the dwarven shopkeeper, mumbles: "I'd offer 9 gold pieces for yer dwarven child corpse." |
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The Real J. Registered user The faceless swordsman Last page view: 5614 days, 4 hours, 41 minutes and 47 seconds ago. |
Inq: magic missile is actually very powerful when leveled up. My archmage had magic missile at effectivity over 100 and with all stats maxed it was truly devastating. Also, burning hands is pretty efficient when leveled up. If your char has plenty of castings of magic missile you can easily and safely train it by entering an empty wilderness square and casting it on random directions for a while. Sytytä toiselle tuli ja hän pysyy lämpimänä jonkin aikaa. Sytytä hänet palamaan ja hän pysyy lämpimänä loppuelämänsä. |
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moomoo Registered user Last page view: 5385 days, 2 hours, 40 minutes and 55 seconds ago. |
Magic missile is mostly the only offensive spell I bother with, balls seem to work dandy even with lower effectivity in the situations where you need those. 4 pp for a bouncing non shruggable uber effective killing ray is too good to pass. And the bouncing part, one has to learn to use it the hard way (yeah executing one self at D:50 sucks;). So missiles are the way to go, magic and ordinary :) |
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gut Registered user Painted this one too. Last page view: 4898 days, 2 minutes and 7 seconds ago. |
Non-shruggable bolt? Put me in the 'fool filter', where I belong! |
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Silfir Registered user Writer of Overly Long Guides Last page view: 4068 days, 22 hours, 27 minutes and 21 seconds ago. |
With 100 effectivity the shrugging rate is apparently non-existant. Wouldn't know, I usually win with my spellcasters before my Magic Missile even reach 40. You drop the golden ball. You kick the golden ball. It slides to the west. Suddenly Harry Potter, the apprentice wizard, appears! "That's not how you play Quidditch! are you even listening?" Which direction? (123456789) 4 Harry Potter, the apprentice wizard, is hit by a bolt of acid! Harry Potter, the apprentice wizard, is annihilated. You hear the ecstatic cries of a large crowd! |
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Inquisitiveone Unregistered user |
Do you think that the Black Torc would be a wise thing for my (now lvl 14) wizard to wear? My wizard is now hunting through the ID looking for Blink Dogs to eat, he is the BEST wizard that I've ever had, he has something like 30 spells at his disposal including Remove Curse (which has been very helpful), and not including Identify or Greater Identify (which would be nice to have). He has a skill level of 7 for his "Spear skill" and around skill level 3 for his "Shield spell" Training on little baddies (like a room full of rats is a good way to increase ones DV, evidently). Again, I appreciate all of the advice on this forum. Gut... how exactly do you use Darkness? I haven't figured out a good way to apply it, I'm always afraid that I will get eaten by a grue (it's like a 1/1000 chance, right?). |
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psy_wombats Registered user Untitled Last page view: 5336 days, 19 hours, 41 minutes and 35 seconds ago. |
The grue chance only applies when you're doomed; don't worry. Darkness is a very useful spell for a variety of enemies, vortices to gigantic water dragons... If you have the Remove Curse spell, I think it would be fine to wear the torc. The speed bonus is nice, the cursing is not. However, you might be at the level where you want to start abusing that. To train DV, as you suggested. Just remember to take it off when needed. WHEN WOMBATS STRIKE! Enjoy your last days... |
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gut Registered user Painted this one too. Last page view: 4898 days, 2 minutes and 7 seconds ago. |
Indeed, cursing isn't nearly as bad as dooming, as it's only really 'bad luck'. I recommend avoiding any bad luck though, and in fact I advise spending as much gold as needed to obtain the 'lucky' and 'fate smiles' intrinsics as soon as possible. I don't have code-dived info on this, but my playing exp. says that luck has a large impact on item destruction from traps and breath/bolt attacks. That alone makes me avoid it as much as possible. As for darkness use, most monsters usually just stupidly stand still in the dark, and let you kill them at your leisure. Humanoids and some others will often panic though, and that can be dangerous. There are some monsters, like the Snake from Beyond, that you might not like to hit you even once : ) For that reason, you should always locate yourself in an open room if possible when using darkness. If your enemy doesn't have an escape route, and it panics, it can hit you. Be careful about standing adjascent to a door square when using darkness. If a monster moves into a door square, they can (for some reason) see in the dark, and hit you. You only get eaten if you're doomed. Put me in the 'fool filter', where I belong! [Edited 1 time, last edit on 10/25/2008 at 05:39 (GMT -5) by gut] |