YASD - Crawl 0.4.3 - Spriggan Enchanter

I've only recently gotten into Crawl; before this I played mainly
ADOM. I've had a lot of early deaths (and one corrupted character
file that was looking like he was going to go pretty far), but this
one was different. I lost control over my Hill Giant minion and
missed the message that it had happened. I was one-shotted in the
ensuing turn. Log:

Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup version 0.4.3 (crawl-ref) character file.

3092 Crawler the Infuser (level 9, -10/44 HPs)
Began as a Spriggan Enchanter on Dec 22, 2008.
Was a Follower of Sif Muna.
Mangled by a hill giant (23 damage)
... on Level 11 of the Dungeon on Dec 23, 2008.
The game lasted 01:42:11 (11357 turns).

Crawler the Infuser (Spriggan Enchanter) Turns: 11357, Time:
01:42:11

HP -10/44 AC 3 Str 6 Exp: 9/3847 (600), need: 1235
MP 23/23 EV 20 Int 20 God: Sif Muna *
Gold 400 SH 0 Dex 14 Spells: 3 memorised, 8 levels
left

Res.Fire : . . . See Invis. : + D - +3,+6 sabre "Oteaso"
Res.Cold : . . . Warding : . H - +1 robe
Life Prot.: + + . Conserve : . (shield restricted)
Res.Poison: . Res.Corr. : . a - +0 cap
Res.Elec. : . Clarity : . (no cloak)
(gloves unavailable)
Sust.Abil.: . Rnd.Telep. : . (boots unavailable)
Res.Mut. : . Ctrl.Telep.: + (no amulet)
Res.Slow : . Levitation : . q - ring of life protection
Saprovore : . . . Ctrl.Flight: . k - ring of teleport control

@: very quick, quite resistant to magic, extremely stealthy
A: unfitting armour, herbivore 3, slow metabolism 3, speed 3, see
invisible
a: Channel Energy, Renounce Religion


You were on level 11 of the Dungeon.
You worshipped Sif Muna.
Sif Muna was pleased with you.
You were not hungry.

You visited 2 branches of the dungeon, and saw 12 of its levels.

Inventory:

Hand weapons
s - a +0,+2 orcish dagger
z - a +0,+0 orcish blowgun
D - the +3,+6 sabre "Oteaso" (weapon)
(You took it off an orc wizard on level 10 of the Dungeon)
It protects you from negative energy.
It enhances your eyesight.
It makes you much more stealthy.
E - the +6,+0 sling of Eternal Vigilance
(You found it on level 11 of the Dungeon)
It affects your AC (+3).
It affects your intelligence (+2).
It protects you from fire.
It lets you blink.
I - a +0,+2 sling
M - a +3,+1 elven dagger of speed
Missiles
y - 137 +0 stones
A - 12 poisoned +0 needles
Armour
a - a +0 cap (worn)
b - a +0 pair of gloves
H - a +1 robe (worn)
Magical devices
L - a wand of magic darts (7)
N - a wand of fire (14)
Comestibles
p - 2 apples
Scrolls
j - 2 scrolls of identify
m - a scroll of recharging
n - a scroll of enchant weapon I
t - 4 scrolls of detect curse
v - 5 scrolls of teleportation
Jewellery
k - a ring of teleport control (left hand)
q - a ring of life protection (right hand)
C - an uncursed ring of protection from magic
G - an uncursed ring of protection from magic
Potions
e - 2 potions of mutation
f - 4 potions of speed
g - 2 potions of healing
i - 3 potions of might
l - 2 potions of paralysis
r - a potion of heal wounds
u - 2 potions of confusion
w - 4 potions of poison
x - 2 potions of restore abilities
Books
c - a book of Charms
h - a book of War Chants
o - a book of Geomancy
B - a book of Callings
K - a book of Wizardry
O - a book of Practical Magic
R - a book of Enchantments
S - a book of Practical Magic
Magical staves
d - a rod of striking (9/9)
(Original Equipment)
Miscellaneous
P - a disc of storms {Thunder?}
Q - an empty ebony casket


You had 600 experience left.

Skills:
- Level 3 Short Blades
+ Level 4 Darts
+ Level 1 Throwing
+ Level 8 Dodging
+ Level 7 Stealth
- Level 1 Traps & Doors
+ Level 4 Spellcasting
+ Level 12 Enchantments
+ Level 6 Evocations


You had 8 spell levels left.
You knew the following spells:

Your Spells Type Power Success
Level
a - Corona Ench #######... Excellent 1
b - Enslavement Ench #######... Excellent 4
c - Regeneration Ench/Necr #####..... Excellent 3


Overview of the Dungeon

Branches:
Temple: D:7

Altars:
Zin: D:6

Shops:
D:9: /


Level Annotations

Dungeon
5: Sigmund
6: Blork the Orc
7: Water
9: Large room, Wand Shop
10: Mmm, tasty Orcs


Innate Abilities, Weirdness & Mutations

Your body does not fit into most forms of armour.
You are a herbivore.
You need consume almost no food.
You cover ground extremely quickly.
You have supernaturally acute eyesight.


Message History

<lightgrey>A yak.<lightgrey>
It appears to be resting.
You see a scroll labeled HATIKI HAJEZOB here.
Attack!
The hill giant is no longer charmed.
The hill giant hits you!
Ouch! That really hurt!

...................5
....................
..............?......
(................YO.
.....................
..............Y......
.....................
...............O.....
..........@..........
...........C.........
....................
..%.................
####........#######
#........#
#........#
#........#
#........#


You could see an ogre, a yak, and a hill giant.

Vanquished Creatures
A hill giant (D:10)
An ettin (D:10)
Edmund (D:10)
2 orc warriors
A manticore (D:9)
An ogre (D:5)
An ice beast (D:7)
A centaur (D:10)
Sigmund (D:5)
A giant frog (D:10)
2 imps (D:6)
3 hounds
A giant beetle (D:10)
2 orc wizards
A quasit (D:
A giant ant (D:9)
2 scorpions
A jelly (D:5)
11 snakes
A mummy (D:10)
An ooze (D:9)
A giant ant zombie (D:7)
7 giant cockroaches
2 giant geckos
13 goblins
10 hobgoblins
32 orcs
10 giant bats
7 giant newts
4 jackals
11 kobolds
A quokka (D:6)
22 rats
A rat zombie (D:5)
A small snake (D:6)
159 creatures vanquished.

Vanquished Creatures (collateral kills)
3 yaks (D:11)
An ogre (D:6)
A phantom (D:9)
A yellow wasp (D:10)
An orc warrior (D:10)
A giant frog (D:
3 imps
2 giant beetles
A scorpion (D:7)
A giant ant (D:9)
2 snakes
A mummy (D:10)
2 giant cockroaches
3 giant geckos
4 goblins
A hobgoblin (D:5)
26 orcs
2 quokkas
2 giant bats
A giant newt (D:5)
A kobold (D:4)
A rat (D:
A snake zombie (D:7)
62 creatures vanquished.

Vanquished Creatures (others)
A giant frog (D:
A giant ant (D:7)
2 orcs
4 creatures vanquished.

Grand Total: 225 creatures vanquished

Notes
Turn | Place | Note
--------------------------------------------------------------
0 | D:1 | Crawler, the Spriggan Enchanter, began the quest
for the Orb.
0 | D:1 | Reached XP level 1. HP: 8/8 MP: 4/4
391 | D:1 | Reached XP level 2. HP: 13/13 MP: 4/7
1916 | D:2 | Reached XP level 3. HP: 18/18 MP: 8/9
2427 | D:3 | Reached skill 1 in Darts
2566 | D:3 | Reached skill 7 in Enchantments
2639 | D:3 | Reached XP level 4. HP: 11/20 MP: 9/12
3094 | D:3 | Learned a level 4 spell: Enslavement
3496 | D:4 | Noticed Sigmund
3555 | D:5 | Entered Level 5 of the Dungeon
3782 | D:5 | Reached XP level 5. HP: 25/25 MP: 13/14
4174 | D:5 | Reached skill 5 in Stealth
4737 | D:5 | Sigmund (ally) was defeated
4737 | D:5 | Reached XP level 6. HP: 28/30 MP: 13/17
4970 | D:6 | Reached skill 5 in Dodging
5218 | D:6 | Reached skill 5 in Evocations
5279 | D:6 | Got a brightly glowing dagger
5281 | D:6 | Identified the cursed -2,-1 dagger "Kymog" (You
found it on level 6 of the Dungeon)
5707 | D:6 | Reached skill 8 in Enchantments
5836 | D:6 | Noticed Blork the orc
5901 | D:6 | Reached XP level 7. HP: 33/34 MP: 12/18
5979 | D:6 | Reached skill 1 in Throwing
6159 | D:6 | Learned a level 3 spell: Regeneration
6818 | Temple | Entered the Ecumenical Temple
6855 | Temple | Became a worshipper of Sif Muna the Loreminder
7285 | D:7 | Reached skill 9 in Enchantments
8892 | D:9 | Reached XP level 8. HP: 36/39 MP: 7/21
10115 | D:10 | Entered Level 10 of the Dungeon
10136 | D:10 | Reached skill 1 in Traps & Doors
10280 | D:10 | Reached skill 10 in Enchantments
10403 | D:10 | Reached XP level 9. HP: 31/44 MP: 18/22
10420 | D:10 | Reached skill 11 in Enchantments
10553 | D:10 | Acquired Sif Muna's first power
10620 | D:10 | Noticed Edmund
10784 | D:10 | Defeated Edmund
11043 | D:10 | Reached skill 12 in Enchantments
11120 | D:10 | Got an ichor-stained sabre
11124 | D:10 | Identified the +3,+6 sabre "Oteaso" (You took it
off an orc wizard on level 10 of the Dungeon)
11249 | D:11 | Got a twisted sling
11357 | D:11 | Mangled by a hill giant

On Dec 23, 2:20 am, Stefan O'Rear <stefa....TakeThisOut@cox.net> wrote:
> On 2008-12-23, RathNarcow....TakeThisOut@gmail.com <RathNarcow....TakeThisOut@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > I've only recently gotten into Crawl; before this I played mainly
> > ADOM.
>
> How do you like it?

It's great; it feels very well balanced. Nothing like my first
Slash'EM character (killed by a hobbit with Grayswandir on DL:4)

> > I've had a lot of early deaths (and one corrupted character
> > file that was looking like he was going to go pretty far), but this
> > one was different.  I lost control over my Hill Giant minion and
> > missed the message that it had happened.
>
> You can expect this in the future; with very rare exceptions, there
> is no such thing as a permanent ally in Crawl.

I know. My character's typical combat style was to enslave the
strongest thing around and have it kill as much as it could, then
finish off the rest with a bolt or two from my RoS. If there were
still a large number of monsters around I'd enslave another one when
mine died - that's why so many of my kills were "collateral damage".

> That said, moving too quickly and missing messages is a very common
> cause of death in Crawl.  (You do know about autotravel and
> autoexplore, right?  They will autostop when anything dangerous
> happens, greatly reducing the danger of this sort of death.)

Yes; they're very useful - one of my favorite features actually.

> > I was one-shotted in the ensuing turn.  Log:
>
> >  Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup version 0.4.3 (crawl-ref) character file.
>
> > 3092 Crawler the Infuser (level 9, -10/44 HPs)
> >              Began as a Spriggan Enchanter on Dec 22, 2008.
> >              Was a Follower of Sif Muna.
> >              Mangled by a hill giant (23 damage)
> >              ... on Level 11 of the Dungeon on Dec 23, 2008.
>
> That's not a oneshot, that's getting hit by one of the toughest melee
> enemies in the early game while at 1/3 health.

It only hit me once - if I hadn't grossly misused that turn my
character would still be alive. It feels comparable to getting turned
to stone in NetHack for eating a cockatrice egg instead of the food in
an adjacent (keyboard-wise) slot.

> > Hand weapons
> >  D - the +3,+6 sabre "Oteaso" (weapon)
> >    (You took it off an orc wizard on level 10 of the Dungeon)
> >    It protects you from negative energy.
> >    It enhances your eyesight.
> >    It makes you much more stealthy.
>
> Nice sabre.

Thanks

> >  E - the +6,+0 sling of Eternal Vigilance
> >    (You found it on level 11 of the Dungeon)
> >    It affects your AC (+3).
> >    It affects your intelligence (+2).
> >    It protects you from fire.
> >    It lets you blink.
> >  I - a +0,+2 sling
> >  M - a +3,+1 elven dagger of speed
> > Missiles
> >  y - 137 +0 stones
>
> Sling and you devoted a lot of inventory weight to ammo, but no sling
> skill.  Afraid of jellies?  (You could just get an offensive level 1
> spell for them, like Summon Small Mammals from Callings).

I'd only just found that randart sling when I died. Early on I used a
large stash of darts I found around level 2 of the dungeon. I
actually found my Dagger of Speed well before the +0/+2 sling.
Combined with the ability to simply enslave monsters and let them kill
each other, I'd rarely had the incentive to equip a sling over the
dagger.

> > Books
> >  c - a book of Charms
> >  h - a book of War Chants
> >  o - a book of Geomancy
> >  B - a book of Callings
> >  K - a book of Wizardry
> >  O - a book of Practical Magic
> >  R - a book of Enchantments
> >  S - a book of Practical Magic
>
> You don't need to carry all those books with you, they weigh quite a bit.

Okay, but where should I stash them? In the Temple?

>
> >    Skills:
> >  - Level 3 Short Blades
> >  + Level 4 Darts
> >  + Level 1 Throwing
> >  + Level 8 Dodging
> >  + Level 7 Stealth
> >  - Level 1 Traps & Doors
> >  + Level 4 Spellcasting
> >  + Level 12 Enchantments
> >  + Level 6 Evocations
>
> > You had 8 spell levels left.
> > You knew the following spells:
>
> >  Your Spells              Type           Power          Success
> > Level
> > a - Corona                Ench           #######...     Excellent   1
> > b - Enslavement           Ench           #######...     Excellent   4
> > c - Regeneration          Ench/Necr      #####.....     Excellent   3
>
> Very unusual choice of spells and skills there.  The usual MO for a spriggan
> enchanter is to train Ensorcelled Hibernation and Stabbing and oneshot
> everything in the dungeon with a nice dagger.  Anything specific you had
> in mind with this?

My general plan was to walk through the dungeon doing as little
fighting of my own as possible.

I like the effect of Enslavement (despite the obvious downsides). I
picked up Regeneration because I had no healing potions at one point,
and I didn't want to be caught at low health. It saved me once.
I was going to learn the following spells from the books I owned:
Magic Mapping from the book of Wizardry,
Remove Curse from Practical Magic
A moderate-level summon for use when there were no monsters left to
enslave.
Possibly also Repel Missiles, though I usually just had a minion to
block for me.

On Dec 23, 8:25 am, David Ploog <pl....TakeThisOut@mi.fu-berlin.de> wrote:
> On Mon, 22 Dec 2008, RathNarcow....TakeThisOut@gmail.com wrote:
> > I've only recently gotten into Crawl; before this I played mainly
> > ADOM. I've had a lot of early deaths (and one corrupted character
> > file that was looking like he was going to go pretty far), but this
> > one was different. I lost control over my Hill Giant minion and
> > missed the message that it had happened.
>
> In some sense, a fun way to go Just picture your couple-of-inches
> Spriggan with the towering giant in tow. Of course, the moment that guy
> hits, you're toast.
>
> Do you use branding of allies? In the ASCII version, they're shown with a
> green background. This makes status changes very easy to spot as you see
> it without having to check that message.

Yes, I do. I hit a key I didn't mean to before I got the chance to
look around.

> Perhaps you just haven't been expecting the amount of violence (respect
> the giants from now on) or the temporary nature (as sorear says, almost
> all allies are temporary - for lasting ally fun, play a HOPr of Beogh).

You're right, I wasn't expecting it to hit so hard, even though it
wasn't my first Giant minion. I should have seen it coming - the
other one took down 8 orcs (I ran into a 4x5 room full of them) before
he died.

> I hope you don't mind dying. It's quite natural in Crawl (I don't assume
> it to be rare in ADOm either
>
> David

ADOM has its fair share of deaths as well - it's not that I wasn't
expecting to die eventually, I'm sure I would have met my end one way
or another. It's just frustrating to lose a promising character to
such a simple mistake as not re-casting a spell.