New memorable randarts

[sffp]

My @ is a half-orc blackguard with no stealth.
The -2 to stealth is bad - yes - but the resist fear is great
I can cast berserk strength or quaff heroism yes, but it takes a turn and there's no guarantee I will have the mana or that the ritual will succeed.
If I can resist fear/blindness and confusion I always have all of my options available to me.

[Estie]

Well I disagree but theres little point in continuing the argument, its too minor a thing.

[sffp]

My next half-orc blackguard has found:
(I don't even know how good it is, but it's better than my 2d4 Tulwar)

a) the Whip 'Estint' (3d3) (+14,+18) [+3] <+2, +3, +1> {??}
Found lying on the floor at 150 feet (level 3)

You do not know the full extent of this item's powers.
+2 intelligence.
+3 constitution.
+3 speed.
+1 light.
Sustains intelligence.
Grants the ability to see invisible things.

When activated, it deals 60 damage to all evil creatures that you
can see.
Takes 94 to 105 turns to recharge at your current speed.
Your chance of success is 77.2%

Combat info:
1.6 blows/round.
With +1 STR and +0 DEX you would get 2.0 blows
With +0 STR and +2 DEX you would get 2.0 blows
Average damage/round: 47.8.

[sffp]

a) the Whip 'Estint' (3d3) (+14,+18) [+3] <+2, +3, +1>
Found lying on the floor at 150 feet (level 3)

+2 intelligence.
+3 constitution.
+3 speed.
+1 light.
Slays undead (powerfully), dragons (powerfully), demons
(powerfully), giants, trolls, orcs, animals, evil creatures.
Provides resistance to Lightning, Fire, Cold, Light, Sound,
Shards.
Cannot be harmed by Acid, Fire.
Sustains intelligence.
Grants the ability to see invisible things. Prevents paralysis.

When activated, it deals 60 damage to all evil creatures that you
can see.
Takes 94 to 105 turns to recharge at your current speed.
Your chance of success is 83.0%

Combat info:
1.6 blows/round.
With +1 STR and +0 DEX you would get 2.0 blows
With +0 STR and +2 DEX you would get 2.0 blows
Average damage/round: 93.6 vs undead, dragons, and demons, 71.5 vs
giants, trolls, and orcs, 60.5 vs animals and evil creatures, and
49.4 vs. others.

[Pete Mack]

Meanwhile, I am still struggling along with Elvagil--arguably the worst usable standard artifact.

[sffp]

I think my RPG was making up for this abomination in the previous game:

t) the Lucerne Hammer of Orithar (2d5) (+13,+12)
Found lying on the floor in a vault at 1300 feet (level 26)

Cannot be harmed by Acid, Fire.

Combat info:
1.0 blow/round.
With +7 STR and +0 DEX you would attack a bit faster
With +11 STR and +0 DEX you would get 1.1 blows
With +0 STR and +2 DEX you would attack a bit faster
With +7 STR and +2 DEX you would get 1.1 blows
With +0 STR and +5 DEX you would get 1.1 blows
Average damage/round: 12.7.

That's it. That's all.

[Estie]

Well I played a standart @ again, H-troll warrior, found a *thanc* on dlvl1, squelched all non-artifact weapons then and there and had the easiest win in years. Sffp's whip is better than a thanc, but good luck finding something like that early in randart games. It is worthy of a post in this thread for sure. Typically you find things like Elvagil and end up using a magic dagger till stat gain.

When you find Elvagil in a standart game, you can complain because you _know_ there are half a dozen better artifacts at that level. With randarts, you never know if there are any good early weapons, and often there arent.

The reason for this is simply that the standart set has a bunch of early weapons based on light types, dagger rapier etc, whereas there is no such bias in the randart algorithm. A branded warhammer with SI and regeneration is a decent early artifact, but chances are you are trading damage for that SI when you wield it in favor of your dagger +6.

Now in the late game, its not uncommon to find some artifact with high dice and brands and/or blows that deals more damage than Wrath or any other standart. If you do, the endgame will be easier. The game as a whole is not.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by Estie

Well I played a standart @ again, H-troll warrior, found a *thanc* on dlvl1, squelched all non-artifact weapons then and there and had the easiest win in years.

If you do that you may miss on an early ego with ESP - or am i missing something? I know it's rare but still. I would also like to see FA/SI egos.

[Estie]

Originally Posted by Adam

If you do that you may miss on an early ego with ESP - or am i missing something? I know it's rare but still. I would also like to see FA/SI egos.

Yes, I am aware. For warriors, the weapon slot is pricey to sacrifice for ESP; swapping around is a pain in the rear. A dagger of *slay evil* might be good enough to justify the switch....but chances to find one are tiny.

FA, SI, those things tend to come easily if you are the lord of the level. Obviously you need to avoid engaging the ghoul horde without FA; however, thats hardly a loss if the alternative is a painful fight with a crappy FA weapon.

All those swap options are helpful if you are crawling along, only ballast if you breeze through the dungeon.

[sffp]

Originally Posted by Estie

Yes, I am aware. For warriors, the weapon slot is pricey to sacrifice for ESP; swapping around is a pain in the rear. A dagger of *slay evil* might be good enough to justify the switch....but chances to find one are tiny.

FA, SI, those things tend to come easily if you are the lord of the level. Obviously you need to avoid engaging the ghoul horde without FA; however, thats hardly a loss if the alternative is a painful fight with a crappy FA weapon.

All those swap options are helpful if you are crawling along, only ballast if you breeze through the dungeon.

I don't know, I think my most common death is a melee character who finds a good damage weapon but doesn't have fa and it runs into a ghast, a homoculous, an illusionist etc. and I watch helplessly hitting the space bar while it dies. Having that extra feeling of invincibility aka 1-hit death leads to taking chances that are frequently unswise.

It does not help that my playing style is based off of BBT's Penny's second movie title "Monkee See, Monkee Kill" but I've always been a paladin at heart.