Fenrir's Thread

[Fenrir]

Bah. From a while ago everything is just shrugging off my arrows. Fenrir is offended!

Being the dragon slayer I am, I've been wanting to take down one of these dragon uniques. Unfortunately, Kavlax's lightning breath scares me, (since it got me to 12 hp last time) and I predict a gravestone with my name in it if I were to battle Smaug as I am right now; so that only means one thing-- time to procrastinate around the dungeon!

I went back to dungeon level 1 and started descending with hopes of meeting one of these uniques I've missed and of that they won't just drop _yet_another_ cheap +5 +4 mace.

Defenders always resist paralysis among other abilities. The "hidden power" on a defender is a random sustain.

Oh... then I hereby declare the "The hidden powers of the Defender weapons are there to trick n00bs into wasting *ID* scrolls" line is true.

[PowerDiver]

Originally Posted by Fenrir

I went back to dungeon level 1 and started descending with hopes of meeting one of these uniques I've missed and of that they won't just drop _yet_another_ cheap +5 +4 mace.

Uniques drop based in part upon dungeon depth, just like everyone else. If you want to boost your chance of better stuff, better to kill them 20 levels deeper than their native depth. Going back to dLevel 1 is just asking for cheap stuff.

[Fenrir]

Originally Posted by PowerDiver

Uniques drop based in part upon dungeon depth, just like everyone else. If you want to boost your chance of better stuff, better to kill them 20 levels deeper than their native depth. Going back to dLevel 1 is just asking for cheap stuff.

That explains the maces.

But I got so out-of-my depth that something nasty'd show up everytime I tried to get to the up-staircase, and I'd have to read yet another levelport scroll that would (of course) take me another level down. Pretty sad actually.

So, running past boring dungeons I go!


Say, where is a good depth for finding arrows? Good arrows that uniques won't shrug off? Or should I continue struggling to enchant some to plus something?

[Donald Jonker]

Originally Posted by Fenrir

Say, where is a good depth for finding arrows? Good arrows that uniques won't shrug off? Or should I continue struggling to enchant some to plus something?

Finding good arrows tends to be something of a crapshoot, in my experience. I usually stockpile ?tohit and ?todam (lots of them) and enchant 99 arrows until i get bored.. around +5,+5. Even when uniques shrug off, though, you're still whittling them down. Just pack a whole lot of ?phase and arrows, and eventually they'll keel over.

[Fenrir]

Originally Posted by Donald Jonker

Finding good arrows tends to be something of a crapshoot, in my experience. I usually stockpile ?tohit and ?todam (lots of them) and enchant 99 arrows until i get bored.. around +5,+5. Even when uniques shrug off, though, you're still whittling them down. Just pack a whole lot of ?phase and arrows, and eventually they'll keel over.

I think less arrows enchant quicker, though, but they're still less arrows. Anyway, yeah, that's what I'm doing-- dragging around a wagon full of arrows to fire at monsters so they eventually suffocate under them (how they all even fit into that backpack I don't know). But it stinks that they take FOREVER to drop one star and you don't get to shrug off their nether bolts.

I had a stack of 99 +7 +6 arrows and then got a pack of water hounds created in front of me... and later found an acid elemental and plasma votices... I was all "AHHHHH!!! It took more than fifty-nine scrolls to enchant these arrows!! NOOOO!!!!" Because, of course, it was the +7 +6 stack the one that had to get affected and not the cheap +0 one...

Bleh. Classic RNG... I'm starting to think the RNG is Morgorth... either that or he likes him a pretty darn lot!


Another question: what does 2 shots per turn mean? Okay, yes, sounds dumb, but... I fire at some monster with 99 arrows and the game says I have 98 left! Am I doing something wrong here? Am I magically multiplying arrows?

[Donald Jonker]

Originally Posted by Fenrir

Another question: what does 2 shots per turn mean? Okay, yes, sounds dumb, but... I fire at some monster with 99 arrows and the game says I have 98 left! Am I doing something wrong here? Am I magically multiplying arrows?

Essentially you get to take a second shot before the monsters get another move.

There's a longer answer involving Angband's energy system, which I've never really sat down and tried to understand. I think there's something on the thangorodrim site that explains it.

[Narvius]

Simply said, one shot takes only half a turn.

[buzzkill]

Originally Posted by Narvius

Simply said, one shot takes only half a turn.

..and 1/2 of an arrow???

[Donald Jonker]

I think the confusion is that with multiple shots per turn, unlike multiple blows, you take your shots individually, i.e., you can aim at two different monsters within the same turn, expending two arrows. It seems like you're taking two turns, but you're using only half the energy it normally takes to shoot.

So in the original question about magically multiplying arrows, the answer is no. You've only taken one half of your turn. Only after you've fired a second time have you completed a full turn.

I *think* that's how it works. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Edit: I wonder what happens if you have multiple shots, shoot once, and then take a melee swing for four blows at a nearby monster (or perform some other action). Is that kosher? I suppose the monsters get a free hit on you eventually?

[zaimoni]

Originally Posted by Donald Jonker

Edit: I wonder what happens if you have multiple shots, shoot once, and then take a melee swing for four blows at a nearby monster (or perform some other action). Is that kosher? I suppose the monsters get a free hit on you eventually?

It's kosher, and for simple cases will not give monsters free attacks compared to less intricate attack sequences.