Angbandish Fun (r.g.r.a highlights) - Mages shall run away...

> Does anyone out there have any advice, or know of any faq's concerning mages? I cant seem to get one to last for any amount of time. I'm still kind of a newbie, but - geesh! they die so quickly.

Most mages tend to die first few levels due to some error (trap, bad luck, that sort of thing). Most characters do that, though. Just take it cautiously. If you heal fully (macro R&\r is good) every possible chance and retreat so monsters don't chase you (closed doors often work, windy passages with U-turns work at times) to heal. Magic missile from afar, and don't use the dagger much. Stay near the stairs if you need to. The biggest thing is traps, which often are unavoidable. As a side, how about making traps take a percentage of hitpoints? It makes traps slightly less dangerous early on and much more dangerous later in the game. I usually spend more time getting my equipment from town than in the dungeon because of traps... Once you get them so they can cast MM with 4% fail and 20 or so mana, you should be able to take mages well. With trap detection macroed to avoid tedium of death and extra typing, you should be able to kill the harmful monsters before having to retreat. Run from orcs until you know you can take them. Run if you think it may be close. Be careful. Don't risk it so you go up the stairs with 3 hitpoints and then get beat up by a white mouse. Run away anyways. Rest often. Run away. Run away. By the way, run away! The key to mages is running away, in case you didn't know. This holds true once you get high enough to haste self... Run away. Phase door is a decent cameo too- - Magic missile until they are adjacent... Phase door. Magic missile. Repeat. Often. Run away. Don't worry too much about Cold/Lightning/Fire bolts until you get them under 10% fail. Cast them to start, so you know how much mana you will need and whether you should run away. Keep phase door scrolls until you have 50 mana or so. +STR items are valuble, as gnomes with 18/50 int will have at most 10 STR. +INT is also valuble. AC is not valuble if you are slowed-- Phase door will keep you away. Don't be afraid to run away. I don't normally use bows or slings, but if you find a nicely enchanted one feel free to use it. Buy a cheap generic one if you want to. Running away helps too. Also-- HitPoint warning at 60% is my setting.. Run away before you hit that point, even. By the way, does anyone know if it is possible to set HP Warning to --More-- only with space? I get too close to death (or to it sometimes) by holding an arrow key while not paying attention... A space only --More-- for HP warnings would prolong my characters lives. I enjoy the any key --More--ing for orc pits at level 40 but the Ethereal dragons breathing unresisted light and confusion and such aren't fun to live through (Often because you don't). But I digress.

Run away. Phase door. Run away. Magic Missile. Run away. R&\r. Run away.

Wuzat