ARPAVAX:CAD:ESVAX:Cory:cc-18 (06/16/82)
I couldn't believe the massive mail I received.
Credit for the chart goes to some netnews person whose name I no longer have.
Tips on winning rogue:
[1] Check every scroll you meet to see if it's Scare Monster,
without picking it up. Example:
..... ...@. ..... ...H.
.H@?. ..H?. ...H@ ...?@
-a- -b- -c- -d-
Start in position A. Move to B, and then C or D.
If the monster refuses to step on the scroll, you've got
a Scare Monster!
[2] Rings: I try on every ring I find. If it's cursed, I usually quit.
If it's not cursed, I see if it's stealth, regeneration, or search.
(Strength rings are recognizable; protection & dexterity rings are not).
[3] Wands: ditto. A wand can't really hurt you if it misfires.
[4] Scrolls: I accumulate a lot of scrolls before reading any. That way,
I can read the multiple ones first. The most common one is Identify
about 75% of the time.
[5] Potions: If you save them all the most common will be Healing.
Most potions are more useful at lower levels (Raise Level,
Detect Monster).
[6] Loops: on lower levels, head for the center room first. Then
try to complete a closed circuit. Closed circuits are VERY useful
when fighting xorns!
[7] Armor: strip at Level 9. Put on third or second best suit
at Level 13 (trolls), and best suit at Level 18 or 19 (18
is the lowest level for R's and the first level for U's).
[8] Dropping: about Level 16, I stop cleaning out every level
and start dropping down staircases when I see them. At Level 18,
all I look for is closed circuits and percent signs!
The break-even rule is a good rule of thumb: when you're using
up more magic than you're gaining, it's time to start dropping.
[9] You don't need to wield a bow to throw arrows/bolts at L's,
N's etc. Also, A's are very deadly: avoid them, back up to
get clear shots at them (if you're standing in a doorway,
just back up and let him follow you to get max attacks), etc.
[10] On lower levels, recover on the staircase. If anything comes,
hit '>'. This is the easiest way to heal.
[11] Be patient; it never hurts to sit back, hit 'i', and contemplate
all your actions. Try not to do things like quaff healing
potions while a xorn's beating on you: it just postpones the
conflict one round, and burns one healing potion.
[12] Get a table like the following. I use an H19 with a 25th line,
and I have some one-line files I can put on the bottom line--
handy for checking out rings.
Michael Chastain
ucbvax!Cory:cc-18 (UUCP)
Cory.cc-18@Berkeley (ARPA)
CREATURES
Symbol Creature Damage (Max) Comments Levels Experience
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A ant 1d6 (6) 3-12 10
B bat 1d2 (2) flits 1-8 1
C centaur 1d6/1d6 (12) 8-17 15
D dragon 1d8/1d8/3d10 (46) 22... 9000
E floating eye 0d0 transfixes 2-11 5
F violet fungi 000d8 (8) holds 15-24 85
G gnome 1d6 (6) 6-15 8
H hobgoblin 1d8 (8) 1-10 3
I invisible stalker 4d4 (16) flits 16-25 120
J jackal 1d2 (2) 1-8 2
K kobold 1d4 (4) 1-8 1
L leprechaun 1d1 (1) robs 7-16 10
M mimic 3d4 (12) 19... 140
N nymph 0d0 steals 11-20 40
O orc 1d8 (8) 4-13 5
P purple worm 2d12/2d4 (32) 21... 7000
Q quasit 1d2/1d2/1d4 (8) 10-19 35
R rust monster 0d0/0d0 rusts 9-18 25
S snake 1d3 (3) 1-9 3
T troll 1d8/1d8/2d6 (28) 13-22 55
U umber hulk 3d4/3d4/2d5 (34) confuses 18... 130
V vampire 1d10 (10) 20... 380
W wraith 1d6 (6) drainslevel 14-23 55
X xorn 1d3/1d3/1d3/4d6 (33) 17... 120
Y yeti 1d6/1d6 (12) 12-21 50
Z zombie 1d8 (8) 5-14 7
... means all the way down.
THINGS
Rings:
Add strength* ( -1, +1, +2 )
Adornment
Aggravate monster*
Dexterity* ( -1, +1, +2 )
Increase damage* ( -1, +1, +2 )
Protection* ( -1, +1, +2 )
Regeneration
Searching
See invisible /* "@" blanks out when prompted for name of ring */
Slow digestion
Stealth
Sustain strength
Telportation(sic)*
*these rings are cursed (negatives only, where applicable).
Scrolls:
Aggravate monsters "You hear a high pitched humming noise."
Create monster "As you read the scroll, it vanishes"
"You hear a faint cry of anguish in the distance."
Enchant armor "Your armor glows faintly for a moment"
"You feel a strange sense of loss."
Enchant weapon "Your %s glows blue for a moment."
"You feel a strange sense of loss."
Genocide "You have been granted the boon of genocide"
Gold detection "You begin to feel greedy and you sense gold.--More--"
"You begin to feel a pull downward"
Hold monster "As you read the scroll, it vanishes"
Identification "This scroll is an identify scroll"
Light "The corridor glows and then fades"
"The room is lit by a shimmering blue light."
Magic mapping "Oh, now this scroll has a map on it."
Monster confusion "Your hands begin to glow red"
Remove curse "You feel as if somebody is watching over you."
Scare Monster "You hear maniacal laughter in the distance."
Sleep "You fall asleep."
Teleportation "As you read the scroll, it vanishes"
Blank paper "This scroll seems to be blank."
Potions:
Blindness "A cloak of darkness falls around you."
Confusion "Wait, what's going on here. Huh? What? Who?"
Extra healing "You begin to feel much better."
Gain strength "You feel stronger, now. What bulging muscles!"
Healing "You begin to feel better."
Haste self "You feel yourself moving much faster."
Magic detection "You sense the presence of magic on this level.--More--"
"You have a strange feeling for a moment, then it passes."
Monster detection "You begin to sense the presence of monsters.--More--"
"You have a strange feeling for a moment, then it passes."
Paralysis "You can't move."
Poison "You feel very sick now."
"You feel momentarily sick"
Raise level "You suddenly feel much more skillful"
Restore strength "Hey, this tastes great. It make you feel warm all over."
See invisible "This potion tastes like %s juice."
Thirst quenching(H2O) "This potion tastes extremely dull."
Sticks: ACs:
Cancellation Leather 8
Cold Studded leather / Ring 7
Drain life Scale 6
Fire Chain 5
Haste monster Banded / Splint 4
Light Plate 3
Lightning
Magic missile
Nothing
Polymorph
Slow monster
Striking
Teleport away
Teleport to