Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site h-sc1.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!harvard!h-sc1!harmon_c From: harmon_c@h-sc1.UUCP (david harmon) Newsgroups: net.games.hack Subject: hackhints/tactics/low_level Message-ID: <211@h-sc1.UUCP> Date: Fri, 15-Mar-85 13:35:26 EST Article-I.D.: h-sc1.211 Posted: Fri Mar 15 13:35:26 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 17-Mar-85 21:32:31 EST Distribution: net Organization: Harvard Univ. Science Center Lines: 100 From uucp Thu Mar 14 19:13:07 1985 Status: R >From harmon_c Thu Mar 14 18:52:41 1985 remote from h-sc4 To: harmon_c@h-sc1 Subject: low_level General Strategy: LOW LEVELS: 1) Let doggie do your fighting for you when you are badly hurt or outclassed. He is bigger and stronger than you. Don't steal all his kills, he can starve to death. He will eat more than he needs, but the more he eats, the faster he grows into a big dog. There is no monster except a cockatrice that a big dog cannot take on with a reasonable chance of survival. His body is one guaranteed non-hostile food source, provided you don't wait so long you die before you can catch and kill him. Starvation exepted, however, (and not then if you have an alternative) DO NOT kill your dog out-of-hand! He gets in the way, sure, but he is a powerful ally. Also, the minute you eat a dog, every monster on the level will head for you with blood in its eye(s). There are a few monsters he will not normally attack, such as shopkeepers, and others which he won't attack until he sees you fighting them. On the other hand, he loves to munch on bats ond orcs. (let him-you can't eat them). However, a ring of conflict will make him fight anything. Don't test wands out on him. He's not quite invulnerable. If you meet a wild dog, the best bet is to throw food at him--anything you could eat, or a few he can eat but you can't, like bats and orcs. Tripe is wonderful, but don't even bother throwing rotted corpses. Speaking of which, if you find a 'wild' dog above 8th level or so, or a named monster anywhwere, you are on a ghost level. Watch out for the dog's former owner.... Please name your dog, even if it's Ralph. That way, other people will have the same advantage if you get ghosted. By the way, there are no baby dragons, baby (or miniature) demons, or dinosaurs of any size in the dungeon. Don't try to maintain more than two tame dogs-- if you get more than that, abandon them (save some tripe in case you need to go back to the level) or, if you are powerful enough to face enraged hordes, kill and eat the extras next time you're hungry. Dogs are fun to polymorph, but there is a hazard. If you are dumped to the next level by a trap door, or just forget and go dowm without him, you may not want to reenter the level until you can deal with his polymorphed form, especially since he will no longer be tamable. Scrolls of taming produce tame monsters which should be treated exactly like polymorphed dogs. Tame monsters all eat a lot, except the cockatrice, and you can't eat anything he kills! (By the way, if you get a tame cockatrice, DO NOT GO AROUND BARE- HANDED! If you are not wearing gloves, wield anything, even an egg! Otherwise, you run a terrible risk of bumping into it with your bare hands, and being stoned yourself!) 2) Don't get careless. A major cause of low-level fatalities, or fatalities at any level, is not keeping an eye on your hit points. If you are low on hit points, freeze with your hands off the keyboard and figure out what to do. Can you get away from the monster? Do you have a secret weapon? The first thing to do is often to write Elbereth. Even a puny monster can kill you if you don't watch your hit points. Monsters to keep an eye on at low levels are hobgoblins (H) and acid blobs. If you have 8 or fewer HP, a hobgoblin can take you out in one blow. Accordingly, you don't want to give him the chance. Getting killed by acid blobs is always embarrasing, because the only way they can hurt you is if you hit them. Don't chase acid blobs if you're low on HP, and don't be afraid to give up on one. 3) Try to eat a leprechaun and a floating eye as soon as you can. The latter, your dog will be happy to kill for you, but you will, as usual when he kills monsters, have to move fast to prevent him from happily eating it for you. The latter, you should be able to kill by 3rd level or so. You could use a wand, but if planning an extended visit in the dungeon, just wear him down hand-to hand, perhaps softening him up with a couple of darts or such. To keep him from stealing all your gold, drop it in a corridor, and once you disturb him off his butt, defend the door to that corridor. (remember, he's faster than you are). If he gets your gold anyway, remember that he and the gold are still somewhere on the level! Again, the dog may be some help in the fight, but you will have to grab the corpse before he does. Alternate strategy: start with doggie well away from both you and lep. Throw something at lep from 3 squares or so away, and go under Elbereth (or throw from the Elbereth). He will come up to you, and your dog may fight him and kill him at your feet. This works best with you standing in a door and your gold behind you in a corridor, and your dog wandering someplace on the far side of the room. 4) Try to conserve your missles and magic. You can just take it slow, and deal with monsters as leisurely as your food supply (including their contributions) permits. If you conserve firepower early, then you can use it against tougher monsters when you really need it! (see next item). On the other hand, you might find that your weapons and skill have improved to the point where you can deal with tougher monsters.... That's how you get up to level 8 or so. Remember, if you use a potion of extra-healing to gain 4 HP now, you may not have it when you're down to 10 out of 40 HP. A partial exeption is wands of wishing. Dont wish for a crysknife yet, but go for one weapon, one armor (ie, +3 mace and plate mail) and one miscellaneous such as 3 tins (hopefully spinach), or a powerful ring. This applies to wizards, of course--other types should wish for whatever they are short of. Don't wish for scrolls of genocide just yet, either. If you are genuinely doing all right, you might save a wish or two for future needs. 5) Do anything to survive. If you are starving and no edible monsters in sight, then kil your dog! If you are fainting, down to 2 HP, and cornered by a hobgoblin, then zap anything you can, try all your rings, quaff all your potions, read all your scrolls. You might be teleported, or discover a ring of regeneration or a potion of extra healing, or a wand of fire. If you are killed by the rebound of your magic missle, well, at least you tried.