No artifact for you!

[Silfir]

I knew any spell I had at level 1 wouldn't do crap

Woah woah woah. No. What won't do crap is trying to get away from a 170 speed creature with 100 starting speed. Wizards start out with ridiculous arcane power. That's all they have, and it's enough to make them the best class in ADOM. If you can't safely bolt, bolt unsafely. It's your trump card, the ace in the hole. Hell, you have a leg up on archers - you can use your spells in Coward mode. (Actually, archers have a leg up on you because they get armor to start with. But like a wizard, or for that matter a druid or necromancer, they start with a ridiculously powerful mode of combat. That's what lets them score the top on class tier lists. Barbarians and beastfighters are near the top, too, but that's thanks to their Toughness. They have two kings, loads of HP and melee damage, to your one ace. You've gotta use your ace!)

I don't remember chaos brothers having some sort of godly spell-shrugging rate. Yeah, you might still die because the thing kills you faster, but it's your best shot.

On a less serious note, if I got a surge of power on DD:1 and it was the black tome I'd probably kill myself anyway.

[nateskeez]

Woah woah woah. No. What won't do crap is trying to get away from a 170 speed creature with 100 starting speed. Wizards start out with ridiculous arcane power. That's all they have, and it's enough to make them the best class in ADOM. If you can't safely bolt, bolt unsafely. It's your trump card, the ace in the hole. Hell, you have a leg up on archers - you can use your spells in Coward mode. (Actually, archers have a leg up on you because they get armor to start with. But like a wizard, or for that matter a druid or necromancer, they start with a ridiculously powerful mode of combat. That's what lets them score the top on class tier lists. Barbarians and beastfighters are near the top, too, but that's thanks to their Toughness. They have two kings, loads of HP and melee damage, to your one ace. You've gotta use your ace!)

I don't remember chaos brothers having some sort of godly spell-shrugging rate. Yeah, you might still die because the thing kills you faster, but it's your best shot.

On a less serious note, if I got a surge of power on DD:1 and it was the black tome I'd probably kill myself anyway.

You have a good point. That would have been the best move to make, regardless of spell power. I assumed my spells would bounce like a little kid in a moonwalk ride. Still should have tried, though.. Especially since I had nothing else to try.
I tend to panic too easily in ADOM, which is usually my downfall.