Anyone care to help a newb?

[Lasher]

Okay!

Well.... I don't mean for people to fight! I got my literacy from Thrundarr!

Also, and you guys don't have to answer if you don't want, but I'm kind of stuck! A level 12 Ranger, and I'm supposed to do the animated forest, but I do not think I'm ready! My last character had pretty high DV/PV when he went there, roughly 40ish/20ish. I am not that high! And he had a rough time of it! And he could go invisible when he needed to! I can't!

Also, I really don't know what I'm doing wrong with my herbs! There's 2 tiny patches in the big room, which take FOREVER to regrow, even with my herbalism skill! (I'm a ranger.) And I get no Moss of Mareilon (sp?) from them at all! I do get Morgia root but something is off....

First off, when I first used it, my To went up. Then it went up again. Then it dropped a point! Then it went up 2 points. And now it won't move at all! For Reference, I've eaten 5 morgia roots, and timewise my Strange Item has made 4 copies of itself, if that helps!

I *am* supposed to eat Morgia Root, right? Also, I'm not sure how good my weapons are! Or my armor. And my wands, potions, and scrolls are kinda lacking...

So yeah, my last guy was really lucky with his drops! But now, I don't know what to do or where to go to get better stuff!

Does anyone have any advice?

Thanks in advance! I'll post a stuff list after this to help give you an idea of what's up!

[Lasher]

Ssurakk       St:22  Le:10  Wi:19  Dx:15  To:25  Ch: 4  Ap:12  Ma:12  Pe:17 N+
DV/PV: 14/20   H: 154(154)    P: 30(30)      Exp: 12/104943     D: 10 Sp: 102
Burdened 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  Inventory
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total weight: 2287 stones                Carrying capacity: 2700 stones

Head          : uncursed metal cap [+0, +1]                           [50s]
Neck          : uncursed amulet of protection +5                       [3s]
Body          : uncursed scale mail (-1, -2) [-2, +4]                [400s]
Girdle        : blessed mithril girdle [+0, +5]                       [20s]
Cloak         : uncursed light cloak [+1, +0]                         [20s]
Right Hand    : uncursed mithril broadsword (+0, 1d7+4)               [64s]
Left Hand     : uncursed mithril scimitar (+0, 1d8+3)                 [32s]
Right Ring    : uncursed ring of speed [+0, +1] (+5 spd)               [1s]
Left Ring     : uncursed ring of protection +1                         [1s]
Bracers       : uncursed bracers of defense [+2, +0]                  [10s]
Gauntlets     : -
Boots         : -
Missile weapon: uncursed long bow (+2, +2)                            [30s]
Missiles      : bundle of 19 uncursed arrows (+0, 1d6)                [38s]
Tool          : -

Total weight: 1618 stones   Carrying capacity: 2700 stones

Shields ('[')
   blessed medium mithril shield [+5, +1]                             [80s]
   blessed wooden shield [+3, +2]                                     [80s]
Necklaces (''')
   blessed necklace of rapid healing                                   [2s]
   uncursed amulet of death ray resistance                             [7s]
   uncursed amulet of light                                            [3s]
One-handed weapons ('(')
   uncursed phase dagger (+0, 1d4)                                     [5s]
Missiles ('/')
   bundle of 6 uncursed drakish scurgari (+2, 1d8+3)                  [60s]
   bundle of 8 uncursed drakish scurgari (+2, 1d8+2)                  [80s]
   bundle of 6 uncursed quarrels of slaying (+1, 2d6)                 [12s]
   bundle of 13 uncursed arrows of targeting (+6, 1d6)                [26s]
Rings ('=')
   uncursed ring of stun resistance                                    [1s]
   heap of 2 uncursed rings of acid resistance                         [2s]
   uncursed ring of the clear mind                                     [1s]
   uncursed ring of searching                                          [1s]
   heap of 2 uncursed rings of fire resistance                         [2s]
Wands ('\')
   uncursed wand of door creation (3 charges)                          [3s]
   cursed wand of magic missiles (7 charges)                           [3s]
   cursed wand of cold (4 charges)                                     [4s]
   uncursed wand of webbing (1 charge)                                 [3s]
Potions ('!')
   heap of 5 uncursed potions of booze                                [20s]
   heap of 3 uncursed potions of healing                              [12s]
   heap of 2 potions of holy water                                     [8s]
   heap of 2 uncursed potions of gain attributes                       [8s]
   uncursed potion of cure poison                                      [2s]
   uncursed potion of mana                                             [4s]
   uncursed berzio potion                                              [2s]
   heap of 3 uncursed potions of exchange                             [12s]
   blessed potion of carrot juice                                      [4s]
   uncursed potion of balance                                          [4s]
   blessed potion of potential beauty                                  [4s]
Scrolls ('?')
   uncursed scroll of light                                            [2s]
   heap of 2 uncursed scrolls of identify                              [4s]
   blessed scroll of amnesia                                           [2s]
   heap of 3 uncursed scrolls of uncursing                             [6s]
   uncursed scroll of peace                                            [2s]
   heap of 4 uncursed scrolls of darkness                              [8s]
   uncursed scroll of item detection                                   [2s]
   heap of 2 cursed scrolls of identify                                [4s]
   uncursed scroll of repair                                           [2s]
   heap of 2 blessed scrolls of protection                             [4s]
   blessed scroll of increase melee damage                             [2s]
   heap of 2 uncursed blank scrolls                                    [4s]
   uncursed scroll of balance                                          [2s]
   uncursed scroll of increase melee damage                            [2s]
   heap of 2 blessed scrolls of identify                               [4s]
   uncursed scroll of vermin control                                   [2s]
   cursed scroll of power                                              [2s]
   uncursed scroll of power                                            [2s]
   uncursed scroll of gold detection                                   [2s]
   uncursed scroll of increase melee accuracy                          [2s]
Books ('"')
   blessed spellbook of Frost Bolt                                   [100s]
   cursed spellbook of Magic Missile                                 [100s]
   uncursed spellbook of Slow Monster                                [100s]

I cut out some things like food and tools! Should I show food for the herbs? It's just Morgia root, no Moss of Marelion! (sp?)
Anyways, I was born in the month of the sword!
I killed the Black Druid!
And that's about it! Got my waterproof blanket but that's not a quest! I do have the quest to go kill Hotzenplotz, but he's kind of tough, and I'm kind of weak! Also, I'm at N+! I don't want to go to LN! My god doesn't like me very much as is!

Why was this all so much easier on my last guy?!

[Blasphemous]

I'd suggest equipping a shield rather than second weapon. Although of all the characters, rangers are most suited to using dual wield, it's still a risky strategy, as you expend significantly more energy for attacks and leave yourself somewhat open to counterattacks.

[gut]

> I'm supposed to do the animated forest

You can cheerfully ignore thrundarr for a while. Go do
anything you like and come back to the forest when you
are ready.

> 2 tiny patches in the big room, which take FOREVER to regrow


They regrow at highly random times. IIRC, it is something
like between 1 and 1000 turns or such.

> Then it dropped a point!


Not because of morgia, it didn't. You must have gotten
drained by a wight or something.

> And now it won't move at all!


It has a cap of 25, so does Wi: and De: at least regarding
herb increases.

> I *am* supposed to eat Morgia Root, right?

yes, and if you have the alchemy skill, you can
brew with it.

> Also, I'm not sure how good my weapons are!

uncursed phase dagger (+0, 1d4) [5s]

This is a pretty good weapon. I'd say slightly better
than your mithril thingie. Unless of course you are
just dual wielding swords for gameplay reasons.

heap of 2 potions of holy water [8s]
heap of 2 uncursed potions of gain attributes [8s]

Do bless and drink these ^ immediately. +18 stats NOW
are worth more than +18 stats later.

heap of 2 blessed scrolls of protection [4s]

When you find a mithril thingie that is +3 PV or less,
use one or both of these. Blessed works best, though
you are low on holy water.

heap of 4 uncursed scrolls of darkness [8s]

Use these to help yourself kill waldenbrook.


> Why was this all so much easier on my last guy?!


That is just how adom is. Though I think you have
gotten good drops this game. I wonder if you have
been picking up everything, and also protecting it
properly from doors and such. I wonder because I
see you have no boots or gloves, which usually
appear by now.

[anon123]

And I get no Moss of Mareilon (sp?) from them at all! I do get Morgia root but something is off....

The herbs you get from a particular bush depend on which row it's located on. Say this is the big room...

############################################################################
#.............................morgia root..................................#
#.............................moss of mareilon.............................#
#.............................spenseweed...................................#
#.............................curaria mancox OR devil's rose...............#
#.............................alraunia OR demon daisy......................#
#.............................stomafillia OR stomacemptia..................#
#.............................pepper petal OR burb root....................#
#.............................morgia root..................................#
#.............................moss of mareilon.............................#
#.............................spenseweed...................................#
#.............................curaria mancox OR devil's rose...............#
#.............................alraunia OR demon daisy......................#
#.............................stomafillia OR stomacemptia..................#
#.............................pepper petal OR burb root....................#
#.............................morgia root..................................#
############################################################################

As you can see, the pattern repeats itself, so if you know what's on a particular bush, you can know where to pick other herbs you want.

[JellySlayer]

Also, and you guys don't have to answer if you don't want, but I'm kind of stuck! A level 12 Ranger, and I'm supposed to do the animated forest, but I do not think I'm ready! My last character had pretty high DV/PV when he went there, roughly 40ish/20ish. I am not that high! And he had a rough time of it! And he could go invisible when he needed to! I can't!

For where to go next, well, you could do the portal quest. You might get some good stuff by killing all the undead on the upper level, anyway. You have an amulet of light, so you can do the dark cave if you care to. Did you find the stairs down to the UD when you got your blanket? If they are easily accessible (it's quite dangerous to travel that level without invisibility at this point because the monsters are always twice your level), then you could do the UD for some extra experience/loot. You could also do the puppy cave for experience/loot if you haven't yet. The last two levels could still be interesting to a character your level.

Most of the difference as far as your DV is concerned is just because you aren't wearing a shield. Dual wield isn't necessarily that great, because it takes longer for you attack, so monsters may sometimes get two turns for every one you take. I personally use weapon + shield most of the time.

Unless you are really playing swords for style, don't ignore other weapon types. Swords are not the strongest weapon type in ADOM--if anything, they're actually one of the weaker ones.

Herbs regrow slowly over time, but they also regrow according to set rules. If they've ended up in a bad configuration, they may just not regrow at all. See the Guidebook for details. Morgia root is not really useful to you anymore except to train your willpower. Herbs have a cap of 25 points for each stat. Having 25 is really good though. Your stats are quite good, especially with those potions of gain attributes in your pack.

Also, I'm not sure how good my weapons are! Or my armor. And my wands, potions, and scrolls are kinda lacking...

Do you know what 1d7+4 means? This tells you how much damage your weapon does. Your weapons are not great, but not terrible for this point in the game. You have better weapons at this point than you did last game, IIRC. Your phase dagger is probably better than your swords though. You have a bunch of scrolls of melee damage/accuracy that you could use on your weapons to buff them up if you want. I'd use them on your phase dagger and equip that and a shield. It would be very nice if you could find yourself a crossbow. Those quarrels of slaying sitting in your pack do MASSIVE damage. I thought you had a crossbow in your last status report, actually.

I'd probably drop your spellbooks in a safe place. You won't be able to read them for a long time because your learning and literacy scores are so low, and there's no reason to travel burdened if you can help it.

[Lasher]

Okay!

First off! Found the best shield ever! Crystal shield of some sort, +7,+5 O_o

Second, I'm using that dagger and my shield, and now my dagger is 1d4+2 cause I used scrolls on it!

BUT: I took the sword specialization talent to start with! And the Ambidextrous Talent!

Alrighty, so I cleared out the puppy cave and with my shield I am standing at 28/28! Enough for the forest?

Also, I had a crossbow, but a rust monster ate it I think!

Next! I ate a fortune cookie, and it said, "Your Termination is Long Due." Am I in trouble?

Okay! Now, as much as I hate and fear Waldenbrook why would I kill him? Does he give me anything nice? Right now, he's my main source of gold! Also, isn't it suicide? Okay, and also, how do I steal from shops? I found a potion shop in the puppy cave! I figured, if I find a pickaxe, I could dig around through the back and just walk out! Is that a thing you can do?

Okay, but seriously I'm definitely going to kill Waldenbrook one day! A.) For Revenge for Severa, and B.) it's too dangerous having a guy like that around when I could get corrupted any moment! I'm on about day 60!

I will tell you all Severa's Story one day, but it is really sad!

So, I went to Mr. Garth, and I paid him 3001 dollars to make my learning go up! It's my most important stat that is below 15. I haven't gone to a gremlin cave yet because I hate fighting monsters that make more monsters! I had to fight a werewolf and his homies at the same time I fought a wererat and his posse!

And you know what that means? Yeah, I spit acid all over their faces! That's what you get for doing that to me!

Punks.

I might go to the upper level of the portal place! Is it possible to sneak past the berserk dwarf? I think he was A, pretty fast, and B, kind of impossible to sneak around since there was only one hallway and he blocked it! How did you guys manage to pour water on his grave?

Also, I asked Thrundarr about the Banshee! He said to plug my ears. I assume the "E" command has something to do with it? I've been deafened by explosions before. Would that help? Also, is there a way to open doors from far away? And could I kill the Banshee from out of range of her voice?

Thanks everyone!

Oh yeah, I've found 2 pools, one purple, and one white, in the Puppy cave! But I'm not sure if I should drink from them or not?

I have about 12000 dollars, and nothing to spend it on, except Mr. Garth, or Glod, (which I won't do), should I Offer it? Or hang on till I get 100 grand? I am N+, and my god is pleased with me!

You know, part of it is I think my last guy, Falco, had the sign where gods like you more, and he leveled up faster! Cup I think?

Anyways, that's kinda irrelevant! So: to Summarize:

Pools, what do they do?

Shopkeepers, how do they die, and how do you rob them?

And money, what do I do with it?

Thanks everybody!

EDIT: Oh yeah, the fortune cookie, what should I do?

[JellySlayer]

Fortune cookies don't matter. Some of the messages are useful, others are not.

For the banshee, cleaning your ears won't help. You need to put something into your ears. There's also potions of deafness. Doors can be opened from a distance with a wand of knocking. The Banshee's wail attack has a range of 3, so if you are fast you might be able to get away with it. She has well above-average speed though, so if you don't have seven league boots and good sight, it is pretty risky to do it this way.

Shopkeepers are tough. They are very fast, do tons of damage, and are hard to hit. But they can't fight in darkness. So you could just cast darkness and try to fight him. But he'll probably run away, so you have to corner him. There are lots of ways to rob shops. You can just grab everything and teleport away. Or attack the shopkeeper. Sometimes you can dig out of a shop, but not always. If you are invisible, you might be able to grab an item or two before they notice. Some ways of robbing (most) will make the shoppie hostile though. If you manage to kill the shoppie, you get all of the items in the shop, and a big pile of experience (probably a few levels worth, depending on the shoppie and your level). Robbing a store or attacking a shoppie may curse you or doom you depending on how you do it though, depending on alignment. Best is to cast darkness and blast him with a wand.

You can lure Griff farther back into the maze area. Or if you go in invis, you might be able to dodge most of the undead in there and just make a run for the grave. Or lure him back and teleport away.

It might be worth offering some gold to try to get "inner strength" for the lucky intrinsic and you can make holy water. You might not need to use all of it, not sure. Maybe do 2000 at a time or so.

Pools can be risky because they can do lots of bad effects. It's best to wait till you are very close to your god, so if you get doomed you can get rid of it. It is also nice if you have a ring of teleport control in case you get the teleport disease. Some people also prefer to wait until after they've done the arena. If you get the otherwise excellent permanent invisible intrinsic, you can't do the arena, pretty much ever.

[Lasher]

Gnomish Necromancer is up! Ssurakk WON'T be missed. <_< Grr...

Wavered back and forth on the name, but went with Bizzle! He's off! Gotta find me some good corpses to raise. I'm thinking maybe wait till I get some Berserkers!

[JellySlayer]

How did you die?

Well, berserkers don't drop corpses. Early on you may just want to raise a couple of ghuls to distract opponents. Don't worry if they die too much. The big prize for necromancers are quickling corpses. Most other corpses are pretty much interchangeable.