ADOM Newb: Is this common?

[FatMagic]

So I've played ADOM a handful of times over the last few years, and I haven't had a victory yet. But I keep trying! So here I am again, relearning the game and I was lucky enough to get a Candle starsign (after many many deaths the last few days), so I created a Troll Healer to try for my first victory.

I started with the Puppy cave, and I was curious if finding the "rune covered sling - Whirlwind" was rare to find. I found it on the 2nd level of the puppy cave on some random monster. It looks pretty powerful. And are there any good ways to get more rocks for it? I got some rocks after a tension room of rats exploded around me.

Just trying to learn the game again! Thanks!

[Joe]

It's a pretty good artifact, although not as good as the Bow or Crossbow ones. Still, better use it to your advantage! Getting rocks should be easy by letting the giant ants on the second level dig out the level for you. Generally rocks will be found plenty anyway, and you can even sacrifice the worse stacks as Troll

[FatMagic]

It's a pretty good artifact, although not as good as the Bow or Crossbow ones. Still, better use it to your advantage! Getting rocks should be easy by letting the giant ants on the second level dig out the level for you. Generally rocks will be found plenty anyway, and you can even sacrifice the worse stacks as Troll

Great idea, I haven't bothered the ants yet, I'm heading straight down to the puppy first. When I return the puppy I'll go back to the cave and get rocks from the ants then.

You can sacrifice rocks on an altar as a Troll? Neat! Didn't know that.

I got sick eating a Kobold corpse... man it takes forever to lose sickness. Still haven't lost it yet.

I also found a Royal Vault on Level 3 (heard the coins dropping & royal guards), but haven't investigated it yet. Any tips before I check it out?

[Lasher]

Hi! Good luck on ADOM!

Can't tell you much about your sling, but if it's good, USE IT!

Also, JellySlayer was right about the Ants. Just Chill out somewhere, and when you feel like it, go out and kill the ants and pick up all the rocks they drop.
You can also take it easy, maybe switching to Coward Tactics, when you See a Goblin Rock Thrower! If you wait, they'll give you more rocks, but not in a friendly way!

OH, About the Royal Vault, the Guard there is either very lazy or very Chill. You can talk to him, but just to be on the safe side I just take the gold and go! He doesn't attack you if you pick up the gold!

If you are sick, sometimes you can go to Jharod, the Healer, and he will fix you. Otherwise, sometimes I just walk around in the wilderness. It Eats up a lot of time and makes the Sickness go away in just a few turns!
Since You are a Troll, you can eat Ratlings! They are the only race that can do that, so take advantage of it!
But if you are trying to save the puppy then it's probably best if you try to wait it out.

Don't feel too bad if the puppy dies, it dies all the time.

Anyways, I wish you the best of good luck and hope you post more! =)

[Joe]

It's a pretty good artifact, although not as good as the Bow or Crossbow ones. Still, better use it to your advantage!

To be more precise: for an artifact it's not great, but it still beats any other sling in the game and also most non-artifact bows and crossbows. Only the indestructability is already pretty nice since I always get tired of my exploding bows from door traps :s
Never eat an Kobold, although as troll healer you should probably survive it easily. You can eat rats safely as Troll though. A blessed potion of healing will also cure you.

Once you get means of digging or controlled teleportation you can get the gold of the royal vault. It's not much but still pretty nice, especially in early game! You could also try to lure enough ants to the third level to do the work for you, but it's probably very tedious to make it work.

[Roarke]

A blessed potion of healing will also cure you.

What? I've never heard of that. Really?

[JellySlayer]

What? I've never heard of that. Really?

Yes. Blessed healing, extra healing and ultra healing will cure sickness. I think even uncursed will sometimes cure sickness, at maybe 25-50 percent efficiency.

[bolverk]

Don't feel too bad if the puppy dies, it dies all the time.

If you are fast enough the puppy won't die

[anon123]

I started with the Puppy cave, and I was curious if finding the "rune covered sling - Whirlwind" was rare to find. I found it on the 2nd level of the puppy cave on some random monster. It looks pretty powerful. And are there any good ways to get more rocks for it? I got some rocks after a tension room of rats exploded around me.

You're pretty lucky to have received an artifact at this point in the game! Whirlwind isn't exceptionally good overall, but with the inventory you have right now, you'll find it very helpful. (Actually, I can only think of one artifact that wouldn't be good for a new PC.)

Rocks are the most plentiful ammunition in the game. You can get them as random loot, from digging with a pickaxe, or by killing monsters that are made of rock. They make up for this by never having special prefixes or suffixes (barring a special case), however.

I also found a Royal Vault on Level 3 (heard the coins dropping & royal guards), but haven't investigated it yet. Any tips before I check it out?

A scroll of gold detection or magic mapping will let you know exactly where it is. Then you can dig or teleport inside, although you might not have means to do either, so luring ants there in Coward tactics might be the best choice. I'd try to get the gold right now if possible, as that's when it'll prove most useful. If you can get in, just pick it up and leave. Don't 'C'hat to the guard.

What? I've never heard of that. Really?

Yes sir Blessed pots of healing of any kind will always cure you, uncursed ones have a smaller chance to do so (don't remember if it was 33 or 66 percent). Many an early-game PC of mine has been saved by lethal sickness by drinking one or more potions of healing.

[Dudley]

You're pretty lucky to have received an artifact at this point in the game! Whirlwind isn't exceptionally good overall, but with the inventory you have right now, you'll find it very helpful. (Actually, I can only think of one artifact that wouldn't be good for a new PC.)

I count 4 or 5.