Neutral precrowning

[Cactus]

Hi everybody,
I have a promising character that I want to get precrowned.

But whenever I reach the necessary piety I become N=. Then I go and backstab someone for N-, which works fine but causes a piety loss. So I continue sacrificing, but as soon as I build up the piety again I'm back at N=

I did this three times now, it's just so frustrating. Any ideas?

Background: Orcish elementalist, started SMC->UD. Found neutral altar in last UD level with gnoll+hyena vault. Live-sac ftw! My treasure is a kickass mithril-shod quarterstaff of devastation (+3, 5d10+12). Since two of my crowning gifts are staves, I think I'm better off with pre-crowning. Also, I like the excitement of a completely random item I haven't had before.

[Blasphemous]

Maybe go all the way to NC, then after regaining what piety you need, you should be at N-.
Personally, I never go for N. It's mostly L since so few monsters are lawful and I can sac as many as I need.
L also doesn't prevent you from taking some quests. I almost never go C but it happened a few times.
N just doesn't cut it for me, besides if you kill lots of chaotic monsters you're bound to go N+ or even further towards L so it's a risk since chaotic monsters are most abundant.
With L you just don't care.

[grobblewobble]

Then I go and backstab someone for N-, which works fine but causes a piety loss.

Are you sure? Changing your alignment to CN or lower causes piety loss, but IIRC any changes between NC and NL do not.. What was your piety before praying? Extremely close or just very close?

[persy]

Find a way through UD, sac until absolutely close (with N=) then go straight to the HMV pickpocket/attack somebody there (ratling guardians, doctor) to get to N- and pray immedeatly. Works for me every time.

[Cactus]

Hi again,
I did it

I definitely lost piety for the backstabbing to N-. I had done that three times already by attacking ogre and ratling guardians in the HMV before my first post. But as I mentioned each time I got to N= before being able to pray. Piety was absolutely close at N=, then very close after going N-, and then (after saccing) went directly from very to absolutely close together with the alignment change. So no extremely close in between at N-.

The thing that just worked was going to NC as Blasphemous suggested. Lacking any easy non-hostiles I killed (and ate) the oracle which got me to NC. From there I sacrificed up from very close (removed Doom from Oracle immediately) to extremely close with N- alignment.

I got Ironfist, which I am quite happy with because I hoped for anything but a weapon slot.

Thanks all of you!

[gosos]

when you get to level 10 you can do the kill hotzenpotz quest and get an amulet of law. put this on when you get to n-. Its what I do.

you get the quest form the sheriff and hotzenpotz is in the bad guy village. the difference in the amount of piety you need between pre-crowning at level 8 and level 10 is not that much. id get my piety up and then advance to level 10, go back and get the amulet of law and finish. i normally have to get an amulet of law to pre-crown early with a neutral or good character.