Ranting Time

[Grey]

Skullcrusher as a general weapon with shield, Vanquisher against non-humanoids when defence is less of an issue, and you can pretty much forget about Wyrmlance (though it has slightly higher to hit, damage and DV against dragons than Vanquisher).

[reich]

And do you consider fighting in 'true berserker' style? I got up to this point using it pretty much all the time! A shield decreases the bonus (or makes it impossible at all?), so a 2-handed weapon would be best.

In later game I was quite forced to fight in bloodlust when a werewolf lord tore my blessed mithril chain mail of balance to pieces! In a single turn he brought it from [+0, +6] to [+0, +0] I just attacked him once on berserk! And I had killed werewolf lords before, that was a third one just below the dwarven city. Never seen anything like that before. Now I have the ancient mummy wrap and an adamantium ring mail [-1, +9] (reward from the ancient dwarf).

PS Wow, I just vanquished the greater deamon in dwarftown with a single stroke (but using the mighty bash class ability)!

[Ars]

Skullcrusher as a general weapon with shield, Vanquisher against non-humanoids when defence is less of an issue, and you can pretty much forget about Wyrmlance (though it has slightly higher to hit, damage and DV against dragons than Vanquisher).

For a melee character, I'd do it the other way around - Vanquisher as a general weapon, and shield use when more DV is needed. That's because weapon marks are more sorely needed when having less defense, missing the enemy isn't as bad when wielding a shield. Quicker hitting will also make it easier to hit and run, not allowing the enemy to strike you.

EDIT: and of course the caveman was obvious haha... Well, I had a artifact guardian caveman there or at least very near the Dwarven Halls, that's where I got it from... This could be just a coincidence, but I'm not so sure...

[Nezur]

Interesting. I just ran into a threatening room full of gorgons.

[Silfir]

Coward mode protects you pretty well usually... Just sic your bolt spell wands on them

[Nezur]

To make things worse, I was Slowed. On the other hand I was Invisible.

Well, as I'm playing yet another all-powerful wizard I could just teleport away. I might kill them for the xp though...

[Ars]

Running away works pretty well usually. They can't open doors.

[Silfir]

Oh, you want to survive. Fair enough, running works.

[Nezur]

Hmm. I refound some helpful info about the petrification attack of gorgons.

RGRA - pete79's test

[meh]

I thought my human merchant was having horrible luck. A tension room of corruptors on the first level of ToEF and one with greater claw bugs on level 3. I came across several doppelganger kings and finally had a room full of molochs on D:27 or so. It was only when my trek to Terynio was constantly interrupted that I realised what was wrong. I had lost so much piety since my crowning that a token sacrifice was not enough to remove the effects of eating the oracle. I had not only generated all those levels, but also cast darkness a couple of times while doomed.

After removing the dooming and cursing, the fire temple was easy enough. I still have to find a way past those molochs, though, since the stairs up (part of the CoC twist) are in the same room as them.