Limited turns challenge!

[Grey]

Heh, what a fun idea. I've sent a lot of gnomish elementalists to their death already with no success. 300 moves is an astounding achievement I must say.

[Baranor]

Absolutely! It takes a minimum of about 70 to even get to the gremlin cave. I haven't had success yet, but I'm workin' it.

[meh]

I've been trying this with orcish priests, as they start with an everburning torch, high PV and a spellbook (which is often useless). I've only gotten to the second level so far, as my luck always seems to run out there. The last attempt was ended by an exploding door and the time before that, the stair were on the other side of a horde of giants. The cavernous levels might actually be easier, since there are few tight passages to get stuck in on those.

[meh]

Finally completed this in a reasonable number of turns: 446 with a hurthling wizard. I entered the gremlin cave on his birthday, but I don't think that mattered. I killed an eye of destruction and a black hurthling (both with fire bolt), which combined took me to level 4.

[Grey]

I finally managed to reach the fishies with one of my gnomish elementalists, and in 483 turns. A change of tactics was all that was required - went for speed instead of power talents and did my best to run around enemies rather than blasting them. Was still a lot of wasted time though, including some foolish pool-sipping which landed me in the middle of a lot of water snakes...

It's a fairly easy challenge to play on a laptop on the bus - may keep at it to try and get quicker. Gnomish paladin might do well...

[Soirana]

I must admit i can't take merchant under 1k turns. i will be trying anyway...

[gut]

It doesn't have to be under 1000 turns to be a winner.
In fact, I think I might implement a bonus for not using
the climbing set from the gremlin cave.

[Baranor]

The gremlin cave is such a crapshoot. If the set is close to the staircase, you are going to get it, but if not, it's basically a wasted attempt. My two best attempts have been thwarted by Berserker Princes on the first level of the TotHK.

[Soirana]

well, i used 1k just as a mark of reasonable time.

As always it was a question not of skill but of tactics. I scummed for raven+wand specialization while solution appeared to be potions. Potions of invisibility that is.
626 is good for me. Will have to try another class.

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                                 Screenshot
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                                .....#######                        #.<.#
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                               ................##                #####.##
                               ====.............###              #.....#
                              ========............#              #.#####
                              ==========.........### #######     #.####
                             #===========..........###.....#     #....#
                             +===========..............###.##### ####.#
                             #===========..........##### #.#...#    #.#
                              =========...........##     #.#.#.#    #.#
                              =====...........#####      #...#.######.#
                               ............####          #####........#
                               ........#####                 ##########
                                #######
Rare          St:13  Le:15  Wi:19  Dx:16  To:16  Ch:12  Ap:15  Ma:13  Pe:17 N=
DV/PV: 22/0    H: -237(23)    P: 4(4)        Exp: 1/109         UCBT  M: 626 (maybe i could shave few, but not really much)
Invisible Coward

Name: Rare                Race: female Human        Class: Merchant
Eye color: brown          Hair color: brown         Complexion: pale
Height: 5'7"              Weight: 127 pounds
Age: 28 (grown-up)
Star sign: Wolf           Birthday: 8/Wolf (day 308 of the year)

YOUR HISTORY:
        Your parents are travelling adventurers. Both are competent,
 talented and doing very well.
        As a young child you were often alone. You did not have any
 friends. You do not like to remember those times. They were very sad.
        In your youth you enjoyed competition against others to the
 fullest. You were a very active kid.
        Your life as a young adult was characterized by steady
 determination. Your goal lay clearly ahead of you and you never strayed
 from your path.
        You decided to become a Merchant. During your apprenticeship you
specialized on magical potions.


Head          : -
Neck          : -
Body          : uncursed clothes [+0, +0]                             [40s]
Girdle        : -
Cloak         : -
Right Hand    : uncursed club (+1, 1d6+1)                             [30s]
Left Hand     : -
Right Ring    : uncursed ring of acid resistance                       [1s]
Left Ring     : uncursed ring of defense +1                            [1s]
Bracers       : -
Gauntlets     : -
Boots         : blessed leather boots [+0, +0]                        [25s]
Missile weapon: -
Missiles      : 435 gold pieces                                        [4s]
Tool          : uncursed torch (816 turns of fuel remaining, lit)     [10s]


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                    Stuff
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total weight: 228 stones   Carrying capacity: 1300 stones

Tools (']')
   heap of 2 uncursed torches                                         [20s]
   blessed box with flint and steel (23)                               [5s]
   uncursed tinderbox (9)                                              [3s]
   uncursed climbing set                                             [180s]
Potions ('!')
   heap of 3 uncursed potions of water                                [12s]
   uncursed potion of potential charisma                               [4s]
Food ('%')
   cursed demon daisy                                                  [2s]
   cursed pepper petal                                                 [2s] (herbs were on first level of king dungeon, unluckily there were also bunch of nasties which i escaped only with speed+invisibility+using white worms to block passages)


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   Skills
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Alchemy ...................  4    (poor)         [+4d5]
  Appraising ................ 30    (mediocre)     [+4d5]
  Climbing .................. 41    (fair)         [+3d4]
  Detect item status ........ 18    (mediocre)     [+3d4]
  First aid ................. 25    (mediocre)     [+3d4]
  Food preservation ......... 16    (mediocre)     [+4d5]
  Gemology .................. 59    (good)         [+3d5]
  Haggling .................. 60    (good)         [+3d5]
  Herbalism ................. 13    (mediocre)     [+4d5]
  Listening ................. 41    (fair)         [+3d4]
  Literacy .................. 48    (fair)         [+3d4]
  Metallurgy ................ 29    (mediocre)     [+4d5]
  Pick pockets .............. 20    (mediocre)     [+4d5]
  Survival .................. 33    (fair)         [+3d4]
  Swimming .................. 23    (mediocre)     [+3d5]


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   Spells
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Know Alignment:     7,  19pp     (Effectivity: +0) (potion of wonder)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Her achievements during her adventures:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rare, the human merchant, was shredded by chaos piranhas.
She scored 6252 points.
She survived for 0 years, 7 days, 20 hours, 16 minutes and 51 seconds (626
turns).
Rare visited 8 places.
Her learning score was modified by +2 during her career.
Her willpower score was modified by -1 during her career.
Her dexterity score was modified by +1 during her career.
Her toughness score was modified by +1 during her career.
Her charisma score was modified by +1 during her career.
Her appearance score was modified by +2 during her career.
Her mana score was modified by +1 during her career.
Her perception score was modified by +1 during her career.
She ended her adventuring life in a huge natural cave.
2 monsters perished under her attacks.
The following two artifacts were generated during her adventure:
  the ring of the High Kings
  the phial of Caladriel
She possessed the following intrinsic:
  She was acid resistant (gained through an item).
She had the following talents: Quick, Very Quick.
She had a final speed score of 106 (final base speed: 106).
She was not particularly religious.
She asked for 1 divine intervention.
She was neutrally aligned.
She was slightly tainted by Chaos.

The following monsters were vanquished:
      1 giant bat (somewhere in caverns)
      1 large dog (ambush in wilderness)

[gut]

I think it's time for an additional challenge. To kill the Skeletal King, and
retrieve the RotHK's in under 2000 turns. Of course not many PC's can
do this, probably wizards, necros, and elementalists are all. Elementalists
and necros would be an easier start, as you wouldn't have to scum for a
spellbook of frost bolt to cross the water. In fact, you don't have to
scum for a book with a wizard either, because I've done it for you : )

Quicky, is a gnomish wizard that has chosen quick, very quick, and long
stride as his starting talents. I would have rather chosen 'greased lightning',
but I didn't see it as an option. Quicky's De stat was 15 though, so maybe
I just missed it. He starts with a potion of invis, and spellbooks of fire and
frost bolt, among other things. Feel free to generate your own wizard with
the options you like. Just kill the king and get the ring in under 2000 turns.