Yet another random monster quest help thread (YARMQHT)

[JellySlayer]

Unfortunately, no. If you want to do the other quests (griffyard excepted), you have to do the random monster quest first.

[UnknownSoldier]

None of the dwarven quests are required (although doing at least the griffyard is very desirable and there's no really good reason not to do it). If you complete one of the other tasks before Thundarr assigns it to you, then instead of giving that quest, he will give another random monster quest, which is a bit of a nuisance. The guidebook also claims that he doesn't give a reward for this, but my recollection is that he still does.

At leat for the forest crossing quest he does not give any reward :
My (now defunct) last char forgot to ask him a new quest after getting the literacy potion from him. After having crossed the forest (and missing the fact that the quest completed message didn't appear) when I came back he told me I hadn't slayed a corpse fiend yet !
Needless to say I wasn't particularly happy.
A corpse fiend latter, quest done, but no reward.

[LuciusKain]

Nope. You can do some things to get more
common quest monsters though.

Really? Such as?

[vogonpoet]

Possibly erroneous Spoiler re more common monsters:

RNG chooses monsters from list which depends on max of danger level of PC and where the PC has been, therefore minimise highest danger level PC has visited - eg, don't hang around SMC at level 6, thats already DL 12, means when you get to DT there are more danger levels for RNG to choose from.

[sgeos]

So... (select to view) gunning for Dwarftown is the best way to generate low DL monsters? I suppose if you waited long enough, you could get a really dangerous assignment.

[F50]

Ah, I did the UD, which requires taking a few steps in the SMC which could generate monsters up to level 20 I guess. Ow. I will remember that Gut.

[F50]

Gravedigging in dwarven graveyard = master lich.

So I run around for a bit with preserver to help me against his relentless barrage of glowing balls and eventually get him to summon some specters. Thanks guys! The trick was to lead him around the entrance to the dwarven so he wouldn't be able to hit me with glowing balls as much and then when he summoned, I used his summons to block him. He summoned more monsters, and eventually some of them were specters.

Lessons learned:

1. Don't go into the SMC above lvl 6 before talking to Thrundarr.
2. No lich can do much when his wight "friend" is standing in the way

[sgeos]

2. No lich can do much when his wight "friend" is standing in the way

Aside from summoning more and more and more monsters. (I had a tension room of emperor liches generated on D48. I know how bad liches can be.)

[JellySlayer]

A tension room full of emperor liches... that is... unfortunate. Greater undead vaults probably wouldn't have so many as that on average.

I rarely see one emperor lich per game and consider myself lucky.

[Molach]

I've run some tests about the first quest, and I'm quite confident that it is completely random.
Put in spoilers because I used some illegal information (danger levels of places and monsters):

First part was level 6 non-equipped characters versus level 20 highly equipped seen-the-world character. No noticable difference in the monsters assigned (if any difference, it was slightly worse monsters for the low-level naked-ish character). I don't have data here, though. Lost in the computer failures of time.

Second test was "highest danger level visited". Two clones, of which only went to danger 9 (dwarftown), and the other who went down to DH:2 (danger level 45). The results are here:

One character got these monsters: (monster level is listed)
Goblin Rockthrower - 1
Goblin Berserker - 4
Giant Rat - 1
Gelatinous Cube - 3
Clay Golem - 9
Floating Eye - 2
Caveman - 6
Owlbear - 5
Huge Bat - 3
Hill Orc Sergeant - 7
Raider - 3
Kobold Chieftain - 3
Berserker Lord - 10
Cave Lion - 4
Gargoyle - 6
Orc - 1
Goblin Chieftain - 3
Ratling Archer - 2
Dark Elven Priestess - 9
Black Hurthling - 2

Highest monster level: 10
Avg. monster level: 4,2

One character got these:
Goblin Rockthrower - 1
Mummy - 10
Lightening Lizard - 12
Hell Hound - 6
Barbarian - 4
Gnoll - 2
Claw Bug - 2
Doppleganger - 4
Zombie - 2
Black Hurthling - 2
Clay Golem - 9
Ghost - 7
Lizard man - 2
Shadow Lord - 13
Orc - 1
Goblin Rockthrower - 1
Ratling Thief - 2
Shadow - 5
Jackalwere - 4
Large Jackal - 4

Highest monster level: 13
Avg. monster level: 4,65