Wishing for skills.

[RndmNumGenerator]

What's the best way to get skills from wishing? Wishing for the skill directly, or going for potions/scrolls of education? I ask because I already saved Khelly and I don't need eternium weapons/armor(I've found suitiable artifacts for each) and stats would be pointless because I still have yet to hit the potential maximum on most. In particular, I was thinking about the following skills:

1) Alchemy. I've had poor luck with herbs this game(still looking for a sustainable patch of morgia and moss), but it could come in handy later.
2) Dodge. I don't have it, despite my character being in melee a lot. I already took Defensive Fighter, so Dodger is only a talent away if I do take this skill.
3) Food Preservation. Don't have it, corpses are nice.
4) Woodcraft. Can't cast magic, so I'll need to build bridges to get the RotHK(or find a Wand of Cold, which I have yet to do.

So... wish for one directly? Or go for education and hope I get some of them?

[Dudley]

for 4 : find an ogre magi.

[spectre]

Seven League Boots is always ok. But you may have it already. Rings of Ice are also not bad.

Woodcraft most likely will not help you. Get your logs from killing animated trees if you're desperate, but a wand is just better.

Dodge is not worth it, in my opinion. Best train up that shield and tactics.

You know, would help if you gave away what you're playing, and at what point of the game are you more specifically.

Now, last thing about herbs, you may try your luck with generating some of your own in the big room, holy water and some patience will do.

[RndmNumGenerator]

Oh, right. I'm playing a Mindcrafter. Just finished the Pyramid and Dwarven Graveyard. Been to the big room, only one patch of herbs - curia mancox and antidotes. However, I just finished the puppy cave, and found 3 patches; Morgia, Stoma, Peppers, Spencewee, Curia and Andidotes. So... only missing Moss now, I think. Still, Puppy Cave is rather far away, and making special trips for herbs sucks.

Anyway, I do already have 7LB; two pairs, in fact. I guess I don't need dodge, since I do have a good shield and 10 shield skill.

EDIT: Bah, stupid lightning vortex burned away by morgia...

[Twinge]

If you're already going to be using a shield, Dodge won't really be worthwhile; you're probably already approaching the DV cap as it is. Wishing for a skill directly is certainly going to be your best bet instead of education, because you'll actually get what you want - Alertness being the exception, of course.

Find Weakness and Backstabbing might also be skills worth considering.

[RndmNumGenerator]

I actually have both of those already. Unfortunately I can't get Find Weakness over 60ish.

I'm just about to do the ToEF. I found one Ring of Ice, which isn't excellent but it will suffice... I guess I'll only take equipment I can afford to lose in then. Don't think another ring is worth a wish.

I'm a little worried about the ToEF though. At 21, I still can't clear Darkforge, as I'm unable to deal enough damage to the steel golems. Part of this stems from the fact that Mindcraft won't work on Golems, and it will in the ToEF, but still...

[flibble]

Dodge is also less useful for classes that don't specialize in melee, because it takes longer to train it. I've wished for it in midgame, tried to pump it up as much as possible after that, and still had a score of less than 60 at the end.

[gut]

What's the best way to get skills from wishing?

Wish for them directly. A wished skill has excellent modifiers
(if memory serves) and potion granted skills do not (again, I
have notorious memory problems). At least you know you
will get what you want.

> 1) Alchemy.

Good for potions of blindness, extra healing, and a few others,
but you should have most potions you will need anyway.

> Dodge.

Minimal benefits for a wish.

> Food Preservation

In my eyes, this is an early game wonder, but for the mid/late
game, it just isn't so great.

>Woodcraft.

No.

> get the RotHK

You don't actually need it, as you can pass the EG by attacking,
and TP past him. He won't follow you. This does prevent you
from using the shortcut back to the lower CoC though. I would
say the same as Dudley, get an ogre magi.

>Alertness being the exception

And healing, though he probably does already have that.

> I can't get Find Weakness over 60ish.

Behold, the importance of modifiers. Many classes are crippled
on their modifiers, like elementalists, necros, and yes, mindies.
On the other hand, were you a bard, find weakness would have
been maxxed ages ago : )

> I'm just about to do the ToEF. I found one Ring of Ice, which isn't excellent

Yes it is. Bless it and it will protect your pack and worn equipment.
If you have anything super important, like a wand of digging, then
bless it too.

> Don't think another ring is worth a wish.

Me either, as one blessed one will give you very good protection.

> I'm a little worried about the ToEF though. At 21, I still can't clear Darkforge,
> as I'm unable to deal enough damage to the steel golems.

You are doing it from front to back, which is the wrong way.
Optimally, darkforge should be done from back to front. TP
into the weapon's room, pick up (hopefully) an eternium 2
handed sword of penetration, THEN kill the golems. You
will need only ~130 HP's, the 'fate smiles' intrinsic, and
available prayers for healing.

As for the ToEF's, I highly advise having a source of invis.
A ring would be ideal, but a cloak will also work. Often,
the darkforge armor room will have a 'robe of invis' which
is a normal 60s robe, so ID them all. Remember to disable
the Wyrm before engaging.

[Erik Piper]

What's the best way to get skills from wishing?

> Food Preservation

In my eyes, this is an early game wonder, but for the mid/late
game, it just isn't so great.

It depends on what you want to do. If you like raising your stats via corpses, it's even better in the midgame/endgame than in the beginning.

[RndmNumGenerator]

It depends on what you want to do. If you like raising your stats via corpses, it's even better in the midgame/endgame than in the beginning.

Which I do. Especially from Giants, though I have yet to find a Greater Giant Vault. I didn't realize Mindcrafters were crippled in melee, since they only need the same amount of hits to skill up as fighters do(unlike wizards, which require twice as much)

Anyway, cleared the ToEF. First 3 levels was no problem, only Elementals put up any fight and even then I dispatched them easily enough. For the 4th level, hit Minds's Eye to see the dragon, hit him with Mind Blast to lure him out(I've found that you don't get much corruption from using mindcraft on him... only 5-10 points), threw the PoCC I got from the Snake and took him out. I tried to stick around to EXP on grues, which were easy to kill, but the demons were too difficult to fight and kept getting in the way.

Still haven't used my wish yet. Not sure if I'll need to. All that's left now is the rest of the temples... I only forsee the Earth Temple being a problem, since I can get surrounded. Yay for stair-hopping and teleportitis!