Is Alchemy ever useful?

[TheCableGuy]

Every time I ever even TRIED to use it, I blow myself up.
Never Fails.

I mean, how are you suppose to use it.


Also, isn't it odd that the EXP jump from lvl 2 to lvl 3 is amazingly small?
I mean, to can jump from 1 to 2 to 3 in two kills.

[Grond]

You can view your alchemy recipes with R. You get knowledge of one recipe per 10 points you have in the skill. Depending on the recipes it can be quite useful, especially for short-lived races. The explosions can also be useful if you're heavily resistant or immune to fire.

[ViolaTamaite1]

Good for money :D

[blunk]

Every time I ever even TRIED to use it, I blow myself up.
Never Fails.

I mean, how are you suppose to use it.


Also, isn't it odd that the EXP jump from lvl 2 to lvl 3 is amazingly small?
I mean, to can jump from 1 to 2 to 3 in two kills.

For every 10 skill points in Alchemy you have a new recepie, press R to see which ones you know.
You can add ingredients in any order.
Yes if you add ingredients without a recepie it will always cause an explotion (99% sure, you never know with adom until you have tested).

Exp at low lvls is VERY fast but as always depends on your race and class, note that different monsters give different exp.
You can turn on "display experience" to see how much exp you get when you gain exp.
Ctrl-X I think display how much exp you need for YOUR characters each lvl.
You can get enough exp from a kill or quest to gain more than one level in one go, most common on low lvl or certain cheese strats.


Edit: I think also that you are able to auto identify ingredients for known recepies which can have some use in early game.

[Grond]

Edit: I think also that you are able to auto identify ingredients for known recepies which can have some use in early game.

No, recipes do not give you any identification knowledge. Even successfully using an unidentified ingredient doesn't identify it.

[TheCableGuy]

You should be able to Learn recipes from successfully mixing known ingredients

[meekrab]

You should be able to Learn recipes from successfully mixing known ingredients
It would be almost impossible to do this in practice since the recipes change randomly every game and only 10 combinations work.

[Mobius]

Has anybody tried save scumming to learn the recipies for a save, then trying them at a lower level before you officially know the combinations?
Is it even possible to stumble upon the right combos?

[Grond]

Has anybody tried save scumming to learn the recipies for a save, then trying them at a lower level before you officially know the combinations?
Yes.

Is it even possible to stumble upon the right combos?
Nope.

[BrianL]

Alchemy is among the most powerful features of the game. Late-game spoilers below.

One time, a hotheaded drakeling drank a potion of education he found on D:48 and gained some knowledge of alchemy. He ended up being otherwise unable to deal sufficient damage to Andor Drakon despite everything, and ultimately took to mixing every spare herb and potion together and incinerated Andy in a blaze of bad experiments.

[Blasphemous]

Ring of Ice + RDSM + alchemy = lots of fireballs.
Occasionally POGA recipe is doable repeatedly with fairly common ingredients and then you can cheese out a really overpowered char.

[auricbond]

An old char of mine got -- I forget how many but at least 6 poga's out of the skill due to a lucky roll with scroll of education and potion of training.