I guess my Gnome Assassin forgot what game he was in. Poison resistance, poison on weapon--(+12,2d6+6)[+14,0] 2-handed sword from the SMC--excellent drops all around (multiple spellbooks of Teleport for example), good full set of gear, potions of cure poison, extra healing, and ultra healing... heck, he was even finding pre-blessed potions (plural) of Gain Attributes and 3 pre-blessed Scroll of Identify.
At level 15, after plucking off the bouncers, he thought he could melee Hotzenplotz. Hotzenplotz does not care about 70/15 DV/PV, poison resistance, or the number of potions you carry, he can still eat through 110 HP in a couple of lucky rounds.
It was less frustrating than my Gnome Ranger from earlier in the day. He found blessed 7LB twice on his way to the waterproof blanket (), and by level 5 had a full gear set better than my level 17 Dwarf Monk, even ignoring the 7LB (which my Monk lacks). At level 10 a single mimic ambushed him in a random shop in the Puppy Cave and took him from full health to dead with a single lucky paralysis. (RNG: "Haha, just kidding! ")