What would you do?

[grobblewobble]

Air temple: [ .. snip .. ]
highly recommended to do so while wearing high metal/artifact gear.

Sorry to be nitpicking, but if I'm not mistaken any metal items are safe in the air temple (as opposed to the BDC, where only higher metal is safe IIRC). Not that it matters a lot most of the time, but still nice to know if you're good with crossbows or wielding an orcish spear of devastation, or if you happen to have bracers of regeneration.

Anyway, back on topic: Boots of the Divine Messenger grant -death, too. So if you wear that and the AMW, you have double resistance, which is plenty.

Since you are a monk, the mana temple will be relatively easy. Use your special "switch with hostiles" power to get to the archmage. Ignore the rest of the crowd and try to avoid annihilators as much as you can.

Your potion of Cure Corruption is a great weapon against the Archmage, too. It will weaken him a lot if you throw it at him, especially if the potion is blessed. It will also mean his melee attacks no longer corrupt you. I'd say this is a good use for your potion, especially when you have 10 SoCR.

For the wish, I would still be inclined to spend it on potions of longevity and bless and drink them. On the other hand, I see you do have a cloak of invisibility and no type of ghost can see invisible. As Jellyslayer said, GoGS is tempting, too. Just make sure not to lose it on a trap while doing the mana temple.

[Phoobnahr]

I already blew my wish on the Girdle of Giant Strength. I'll be weilding the orb of earth at the beginning of the battle (the toughness boost puts me up to 500 HP), but will switch to the water orb if my spiffy new ring of confusion resistance isn't enough. Strangely enough I don't appear to have flint and steel or tinderboxes in my stash, so I can't light my torches, but I recently found an amulet of light, which I will be able to wear since fate smiles on me anyway without the ankh.

Unfortunately I lost my wand of paralyzation to a black dragon vault just before the air temple. i really miss having it around, but with my huge HP I think I can just wade through the crowd and dispatch the arch mage. I like the idea of tossing my PoCC at the archmage, I've got at least one more where that came from, and still another 9 scrolls, even after taking several corruptions clearing a greater vault and a white dragon vault on D45 and 46.

edit: HOLY CRAP
I've just received ANOTHER wand of wishing from a white dragon while cleaning up the fringes of a white dragon vault just before the Unreal Caves, Also got another amulet of life saving not far back, promptly blessed it and have it on hand in case of emergencies.
two charges on this wand of wishing, and potions of longevity seems like a very wise use of one of them.
Very open to suggestion for use of the other wishes, plan to use two total right away to protect the wand from myself incase I suddenly become a mana battery.

Playing double-careful now.
The RNG giveth... and

[grobblewobble]

You could go gut style and wish for an ancient Karmic wyrm, if you have enough magic arrow charges. Another fun option for monks is to wish for magical writing sets, it will give you about 20 free scrolls of whatever type you want, including chaos resistances (but also magic map, familiar summoning, education, protection.. you name it). Monks have special writing talents; they do not lose stats when writing scrolls, like other classes do.

If you didn't save the cute puppy early on, you could spare one wish to make a tiny girl very happy.

[Phoobnahr]

I already have magical writing sets... about 10 scrolls worth if I remember correctly, but I have so many scrolls of all types that I don't really see much use for them. Didn't know about the writing bonus for monks though... that's pretty cool. Might just blow a wish on making the tiny girl very happy on my way out of the Drakalor Chain... Just one final dive into the CoC to go, down to D50, bring plenty of wands of digging and both my wands of destruction.
Any other wishes that I can use to improve my future history? I should already have more than enough scrolls of corruption resistance to totally clean my system before I go...

[JellySlayer]

Best thing to do is wish for crash protection. That's pretty much the only thing that can stop you now.

Incidentally, have you backed up your game recently?

[Phoobnahr]

Well the gate's closed... i'm just stopping off in dwarftown for my due congratulations, and to toss back a few ales.

Thanks so much guys, see you on the other side!

[Soirana]

Sorry to be nitpicking, but if I'm not mistaken any metal items are safe in the air temple (as opposed to the BDC, where only higher metal is safe IIRC). Not that it matters a lot most of the time, but still nice to know if you're good with crossbows or wielding an orcish spear of devastation, or if you happen to have bracers of regeneration.

Thanks for fixing. I guess i was on opposite idea since area eagerly eats slaying quarrels and thick gauntlets.... just these do not happen to be made from iron.

Well, live and earn.