low pv and low damage

[blunk]

So, I've been looking for a new challenge.
However it seems hopeless to get low damage low pv (below 5) chars through smc.
Some examples: priest with no offensive spells, merchant, thief.

How do you make a successful early game with a character similar to above?
a. throw 100 to SMC and finally succeed.
b. what you mean smc difficult?
c. carefully grind pc and vd/dd and then maybe later do smc.
d. I don't

[TheCableGuy]

All my Characters start out like that. Of course, not many of them last very far pass SMC.

Druids seam to have pretty good luck in that regard.

[JellySlayer]

Weak character generally don't survive SMC/UD runs. You need to be very careful and have a good amount of luck. I would normally just open the SMC, if that, then come back at much higher level.

For the SMC itself, it helps if the stairs start really close together. For low PV characters, you may as well true berserk everything so that you at least have enough damage to 1-hit most monsters. You may want to pick up PV/speed/Heir with your starting talents for an extra boost in the early game. Also, play drakeling for acid breath.

[blunk]

Been trying some ratling farmer.
Really good melee damage with the scythe but abysmal defence.
One of the more promising (with 4 starting talents) got down to ud1 only to get squished by an Ogre mage, so unfair
The tame dog seems better off living in Terinyo, I suppose it IS possible to lvl it up with extreme caution but generally they die very fast.

[ahpla]

with a weaker character i usually skip the smc till later, i first go for the healing then maybe in ID, to get some decent stuff to raise the DV/PV, after that i clear the puppy cave

i enter smc later when i have found some scrolls of item detection & magic mapping so i can just teleport grab the blanket and then teleport at the down stairs

[_Ln_]

Been trying some ratling farmer.
Really good melee damage with the scythe but abysmal defence.
One of the more promising (with 4 starting talents) got down to ud1 only to get squished by an Ogre mage, so unfair
The tame dog seems better off living in Terinyo, I suppose it IS possible to lvl it up with extreme caution but generally they die very fast.

Try out their Heir gift. With innate ratling high To, you'll be absurdly buff.

[blunk]

Toughness as rat farmer have been between 15-20 often with low pv sometimes only from body armour.
I looked at the heir gift and pretty much a studded could replace it. I did get one through finally, cleared all but half of a river level and got healing skill.

Good call about id, unless bad wilderness luck that should be of great help for an extra squishy char.

[Dlightfull]

I always get my chars to SMC first, but i never get them straight to UD. I get the blanket and get back outside. About 10% of them survive the trip. Going to lawenilothel and buying some rocks from the shop (if there are any) helps a lot with survival in the SMC.

The tactics is different, depending on the R/C combo, but, basically, you need to play the strong side of the char in tricky situations (acid breath, confusion, bolts etc.), avoid fighting as much as possible (not engaging neutral monsters, running away when possible) and throw those rocks. But i guess 90% of the success is based on your luck no matter how good a player you are.

[Rick]

But i guess 90% of the success is based on your luck no matter how good a player you are.

I agree, the first dice roll is when you create characters, the second is when you run them in SMC. I noticed that (I think I passed more time in SMC that in the rest of the places) to have the stairs one close the other means that you have to fight your way back after the blanket. Worst thing that can happen in SMC is to have to go back on your steps, that's exactly when you die..when I die at least...luck is the stairs down and blanket in the same room..very bad luck is a tension room..horrible luck is when a monster pick it up, so you have to figure who can be or try to kill everyone and die again...