How do you guys normally play mist elf? I feel like I am doing this wrong

[Xin]

I just picked up ADOM v1.2.0 release 60 during the holiday, and started out as a Mist Elf Wizard...I did read the wiki and prepared myself with decent amount of knowledge.

I thought it would be a great idea since Mist Elf can summon golems as tank, while I blast the enemy with fire ball (probably got that idea from some RPG I played) and I was sadly mistaken.

Apparently bolt spells can only fire in straight lines in 8 possible directions from the character. It also hit EVERTHING and that include my own companion, who would turn on me and try to kill me if he's still alive. and when I leave an area, my companion doesn't follow if he's not in a space that is in direct contact with me.Worst of all, I dont get experience when my companion last hit...only he does.

From there on I just forget about "white necromancy" and firebolt my way through early game. I started the game with a spellbook for firebolt, and found 2 more spellbook very early on. So I [l]earn to get more spell knowledge until I detroyed the spellbook.(In hindsight, I should have kept one book to bookcast spell infinitely...but I thought it was EASY to get more spellbooks)Fire Bolt works great in clearing monsters after I lure roomful of monsters into long corridor. For monsters that resist fire, I just use Acid Ball (which is my second starting spelbook).

The major problem I found was my lack of HP. My toughness potention was only 7, and I didn't find any potion for tough toughness, none from monster or shops. after a near death experience from a trapped door that also exploded my best gears at the time(didn't get any knock spell early, now I have too many of these), I decided to get more HP.

The only solution I found was the HP potion from Healer Jharod by "showing mercy". I used the trick from wiki, wand of Trap Creation and lured monster over. However the monsters tend to die immediately, and the traps only last a few rounds. Then, I came up with a brilliant idea using the observations I found through the game: monsters would fight each other it they are not hostile toward me. I used the wand of Monster Creation to make 2 monsters, and use Calm Monster on one of the two, then I can heal them as they fight each other allow the battle between monsters continue and get potentionly infinite amount of potion from Jharod! Grey ooze wins and kills goblin instead.

Then I discovered that the friendly ooze now leisurely multiplies, at the cost of half of its current HP. So... it turned into a ooze farm where I get 2 potion for healing them whenever they multiplies. I drank 30+ potion and got my HP to 100 and continued on my way.

Found a cursed amulet of life saving. useless since iron items (slowly) kills Mist Elf, so I give it to Khelavaster. In Dwarven Hall, I found a large room full of karmic dragon. Killed them using help from wiki: just go invisible and they cant see, then use magic missile since they are element resistance. Level up 4 time in a row there, so it must be something that's not supposed to happen...water temple and banshee was easy, preparing for Tower of Eternal Flames now.

Right now I have Strength of Altas activated at all times due to overused of the spell to train mana and spell efficiency, and I am wearing eternium cap, eternium scale mail, eternium shield, and etc... oh, and a mithril spear of mayhem that does more damage than the two-handed eternium halberd I got. Most of the times, I feel like I'm playing a warrior class that can go invisible and teleport to help me better reposition myself, melee range spear stab to kill the weaker foes, and only use spells for stronger enemies. Burning Hand and Ball spells (both melee ranged) seem much more reliable than bolt spells, since enemies can continuously shrug off multiple bolt spells, even when they are vulnerable to that element.

I also at one point got the "You have become very light" corruption at one point, which give me -6 To. So... I had a level 20 Mist Elf with Toughness of 1. I had no way of curing corruption until I got scrolls from saving Khelavaster.

I keep wondering what would happen if I had toughness of 0? Do I die? my toughness wasn't always at it max 7, since sometimes it falls to 6 and 5, and I have to train with Garth to bring it back up. I had no luck with herb at all, only spenseweed curaria mancox and alraunia antidote stable patches, all useless except making hilarious fail alchemy explosions. I have level 100 Alchemy, and I can make potion of attribute gain, if only I have one of its main ingredient: potion of cure curruption.

So the main thing that bothers me is that other that getting HP potion from Healer Jharod (which feels kind of like cheating if he truely have infinite potion to give us), Being a Mist Elf seem to spell disaster. I almost one shot suicide even with all that extra HP when my Magic Missile bounced in corners beyond my vision, And I also had a couple of mishaps that would kill me if I didn't get more max HP(confused is the worst status I have encountered) How is a Mist Elf normally supposed to be played?

[Blank4u47]

That's a loaded question. I, for one, wouldn't bother with the jharod trick, it's just plain boring.

Secondly, the corruption can only lower your toughness to 1. However, it's a temporary loss, your toughness is still at 7, but not until you remove the corruption.

Third, I don't know how much you already know, but you may need to learn about stat potentials, stat training, and herbs. That should fix your low hp. Also keep in mind that willpower and strength affect your hp too.

Fourth, confusion sucks. Get more willpower, get items that boost willpower, get the water orb and equip in tool slot, get confusion resistance items.

Finally, mist elfs are considered difficult to play, nothing's stopping you from playing them, I've beaten the game in half the classes with them and enjoyed the hell out of it, but for a less experienced player they may not be as fun to play as they present many difficulties in the early to mid game. I would highly recommend you play a gnome wizard, or high elf wizard. Also try playing a priest, there's many chances to learn about spell mechanics and melee is much friendlier for them.

[Soirana]

How is a Mist Elf normally supposed to be played?

1. Reroll into some other race with some bones instead.
2. If no reroll, swap stats with [cursed] exchange potions.
3. If above fails, scum for weapon of hunting and abuse lich summoning in graveyards for undead corpses.

Well, I am not sure if my tactical approach fall under "normally", but that's my plan. Fixing toughness is important.

[hapro]

Mist Elf casters I always felt are harder than Mist Elf melees, precisely due to the extremely low To potential. I've been playing Mist Elf Weaponsmiths recently and I'm liking it a lot - To caps around 13 usually and the starting elven chain mail makes UD reasonable.

[Xin]

That's a loaded question. I, for one, wouldn't bother with the jharod trick, it's just plain boring.

Secondly, the corruption can only lower your toughness to 1. However, it's a temporary loss, your toughness is still at 7, but not until you remove the corruption.

Third, I don't know how much you already know, but you may need to learn about stat potentials, stat training, and herbs. That should fix your low hp. Also keep in mind that willpower and strength affect your hp too.

Fourth, confusion sucks. Get more willpower, get items that boost willpower, get the water orb and equip in tool slot, get confusion resistance items.

Finally, mist elfs are considered difficult to play, nothing's stopping you from playing them, I've beaten the game in half the classes with them and enjoyed the hell out of it, but for a less experienced player they may not be as fun to play as they present many difficulties in the early to mid game. I would highly recommend you play a gnome wizard, or high elf wizard. Also try playing a priest, there's many chances to learn about spell mechanics and melee is much friendlier for them.

I found the potion for toughness/potention toughness to be very rare, only found 1 up till now, and I'm already at the stage just before Tower of Enternal Flame, so I think that's about half of the game? It also appears that no matter the amount of money spent on training, you cannot raise it above your max potention for that attribute. So my only solution is to be unseen with invisibility, and keep distance, dont take any damage(which I get the feeling that bosses in the future probably won't allow.)

[Xin]

I am pretty sure corpse, herb, and training with money all cannot go above my max potention of that attribute.... And my max potention was 7 (which means I started with max toughness potention of 6, and I drank 1 potion to get it to 7)

I was expecting Mist Elf to be a spellcasters who use summon to tank for him... but there are things you can't tell just from reading wiki I guess.

[Blank4u47]

you need to bless the potential potions to get 3 max potential, use herbs to max, then use blessed potion of stat.

Best ways to find it is pickpocketing. If you get large enough stacks, dip in potions of ex too. Also trade booze to the fool for random potions

[Soirana]

I am pretty sure corpse, herb, and training with money all cannot go above my max potention of that attribute.

Corpses can. At to 7 higher undead corpse is essentially guaranteed to improve potential at which point Garth or money will work to new potential. Potential potions are faster but harder to farm than undead corpses.

[Blank4u47]

Corpses can. At to 7 higher undead corpse is essentially guaranteed to improve potential at which point Garth or money will work to new potential. Potential potions are faster but harder to farm than undead corpses.

Very true. However they can be a real downer for your alignment. Also as a new player, I feel it's a good idea to tell you that it's only greater undead that improve your To, so no zombies or ghuls, stick to vampires, specters, wights, and wraiths

[Arbot]

You forgot to mention the ring of fire resistance that weaponsmiths start with, a big deal for mist elves