ARCHIVED MistyMan's Deep Elf Conjurer of Vehumet guide

The following article is a character guide. This article contains advice from other players, which may be subjective, outdated, inaccurate or ill-advised. Read at your own risk and alter to fit your play style as necessary!

Version 0.14: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

Deep Elf Conjurers are quintessential glass cannons, their offensive capabilities vastly making up for what they lack in innate defences. After recent reworking of Book of Conjurations they are more beginner-friendly while providing great diversity in branching possibilities and strong extended endgame potential. This guide assumes you are worshiping Vehumet and branching into fire magic from mid-game on. It is partly based on Mr. K's Deep Elf Fire Elementalist guide.

Strategy

Equipment

You won't require anything too fancy, although nice early randarts will help. See invisible should preferably be always kept on, other slots a mixture of resistances, spell enhancers and convenience items like amulet of the gourmand. Use nothing heavier than robes/animal skins. Don't ignore scrolls of immolation: this free mass Inner Flame source will make short work of the sturdiest Lair packs and Vaults:5 welcoming party. Just be careful not to get fried yourself.

Early game

Always rest to fill up MP and HP. You will want to cast Iskenderun's Battlesphere reliably as early as possible. Until then, try to avoid early threats like Sigmund, Grinder, player ghosts, centaurs, killer bees, strong orc warbands. Get your Strength to 7-8, then put everything in Intelligence. At first, turn off all skill training except Conjurations, then add Charms after learning the Battlesphere. When you reach 15% failure rate you should start always having the sphere up, and may wish to add the following lines to your init file:

runrest_stop_message += Your battlesphere wavers and loses cohesion.
runrest_stop_message += You feel your bond with your battlesphere wane.

Now begin training Spellcasting, Dodging, Fighting to 6-7, focusing Conjurations. Learn the first fire school spell you find and start focusing Fire Magic. When you find a buckler put a level in Shields. Evocations are optional, you can get a few levels if you find ring of flight, staff of energy or some good rods. Turn off Charms around 11.

Other spells in the Book of Conjurations:

• Magic Dart: The best friend of the Battlesphere due to its minimal cost and maximum range. This obscenely deadly combo will annihilate pretty much everything from afar throughout early branches.
• Searing Ray: Essential early on, try to line enemies up for maximum efficiency.
• Dazzling Spray: Interesting multi-target option if you're willing to fiddle with targeting.
• Iskenderun's Mystic Blast: Can be useful until Vehumet begins gifting you powerful spells or you find convenient early spellbooks, later outclassed both in single-target and AOE damage.
• Fulminant Prism: Situational, may help against early statues or Oklob plants.

You will find Vehumet's altar in the temple or early Dungeon floors and begin worshiping. He doesn't require Invocations training, will restore your MP on kills, increase spell range, success rate and offer knowledge of 15 damage-dealing spells across all levels. Before his ultimate gift be mindful of your available spell levels, it can be very frustrating to miss the opportunity to learn something good if you're unlucky with scrolls of amnesia.

Mid game

If you haven't found a book containing fire school spells yet learn the first one Vehumet offers and begin focusing Fire Magic. Other goodies to look out for:

• Mephitic Cloud: Will make early branches even more of a breeze.
• Throw Icicle: Even with no Ice Magic training it will eventually attain maximum power, where it boasts respectful 3d20 combination of cold and physical damage. Useful for taking out fire-resistant, cold-vulnerable or just random weaker pests.
• Fireball: Mid-game AOE immolation.
• Force Lance: Good for keeping nasty things away from you.
• Bolt of Fire: Default remover of middle-level threats. Line 'em up.
• Iron Shot: Poor man's Lehudib's Crystal Spear.
• Delayed Fireball: No such thing as excessive fireballs.
• Orb of Destruction: Hard to use effectively, but can also double as Disintegration source.

Since you've been training Fire Magic the final gift will almost certainly contain Fire Storm, the crown jewel of Conjurations, and, if you're lucky, the Lehudib's Crystal Spear, which again is possible to boost to high power without Earth Magic training. If you can find it, Ring of Flames awesomely complements Fire Storm.

You will also want to augment your spell set with some utility magic from the usual suspects list: Apportation, Summon Butterflies/Small Mammal (also lets you start training Summonings), Blink, Cure Poison, Swiftness, Shroud of Golubria, Repel/Deflect Missiles, Sublimation of Blood, Regeneration (these two work great in conjunction), Abjuration, Flight, Control Teleport, Haste, etc. If you find Necronomicon or plan to switch to Kikubaaqudgha for the Tomb you may consider investing in Necromancy/Transmutations, although it's not essential.

Late game

When you become able to cast Fire Storm reliably the Battlesphere has earned its retirement. Instead, from now on, you should always, wherever possible, command instant access to (semi)-controlled blinks. Eventually you will max out Conjurations, Fire Magic and Spellcasting, and can resume Fighting training.

Progression generally follows the Walkthrough. With appropriate resistances, healthy caution and a bit of luck you will be able to take on everything the game has to offer, including entire Ziggurats, the hardest challenges being the Tomb and Cerebov. For clearing the Tomb you may wish to either switch to Kiku (incurring Vehumet's wrath) or learn high level Summonings (which will still leave you having to soak plenty of punishment in congested areas).