Westheim, the Sludge Elf Wizard

This page is a Diary of a Crawler, the journal of an individual character. This page probably contains spoilers.

This is the first time I’m attempting to post something like a Crawl diary. I will play Westheim, a Sludge Elf Wizard, and try to stay alive for at least one or two hours, that would be great ...

I’m a bad Crawler, the deepest down I ever came was Level 23 with an Ice Elementalist, until I entered Hell just out of curiosity, just to appear right next to Geryon, who immediately turned me inside out.

The version is 0.4.3, by the way. So, now, into the dungeon, you sludgy elf ...!

Entering the Dungeon

Dungeon Level 1

I entered with a +0 knife, a bread ration, a +0 robe, a +0 wizard’s hat and a book of minor magic [flame]. I ran into +1 gloves almost as soon as I entered, a fairly solid beginning.

The first level didn’t hold many challenges, my magic dart cleaned house fairly easily. I also found a short sword and found it uncursed, when wielding it.

Dungeon Level 2

The first tougher thing I encountered was a worm, but the distance was big enough to kill him without being bitten. I reached level 3 with the kill, and chose to improve strength, since mine seemed too low to me.

When I walked down a corridor, I triggered a dart trap but continued. Behind the next corner, I ran into Ijyb, who was carrying a wand of magic darts and was happily blasting me with it. I ran away, but the dart trap was still in my way and I was too anxious to cross it with only 6 HP left.

I decided to learn Throw Flame and hope the best. Ijyb soon came after me, but didn’t zap his wand, which seemed to be empty. Thrown flames didn’t really impress him, either, and he started to melee me. Things became desperate. At 4 HP I decided to quaff my most common potion, which was metallic purple, and I had three of it: potion of curing! That didn’t solve my Ijyb issue. Back to 12 HP I crossed the dart trap, and Iyjb didn’t follow me! Now I threw stones on him I had picked up earlier to kill him – until a snake sneaked up on my flank.

(short break for panic attack)

I ran south, where I had located a stair down earlier.

Dungeon Level 3

I encountered a few bats until I found a wand of magic darts. Guess my joy to get more of which I already had as a spell. It was like the joy felt by a lonely double leg amputee, who would find prosthetic arms somewhere ...

The next thing to almost kill me was a kobold with darts (pathetic...), but upon killing I inherited an elven short sword, which I wielded immediately, and found it uncursed.

And then I ran into two snakes at the same time. With 16 HP and an AC of 4 I was likely to end up inside them so I ran away unseen. Coward!

Then I found another pair of gloves (joy!), tried them, found them to be +0 (joy!), and cursed (...!!!)

The open layout of the level was also not there to make me feel comfortable. Next thing was a helmet I spotted, but I walked into a dart trap on the way towards it. Nevertheless, it was +2 helmet.

The next snake was unavoidable. I ran into it behind a corner. The first bite poisoned me, but I brought the thing down with six magic darts.

Meanwhile I was level 4 and had 8 spell levels available. I learned Mephitic Cloud for the moment, and hoped for a better book to pop up.

I killed two more snakes from the distance before descending to DL 4 at the closest stair, right into the view of a giant ant. After a short scream I ran back upstairs and decided to return to DL 2.

Dungeon Level 2

I meleed a few rats and bats, hoping for my sword to ID, but it didn’t happen. I killed two snakes from a distance, and then reencountered Ijyb, who had picked up darts, but we ultimately ended up meleeing each other, and I killed him. I picked up his wand of magic darts [zapped: 3] and indeed found it empty. So it went into the dust bin, which was a random room in the dungeon.

Dungeon Level 4

I descended to DL 4 again via a different staircase. There I found glowing boots – and six enemies. I returned to DL 3 to take the third staircase to DL 4. This one was close to the second stair, but brought me to the other side of the boots, where I could access them easily. They turned out to be +1.

The western half of the level was filled with packs of jackals and orcs. This was another open level, so I occassionally was in danger of becoming surrounded.

To the south I found a lava field with some scrolls close to it, and behind the lava I saw some tough creatures along the lines of lemures, iron devils, and a beast. I retreated north.

When I had cleaned the other parts of the level, I decided it was time to test scrolls and search the scroll of identify. I had picked up a few glowing and runed weapons as well as a ring, which I couldn’t wear because of the cursed gloves.

I started with a pack of five, which immediately turned out to be the scroll of identify! I used it to ID a +2 orcish morningstar. The next pack of five scrolls were those to remove curses. I switched to my +1 gloves again, and wore the ring – a cursed –2 ring of protection. A scroll of remove curse later, I dropped it.

I used up all my ID scrolls to reveal 4 scrolls of recharging, 5 scrolls of teleportation, 2 scrolls of enchant weapon I, 2 potions of heal wounds, and two rather useless daggers, which I threw away.

The Happy Hours

Dungeon Level 5

Trouble ahead. In the second room of the level I ran into a centaur. He soon found company from a snake, and after I had confused them with a mephitic cloud and threw a few magic darts, I ran out of MP and had to resort to darts and stones and was lucky enough for the confusion to last long enough for me to finish them off that way.

After finishing off two giant ants and scores of snakes I found another wand of magic darts ... yay.

Dungeon Level 6

After a while I encountered another centaur and kobold. Mephitic cloud and thrown flames killed the centaur quickly, but then Blork the orc joined the fight.

Of course I ran away and was able to dodge him behind a corner, only to have an ogre coming from the other side, and when I tried to dodge him as well, I ran into a large hall with a centaur on the other side. I had just enough MP left to throw to mephitic clouds, confusing the ogre, but the centaur wasn’t confused. I had to melee him at the expense of a healing potion.

In a different part of the level I found a book: a book of minor magic [frost]. Oh, well.

Blork was still wandering around, but never noticed me in this open layout level, when I spotted him two or three times. Lucky me. On the other hand I had to cope with a brown snake, which poisened me and gave me some nasty bites.

When I rested in the southern part of the level, Blork finally did notice me. Mephitic cloud and a few thrown flames were just enough to kill him, although just barely. In the last room, I also walked into Edmund, who didn’t succumb to the same medicine as Blork and had to be meleed to death. I hate to do that with mages...

Dungeon Level 7

The first bigger room in the level contained a Book of Clouds as well as a jewellery shop. Since I didn’t have any diamonds on me yet, I was curious, what he had to offer. There were a few interesting pieces, but nothing I could afford, including a randart ring for 850 gold. I carried less than half of that amount. So, Westheim, the Conjurer, walked on...

Finally the sword I had been carrying around since ages IDed as a +1, +0 short sword while I was battling a bat.

I found the level split in two, with only two stairs up and down in the section I walked through, so I returned to DL 6 and then used different stairs back to DL 7 – and dropped right into the view of an orc horde with a priest and a wizard. I threw three mephitic clouds at them. Those two died, but a giant eyeball, an orc warrior, and a hippogriff came into view, plus a bat and common orcs. Wise as I am, I decided to leave that for later, returned to DL 6 and then to the first part of DL 7.

Everbody's Bigger Than Me

Dungeon Level 8

DL 8 held a bat (hmmm, breakfast!) and an altar of Sif Muna in the room I entered in. After already ignoring the Ecumenial Temple earlier, I did so with the altar as well and walked north

After dealing with some orcs and an iguana I found a room with an altar of Xom. And a yellow wasp. Eeeek! However, mephitic cloud + thrown flames once more was the right recipe. It took me almost 20 MP to do so, so I had to care for a new nasty attack spell. Well, with three books, two of which were of minor magic, only the book of clouds remained for nasty attack spells, but it contained only poison and air spells, and I had no skills in those classes, which made learning a level 6 or 7 spell not the wisest thing to do. Instead I learned Throw Frost and Ozocubu's Armour to be at least a little bit better equipped against enemies.

I found a ring, which refused to auto-ID. A scroll of identify showed it to be a ring of protection from cold. Nice.

I found this level to be split in two as well. When I returned from a different stair, I ran into my first shadow. God, I wished I would have known Sticky Flame by now, by far my favourite spell for the early game!

However, there was still a third part of the level I couldn’t access yet, since the nasties on DL 7 were likely to block the stair from above into it, so I had to venture down now.

Dungeon Level 9

My pack was full by now, so I wouldn’t have been so mad to find the Lair sooner than later. When I found a cloak, I had to use my last ID scroll to ID 3 potions of resistance. The cloak was +0, but at DL 9 and AC 11 beggars can’t be choosers. Especially when this is the level yaks started to flock ...

I found the scroll of detect curse as a very common bunch in my pack and then went through all the runed and glowing weapons I had, finding a mace of draining and a dagger of venom.

I cleared the rest of the level until nothing was left but a big room with yaks and an orc horde and then went downstairs. My most valuable loot was a ring of magical power.

Elf On The Run

Dungeon Level 10

I encountered a troll, who was completely not impressed by my spells ... I zapped a wand at him in despair, polymorphing him into a bear, which was way easier to kill with thrown frost.

Then I entered a hall and ran into three frogs (two green, one brown), and bees. I escaped through a two tile corridor. The worst thing was that I needed four attempts to cast Ozocubu’s Armor on me. I would have taken less damage by just running. I had no way to escape but downstairs. That can’t be good.

Dungeon Level 11

Immediately next to the stairs were a wand of magic darts and an unknown wand. But from then it only worsened, when I ran into a brain worm. Needless to say I panicked and zapped a mephitic cloud at him. It confused the worm just enough to make it run in the wrong direction. Wait. Run? Anyway, a few thrown frosts killed it.

I walked north and into trouble. A beetle in a big room at first didn’t seem like a threat, but when I had killed him, a hill giant and a cyclops came to engage me from opposite directions. The cyclops threw a rock at me, bringing me down to 7 HP. There was a jackal between me and the cyclops, but I didn’t know whether he would care that much about the jackal ...

I considered my chances for some time. The only way was to escape. Too bad I didn’t have scrolls of blinking IDed yet. The next disadvantage was that I was overloaded.

So, first I quaffed a potion of heal wounds with the intention to drop my stones next, which was enough to get back up to encumbered.

Then I ran. The cyclops got another rock in on me in a room I had to cross at an angle, but the jackal prevented worse things from happening. The cyclops was too slow to follow in a corridor to the stairs and held up the following yak and hill giant.

Now, instead of going up to the frog level, which would have meant turning left at the end of the corridor, I turned right to reach DL 12.

As Mentally Stable As Life Poultry In A Burning Barn

Dungeon Level 12

I appeared right next to a small bee hive.

(curse!)

There were no bees in sight, but a giant ant, plus my jackal. I would have loved to befriend him, but he wouldn’t let me, so he had to go, sadly...

Bees and an ice beast soon began to attack and surround me. I escaped into a one tile corridor, but was already stung thrice or so, and then there were some eyes in the shadows, which turned out to belong to a mottled dragon.

And NOW I was really desperate and wished to be back with the frogs on DL 10.

I got a Red Bull (the real I, not the proverbial Westheim-I) from the fridge, and made considerations. My only means of escape was to pull a scroll of teleportation. But I was at 15 / 47 HP, and 14 / 32 MP, so I had to care for not to die first. Ozocubu’s Armor would be good, after a potion of heal wounds of course. I was NOT poisened at the moment, so that was the only plus I had. The minuses were a mottled dragon, three bees and an ice beast, all eager to make cuddly finger puppets out of my intestines, without me heaving a powerful attack.

So, I quaffed my second-to-last potion of heal wounds, and was stung again. The dragon breathed at me, but his breath fell one tile short. I was at 27 HP, still few.

Then I read a potion of teleportation – and failed to switch into the teleportation mode. (screams) After long and hard thinking it occurred to me that the un-IDed amulet I was wearing might be the cause. I had to remove it and was stung again, while the dragon closed in on me. Another teleportation scroll, now it worked. Stupid amulet!

I cast Ozocubu’s Armor on me, but it didn’t keep the bee from stinging me, and I had to use the last potion of heal wounds in my pack. The mottled dragon breathed fire, which actually missed me and set the killer bee ablaze! Then I teleported away.

... into a room full of killer bees and a jelly. That was it. Or wasn’t it? I dialled in another teleport scroll immediately and ran for the empty corner, getting stung multiple times. I zapped my wand of flame twice, killing the jelly, at least. Then I was teleported away into a narrow chamber with a scorpion, an imp, a hobgoblin, and a common goblin. A jelly entered the chamber the next turn. I threw frosts around me and resorted to my wand of flame, when I ran out of MP, only to survive just barely again. With 18 HP, no potions to heal wounds, no MP, and poisened, and on a level full of major nasties, I decided to sit down in the most remote corner and be VERY quiet. I had to catch my breath again, and it was too unfortunate I had forgotten my inhaler ...

The poison costed me a potion of curing, and then I went through my stuff. I dropped my book of minor magic [frost], since all but one of it’s spells were in my other books, and I didn’t intend to learn Sticks to Snakes anyway.

First a bee visited me, and the mottled dragon found me and set me ablaze. I lost probably half my scrolls and almost all my potions of healing, and just barely survived the encounter, before I brought him down with frosts thrown at him. I butchered the hide, not knowing whether it would be useful at all.

And things still got worse. When I finally cautiously advanced out of the chamber, I immediately ran into an arrow trap and had bees attacking me. When I made it another few hexes out of the chamber, I could spot several yaks and a hill giant guarding the only way out. Wait, no. There was no way out.

I walked back to the corridor towards my chamber, but the first yak came after me at the arrow trap.

Plus a mummy. I could not run away, so I had to kill it, and had to live with the consequences, which were cursing one of my swords. Before I could drop it, another yak approached me. I ran out of MP while trying to kill it and had to retreat through the arrow trap into my chamber, where I was now trapped. I still had three scrolls of teleportation, but those hadn’t given me lucky moments on DL 12 so far. Another bee and yak came after me from the side path. (There were actually two corridors linking „my“ chamber to the next one, crossing each other)

Eventually, yaks, bees, hill giants, and other creepish things were about to surround me, so I had to teleport again to avoid death by goring.

This time I landed in a small empty room on the opposite site of the level. Two corridors were going east and south from there. I decided to head south.

Bad decision, I ran right into a yellow wasp. I had to kill it with wands, since my MP were close to zero and depleted after two thrown frosts. This level started to piss me off ...

When I ran into more bees, I was poisoned, killed one, and returned to my room up north to try the other path.

Bad decision. A cyclops blocked my path. Mephitic cloud and throw flames worked out just before I ran out of MP. The path would ultimately lead me where I started the level so badly, now swarmed by bees and a wight. More poison, but the wight was brought down with magic darts fairly easy. Now, Westheim, run to the stairs up, run!!

But there were more bees, there were always more of those cheap sucking bees! Poisoned and down to 13 HP I had to retire back into the corridor, where they had pinned me against the mottled dragon earlier.

Occassionally I also heard distant slurping noises, further freaking me out. The freaking became more intense when there were also squelching noises, and lots of them after some time. I had to get the burning hell out of that level, up or down, who’d care??

Yet, I couldn’t leave my corridor. Although I had easily slaughtered a dozen bees in the stairs room already, there were always coming more in, including the queen bee. I decided to retire, go around the northern corridor and try again at the other side of the level to find a staircase leading anywhere. Needless to say, bees where there as well. Plus a troll. Close to madness, I retired a little, recharged my wand of flame, and moved back in to kill that sucker.

By the time I was done preparing, a jelly and an ice beast were with him. (cries) Why me? Why meee??

The troll followed me while I ran away crying like a girl. My wand of flame barely tickled him and he sliced a few pieces out of me, before I teleported away, right into the hive room occupied by at least one visible jelly. But by the pretty repetitive squelching noises I estimated that there had to be at least two dozen jellies in the level. A bee and a yak soon discovered me.

Out of MP, I read my last scroll of teleportation, quaffed my last two potions of healing, and landed in a room with two stairs down. Plus an ice beast, and a bee. The ice beast was closer to both stairs than me, but I had 3 MP back, enough for a mephitic cloud. But it failed to confuse the beast and a jelly joined the battle. With 14 HP and 0 MP, no means of healing or escape, I was done in now. There was a corridor to the left side, maybe I could run in there and find a stair up?

The corridor was empty, and the bee attacked me. I quaffed a random potion, since desperate times require desperate measures. I had two sets of 3, two sets of 2, and a single one. I hoped for speed, when quaffing one of 3 bubbling clear potions. Restore abilities. The bee missed, new chance. 2 glowing red potions. Potion of slowing. (laughs madly)

It didn’t matter now. I quaffed the other set of 2 and found invisibility. Useless now, as I was dying. The other set of 3 were levitation. Now I read a scroll, hoping for fear, but with 6 HP and poisoned ... it was a scroll of fog, and the bee stung me to death the next turn...

http://i310.photobucket.com/albums/kk414/Westheim/crawlwestheim.jpg

The amulet that had prohibited teleportation earlier, had actually been a randart. With electrictiy resistance. AC bonus. Life protection! Poison resistance! Freeking fucking poison resistance!! Raaaah!!

The only potion unquaffed was porridge, so at least I didn’t even have speed. How consoling. But I had scrolls of fear ... well ... another stupid death for me ...

Diary's end. Westheim 14:36, 20 July 2009 (MDT)