Onei's Velvet-Pawed Path to Immortality Walkthrough - FeSu^Kikubaaqudgha/Jiyva

Another contender! Will you prove worthy, or rot like the rest?

Through some unfathomable magical force, all DCSS characters are seemingly capable of learning any discipline in minutes while doing utterly unrelated things. In real life, it would be like mastering painting while going to do reps in the gym. Or getting an education while playing Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup.

And yet, they pour all of that experience into knowing how to swing a metal stick really, really fast, or how to correctly pronounce "pew pew" while conjuring forth assorted metal pellets and crystal shards. But in their tutelage, they learn next to nothing about the omnipresent entity that is Death itself, and when the words "You die..." finally stain the bottom left corner of their screen, they are left powerless.

In this guide, we will not make the same mistake. We will learn to know Death until it becomes that friend we go to the movies with on rainy Sundays.

It's not "evil magic"! It's recycling. Those bodies would have gone to waste.

Into Darkness (D:1 to Kikubaaqudgha)

Contrary to one's expectations, the best way to play a Necromancy-focused character is not to start as a Necromancer. This background is severely lacking in firepower, has spells easily resisted by a tenth of the Dungeon's population, and requires you to get into melee range half the time to give little kitty smooches with Vampiric Draining. I am sorry to say that all non-trivial monsters will not be receptive to your advances.

Not to mention that Kiku (no, I will not be spelling out the full name every single time, cope with it) is an excellent teacher, and will provide you knowledge of absolutely everything you require to initiate, grow and end your fantastical necromantic journey.

Untainted souls are so much more fun to corrupt!

Sorry, Kiku, we're not going to be exactly "untainted" here. We'll be engaging once more in the not-so-savoury practice of interdimensional kidnapping. Begin, of course, as a Felid Summoner.

Why are you so fluffy? I need goth elves and black mascara. I can't have my subordinates looking like this!

Unlike the puny little Edginess Beams that a Necromancer starts out with zapping everything they see with Cringe damage, nothing in the Dungeon resists the gnashing of teeth and the blazing flames of exploding robots. The strategy, until you receive your first spell gift from Kikubaaqudgha, is the exact same as the one I have outlined in the very first installment of my series on feline supremacy. The only difference is that Air Magic should be trained to level 5, not 7.

I would have liked to recommend a different background for a change, but in terms of bringing cats out of the early game, nothing even comes close to the power of friendship (Ice Elementalist is decent, but it still cannot compete!) As a Summoner, you will get a very early, abusable synergy with Anguish, one of Kiku's first potential spell gifts, and will also get a headstart on the late game spell Haunt, unilaterally seen by players as one of the best in the game.

From Lackey to Supervillain (Character Building)

For convenience, I will outline all skilling targets and the spell memorization order in this section. Feel free to return here as you need - there is no requirement to read this entire section right away.

Your Propaganda Arsenal (Spells)

Throughout this run, you will be encouraged to memorize, in this order:

• Summon Small Mammal
• Call Imp (optional - Necromancy is very tight on spell slots and Scrolls of Amnesia are precious, but this spell helps prevent early splats)
• Call Canine Familiar
• Summon Guardian Golem
• Summon Lightning Spire
• Anguish
• Animate Dead
• Borgnjor's Vile Clutch
• Death Channel
• Simulacrum
• Haunt
• Necromutation
• Infestation
• Dispel Undead
• Death's Door

Do note that Kikubaaqudgha will not necessarily grant you absolutely everything on this list every game. Their delivery service can be a little bit... lacking at times.

Running a forbidden knowledge book printing business isn't easy. I'd like to see you explain to your editor why blood sacrifices are essential to have in "Fun Necromantic Activities for Children"!

Skip to the next entry on the list if you are incapable of finding a spell anywhere in your game. As soon as you find a missing spell, however, you should add it to your repertoire as soon as possible to catch up. I strongly encourage you to cast every single one of these fantastic incantations at least once in your game!

Situationally, these spells may be useful as well. More information can be found later.

• Blink
• Sublimation of Blood
• Statue Form
• Enfeeble

Of course, the Wilderness Trinity will never not be overpowered, and one spell among them can certainly come along if you find some of these before getting your first rune:

• Summon Forest (Translocations 8, Summonings 10)
• Summon Cactus Giant (Summonings 14)
• Summon Mana Viper (Hexes 10, Summonings 10)

Studying the Dark Arts (Skills)

As soon as you start your run, train these skills and set them to these targets, with the "=" button:

• Spellcasting: 10
• Summonings: 10
• Turn off Stealth and Dodging.

Right when Summon Guardian Golem has been memorized, add the following skills:

• Hexes: 5
• Fighting: 15
• Dodging: 19

After Summon Lightning Spire becomes part of your kit, complement it with this:

• Air Magic: 5

(OPTIONAL) - Blink will never not be useful, and can come along at any point in your run:

• Translocations: 5

Your necromantic journey can truly begin when Anguish (or failing that, Animate Dead) becomes memorized. You'll want to memorize Animate Dead right after Anguish.

• Hexes: 10 (only if you have found Anguish)
• Necromancy: 10

Sadly, some elemental magic will be required for Borgnjor's Vile Clutch.

• Earth Magic: 8

(OPTIONAL) - Should you find it, Statue Form will greatly enhance survival odds, and will be castable with your Earth Magic training, as long as you add in:

• Transmutations: 12
• Spellcasting: 15

You're probably starting to run low on spell slots. After Death Channel is memorized, train:

• Spellcasting: 15
• Necromancy: 18

Simulacrum comes next, unfortunately requiring you to learn a thing or two about the structure of snowflakes:

• Ice Magic: 8

Haunt brings you back to your blessed origins of Summoner:

• Summonings: 14
• Spellcasting: 18

Achieve your true final form with Necromutation:

• Transmutations: 18
• Necromancy: 21

Teach your feeble opponents to fear Infestation:

• Spellcasting: 20

And finally reach the apotheosis of your necromantic ascension descent with Death's Door:

• Necromancy: 27

Ultimately, you can iron out your last weaknesses with Enfeeble.

• Hexes: 16
• Fighting: 20
• Dodging: 21
• Spellcasting: 23

Guilt Tripping & Betrayal (*.....)

Your run deviates from the traditional FeSu experience when the message

Kikubaaqudgha grants you a gift!

appears for the first time in the message log.

Gather up your lucky trinkets and your maneki-nekos, it's time for some Kiku Gacha Lootbox opening. Here are the three possible outcomes:

• Get Animate Dead & Anguish (50% chance)
• Get Animate Dead only (25% chance)
• Get Anguish only (25% chance)

Naturally, you'll preferably want both of these incantations. The reason you can miss out on one of these two spells is because Kiku thought more appropriate to gift you Kitty Smooch The Ogre And Die (Vampiric Draining) or Press Button To Die (Sublimation of Blood).

Do not ever use Vampiric Draining or Necrotise. The former serves a purpose for other species, but certainly not when your HP bar is a wet paper towel. The latter is a consolation spell supposed to get a Necromancer out of the very early game. You are no weak Necromancer. It's a mystery why Kiku even gifts this spell this late into the game.

You ungrateful sack of fleas! Of all gods, I am the one to grant the most gifts to even my least precious followers, and you still have the nerve to be discontent?