Difference between revisions of "User:Hordes"

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Relevant credentials: [http://crawl.akrasiac.org/scoring/players/hordes.html Hordes (greaterplayer)] | [http://crawl.akrasiac.org/scoring/players/moriya.html Moriya (greaterplayer #2)] | [http://crawl.akrasiac.org/scoring/players/horddes.html HorDDes (tournament)]
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Important links:
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[[User:Hordes/Guide]]
 
[[User:Hordes/Guide]]
 
*[[User:Hordes/Guide Appendix]]
 
*[[User:Hordes/Guide Appendix]]
  
 
[[User:Hordes/Basics Guide]]
 
[[User:Hordes/Basics Guide]]
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[[User:Hordes/Talisman]]
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(The rest of the page is just writing stuff that's WIP)
  
 
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'''Specialization''' refers to a player's decision to invest [[experience]] in only a few specific [[skills]] to make them powerful and reliable, rather than attempting to learn many different skills at once. Specializing is generally regarded as essential -- there is not enough experience in a normal game to advance more than a handful of skills to a high level. However, each level of a skill becomes more expensive
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'''List of gods, sorted by "when you get the first strong perk".''' (IMO)
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'''Gods that benefit you on first worship:'''
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*[[Ignis]] (Ignis)
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*[[Lugonu]] (Exit the Abyss)
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*[[Uskayaw]] (Uskayaw)
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*[[Yred]] (Reaping; resets on new floor)
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Gozag has gold distraction (maybe worth listing here?), Fedhas pacifies sleepcaps
  
==Summary==
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'''Gods that benefit you at 1*:'''
More skill means that skill is more powerful. Weapons will hit harder, attack faster, and are more reliable. Spells are stronger, cast more reliably, and higher level. Defensive skills will give more defense.
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*[[Ashenzari]] (ID items)
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*[[Gozag]] (Potion Pet)
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*[[Hep]] (Ancestor)
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*[[Nemelex]] (1st set of cards)
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*[[Okawaru]] (Heroism)
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*[[Trog]] (Berserk)
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*[[Sif Muna]] (MP recovery)
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*[[TSO]] (Halo, Divine Shield)
  
Specializing is easy. Press the '''[[m]]''' key to access your Skills screen and see all the skills you currently know. These will be separated by spaces into four or five categories (Offensive, Ranged, Defensive, Magic, and Other). Pressing the key associated with a skill will toggle its training Off (dark grey), On (light gray), or Focus it (white) causing more experience to be allotted.
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IMO these gods don't provide good benefit at 1*, but provide ''some'' benefit: Ely Purification, Zin Recite, Makh heal on kill, WJC Lunge/Whirlwind, Dith stealth, Kiku Wretches (hard to use w/o good spell).
  
By default it will use Automatic Mode, which automatically adjusts experience division between skills based on use. You can also press '''/''' and swap to Manual Mode, for more control. In Manual Mode, experience is divided flatly between enabled skills, with Focus doubling a skill's percentage.
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'''Gods that benefit you at 2*:'''
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*[[Beogh]] (Smite)
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*[[Elyvilon]] (Heal Other)
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*[[Fedhas]] (Briars)
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*[[Qazlal]] (Upheaval)
  
==Analysis==
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'''Gods that benefit you at 3* or more:'''
Having one reliable way to kill something is better than having 3 unreliable ways of killing something. For example, a [[human]] could have 10 levels in [[Polearms]], or they could have 6 levels in Polearms, [[Conjurations]], and [[Ranged Weapons]]. While the latter option seems better on paper, each method of killing won't be as good. If your [[sling]] (ranged weapon) barely does damage, then your Ranged Weapons skill would be wasted experience. If your sling could be doing ''all'' the damage, then your Polearms and Conjurations skills would be wasted experience.
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*[[Kiku]] (Variable; based on skill training)
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*[[Vehumet]] (Variable; based on skill training)
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*[[Makhleb]] (3*; Lesser Servant)
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*[[Ru]] (3*; Draw Out Power)
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*[[WJC]] (3*; Serpent's Lash)
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*[[Zin]] (3*; Imprison)
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*[[Dithmenos]] (4*; Shadow Mimic)
  
Perhaps more importantly, different offenses prefer different types of gear. A Polearms character often prefers heavy [[body armour]], which would make Conjurations and Ranged Weapons difficult to use. A Conjurations mage would prefer light armour, which would make melee a more risky proposition. Overall: a character with 6 levels in (Polearms / Fighting / Armour) in [[chain mail]] will outperform a character with 6 levels in (Polearms / Conjurations / Ranged Weapons) in chain mail.
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'''Gods that hurt you on first worship:'''
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*[[Chei]] (Slow)
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*[[Jiyva]] (Eats items, usually comes late)
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*[[Xom]] (Xom)
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*[[TSO]] (Halo messes with stealth)
  
This isn't to say hybrid characters are always bad - just that they need assessment. You'll want at least one way of killing monsters, before investing in another way. The key is to avoid wasted experience, to invest your skills in a productive manner. Having 2 types of magic can be viable, but if you aren't casting any spells from the second school, you aren't getting anything from it (''right now'').
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When you start with a melee-oriented [[background]], you'll get a '''starting weapon''' of choice.
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==Simple Starting Weapon==
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Used by most weapon-wielding backgrounds.
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* [[File:Short sword1.png]] [[Short sword]] - [[Short Blades]] aren't great at regular combat, though they are good at [[stab]]bing. Uses [[dexterity]] instead of strength.
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* [[File:Mace1.png]] [[Mace]] - [[Maces & Flails]] are the strongest "[[strength]]" weapon, at least in terms of stats.
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* [[File:Hand axe1.png]] [[Hand axe]] - [[Axes]] have the ability to [[cleave]]. In addition to hitting a "main" target for 100% damage, they'll hit every monster adjacent to you for 70% damage. However, axes deal less damage than other weapons.
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* [[File:Spear1.png]] [[Spear]] - [[Polearms]] have [[reaching]] - they can attack from an extra tile away. Despite their worse stats, spears are the best option to fight single targets, due to their extra range.
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* [[File:Falchion1.png]] [[Falchion]] - [[Long Blades]] are similar to Maces; higher base damage, but no gimmick. They use [[dexterity]] instead of strength.
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* [[File:Glove1.png]] [[Unarmed Combat]] - Unarmed Combat is usually the weakest of the available "weapons". Certain species, like [[Troll]]s and [[Ghouls]], receive special bonuses to Unarmed attacks. Unarmed can become strong at high skill, but that's a long while away.
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==Good Starting Weapon==
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[[Fighter]]s and [[Gladiator]]s start with a better ("good") starting weapon than other backgrounds.
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* [[File:Rapier1.png]] [[Rapier]] - Short Blades are good at [[stab]]bing, but weaker at plain combat. Rapiers are the only "good" weapon that stats below 1.0 [[attack delay]], meaning monsters won't get a chance to hit you twice.
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* [[File:Flail1.png]] [[Flail]] - Maces & Flails have higher base damage, but no special gimmicks.
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* [[File:War axe1.png]] [[War axe]] - Axes can cleave, but deal less single-target damage. Great option for strong species, like [[Hill Orc]]s and [[Minotaur]]s.
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* [[File:Trident1.png]] [[Trident]] - Polearms can attack from a tile away. Like the spear before it, tridents are usually the best option against single targets.
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* [[File:Long sword1.png]] [[Long sword]] - Long swords are slightly more powerful than flails, though long swords use dexterity instead of strength.
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* [[File:Quarterstaff.png]] [[Quarterstaff]] - Quarterstaves deal more damage/turn than any other option, but they are [[handedness|two-handed]], meaning you can't wear a [[shield]] with one. Because of this restriction, only [[Gladiator]]s and [[Formicid]] [[Fighter]]s can start with one. In addition, [[Staves]] are rarer than other weapon types.
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* [[File:Glove1.png]] [[Unarmed Combat]] - Unarmed Combat is usually the weakest of the available "weapons". Certain species, like [[Troll]]s and [[Ghouls]], receive special bonuses to Unarmed attacks. Unarmed can become strong at high skill, but that's a long while away.
  
 
==Strategy==
 
==Strategy==
As you have full control over your skilling, it's best to specialize selectively. What does this mean for your character?
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*For melee and ranged characters, it means focusing most, if not all, of your experience on one weapon at first. Unless you find an absolutely amazing weapon, once you specialize, you shouldn't switch weapon class. Afterwards, you can start investing in defensive and ranged skills.
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*For casters, it means getting your main killing spells reliably castable (<= 10% failure) as soon as possible. Whenever it be [[Stone Arrow]] or [[Ensorcelled Hibernation]], you will want to kill before you get close to being killed. Additional levels might be required to make the spell actually good at that task. Then, for as long as you're able, you should stick with those schools. Focusing on [[Conjurations]] in particular allows for a lot more flexibility.
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**Some characters, especially those not worshipping a magic gifting god, might not find an lategame worthy spell of their school. Make sure that your currently useful spells are reliable, then dedicate everything else, somewhere else. Wait until after the [[Orcish Mines]] before doing this -- a book shop might just provide you wiht a spell. Alternatively, you can bide your time by investing in defense skills that will always be useful, swapping to melee if you don't find a great spell.
 
**[[Poison Magic]] is a big exception. The school might be good at the beginning, but does not scale well into the late game. Therefore, a caster may decide to invest a few, about 10 at most, points into the school to cast [[Olgreb's Toxic Radiance]] easily. Venom Mages and plain old Conjurers alike should get their killing schools up, then decide to switch into or out of Poison.
 

Latest revision as of 10:13, 16 January 2024

Relevant credentials: Hordes (greaterplayer) | Moriya (greaterplayer #2) | HorDDes (tournament)


Important links:

User:Hordes/Guide

User:Hordes/Basics Guide

User:Hordes/Talisman

(The rest of the page is just writing stuff that's WIP)


List of gods, sorted by "when you get the first strong perk". (IMO)

Gods that benefit you on first worship:

Gozag has gold distraction (maybe worth listing here?), Fedhas pacifies sleepcaps

Gods that benefit you at 1*:

IMO these gods don't provide good benefit at 1*, but provide some benefit: Ely Purification, Zin Recite, Makh heal on kill, WJC Lunge/Whirlwind, Dith stealth, Kiku Wretches (hard to use w/o good spell).

Gods that benefit you at 2*:

Gods that benefit you at 3* or more:

  • Kiku (Variable; based on skill training)
  • Vehumet (Variable; based on skill training)
  • Makhleb (3*; Lesser Servant)
  • Ru (3*; Draw Out Power)
  • WJC (3*; Serpent's Lash)
  • Zin (3*; Imprison)
  • Dithmenos (4*; Shadow Mimic)

Gods that hurt you on first worship:

  • Chei (Slow)
  • Jiyva (Eats items, usually comes late)
  • Xom (Xom)
  • TSO (Halo messes with stealth)

When you start with a melee-oriented background, you'll get a starting weapon of choice.

Simple Starting Weapon

Used by most weapon-wielding backgrounds.

  • Short sword1.png Short sword - Short Blades aren't great at regular combat, though they are good at stabbing. Uses dexterity instead of strength.
  • Mace1.png Mace - Maces & Flails are the strongest "strength" weapon, at least in terms of stats.
  • Hand axe1.png Hand axe - Axes have the ability to cleave. In addition to hitting a "main" target for 100% damage, they'll hit every monster adjacent to you for 70% damage. However, axes deal less damage than other weapons.
  • Spear1.png Spear - Polearms have reaching - they can attack from an extra tile away. Despite their worse stats, spears are the best option to fight single targets, due to their extra range.
  • Falchion1.png Falchion - Long Blades are similar to Maces; higher base damage, but no gimmick. They use dexterity instead of strength.
  • Glove1.png Unarmed Combat - Unarmed Combat is usually the weakest of the available "weapons". Certain species, like Trolls and Ghouls, receive special bonuses to Unarmed attacks. Unarmed can become strong at high skill, but that's a long while away.

Good Starting Weapon

Fighters and Gladiators start with a better ("good") starting weapon than other backgrounds.

  • Rapier1.png Rapier - Short Blades are good at stabbing, but weaker at plain combat. Rapiers are the only "good" weapon that stats below 1.0 attack delay, meaning monsters won't get a chance to hit you twice.
  • Flail1.png Flail - Maces & Flails have higher base damage, but no special gimmicks.
  • War axe1.png War axe - Axes can cleave, but deal less single-target damage. Great option for strong species, like Hill Orcs and Minotaurs.
  • Trident1.png Trident - Polearms can attack from a tile away. Like the spear before it, tridents are usually the best option against single targets.
  • Long sword1.png Long sword - Long swords are slightly more powerful than flails, though long swords use dexterity instead of strength.
  • Quarterstaff.png Quarterstaff - Quarterstaves deal more damage/turn than any other option, but they are two-handed, meaning you can't wear a shield with one. Because of this restriction, only Gladiators and Formicid Fighters can start with one. In addition, Staves are rarer than other weapon types.
  • Glove1.png Unarmed Combat - Unarmed Combat is usually the weakest of the available "weapons". Certain species, like Trolls and Ghouls, receive special bonuses to Unarmed attacks. Unarmed can become strong at high skill, but that's a long while away.

Strategy