From: mich@cwi.nl (M. Hazewinkel)
Newsgroups: rec.games.moria
Subject: Balrog Slayer
Date: 13 Oct 92 21:37:06 GMT
Organization: CWI, Amsterdam



Ok, I just put my first Balrog on ice, so in what I understand to be an
honored tradition, I am posting my character to this newsgroup.


For your amusement, I present here some of the highlights of his life.


Baldur, an Elven Mage, started out with an intelligence of 18/60, and so
was used to great power from the start. Learning 3 spells for every two
experience levels, and 2 mana points for each level, there was little
to threaten him in the early stages of his career. A strength of 9 was
not optimal, but only mildly annoying in carrying large loads back to
town.

Among his early exploits were the extermination of over 400 White Worm
masses, and over 250 Giant Fleas.

After he reached level 11, and mastered the identify spell, he started 
to move down systematically, exploring each level completely, and using
WOR scrolls to move back to town selling things.

By the time he reached level 23, he had started to explore the depths
below 1200 feet, where the highly important Gain potions were to be
found. He started walking up and down between the levels of 1250 and
1400 feet, looking for these potions.

In due course, he attained experience level 25, with intelligence now
at 18/80, constitution at 14 (from a starting value of 8), and most other
stats increased as well. His strength however was still at a lowly 9.
By this time Baldur was quite bored with exploring these same endless
tunnels, fighting the same monsters, and be rewarded with only one or
two Gain potions each level. He suddenly had an inspiration: 'Why should
I chase after those potions, if I can bring the potions to me?'
He had recalled two facts, and combined them to form the solution.
1. Gelatinous Cubes. These are slow, relatively easy to kill, they carry
   a lot of treasure, and their acid is quite harmless if you leave your
   armor and spare weapons in another room.
2. He had heard rumors about a wand of power found near the depth of 750
   feet. This wand was mistakenly called a Wand of Clone Monster. Actually,
   it did not produce a duplicate of the monster it was pointed at, but
   brought from 'elsewhere' another monster of the same sort.

Acting on his decision, he immediately started walking up levels as fast
as he could go, often teleporting around a level, searching for stairs,
and teleporting to another room before the monsters were even awake.

At 1100 feet, he nearly fell over an unidentified ring. Knowing that
rings often contain powerful magic, for good or for bad, he identified
it. The Gods must favor him:
BEHOLD: a Ring of Speed (+1).
Thanking the Gods for their gift, Baldur slipped it on his right hand,
and continued up to 750 feet.

After searching 750 feet in vain, he found his wand at 800 feet. He WORed
back up to town, threw an all-night party for everybody he could find,
and WORed back to 1400 feet.

He found his Gelatinous Cube finally after exploring almost all of 1350
feet. He lured it to a distant part of the dungeon, connected by only
one corridor to the rest of the level, and having two seperate rooms.
Dumping his armor in the smaller room, he magically lighted up the
corridors, and went to work in the large room. He cloned, killed, IDed,
cloned, ...........
Sometimes he found clone monster wands, which he used when his current
one blew up. Finally, he didn't watch too closely what he threw back
at the Cube, and threw in his last clone wand, instead of a worthless
dagger. So he slew the last Cube, and looked at what he'd gained.

Strength now was 18/88. Intelligence, Wisdom and Dexterity were 18/100.
Constitution and Charisma: 18/95.
Some of the items that were discarded:
   - Armor: 2 RC, 1 RF, 2 RL, 1 Helm of Infra Vision.
   - Weapons: 2 DF, 1 SU, 2 SE, 1 SA, 5 FB, 3 FT.
What Baldur kept:
   - a Medium Metal Shield (R) [4,+10].
   - a Mace (Lead-filled) (DF) (3d4) (+7,+6) [+9] (+1 to stealth).
   - a Ring of Gain Strength (+2).
   - a Cloak of Stealth [1,+3] (+3).
   - a Katana (SU) (3d4) (+4,+2).
   - 33 Mushrooms of Unhealth.
   - 38 Pieces of Elvish Waybread.
   - 2 Mushrooms of Restoring.
   - 24 Potions of Restore Mana.
   - 19 Potions of Healing.
   - a Potion of Gain Experience.
   - a Wand of Wall Building (22 charges).
   - a Wand of Fire Balls (19 charges).
   - a Wand of Cold Balls (6 charges).
   - a Staff of Teleportation (10 charges).
   - a Staff of Curing (12 charges).
   - a Staff of Speed (7 charges).
and the most impressive item:
   - a Pair of Hard Leather Boots of Speed [3,+5] (+1).
also, he had gained aprox. 250000 gold from this venture.
Baldur had slain over 1200 Cubes to get this collection.

A few levels down, he found an SD weapon for his collection.

He then decided on another venture requiring some patience, and
repeatedly bought every Enchant scroll the Alchemist had, until he
had brought all the enchantments on his armor and weapons up to
at least +10. His defender mace went even higher in enchantments, 
while he waited for the last Enchant Armor scrolls. All in all, a
well spent 75000 gold.

He now headed for the levels below 2000 feet, where the more interesting
creatures make their homes.
At 1800 feet, he slew his first Ancient Dragon (Black). He found and
conquered an Emperor Lich at 1950, as well as his first Ancient Multi-
Hued Dragon. He briefly considered cloning Emperor Liches, but discarded
the notion at too boring.
Just below 2000 feet, Baldur completed his collection with an Amulet of
the Magi [+3] (+35).

It was in these regions that Baldur encountered an Ancient Green Dragon
Priest. The evidence of this was that the dragon owned the holy books
'Chants and Blessings', 'Words of Wisom', and 'Exorcism and Dispelling'.
This was probably Mr B's personal priest and healer, and Baldur was
glad to slay one who so corrupted the use of these holy books.

After his second AMHD, and fifth EL, and having reached experience level
33, aquiring the Word of Destruction, Baldur, being utterly bored with
outspeeding everything but the Death Quasit, decided that the time had
come to go look for Mr B himself.
He did not have either a potion of Invulnerability, nor a Rune of
Protection, and having only 293 HP, he would be slightly at risk if Mr B
decided to sneeze in the first stages of the battle, but figured that it
would be better than being bored to death waiting for those items.
To offset this disadvantage, he paused at the stairs down from 2450 feet,
and hasted himself continually with his spell, during which period he
ate 8 rations of food. This is not quite so long when having two speed
items and a Defender, but was long enough that the effect became
permanent, and lasted to the day he died.

He decended to 2500 feet, and used his staff to scan for invisible
creatures, and found none. He teleported, and scanned again. Bingo!
He was some way off yet, good.
Baldur quickly lighted up the room, fireballed a Rotting Quylthulg in
one corner, and gave a residend mold a good thump with his Mace. Then
the Balrog had entered the room, and Baldur turned to face him. He had
calculated that once he got in 8 Frost Balls, he would be safe from
the Balrogs breath.
1....2....3....4....5....6....7....
out of mana (Damn Rotting Q!).
quaff Restore Mana.
8.
A few Balls later, the Balrog had come to hand-to-hand range.
Phase door across the room, and fire away again.
Again phase door, and continue shooting.
Phase door.
Baldur finds himself out in the corridor, with the Balrog somewhere in
the walls. Using a side corridor, he draws the Balrog into the corridor,
and shoots another load of Frost Balls at him.
He retreats into another corridor. The Balrog is floating just in the
corridor wall, and unreachable by the cold.
Baldur melts his way into the oposite side of the corridor, and manages
to draw the Balrog into the corridor, and bombards him with cold balls
while he slowly advances.
The Balrog breathes fire.
Only 83 HP damage. That means that 83*3*3/48=16 Cold Balls should finish
him.
A W appears.
Fireball the W (never found out what it was).
Balrog teleports me to his other side (only 3 squares away).
Cold Ball.
A scream of agony. (Must have been that W, whatever it was).
Several Cold Balls later, the Balrogs scream is suddenly cut short, and
a Gain Experience potion drops into my fingers.





 Name        : Baldur                  Age          :    138   STR : 18/100
 Race        : Elf                     Height       :     66   INT : 18/100
 Sex         : Male                    Weight       :    103   WIS : 18/100
 Class       : Mage                    Social Class :     53   DEX : 18/100
 Title       : **KING**                                        CON : 18/100
                                                               CHR : 18/100

 + To Hit    :     17        Level      :     74    Max Hit Points :    299
 + To Damage :     18        Experience :5508193    Cur Hit Points :    299
 + To AC     :     76        Max Exp    :5508193    Max Mana       :    137
   Total AC  :    111        Exp to Adv :  98305    Cur Mana       :    137
                             Gold       : 501453

(Miscellaneous Abilities)

 Fighting    : Superb       Stealth     : Excellent    Perception  : Superb
 Bows/Throw  : Superb       Disarming   : Superb       Searching   : Superb
 Saving Throw: Superb       Magic Device: Superb       Infra-Vision: 60 feet

Character Background
 You are the only child of a Grey-Elf Archer.  You have
 light grey eyes, wavy black hair, and a fair complexion.
 
 

  [Character's Equipment List]

  a) You are wielding   : a Mace (Lead-filled) (DF) (3d4) (+11,+12) [+9]
                                                        (+1 to stealth).
  b) Worn on head       : an Iron Helm of Infra-Vision [5,+10] (+3).
  c) Worn around neck   : an Amulet of the Magi [+3] (+35).
  d) Worn on body       : Laminated Armor (-3) [20,+9].
  e) Worn on shield arm : a Medium Metal Shield (R) [4,+10].
  f) Worn on hands      : a Set of Gauntlets [2,+10].
  g) Right ring finger  : a Ring of Gain Strength (+3).
  h) Left  ring finger  : a Ring of Speed (+1).
  i) Worn on feet       : a Pair of Hard Leather Boots of Speed [3,+10] (+1).
  j) Worn about body    : a Cloak of Stealth [1,+10] (+3).
  k) Light source is    : a Brass Lantern with 1644 turns of light.
  l) Secondary weapon   : a Katana (SU) (3d4) (+10,+10).


  [General Inventory List]

a) 4 Books of Magic Spells [Beginners-Magik].
b) 4 Books of Magic Spells [Magik I].
c) 4 Books of Magic Spells [Magik II].
d) 4 Books of Magic Spells [The Mages Guide to Power].
e) 38 Mushrooms of Unhealth.
f) 42 Pieces of Elvish Waybread.
g) 7 Mushrooms of Restoring.
h) 26 Flasks of oil.
i) 19 Potions of Restore Mana.
j) 19 Potions of Healing.
k) a Potion of Gain Experience.
l) 28 Scrolls of Word-of-Recall.
m) a Wand of Wall Building (5 charges).
n) a Wand of Fire Balls (19 charges).
o) a Wand of Cold Balls (6 charges).
p) a Staff of Teleportation (10 charges).
q) a Staff of Curing (12 charges).
r) a Staff of Speed (7 charges).
s) a Staff of Detect Invisible (6 charges).
t) a Lucerne Hammer (SD) (2d5) (+10,+10).





I hope you enjoyed it.
Comments to mmhazewi@cs.ruu.nl please, or post them.