Difference between revisions of "Drain for gain"
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* Wearing a negatively enchanted [[ring of gain constitution]] to reduce constitution, or removing a positively enchanted one. | * Wearing a negatively enchanted [[ring of gain constitution]] to reduce constitution, or removing a positively enchanted one. | ||
* Removing a positively enchanted [[helm of brilliance]] to reduce wisdom, or wearing a negatively enchanted one. | * Removing a positively enchanted [[helm of brilliance]] to reduce wisdom, or wearing a negatively enchanted one. | ||
| − | * Engraving on co-aligned altar will reduce wisdom by 1 without any other penalty. You can easily reduce wisdom to the minimum of 3 this way. | + | * Engraving on co-aligned altar will reduce wisdom by 1 without any other penalty. You can easily reduce wisdom to the minimum of 3 this way. Note that engraving on cross-aligned altar will only reduce your luck by 1, not wisdom. |
===Draining your level=== | ===Draining your level=== | ||
Revision as of 23:31, 18 January 2011
Drain for gain is a strategy that increases your maximum hit points and power by losing experience level (through some method of level drain) while having lower stats (in particular constitution and wisdom), then leveling up while having higher stats. By manipulating your stats before and after level drain, the amount of maximum HP and Pw you lose when losing levels could be made much smaller than the amount you gain when leveling back up.
At the beginning of the game, characters usually starts with lower stats. Applying this strategy would allow your character to reach and exceed the maximum HP and Pw potential for average characters of the same level. It has effects comparable with or even surpassing those obtained through alchemy, nurse dancing and foocubi, without requiring the same resources. Draining to XL1 will also help you buy a lot of late protection, reassign skill slots, explore Gehennom without having to worry about seeing arch-liches, or maybe even use the polyself bug.
Contents
Execution
To use this strategy, you first need to find some methods of reducing stats, and a method of level-draining yourself. Then you need to find a way to increase your stats and level back up. In most situations, the resources for doing those only need to be obtained once, and then the cycle can be repeated indefinitely (and in some cases rather quickly, too).
Reducing stats
The following methods can be used for reducing stats:
- Abusing them.
- Applying a cursed unicorn horn. Two of the possible effects of cursed unicorn horn are reduce constitution ("You feel fragile!") and reduce wisdom ("You feel foolish!"). You will need a non-cursed unicorn horn to cure other bad effects including sickness.
- Wearing a negatively enchanted ring of gain constitution to reduce constitution, or removing a positively enchanted one.
- Removing a positively enchanted helm of brilliance to reduce wisdom, or wearing a negatively enchanted one.
- Engraving on co-aligned altar will reduce wisdom by 1 without any other penalty. You can easily reduce wisdom to the minimum of 3 this way. Note that engraving on cross-aligned altar will only reduce your luck by 1, not wisdom.
Draining your level
The following methods can be used to drain your level:
- Throwing Stormbringer or The Staff of Aesculapius up and hitting yourself.
- Removing MC3 and dancing with a level-draining monster such as Wraith, Vampire or Barrow wight. A relatively safe way to do this is to lure a wraith into a locked room, engrave Elbereth in front of the door with an object on top, then stand diagonally next to the door outside so that when your level is low enough, you can just step away and the wraith won't ever come out.
----- |W -( -----@
- Casting drain life at yourself.
- Dancing with foocubi at low charisma, which may either drain you or lower your stats further, both of which are actually desirable at this stage.
Increasing stats
The following methods can be used for increasing (or restoring) stats:
- Exercising them. Note that donating to priests for a lot of clairvoyance is a good way to exercise wisdom to max in the early game.
- Applying a non-cursed unicorn horn.
- Drinking a potion of restore ability, preferably blessed.
- Using the spell of restore ability.
- Wearing a positively enchanted helm of brilliance, or removing a negatively enchanted one.
- Wearing a positively enchanted ring of gain constitution, or removing a positively enchanted one.
Leveling back up
After fixing your stats, just kill some monsters to level up and watch as you get more maximum HP and Pw than before.
Stats and HP/power gain per experience level
The HP and Pw gain per experience level for different roles and races is covered in detail in [1]. Constitution is the only character stat related to HP gain per level. The effect of maximum HP bonus per level due to constitution is summarized in the following table:
| CON | Bonus |
|---|---|
| 3 | -2 |
| 4-6 | -1 |
| 7-14 | +0 |
| 15-16 | +1 |
| 17 | +2 |
| 18 | +3 |
| 19+ | +4 |
Wisdom is the only stat related to power gain per level. Every 2 WIS points has the approximate effect of adding d1 to the amount of power gain per level, this effect could be further multiplied depending on roles. (e.g. wizards get a x2 multiplier)
