Combat
Monsters tend to get created with the same general item types (orcs gets bow,
swords, the like) - you won't find rings on orcs. However, the quality (magic
level) of the treasure is determined by the overall map level. Thus, if the maps
are high difficulty, those orcs will be more likely to have magic items than low
difficulty maps (difficult can currently be found out using the 'maps command).
[M.W.]
Items that have no material type are immune to everything. There are not many
items out there that have this, but there are a few.
[M.W.]
At current time, all items take the same amount of time to equip/unequip (which
is very fast). So there are certainly times where it is worthwhile to swap equipment
in combat.
[M.W.]
Some monsters can attack you with acid at close range. Be careful when you
fight these creatures, because the acid can damage your equipment (permanently).
[R.Q.]
Check the spoilers if you are unsure about a monster. Newbie monsters to stay away from are:
- green slime (acid)
- acid blobs (acid, obviously)
- black (or brown???) puddings (acid)
- grimreapers (draining --- kill them with magic bullets)
Don't let these monsters touch you, ever! Grimreapsers are no problem once
you have a ring of Life; acid stuff is more dangerous since you have to be both
immune and protected acid to protect your equipment. No newbie item grants immune
acid.
[C.S.]
"Stay away from" does not necessarily mean "don't kill". You can still nab
those nasty critters from a safe distance with bows/crossbows/wands/spells/etc.
[M.K.]
It's also a good idea to wear bracers --- if an acidic monster manages to
touch you, the bracers will be damaged before any other items (IIRC) (unless it's
a bracers of dexterity). This does not save your weapon, so don't hit the monster
with a weapon you want to keep.
[C.S.]
The quality of the dropped items by slain monsters is roughly proportional
to the difficulty of the fallen foe (the tougher he was, the higher likelyhood
of getting something nice off the body, like a +3 weapon, or other goodies) NOTE:
this is only a rough approximation; some monsters, like skeletons, never drop
anything, while others drop only certain specific things.
[M.K.]
Do not assume that something that you drop on the floor will stay there forever.
Some monsters (blobs, vampires and others) have the annoying habit of picking
up everything they find on their path.
[R.Q.]
