A DITL of Miles Teg, the Half-Giant

[Lipa]

This is the first DITL in the New Angband forum, and it’s also my first DITL I have ever written. This is why it’s probably not so good. Another problem is that English is not my primary language, and I have quite some trouble writing these things. Please forgive me for all the spelling errors, grammar goofs and such.

Apart from that, this DITL is meant to be a quick walkthrough for New Angband beginners. It shows the most basic approaches, most basic strategy. On the other hand, however, I would also like to inspire someone else to write something like this for New Angband. Perhaps a bit more deep, advanced… Divinefistoka, Variaz? Please do!

Also note that it will probably take quite some time before I’ll post a new chapter, mostly because I don’t have that much time anymore. Furthermore, my new school term begins next Monday, and it will complicate things even more…

Have fun and be well!

[Lipa]

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF MILES TEG, A HALF-GIANT


CHAPTER 1: JUST BROWSING

“Here I am at last,” Miles thought as he slipped off the rocking cart. More than ten days on those rotten planks, and more than two years since his departure from his hometown of Lernaeus, here he was, in the most alien town he had ever seen, getting ready for his first quick taste of the life he always wanted to live. An adventurer, a mercenary, a respected hero…

“That will be two thousand pieces, lad!” the farmer barked from the cart.

“Two thousand?” Miles frowned. “I already gave you five hundred!”

“Sure. But that was for the trip. Ruining my cart *not* included!”

“WHAT? Are you telling me that one lousy plank costs two thousand pieces of gold!?”

“It does where I come from,” grinned Maggot. “Now pay up, scumbag!”

Miles could hardly believe his bad luck. But it was no time to feel sorry for himself. He only had one thousand, and he was certain that even that was not enough for his venture to the unknown. He had no choice. It was time to try something… well… extravagant.

“Er… Look behind you! A three-headed monkey!!!”

The moment later, Miles was gone. A cheap trick, he knew that, but it worked…

However, escaping an old farmer was one thing, and dealing with vicious monsters was something completely different. Without a good strategy, Teg knew he was as good as dead. Another world awaited him, and this town was the portal into another reality. He studied the streets and buildings around him – yes, that was the place alright. His uncle, the only member of his clan who had actually survived the dungeon to tell the tale, had described him in detail every feature of this hell-hole, every shop, every alley. Miles cherished the memories. At the moment, they were his most powerful weapons.

Miles was a young, inexperienced Paladin (even though his father had always wanted him to be a Warrior, like every true member of his race). He was a strong (9) kid. Perhaps not to bright (4), but strong. A true Half-Giant. His wisdom and charisma were quite average (6), his dexterity a little lower (5). And he was healthy (80), too, thanks to his excellent constitution (9). But Teg didn’t really know much about fighting. He could just barely summon a Holy Bolt (1), and that was all. Perhaps this town and the dungeon would not accept such an apprentice, but he had no choice. Here I am, here I remain.

He glanced at the precious key in his palm once more. Uncle’s hideout. Nothing but a small wooden cottage, but it would do just fine for the time being. Teg needed somewhere to keep his stuff, and his uncle’s old hut was just that… A storehouse.

But at the moment, there wasn’t much that Miles was carrying anyway. A simple Sword, a Long Bow, some body armour and some scrolls were pretty much all he had managed to collect so far. And the money, of course. One thousand pieces of gold was not much, but it would have to be enough for the most essential items. His uncle had warned him about many of the dangerous traps and monsters in the dungeon, and Teg knew at least what to look for. He weighted the money pouch in his pocket once more and entered the first shop.

General store. Hm… a Cloak [1,+0] and a Brass Lantern would be nice. And a couple of Flasks of Oil, too. He also sold the Wooden Torches he was carrying, said farewell to the keeper and moved on to his next stop.

Alchemy shop. Disappointed, Miles realized that there were no Scrolls of Teleportation in stock at the moment. Teg’s uncle had warned him again and again that without any means of teleportation, you’re as good as dead in the dungeon. Never go down without them! Miles sighed. Well, at least they had some Scrolls of Phase Door, and that would have to do for now… He bought five of them and exited the store.

Armoury was his last stop. He already had a nice Chain Mail (-2) [14,+0] and a Small Metal Shield [3,+0] (Block: 15%), but that was not enough. He immediately bought a Pair of Hard Leather Boots [3,+0], a Set of Gauntlets [2,+0], and an Iron Helm [5,+0]. Excellent!

Miles was pleased as he was walking down the alley. Yes, for once, things had been going…

“There you are, scumbag! Thought you’d get away from me, eh? Think again, you little bastard!”

It was farmer Maggot! Bloody hell, he was armed, too! For a couple of heartbeats, Teg didn’t know what to do. Should he run again? No way. This had to end here and now. He pulled his sword and charged forward…

Farmer Maggot died quickly. Miles searched the body and found a bunch of Sheaf Arrows (1d5). He quickly read a Scroll of Identify – he had 31 Sheaf Arrows (1d5) (+1,+4). Nice! He immediately strolled back to the General Store and sold them all.

But just as he stepped out of the shop, there was another surprise waiting for him. Martti Ihrasaari, a village idiot, his dagger drawn and ready to fight… What was wrong with these people?

Teg didn’t stand still for long, though. With some Holy Bolts and the sword still bloody with Maggot’s blood, he cut Martti down in a matter of seconds. As a reward, he found another set of arrows. He identified them as Poisoned Arrows (2d4) (+9,+7). Great! That would make some more money!

Suddenly, young Miles felt as if something had changed inside him. Indeed, he felt somewhat more experienced. His dexterity had risen (7), and he became more proficient in the use of swords (2). Also, his knowledge of casting a Holy Bolt had increased (2). He felt great!…

At last, Teg entered his uncle’s hut. It was completely empty, but now was time to fill it up. First, Miles dropped his Scrolls of Word of Recall. He planned just a quick trip to the dungeon, and he wouldn’t need them. Then he dropped all the Scrolls of Repair Weapon and Scrolls of Identify. That would make more room in his backpack. He also left the extra Hard Leather Armour (-1) [6,+0] behind; he’d probably sell it later. Finally, he hid all the money ($1021) under an old trunk. It was much safer to leave his gold here than carrying it to the dungeon.

At last, he was ready for his first quick trip to the first level of the dungeon. He knew he was not equipped that good, but it would have to do for the time being. He had some body armour (29), a Long Sword (2d6) (+0,+0) and some most important items. He also knew how to cast a Holy Bolt (2), and his health was great (85).

Miles took a deep breath, lit his lantern, and descended into the awaiting darkness…

[Lipa]

CHAPTER 2: THE FIRST ENCOUNTER

Miles felt shivers running down his spine as he counted the steps that were leading him down to the first level of the Variaz dungeon. His lantern was swinging gently in his hand, casting magnificent shadows on the damp stone walls all around him. Teg felt a funny feeling in his stomach, but it was no time to turn back.

After the long descent, he finally reached the first room. Immediately, amazed how lucky he was, he felt that there was something special about this level! It was in the air all around, the ghosts and souls of the long dead, telling him to stay sharp and seek out the artifact that had been laying around here since the dawn of time.

Teg quickly revised the strategy in his mind. He knew that there were many different monsters crawling around. He would probably manage to kill most of them, but some would be special. His uncle had told him all about these ‘elites’ as he had called them. These monsters posses some special abilities. They can return damage, both physical or magical, they can cast fearful spells, can even be immune to certain types of damage…

“I must be more than careful if I want to survive this. I must thoroughly examine every monster and its abilities before I charge forward to attack…” Miles thought as he laid his first careful step over the room and into the connecting tunnel…

He first encountered a soldier ant, which didn’t really stand a chance. A single Holy Bolt blasted it to pieces. Miles kicked the dead cadaver and was just about to turn away, when he saw a funny disturbance in one corner of the room. A strange vortex in the air, a portal of a kind… A Between Gate. Teg knew about these and thanked his uncle once more for his share of knowledge. Boldly, Miles stepped through the void – and found himself standing in another room.

This new room was empty, except for a Large white snake crawling slowly towards him. He took a closer look and realized that this was no ordinary monster. It was a Boss! With the ability to scare and confuse!

However, Miles managed to remain calm. After all, he was in an excellent attack position. He was standing just in front of a Between gate – an escape route that would never fail him. Cautiously, Teg started to cast his Holy Bolts. The snake squelched and shuddered, but remained firm in its advance. One more bolt, and the monster hit him back! Confused and totally blind, Miles somehow made it back to the gate. He emerged from the void in the first, empty room, and slowly recovered. Soon, he felt ready to face the beast again, and he plunged into the void once more…

The battle left him both richer (he found 35 Acidic Arrows (2d4)) and more experienced (CL5). He felt new strength (11) surging through his body, and his dexterity (10) and constitution (11) gained levels, too. Moreover, he could now cast a very potent Holy Bolt (5).

Slowly, Miles fought his way through the dungeon. He found new confidence in him, new strength. Monsters came and die, Teg chopped them down. He remained careful, though. He used Holy Bolts on monsters that were returning (or even be immune to) physical damage, and the sword came in handy on dispatching those which were resistant to magic. He knew very well that blasting a Holy Bolt at a monster that returned 50% of magical damage would for certain kill him, too! Always pay attention, always examine monsters before you attack! That was his motto…

At last, just before retreating back to the surface, he also found the artifact. One of the ‘elites’ dropped a small glowing phial. He wondered for a second if he should start using it right away, or should he wait and identify it first… No, better be careful. There were many artifacts lying around, and he knew that not all were beneficial. So there was really no point in putting his life at risk at this stage. He glanced at the small artifact once more and put it carefully in the backpack.

Proud of his first venture into the Variaz realm, Miles Teg decided to return to the town. He got some loot to sell, stuff to identify. And of course, he also hoped there would be at least one Scroll of Artifact Identify waiting for him in the Alchemy shop – that phial was really fascinating, and he couldn’t wait to learn its secrets…

[Lipa]

CHAPTER 3: GREED

Miles knew he had learnt much since his arrival. A couple of days here, a few trips to the dungeon and back, and he felt like a true adventurer. Even though his equipment was still pretty basic, and even though he had only descended as far as level 3 of the dungeon, he thought of himself as an invincible hero.

That was his first mistake.

After his return from the dungeon the first time Teg immediately traded all of his food rations for Scrolls of Satisfy Hunger. He knew that scrolls were a bit more expensive, but they took much less space in his backpack, and they made him fuller than simple food. And besides, money was no more a problem. After he had identified the Acidic Arrows he sold them for more than four thousand pieces of gold!

And still, each turn he decided to go back down to the dungeon, he carefully hid all his money in the house. He knew that countless bad things could happen to him down there, not to mention the thieves (he had heard that one of them was especially nasty)! Here, on the other hand, in the little cottage, money would always be waiting for him.

The mysterious phial, too, was still sitting in the house unidentified. He couldn’t believe his luck but every time he had emerged from the dungeon there was not a single Scroll of Artifact Identify in the Alchemy shop! Once, he almost tried to use it nonetheless, but reason finally prevailed. He didn’t want to mess it up like this…

So far, his standard inventory consisted of some Scrolls of Teleportation, a couple of Scrolls of Satisfy Hunger, a few Flasks of Oil, and some Scrolls of Word of Recall. He even spent some time considering whether or not he should also buy some Potions of Cure Critical Wounds in the Temple, but then discarded the idea. Those potions were bloody expensive, and he doubted that anything could happen to him so early anyway.

That was his second mistake.

And so Miles Teg found himself standing in another special dungeon level. Not deep at all, only level 2, and he didn’t spend much time hiding in shadows. Confidently, he strolled down the open arena, only to find himself surrounded by some irritating rodents.

“Rats!” he thought and pulled the Long Sword (3d7) (+2,+2) (+1 to stealth).

He started slashing and hacking all around, casting Holy Bolts and cursing in between. For the first time he wished that he was a Warrior after all – the ability of Spin Attack would come more than in handy! But he refused to submit to the depressive thoughts and fought on.

Soon, Miles managed to hack himself a way out of the crowded rodents. He was bleeding quite a lot, but his ability of Aura of Life (2) made him feel a little better each time he moved. After a while, he felt fully recovered and he glanced back at the multiplying rodents.

And then he saw it! A splendid-looking golden spear was lying just on the edge of the crowd, shining and glowing gently. One of the Bosses had dropped it, and Teg knew that it was the artifact he was looking for! Yes, he could get away safely, flee the infesting rats, but the spear would not wait for his next return! No, retreat was not an option for Miles.

That was his third mistake.

Boldly, he came back to the monsters’ nest, blasting a couple of Holy Bolts at the nearest creatures. At last, he managed to grab the spear, and it really was an artifact! Putting it away, Miles wondered if he should simply read a Scroll of Teleportation to get out of there, but then decided that it would be a waste of money. Those rats didn’t really present a threat, and he intended to simply hack his way out. He did it once, he could surely do it again.

That was his last mistake.

In a moment, Teg found himself surrounded with Elites and Bosses. Frantically, he tried to keep the monsters at bay, but there was really nothing more he could do. He became confused, blind, afraid, stunned, and severely wounded. He had no healing potions, and he couldn’t move anywhere to be healed by the Aura of Life. Furthermore, he was too confused to read a Scroll of Teleportation, and he had six of them!

“I am invincible!” Miles screamed one last time before falling to the ground…

[Lipa]

Darn...

Well, I actually wanted this character to last longer, but it seems that s*** happens when you least expect it! ;D And I really *did* some awful mistakes there...

Anyway, the point was made.

Hm... Perhaps I'll continue the story after the resurrection some day...

[Variaz]

Heh heh, nice story! Too bad for Miles, I guess elites really got him... Oh well, may his soul return to the realm one day...

[serin]

I agree, good read! and good luck Teg, when you come back to us.