Red items FAQ. *SPOILERS*

[Variaz]

So, now that 004 is out and you played it a little, did you happen to find an item with a red name that isn't a ring? I'm pretty sure you found it to be quite powerful. It would have been awesome, but then you saw it's last ability:

"Nightmares and Misfortune sleeps within... (level XX)"

And then you probably wondered if it was safe, and if it was just the new name of cursed items.

Well, red items are very different from the traditional cursed items of Angband, and also from the old Swords of Devastations of NewAngband. First of all, you can equip and unequip them at will, and even sell them for a good price! Instead of being something rather lame like "can't unequip" or something that makes them useless like making your hp equal to 1, reds are genuinely powerful, but they are bringer of bad luck. Each of them have a "misfortune" level, and for each red item you carry, the bad effects will increase, all side effects being based on your total "misfortune level". You do not actually have to equip the item for it to take effect, merely carrying it makes you prone to it's side effects.

First of all, the good:

- Red items are powerful. They are always eternal, starts with 25% higher bonus rank, and then every of those bonus are enhanced based on the misfortune level. The higher, the better, at a minimum of 1, so if a weapon was to have 1 extra attack, the red version will have at least 2. And then the base values, base damages, base ac, to_h, to_d and to_a are greatly enhanced based on the misfortune level. The result is an extremely powerful item, much stronger than any purples or blues you would normally find. Some of the late game ones might even be on par with greens. And they're much more common than greens.
- They have no side effects during quest levels. Does that mean they're good for killing main quest bosses? Answer: yes.
- They sell for a nice price.

That's all great, is it? But now, their bad effects

- They increase the frequency of elites. The higher your total misfortune level, the more elites(and therefore bosses) you'll encounter, and yes, it can reach 100%.
- They increase the chance that magic items will be rolled as "crappy". Normally, magic items have 5% chance of becoming "excellent", but 5% chance of becoming "crappy". A high misfortune level increase the frequency of crappy items. A crappy item will have little bonus, and will never turn into another red, or a green.
- They increase your chance of getting a red item. Good or bad thing? You decide. With a high misfortune level, however, pretty much any non-red item will be a crappy purple, unless you were exceptionally lucky to get an "excellent" purple, and then have it turn into a green by some sort of miracle. Basically, with a high misfortune level, you'll never see a green. Ever. (not that you actually see them anyway... )

So a high elite rate, and them dropping crappy purples, doesn't sound too good, right? Red items are strong, but wear too much and you'll be surrounded by elites and boss versions of all those powerful depth 40+ enemies, which shows no signs of becoming any weaker.

Q: What about crafters?
A: If you decompose a red item, both components will be red, with half the misfortune level. Combine them, and you'll get a crafted item with misfortune level. Of course, it will have better base values, and have more skill points than a regular crafted.

Q: Is there any ways to "uncurse" the red items, or to lower the misfortune level?
A: Nope. But you can unequip them and sell them, it's not like the old cursed items from Angband.

Q: What about scrolls of magic items? Can they turn an item red?
A: No.

Q: I can make red levelables too, right?
A: Yes.

Q: I never find reds in the black market.
A: That's because no red items are ever sold in shops.

Q: No side effects in quest levels?
A: No side effects in quest levels. The frequency of elites and crappy drops isn't affected in quest levels.

Q: Their good seems to outclass their bad... Aren't they a bit overpowered?
A: I don't think so.

Q: No? Well, I've seen the stats of a red weapon, and it's uber. With only one of them, not much of an elite increase.
A: Good for you.

Q: ...you're not telling us everything, are you?
A: Well... there's only one way to find out, right?

[Gando]

Roflmao...very naughty of you to not tell them the rest V...they WILL find out soon enough.

[Variaz]

Ok, I believe it's now the time to tell the truth about the red items.

Everything said above is true...except they have another effect: they unlock a special breed of extremely deadly enemies, the Nightmare Horrors. You'll know when you face one because when you look at it, you'll see "NIGHTMARE" instead of it's usual level and hp, and then it's description is all red-colored(to make it scarier).

These monsters are extremely deadly. Not only do they have very high stats, but most of the time, they have really powerful abilities and counters that makes them really tough to fight, as well as unusual and powerful attacks. Here's some facts about Nightmares:

- They always gain a level bonus of 25% of your total Misfortune level.
- The only requirement for them to appear is to have your misfortune level equal or higher than their ranks. Once you have that, the Nightmares can appear on every dungeon levels.
- They have boss-like stats growth. Elites have higher stats growth than normal enemies, and bosses have better stats than elites. Nightmares have the same stats as bosses. They don't receive the x6 to hp, but their hp roll is naturally higher than most creatures.
- You never see their hp and levels. For all you know, they could have any numbers of lives.
- They aren't worth much experience, nor do they drop regular items if you manage to defeat them. Instead, they drop a licialhyd known as the Nightmare Licialhyd, which you can activate to enchant an item to become a red item. Good or bad? You decide.
- The higher your misfortune, the higher the chance of encountering them.
- Don't waste your time trying to summon them or dominate them. They will never be your friends!

And that's in addition to their special abilities, which you never know about until you face them, and they can be quite deadly. Basically, the best thing is to run when you see one, unless all your items are eternal and you are high level with a good character build. Sometimes it will take more than just brute force, and a strategy will be required to defeat some of them.

Though not all of them are super deadly, many are and they will provide a formidable challenge if you're not prepared. Note that right now, not all Nightmares are meant for the current level 25-30 character and you will probably die if you try to fight the stronger ones.

FAQ:

Q: ....they're really cheap.
A: Yes. If you don't like them, don't use reds. They won't bother you!

Q: Hey! I found a red, dropped it, but a Nightmare Horror still appeared!
A: When turns pass, there's a chance a new monster is spawned. If on the turn you picked the red a monster was spawned, it can become a Nightmare Horror. The chance is small, but not impossible.

Q: What about soul binders?
A: Capturing them is quite a feat to begin with, and probably not worth it, as the items don't get any particular bonus for binding a Nightmare Horror, although they might be higher due to the Nightmares being naturally stronger. And yes, it will put misfortune in the item! If you capture a soul, keep it as a trophy.

Q: Monster race?
A: Not through normal evolution. Although who knows what might happen during the game....

Q: Do they unlock anything if you beat them?
A: They're a new feature right now. But I will certainly do interesting things with them.

Q: No matter what I do, the thing just won't die!
A: If you're having an incredibly hard time with a Nightmare Horror, an special ability of it may be the cause, in which case it might require a particular strategy to defeat it. There is no limits to what they can do, and the strategy in question might not be easy to pull off if you don't have certain preparations. If you don't think you can do it, which is quite possible when meeting a new Nightmare for the first time, run.

[Gando]

I recommend Immunity to Blindness and Teleport Scrolls...still doesnt guarantee you will live though...At a minimum if you are going to actually try and take these things on, you probably want to be level 40+ with all skills/ap/stats spent and all gear maxed leveling and eternal. My experience with the Red items is they are uber compared to Purples but not great compared to their nightmare level. Anything over 19 is lethal...and even the lowest ones will hurt you badly prepared or not unless you are super lucky. So remember eternal and teleports.

[junyortrakr]

I didn't realize any of this when I made a comment about remove curse. Obviously, it would require something much more serious like a major quest to change them.

Does it count as picking an item up if you identify it while it's on the ground? Does they add to your misfortune if you keep them at home? Would such an item be improved if identified by the first divination ability? If so, would that also increase the misfortune level? If a red item is made levelable, does the misfortune increase as well?

[Gando]

No it doesnt count as picking it up if you id it on the ground. Good thing eh? They do not seem to add to your misfortune when left at home though I cant be certain...that is the evidence Ive seen. On the other two questions I havent a clue though my best guess would be no and no.

[Variaz]

Red items at home don't increase misfortune. You have to carry or equip them.

Diviner's ability will work and will not increase misfortune. Leveling a red item will not increase it's misfortune either.

[junyortrakr]

Ah, I've worked a little with the dreaded red items now. I can see they're stronger than regular drops, but I doubt I'll ever use any as the problems seem to outweigh the gains.

I had a thought. I was wondering if the misfortune rating of an item could be worked down somewhat like the level of an item is increased. I was thinking that:
1 nightmare kill--1 point reduction.
2 more kills--1 more point reduction.
3 more kills--1 more point reduction.
etc.
This would mean 55 kills of nightmares of appropriate level(I'm not sure how to figure that) to make a lvl 10 red into just a purple. After all that effort, you've managed to solve whatever was causing the problem.

Anyway, I thought it might be something for discussion. I personally doubt I'd ever use one unless there would be some way, however difficult, to remove the curse.

[Variaz]

Well, I have one red equipped with my elemental lord and so far, she can handle the nightmare horrors it spawns. I think it has a misfortune rating of about 60, and it works. The nightmare horrors it spawns are tough, but they can be avoided and in some cases beaten. For now, I keep it below 70 though. I tried to fight the rank 70 nightmare horror and....didn't turn out too well.

Red items are meant for later in the game, not to be used as soon as you start finding them(depth 10+), in which case you will just die. ;D As you reach 25-30, you can start considering wearing one. Levels to aim for:

1-19: Really, at this point, you can handle this. Nightmare Scouts and Vengeful Orcs are no tougher than some of the stuff of depth 30-40, and are certainly easier than dragons and depth 40+ enemies. Even with misfortune 19, it provides significant bonus.
20-29: It unlocks the Phantom of Misery and the Violet Nightmare. They're actually rather tough, the phantom uses the "guaranteed block" counter, which triggers 50% of the times. The Violet Nightmare casts Life Blast 35% three times, and without a good magic defense, can rapidly kill you. You need a good magic defense to handle this level of misfortune(and all the others above).
30-39: It unlocks one nightmare horror, the Mechanized Golem. It's a bit tougher than a Steel Golem, but it's magic attack is weak by nightmare horror standards. Keep some distance, use Acid or Water attacks, it's it's weaknesses.
40-69: It unlocks an old friend. Search the boards for strategies on how to beat it. Just remember that it now has a bit more hp and boss-like stats. ;D

For now, I do not recommend going above 69 for the current character level of about 30. The rank 70 nightmare horror is very tough, one of the most complex monsters I made so far.

As for ways to wear reds without penalities, it does defeat the purpose of having the reds. Perhaps some artifacts might allow you to reduce the misfortune level though(I already have some ideas about such artifacts...). The red items are a death trap early on, but as you get stronger, they actually become quite usable, as long as you know your limits.

[junyortrakr]

I hope you didn't think I was complaining about reds in general; I think they make an interesting addition to the game. I was just thinking that it might be nice if there was some way to reduce the misfortune. *shrugs* That's only my opinion, though, so I'm not too worried about it.

[Variaz]

That's quite all right. I was just pointing out that depending on which level you aim for, you may or may not have to fear reds all that much. Just helping players make an enlighted decision.

While reds will not be "uncursable", it IS possible to create items with negative misfortune, which reduces your total misfortune level. So there might eventually be such items, though they may not be common, and probably will be artifacts.

[Gando]

Id say unless you are able to fend off nightmares (including the 3x 35% lifeblasts) 100% do NOT carry around nightmare items. Best bet if you want to keep the money from it is to head to town immediately and sell your finds. Even the most uber builds will die easily to the nightmares in most cases until you are at least 2x the level of the nightmare. Even then Im not betting on the player.

[challtdow]

Now that essences have been added, is there anything special about a Nightmare's essence?

Chall T. Dow

[Variaz]

In addition to the normal bonus(Nightmares have high stats, so they are very good), Nightmare essences:

- Are treated as Unique essences. So they have life/mana bonus and are eternal.
- They have a higher base AC. Abous twice higher. Considering Nightmares tends to have high AC, this is very good.
- to_h and to_d bonus are higher.
- 25% of the creature's nightmare rank is given as bonus skill points.

The misfortune level of the essence is the depth level of the creature, not it's rank. (which is not seen in the monster's description and is meaningless, you can meet any Nightmare Horrors on any levels. But they do have an internal depth value.)