Game #39

31466  Bill the Mountain Dwarf Berserker (level 13, -11/114 HPs)
       Killed from afar by a lava snake on Level 4 of the Swamp.

This game was played over the last three days, as I was home alone with the kids, so the amount of time I had for playing games was limited.

I made it to down to the 10th level of the dungeon on a wing and a prayer. I kept making mistakes, but an array of wands and potions kept me in the game. It was after a tough fight with a hydra on dungeon level 11 (since I did not have any non-slicing weapons) that I remembered I had the ability to summon help from Trog. I must remember to do that when the battles warrant it.

I found the entrance to the Lair on dungeon level 12 and decided to clear the first two levels so that I could create a stash. On Lair 2, Trog decided to be extremely nice and gave me an artifact war axe that was flaming (take that Hydras!) and provided electricity and poison resistance (take that Lair and Swamp!).

So, I went through the Lair and the first three levels of the Swamp easily, given my weapon and abilities. It got tougher on level 4 of the Swamp, but I managed to explore around 1/2 of the 5th level of the Swamp, while taking out a lot of swamp drakes, swamp dragons and hydras. Every once in awhile, I would end up with my hitpoints getting low, mostly due to the swamp worms, fish and other water creatures that would pop up and attack. For most of the level, I had been retreating to a hallway to restore my hitpoints. However, at one point I had been reduced to 50 hitpoints and I was near a staircase up. I thought that going up a level to rest would be the best option, completely forgetting that this was not the dungeon and that the levels above were not cleared of foes. I arrived on the 4th level of the Swamp right beside a large pool of lava and a number of lava worms. I had no fire resistance and died as I was attempting to go back down the staircase.

Unbelievable. I was so close to a rune and yet I still did not manage to obtain one.

Lessons Learned
1. Always remember to use your special abilities, such as summoning aid.
2. Either clear every level, or remember that you have not cleared a level.