🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <11385@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> desj@brahms.UUCP (David desJardins) writes:
>In article <1443@bbnccv.UUCP> ptraynor@bbnccv.UUCP (Patrick Traynor) writes:
>>
>>Extra household hint:  Don't waste those wands of polymorph on monsters.
>>polymorph lousy wands (make invisible, create monster) into useful tools
>>(death, fire, digging, polymorph).  I find that a wand of polymorph can
>>transform five wands if they are lined up in a row and you zap down the
>>line.
>>
>>--pat traynor--
>>
>   You call those useful??  Wands of wishing are the only things worth having
>(10 wands of wishing -> 120 diamonds...).
>
>   -- David desJardins


That sounds great on paper, but if I'm reading the source correctly, the
odds of getting a wand of wishing are about one in one hundred.  If gems are
what you want,  pile up a bunch of rocks (I saw an article that suggested
that over 255 rocks wrapped back around to zero, so keep that in mind) and
polymorph them into gems.  The odds of polymorphing them into diamonds are
again about one in one hundred, but a pile of 255 rubies, sapphires or
emeralds (etc.) would give you an acceptably comfortable retirement.

>(10 wands of wishing -> 120 diamonds...).

David was probably just making a point here, but 120 diamonds seems to be
a shameful waste of 10 wands of wishing.  If he left the dungeon with 120
diamonds after only descending to level 1 and I had fought my way to the
amulet and brought it to the surface without any diamonds, he would have
probably twice the points that I would, but who would have had the most
fun, and isn't that why we all play?  I'll use my wands of wishing for
dragon defense, etc.

--pat traynor--