🚀 go-pugleaf

It seems to me that the Speleologist (sp?) is by far the weakest character
to start off with.  Well, I found out it can be the most devastating one too!
I only have played this anemic character on 1.0.1 a few times and was 
instantly vaporized upon encountering my first hobgoblin/gnome etc.  But,
one time, a fell through a trap door and landed on a ghost hord filled with
a lot of goodies.  All of the items were uncursed, and among them was a pair
of gloves, and a tin.  Eating the tin, my strength went from 12 to 16 (never
to rise any higher, though!).  So I hobble onwards with a Knights inventory
and make it down to level 8.  There, I kill a cockatrice and stuff it in
my ice box which was so far nothing but an enormous burden.  I take it
out for a moment whenever I sees a monster and replace it as soon as the
cadaver hits it.  This way, by keeping my cockatrice fresh, I still keep
it when I'm down to level 18 where I meet a dragon. No problem!  One hit
with the dead bird and the wyrm is dead meat.  I go on this way, feeling 
real proud, killing demons, dragons, purple worms with one swing of the
corpse.  Everytime I'm finished, I immediately refreeze my weapon. But, 
all good things must come to an end, and so did my cockatrice, inevitablly
rotting in the dank, warm dungeon air.  I was easily dispatched by a 
dragon shortly thereafter.  HOWEVER, not only does the ice box keep
meat fresh, it also keeps them in.  I never had to worry about the
cockatrice touching me as I fell on my face going down the stairs since
it was rattling in the box.  Of course, you first need to kill a 
cockatrice & a pair of gloves & an ice box.  But after that, a trapper
has about as much hit points as a giant rat in the cockatrice cadaver's
eyes!  I'm not sure if the Speleologist gets a refrigerator in the
newer Hack versions, but the ice box is awesome provided you can carry it!

Gur Hoshen
-- 
Yosi Hoshen, AT&T Bell Laboratories
Naperville, Illinois,  Mail: ihnp4!ihu1m!jho