> > I believe that Chewy is the first solo adventurer to win the game without ever changing class. Can anyone claim to have beaten me to it?
>
> Marvellous work! The extent of my congratulations knows no bounds.
>
> What was your character like while fighting Murkon? Stats all maxxed out no doubt; what equipment? What speed? What (if any) invokable items? Did you have any pieces of "real neat luck" early on (eg finding a Snow Wand in the Level 1 pool)?

Thanks, Chris. Chewy was notionally Level 401 for the last few months. (He never slept, Teralt prices would have become impossible.) He had 8000+ hit points and 6000+ spell points (down to <2000 at the end). He was only able to win once he obtained the second special wizard's item, which seems to be infinitely rarer than any of the other special items (why??, the easier wizard's item is also rare).

The fight with Murkon was long and tedious, as he was using a Dagger+2, but was always going to be a win with several hundred potential "restores". Like the other fights at level 10, he didn't (couldn't!) use aggressive magic, just "bodyarmor" at first opportunity, then normal combat. Except I fib there, he did in fact invoke a certain item that he would never need again, and saved a few rounds of fighting.

The only notable luck was finding a Cap of Wisdom+1 on Level 1. After that it was sheer slog.

The other curiosity about this adventure was that he (of necessity) slept at Lyesis before he ever slept at Kaliti (although he did, unnecessarily, enter and leave Kaliti to make it his home town). It just happened that he couldn't get to the gatekeeper until he had "restore" (which came very late); once he had it, he also had enough hit and spell points to be ready for Level 7.

The trouble is, I've now retired four parties, and I have a separate super-party (just for trying things out at Level 10) that has killed Murkon multiple times, but always drops the diadem. I keep hoping that Sam will add a few more deeper levels, but I know it will never happen.

Steven