budswell wrote:
Hi,
I have finally (after many many attempts, his name is "Dead Again") got an alchemist to survive and have finally reached level 36, thus have learnt artifact creation. Now how does this work? I read the spoiler and it seems I have to sacrifice 10hp and 40 MagicEssence (luckily I've meen amassing a hoard of *ID* scrolls) to start the artifact. Then I have to earn experience with it, and then at some point "close" the artifact. Sounds like the kind of thing I'd like to trial and error with, but only have 350 hp, so don't want to throw a bunch away in "testing".
So my questions are:
- It seems I have to start with an ego or artifact item. Right?
yes
budswell wrote:
- Do I have to wield the artifact while it gains experience?
yes
budswell wrote:
- Or is carrying it enough, how about leaving it at home?
no
budswell wrote:
- Can I only make wearable artifacts? No junkarts, wands, rods etc?
yes
budswell wrote:
And everyone seems to talk about alchemists having a bundle of HP. Is this just a matter of big plusses to CON and then adding the MulLife ability (which I have not learnt yet, not found anything)?
yes
budswell wrote:
Edit: And what's this about corpses? Only reference I saw was you needed one to add a temporary ability once the skill is level 50 (I'm still a fair way off that).
You need corpses for certain flags or pluses, either temporary or permanent. When you are trying to add or increase something there is a screen that tells you what you will need. (Note that the various body parts are gotten either by a corpse or pieces of meat from the appropriate corpse. You don't need spleens or whatever it says, which is good because they don't exist in the game. Be aware that hacking corpses can be lethal.) Once your artifact is gaining experience, play around with this all you want. As long as you don't finalize it, it doesn't affect anything. It will make much more sense when you see the possibilities and what each one costs.
The basic idea is to pick an item that is so good or has some unique property such that you will never want to change it out. Then add resistances, immunities, and pluses until you are sickeningly powerful. Some examples of items that I have used: a randart armor with lots of resists and immunities, the Mattock of Nain, the Helm of Knowledge, or a vampiric weapon of Westernesse (resistant to Nazgul breakage). Each additional artifact costs 10 hp, so you don't normally want to get more than a couple going, but on the other hand you are eventually going to have thousands of hp.