Let's Play ADOM
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Chapter 14: Tower of Eternal Flames
The Tower of Eternal Flames
Destroyer of a thousand adventurers
Threat Level: 5/5
What is required to endure the Tower:
-Fire resistance. Normally, every step taken in the Tower does about 10-20 damage. Conventional fire resistance is ineffective; in order to bring the damage down to zero, you need one of three things: Fire immunity, intrinsic fire resistance AND fire resistance from two items, or fire resistance from four items. I have the first one, thanks to my red dragon scale mail.
-Inventory protection. The flames will constantly destroy flammable items in your backpack - this is up to and including lower metal items (mithril and below), which can be melted by the heat. The solution here is a fireproof blanket, ideally a blessed one, which has the lowest chances of being burned through and can usually last for the entire tower.
-Equipment protection. Even a fireproof blanket won't stop worn items (not artifiacts, fortunately) from being destroyed by heat. That's why I have a blessed ring of ice equipped.
-Confusion resistance. Not necessary, but the top floor is VERY difficult without it.
Only fire-themed monsters are found here, as nothing else can survive. Frost Bolt is my best friend. I need to be fast about picking up dropped items, before the heat destroys them where they lie.
I can kill adult dragons with ease! As long as they have a vulnerable element.
There's an interesting bug in the game that makes fireproof blankets less likely to be destroyed if the player is Doomed. However, this area is dangerous enough that almost nobody considers that to be a fair tradeoff.
Thanks to my high PV and fire immunity, I'm actually quite stable in here, but that doesn't mean that I want to spend any more time than necessary in here - if my fireproof blanket gives out, it could spell disaster.
Third floor! This is going astoundingly well compared to normal.
In order to save time, I teleport for any significant amount of backtracking.
It's actually quite possible to beat this area with only three levels of fire resistance - you take 1 damage per turn from the heat. If you have scrolls of magic mapping and on-demand teleportation, this can mean a total of 2-3 damage per floor.
The last floor becomes something of a problem, though.
All right!
Easy part's over.
TOP FLOOR.
A tiny floor! I think we've seen this before.
GO GO GADGET WAND OF DIGGING
WELCOME
To the Fire Temple.
First kill elevates me to level 22!
Next level at 1,361,233 experience.
Massive horde of elementals! This is sort of like fighting steel golems, but not as annoying.
Elementals destroyed!
What's next?
Fire demons!
And chaos servants!
BRING IT
FREEZE EVERYTHING
Actually I'm running dangerously low on PP.
Time for extreme measures!
Chain teleport down the tower!
And back outside!
Into a random wilderness tile!
Rest until PP is fully restored!
And BACK IN
Now, back to what I was doing.
As soon as I step out into the open, something's attacking my mind! I don't like this.
Go Farsight!
W
Ancient Chaos Wyrm
This creature is more than a dragon, and less than it: the enormous reptilian head and the great scaled torso give it distinct draconif features, yet it looks as though it never had grown wings and it only has one pair of legs close to the head. As you look closer, it looks less and less like a dragon: the legs are thin and bony, almost like those of a bird, and as you watch, the shape and features keep shifting. Parts of the skin suddenly grow hair, which then transforms into feathers, then into a weird crust, then into translucent smooth skin, then into the surface of a dark slimy liquid... and the collar behind the head grows and absorbs snakes' heads, tentacles, long trembling spider legs, stiff thorns and leathery strings lashing at the air. You realize that the wyrm must be at least in part a creature of chaos itself and probably part of it always resides in the realm of chaos. Although it might be impossible to kill it outright in this world, you're determined to make it give up its abode on this plane.
Threat Level: 9/10
Special: Unique, corrupting touch, immune to fire, healing, confusion, energy rays, chaos guardian
Corpse: Massive corruption, +1 St, +1 Ma, fire resistance
TO BATTLE
LEVEL UP
Next level at 1,633,479 experience.
I'm safe from confusion, because I'm wearing a helm of mental stability!
I'm safe from his energy rays because there's a fire demon in the path, and he won't shoot until it's open. All he can do is walk forwards.
Even as I mow down enemies, new elementals and fire grues jump reflexively into the line of fire! I'm using the Wyrm's OWN MINIONS as a human shield.
This artillery battle is a tightrope walk - a single hit from those energy blasts can do upwards of 100 damage.
TRYING TO RUN AWAY, ARE YOU?
DEFEATED
Now to deal with all these minions!
ALREADY level 24!
Going with Very Quick for another +3 speed!
Next level at 1,960,174 experience.
Even through the ring of ice, my equipment isn't QUITE invincible - my Bracers of Toughness were melted by the heat.
CHAOS ORBS
Chaos Orb of Elemental Water
Chaos Orb of Elemental Fire
Chaos Orb of Elemental Air
Chaos Orb of Elemental Earth
Chaos Orb of Elemental Mana
Enough.
I don't care how good the exp is! I'm not spending one more turn longer in here than I have to.
WAAAAAAAARP
ESCAPE SUCCESSFUL
Next: Back to the Caverns of Chaos!
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