[Nagot Gick Fel]

Originally posted by Saxon:
Hmm, interesting. Let me re-phrase. It is a lottery and I have yet to win!

I'm really sorry for you. I've run a decent bunch of tests with R'lyeh to get a (very) rough estimate of the quality and frequency of summons, and I can say I'm rather satisfied with the results. Just checked the only R'lyeh test game that's left on my computer, it's turn 31 and I have 3 Formless Spawns, 4 Elder Things, 4 Othernesses, and 11(!) Greater Othernesses, and some smaller fry. That's about 1 Greater Otherness every 3 turns, not so bad I'd say. My summoner has a skill of 11 [edit: incorrect value], and he's the second one I'm using. The first one was an astral-2 priest who was scripted for Returning, unfortunately his brain was damaged before he had a chance to summon anything. I must add I have Misfortune +3 (with Order +3), so I'm rather sceptic when I read Posts claiming that Luck/Misfortone has an effect on Void summoning.

I have yet to see the really big guys, with the exception of an Horror which ate my units. Knowing that the big guys are out there makes me more willing to keep trying. The main reason I have been put off this is that I have not gotten anything decent after spending quite a lot of time on it.

What can I say? Either you're outrageously unlucky or I'm outrageously lucky, but then I was lucky in about a dozen different games, so I suspect the former.

The way you break down the cost makes the price seem lower. However, spending the 150 early on does carry a higher opportunity cost than the 15 a turn would suggest, so it is still pretty weighty.

That's true, but there's no other option, and the earlier you try the better the compounding effect on your summoner's skill.

My impression is that magic items are pretty important for survivability, as both my priest and the guards are frequently all eaten. Once I got a couple of decent items, it was just the guards providing a snack and buying some time. Pendant of Luck stood out as an easy to get early item which was useful. Effectively cutting damage in half is a big plus.

I always beeline for Alteration 3 then Enchantment 1 to get the survival skills I need, unless my first priest comes with astral-2 (then I'll immediately get Thaumaturgy 1 for Returning instead). You don't need Pendants of Luck when all your priests can cast the spell, and it increases the overall cost of your summoner. With these levels of research your priests have the tools they need to survive. I've had naked priests fight several monstrosities bigger than them and survive (that's including Vastnesses and Greater Othernesses). The only things that cause me real problems are the Formless Spawns packs and the Greater Othernesses when they come in numbers. Things That Should Not Be are probably an even bigger threat, but I've seen only 2 so far and neither was hostile, so I've never seen them fight my priests.

One other thing, the calculation of the half life of a summoner. I think it would be more than 15 turns. The reason is that early on, when the skill is low, you get less success. As such, not every turn counts towards possible insanity, my impression is only successful attempts result in insanity. I would guess that 15 successful summons probably take until turn 30. That is the mid or end point of most games, so you probably only get one of these guys, who gets any good, each time you play. However, if you did take that into account in your calculation, it would be great to know.

Hmmm no, I assumed this probability was just a flat 5% per attempt, but I might well be wrong, and you true. Although in the game I referred to above, I'm pretty sure my first summoner was insane before summoning anything, but I forgot check if his failed attempt earned him his first point in summoning skill.

[ January 13, 2004, 11:06: Message edited by: Nagot Gick Fel ]