Tselakus at 1400ft

[PowerWyrm]

With the new LVs, you can get 40 levels OoD monsters really shallow...
Being killed over and over by stuff like Tselakus or Black Reavers at 1500ft will start to piss off most of the players.

[Ashi]

Nice! Small vaults just aren't interesting enough, in my opinion. This should make low-mid level diving a lot more fun, eh?

[schroeder]

I don't know what tselakus are, but yeah...black reavers can own you up at even high levels. Simply because they tunnel. And without esp to guide you, this could cause very very unfair death.

[PowerWyrm]

Tselakus, the Dreadlord
Depth: 3400ft Rarity: 2 Speed: +20 Hitpoints: 65d100 AC: 150 Exp: 32767
This huge affront to existence twists and tears at the fabric of space. A master of mighty magic, Tselakus hungers for your tender flesh. Darkness itself recoils from the touch of Tselakus as he leaves a trail of death and destruction. Tselakus is a being of sneering contempt, laughing at your pitiful efforts to defy him. Mighty claws rend reality as he annihilates all in his path to your soul! This evil undead creature is normally found at a depth of 3400ft and moves very quickly. He is magical, casting spells which blind, paralyze, confuse, invoke darkness storms, produce nether balls, summon Ring Wraiths, summon Greater Undead or summon similar monsters; 1 time in 3. He can pass through walls. He is invisible. He is cold blooded. He is immune to cold and poison. He cannot be confused or slept. He is fairly observant of intruders, which he may notice from 200 feet. He may carry up to 14 good objects. He can hit to attack with damage 10d10, hit to attack with damage 10d10, hit to reduce strength with damage 4d6 and hit to reduce strength with damage 4d6.

Imagine finding him at 1400ft coming from one of the new vaults while you're level 25 or so... I guess you would die before getting any warning message.

[serina]

Unless you detect evil or detect monsters, yep. If he's in the vault, leave it alone ;) or detect constantly until he starts moving and then *destruct* (if you don't was to lose the items). Naturally you can never get within line of sight with him, because he can kill you in 1 move. Pretty much like the Ethereal dragons at that lvl.

Morgoth always has the upper hand.

ZAL

[PowerWyrm]

Recent notable deaths

Panic the level 29 Hobbit Rogue killed by a Nether wraith (27 Oct 08)
Mold the level 30 High-Elf Mage killed by an Ethereal hound (27 Oct 08)
Mold the level 28 High-Elf Mage killed by Tselakus, the Dreadlord (27 Oct 08)
Flambard the level 32 Elf Ranger killed by a Dreadmaster (27 Oct 08)

Sounds like this game has become a midlevel charkiller since the new lesser vaults were added... there is no way a level 30 character can survive even SEEING those OoD things.

[Ashi]

Panic the level 29 Hobbit Rogue killed by a Nether wraith (27 Oct 08)

This happened while he was fighting Morgoth, so I doubt this was at 1400ft...

[Flambard]

I, for one, was at 1400 (or 1450 or maybe 1550)... and decided to check 'this small vault' out.. :) I wouldn't say that was unfair as it was 100% my fault, but still, this kinda adds to the statistics...

[PowerWyrm]

Well except Panic, all the other deaths come from passwall monsters escaping from one of the new lesser vaults. This means that from now on you almost need SI and *des* (or at least tele) below 1000ft....

[serina]

You can always use teleport to get away from them.

I've survived Adunaphel as a mage with 150 HP with no see invis or *des*... Point was that I had to recall. Escape with my life intact. I can't remember who was with me, but I was partying with someone, and we both made it out alive. Neither had see invis.

Detection AND magic mapping helps alot and knowing the appearance of the "deadly vaults". The minute you see one, approach only with caution. If you didn't decide to buy magic mapping for 40-50$ or a scroll of detect invisible for 16-20$. Even scroll/staff of object detection can help you detect vaults.
Maybe you detected the vault and still decided to check it out, you're hoping for gold and riches, and you may get it, but you might die horribly.

All in all, I think it's fair that these vaults have at least 50/50 chance of killing you if you investigate because the riches within are enough to fully equip a character many times (either through selling, trading or player shops).

ZAL

[Warrior]

I quite agree, if the player wants to survive he will survive. But many people seem to just "prefer" survival, they'll take huge risks and after getting killed they'll complain about this or that, often about how "unlucky" they are.

It all boils down to this: If you don't know whats around the corner and you don't care whats around the corner you will die and you will die a lot, nasty vaults or not. When I play I use any little item in the game for all it's worth and use that information/edge that I get the best way that I possibly can.

Generally, if anything, the "new" (they were actually made back in 2000 or so but recently re-discovered) vaults make the game too easy and for that reason alone they might be changed or removed.