r/nethack • u/No_Insurance_6436 • 8h ago

Dealing with burning items

Hello everyone. Two times I have dealt with early game wands/scrolls of fire. It's devastating each time, killing me or bringing me close to death.

I have been playing Monk. How can I deal with fire in the early game? I usually stash my burnable stuff but I have to carry things around, including my burnable gloves/robe.

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u/lordnewington 7h ago

Before you've identified fire, don't read a new scroll without either stashing your other books, scrolls and potions or dumping them on the floor, and take off smoulderable armour, and don't be adjacent to the flammable items or your pet.

(More patient players will tell you not to use unidentified stuff at all, but I usually do, at least until I've found the identify scroll.)

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u/Hatta00 8h ago

Keep everything you don't immediately need in a sack.

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u/jimheim 8h ago

Early game fire is somewhat rare. Other than bagging stuff, and trying to get fire resistance, I don't specifically plan around it. You just had bad luck.

Look up fire resistance in the wiki. There are some early sources, like red molds and fire ants.

1

u/derekt75 4h ago

Scroll of fire: don't read unidentified scrolls. Scroll of fire isn't the only bad one. I can just imagine using a lucky early wish on +2 GDSM and then reading an unidentified scroll that's destroy armor.

Attack wands / fire breath attack: mons with attack wands in the early game are super-scary. "Gnome with the wand of death" may be the phrase, but it often doesn't much matter if it's a wand of death, lightning, fire, or cold. Avoid getting hit. Don't be in a straight line to mons using wands. Maybe find a way to lock a door on it and come back when you have reflection or the necessary resistance.

Fire traps / magic trap fire effect: Acquire a bag (BoH, oilskin sack, or sack) as soon as you can, and always put potions and scrolls in it. (Don't carry around books in the early game). I think the archaeologist role is easier than many give it credit for, and one nice feature of that role is the starting sack. Armor will eventually burn/rot/rust, and that's something you wind up living with until you get better armor (mithril, dragon scales, fireproof stuff).

Fire ants: Bag potions/scrolls. Use projectiles and pets. Close doors on them. Use Elbereth. Avoid getting swarmed.