[Edit: I've now also crossposted this to Reddit and also gotten a response there.]
I'm playing Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup 0.15.1. I'm a level 14 Gargoyle Fighter, strength 26, dexterity 14. I'm wearing +8 orange crystal plate armour I picked up off the floor in Lair.
I have two good weapons:
- A +0 lajatang. My Staves skill is 9.4.
- The +9 trident of the Candle {Speed, rPois rC+}. Gargoyles have inherent rPois. My effective Polearms skill is 4.4.
I don't have any slaying.
I've found both a +0 buckler and a +0 shield, but I can stash them if I end up choosing the lajatang. My Shields skill is 8.5.
Character dump: http://pastebin.com/LPbps7XV
What should be my weapon-use strategy, and why?
Best Answer
You found some amazing gear. The trident is far, far better than the lajatang -- speed is the best brand. Start skilling for Polearms at 100% until minimum delay is reached, 12 I think. Nothing else is more important for you. Forget trying to do spells, your armor is so heavy you won't be able to cast for a very long time, after you've got Armour up to 27 probably and have much more Int than you have now.
You are well on the way to becoming a real tank; AC 45 is monstrous. Forget about Shields, you don't need one. You can romp through the rest of Lair, being a bit more careful on the last level. Orc 1-3 should be no problem for you either, and 4 will just require a bit more caution. Same for Swamp and Spider's Nest.
You didn't pick a God! That's risky. You might want to pick Makhleb for the eventual summons to help you out or Kika perhaps. Trog's Brothers In Arms could also be a life saver for you in the Vaults.
https://crawl.develz.org/tavern/
is THE forum for Crawl. Post your dump in the "YASD! YAVP! and characters in progress too" and you get expert advice. I've won only a couple of times but I would be confident of at least a 3-rune victory with this guy.
Good luck