Beta .10 of Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup heralds the arrival of a most promising species, the Octopodes, which can wear as many as eight rings, answering the prayers of many a veteran Crawler. I jumped on this species and have played it exclusively ever since it became available.
Octopodes are a high-risk race, however, and I defy anyone to win with one. The slightest blow can kill or seriously wound the unarmored Octopodes. Keep in mind that even robes, cloaks, gloves and boots are forbidden to Octopodes. Any Octopode that ventures long without a shield is brave indeed, some would say foolhardy. I suspect they are still experimental in this Beta version. Their aptitude at Dodging should be increased from 0 to +2, if they are to survive the early levels.
My religious preference for Octopodes is Nemelex Xobeh, because Octopodes can sacrifice more items than any other race, since so much is forbidden them in terms of armor, and weapons are of less importance for these spellcasting savants.
However, Nemelex Xobeh deserves his nickname of the Trickster God. Beware of the Tomb, Torment, Poison and Damnation cards, all of which can end an Octopode's career. I had to quit the game after my high level Octopode drew a Tomb card, because I had no Teleport. Before I quit, I sacrificed magic items in the hopes of receiving another deck of cards from NX, preferably a Deck of Escape. He sent another deck, all right--a deck of destruction! Trickster, indeed. Decks of Summoning are not nearly as powerful in .10 as they were in .9, because it seems many of the summoned creatures are hostile. All decks are a mixed bag and one risks harmful mutations or the elimination of beneficial mutations by using any of them.
Also, NX is not guaranteed in the Ecumenical Temple. I encounter his altar only once every two games. It seems like every time I try an Octopode Artificer, NX altars are nowhere to be found, making the choice of Artificer less attractive.
At present, with flawless play, a veteran player should win with an Octopode one out of twenty games. Best to buy a family plot in the Crawl cemetery. I've abandoned Octopodes for the time being, returning to my old favorite, Spriggans, frail but fantastic stabbers.
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