Difference between revisions of "Goatperson"

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;[[File:herbivore.png]] HERBIVORE: Eats food while exploring. Killing enemies yields more food
 
;[[File:herbivore.png]] HERBIVORE: Eats food while exploring. Killing enemies yields more food
 
|Conversion=Refills HP and MP for 100 (+10 cumulative) CP
 
|Conversion=Refills HP and MP for 100 (+10 cumulative) CP
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|SuggestedRaces=Any [[Race]]
Any [[Race]]
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|Unlock=Find at least 6 [[gods]] (enough that two altars will spawn in dungeons), and pay {{gold|3000}} at the [[Goat Glade]].
|Unlock=
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Find at least 6 [[gods]] (enough that two altars will spawn in dungeons), and pay 3000 [[gold]] at the [[Goat Glade]].
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|Group=Special
 
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Revision as of 13:22, 28 April 2016

Goatperson
Special Class
Goatperson Hero Large.png
Class traits
Scapegoat.png SCAPEGOAT
Randomly worships a new god per level, no conversion or desecration
Prototype.png PROTOTYPE
No restoration effects on level-up, gold instead of trophies
Herbivore.png HERBIVORE
Eats food while exploring. Killing enemies yields more food
Conversion
Refills HP and MP for 100 (+10 cumulative) CP
Unlocking
Find at least 6 gods (enough that two altars will spawn in dungeons), and pay 3000 Gold Pile Icon 18.png at the Goat Glade.

"The accurate and persistent balancing of this class isn’t guaranteed."

The Goatperson is the secret monster class, acquired by unlocking the Goat Glade (available to early supporters or as DLC on Steam). It is a dangerously experimental class, based on short-term and sometimes extremely short-term decisions.

Class Features

Scapegoat

The Goatperson will randomly worship a new god out of the 3 that have altars in the dungeon (or 2, if you haven't unlocked enough gods yet) upon level up. The no-desecration aspect is simply done so that you can't escape this change by destroying the other altars.

This trait is designed to severely limit the strategies that one can implement, as it is impossible to be sure when you will be forced to worship one god instead of another. The Goatperson will always change to a different deity on each level-up, and will never remain with the same deity.

Prototype

The fact that the Goatperson does not heal upon level up completely torpedoes mid-fight level-up strategies, and makes progression much, much more difficult. While you can still heal mid-fight by converting, the increasing conversion cost makes this rather costly, and severely limits supply. The exploration phase is also much more difficult, because you cannot rely on leveling up to heal you. Therefore, the only ways for your character to heal at all are by exploring (which is limited by your food supply, which is only replenished by killing monsters), using glyphs, converting items, using potions, and taking god boons. All of these are in limited supply. Exploring becomes extremely conservative, as you will be forced to heal every wound by using consumables. By the time you reach the boss, it's likely that you won't have any way left to heal yourself.

Trait: Poisoned Poisoned and Trait: Mana Burn Mana Burn are far more dangerous afflictions to the Goatperson than to usual classes, since he does not recover from them when he levels up!

The last feature (gold instead of boss trophies) merely ensures that you cannot use the Goatperson for quest progression. It remains to be seen if the amount of money dropped is equal to the value of the trophy that would've dropped instead. If so, this could be useful, as it would allow one to get around that fact that a trophy's price drops the more that you collect that particular trophy. Don't forget to buy any items you want to locker on the way out. Most notably, Item: Amulet of Yendor Amulet of Yendor and Item: Orb of Zot Orb of Zot are highly expensive and consumable, making each of them a very lucky find if you were looking to locker it.

Herbivore

Exploring a tile costs food, which takes up a small inventory space for your whole supply. Killing an enemy gives 9 food, and, more to the point, exploring without food damages you until you GET FOOD or DIE. Each tile uncovered will deplete 1 food. As you might be able to tell, this adds up really quick. This obviously is meant to limit exploration, as no food is consumed by going back over uncovered tiles.

Strategy

Simply put, this class was carefully balanced to stack the deck against the player as much as physically possible without making it completely impossible to win. This is a challenge class. If you can beat a dungeon with this class, then you're either inordinately lucky or an absolute master at this game.

The food system turns the conventional wisdom about popcorn on its head. Very often, you will have to burn through popcorn just to stay fed. You may also choose to kill popcorn enemies to please your current god, or to avoid angering another god. Only with exceptional luck will you be able to save popcorn to the extent that most other classes get to take for granted. However, where other classes get level-up heals, a Goatperson instead refills from hitting conversion point thresholds. This greatly lessens the damage done by having a half-empty popcorn bowl in the late game. It is still good to leave some popcorn when you can, however. By killing popcorn early, you reduce the total amount of bonus experience gained from mid-level monsters, and therefore it becomes harder to reach high levels.

The closest thing to the Goatperson conversion bonus is the bonus for Race: Goblin Goblins. Because the Goatperson refill does not depend on experience points, it is easier to hit a refill spike, compared to the Goblin who often needs popcorn to make up an experience gap, especially at high levels.

Preparations

Goatperson has a hard time surviving to the late game due to starvation and due to how his bonuses cost CP or piety. While leveraging piety in the late game affords him some flexibility, his early game is so fragile that your preparations should be at least moderately front-loaded.

Preparing the fireball magnet to begin with Glyph: BURNDAYRAZ BURNDAYRAZ is highly recommended. You might also prepare Item: Elven Boots Elven Boots and Smuggler's Den. By having an enlarged mana pool, a Glyph: BURNDAYRAZ BURNDAYRAZ glyph, and quick access to level 1 monsters, you can be sure to hit the ground running, greatly reducing the very real danger of starving. Another great thing about Item: Elven Boots Elven Boots is that it continues to be a strong item in the late game, and it synergizes with all the refills you'll be getting from your conversion points.

Items that can be used as general-purpose "get out of jail free" cards (such as Item: Namtar's Ward Namtar's Ward, which grants you an emergency death protection each level) are exceptionally good preparation choices as well. A Goatperson who likes variety can get a lot of mileage out of preparing a fourth altar, though a safe piety farm like God: Mystera Annur Mystera Annur might be more palatable to a more conservative play style. Due to his vulnerability to afflictions, the Goatperson should never prepare Item: Patches the Teddy Patches the Teddy. The Item: Slaying Wand Slaying Wand is a reliable last resort to gain a little food when stuck with only too-high level monsters, and is probably the best Blacksmith preparation for most dungeons. While you can prepare a specific Altar, and it will normally spawn closer to you, there is no guarantee that you will actually worship that deity.

Glyphs

Leveraging the goat's conversion bonus is a sensitive matter of timing. Since every glyph conversion will grant a full refill (or at least come close), you will have to think twice before picking them up or converting them. Only BURNDAYRAZ should be picked up every time. Other glyphs can often be left on the ground as insurance. In particular, Glyph: LEMMISI LEMMISI can't just be spammed and then converted. If you find it early, you might want to cast it occasionally when you need to heal, but if you find it when you already know the map layout, you probably should leave it on the ground. Glyph: APHEELSIK APHEELSIK should probably be left on the ground most of the time, but it might actually be useful if you hit a food surplus at some point. It is weak overall and highly situational.

The Glyph: BLUDTUPOWA BLUDTUPOWA glyph is an excellent early find for the Goatperson. Because it reveals 3 tiles, but only costs 1 food, it allows you to effectively explore at a reduced cost. If used repeatedly over the course of the dungeon, the Goatperson can save up enough food that he doesn't need to worry about his exploration limitations anymore. If enough food is saved, he can even convert some in the end-game for extra heals. Be mindful that the Glowing Guardian does not like this glyph.

Glyph: GETINDARE GETINDARE is fairly strong at any time, but needs a little damage to back it up. Any time you would normally need to eat potions or conversions, there is a chance that the stacking dodge chance will save you valuable resources.

Glyph: WONAFYT WONAFYT is a nice safety glyph that will keep you from starving. If your food is low, it can be a life-saver. You will want to create a good opportunity to convert it for a refill in the mid-game, though.

Glyph: PISORF PISORF is great for multiple boss fights. Because a Goatperson can convert glyphs for several refills over the course of a fight, it can pay off quite well if the bosses can be lined up without too much trouble. This can also be combined with Glyph: WEYTWUT WEYTWUT. WEYTWUT by itself can be used to get past a nasty obstacle, but can be left on the ground as insurance otherwise.

Deity Guide

God: Glowing Guardian Glowing Guardian The Glowing Guardian is an above-average draw for the Goatperson. Most of his piety comes from persistent worship, which is not possible due to the forced conversion on every level-up. His humility boon will reduce your health regeneration and fireball damage, which is dangerous for this character. However, his cleansing boon helps alleviate the Goatperson's weakness to afflictions, and the Goatperson is free to drink potions whenever he "bounces" out of this religion which allows him to avoid the primary downsides of Glowing Guardian Worship. Converting food is an effective way of earning piety with the Glowing Guardian. Due to his dislike of poison and lifesteal, it is important to be mindful of which boons you select from Dracul or Tikki Tooki.

God: Tikki Tooki Tikki Tooki Potentially game-ending if you are assigned to him at the 1st level. It is very difficult to earn piety with Tikki Tooki as a 1st level character, and his punishment must be avoided at all costs. However, for a higher-level Goatperson he is an excellent source of piety, and his Dodging and Tikki's Edge boons offer superb long-term value. Be mindful not to pick the poison attack boon if the Glowing Guardian is present.

God: Taurog Taurog Similar to Tikki Tooki, this god can be problematic if you are assigned at the 1st level. Because the Goatperson is often reliant on his fireball glyph for his first kill (particularly if boxed in on a hard or higher difficulty scenario) this can immediately invoke Taurog's punishment, which can be game-ending. However, Taurog is otherwise an invaluable source of piety to fuel your other deities. If you have either Dracul or Pactmaker in addition to Taurog, stacking resistances can be a very effective approach.

God: The Earthmother The Earthmother A mediocre draw for the Goatperson. Because you will not receive the free Glyph: IMAWAL IMAWAL glyph on worship, earning piety with her is far more difficult than usual. You will need to rely on other deities to fuel her, or else use her plantation boon. Because of her limited piety generation with the Goatperson, Vine Form and Greenblood have less value than usual, but Plantation, Clearance, and Entanglement remain top-notch boons. It's also easier than normal to clear out plants, as you get free conversions out of her religion at regular intervals.

God: Mystera Annur Mystera Annur Mystera is a variable deity for the Goatperson. Fully utilising her can require some forethought and a bit of luck. To take advantage of her "Refreshment" boon, you need to make sure you don't hit the conversion threshold when you convert a glyph, as otherwise her 50% mana restore is wasted when your 100% health and mana restore kick in. This means you should trigger your first conversion with items, then ensure that every time you convert a glyph subsequently it doesn't take you over the next conversion threshold. For full effect you must be worshiping Mystera when you convert your glyphs, but since the Goatperson cannot control his deity selection the power of refreshment could be halved at not fault of your own. Given that setting up mid-battle level-ups are not a favorable approach for the Goatperson, this can make it a gamble as to whether you will land on Mystera for key boss fights or not.

On the piety front, Mystera is a double-edged sword. If you're well-stocked with food she's remarkably easy to generate piety with and can be used to fuel boons from deities better suited to the Goatperson. However, if you're low on food you may often be forced to kill magic-user monsters that you might otherwise have avoided. She can heavily tax your piety in such situations. As a result, it's a very good idea to remove magic damage monsters from the field between level-ups.

God: Binlor Ironshield Binlor Ironshield Similar to Earthmother, you do not receive the free Glyph: PISORF PISORF glyph as a Goatperson. This makes earning piety with Binlor somewhat difficult if you don't have the right equipment. However, if you can accrue 35 piety with another deity you can purchase his Stone Soup boon to get a free Glyph: ENDISWAL ENDISWAL glyph. Because the Goatperson can purchase boons between three deities, he will rarely run into the issue of depleting all the walls on the level.

God: Jehora Jeheyu Jehora Jeheyu A very dangerous, but potentially rewarding, draw for the Goatperson. The vulnerability to mana burn and poison mean getting the Petition boon immediately is a top priority, and his inability to desecrate other altars can make this difficult if you get stuck with Jehora at the 1st level. If you are transferred to his religion with 50+ piety, however, picking up petition is easy and you can completely skip over his normal limits. Jehora's boons are quite powerful for the Goatperson. Note that Chaos Avatar will not automatically heal the Goatperson when used, but since it grants 100 conversion points it will often trigger the Goatperson's conversion bonus; however, it will cause you to convert due to the level-up. Converting food is a superb way to earn piety with Jehora Jeheyu.

God: Dracul Dracul By far the most powerful deity for the Goatperson, all of Dracul's boons are exceptionally useful for him. Because the Goatperson has no inherent resistances, Blood Hunger's penalty is meaningless to him. His focus on end-game spiking makes Blood Tithe and Blood Swell incredibly worthwhile. When combined with other resistance-granting deities, Blood Shield is incredibly potent. When using Dracul's boons, be mindful of potential conflict with the Earthmother and Glowing Guardian, both of which dislike lifesteal. You should avoid the Blood Hunger boon if those deities are present. The Earthmother does not have a problem with Blood Tithe, but the Glowing Guardian does. This doesn't preclude you from picking the boon, but you must make sure not to tread on the bloodstains when under his religion. Make sure you drink your healing potions and slay any undead when you are worshiping a different deity.

God: The Pactmaker The Pactmaker Another deceptively great find for the Goatperson. You cannot actually "worship" the Pactmaker, but some of his pacts are extremely useful. The Body Pact works quite well when combined with other resistance-granting deities, but the real secret is the Scholar's Pact. This cancels out the normal Goatperson penalty that prevents him from healing on level-up, allowing him to gain far more value from this pact than other classes would normally. This is well worth 10 piety on each level-up.

Deity Interactions

Being able to tap into several dieties during a single run may be a huge blessing in disguise. For example, you can cast spells while worshipping Mystera, level up with an empty Mana bar, then kill off the low-level magic-using monsters worshiping Taurog. You can slow low-level monsters worshipping Jehora, killing a couple of higher-level foes to level up, then switch to Tikki Tooki and kill off the slowed low-level monsters. You can build walls worshiping Mystera, then destroy them after switching to Binlor. You can fight the boss, using up your potions, then level up and switch to Glowing Guardian and convert stuff to gain restorations and piety that can fuel Protection. However, the Goatperson's food requirement and lack of control over conversion means that he's often forced into making unfavorable plays. Being able to handle bad situations is just as important as being able to leverage good ones.

If The Pactmaker is one of your three altars, then you will have certainty on your level-up conversion. If The Pactmaker is not present, or you prepared Extra Altar, the conversion will be less predictable, so it may be that one particular Deity almost never comes up. This requires a bit of thought about what a potential conversion would do, and may make you play more conservatively.

As you cannot desecrate, you have no access to Indulgences or the quick Piety gain. However, as you should be able to avoid most Diety punishments thanks to the conversions, and you do not lose Piety for converting, you should be able to come out even ahead versus other classes.