What do I do with my gold?

Question

I've just completed my first raid of Fort Ludios. I've donated to priests enough to receive the -9 intrinsic protection and gotten major and minor Oracle consultations, but I have a bit over 40,000 gold pieces left and am wondering what to do. Is it worth burning through it to try to get more intrinsic protection? (I'm level 13 so attempts are 5200 each, with a decreasing success rate starting at 1 in 9.) Should I just leave it near the Lvl 1 upstairs to pick up on the way out?

Answer 1

Spoilers abound.

I'd say buying protection is the best use, but you've already done that. It's really not worth it after 9, you'll most likely just waste all of your gold.

Of course if the priest isn't co-aligned you can always spend all your money, trap them with boulders, kill them (I frequently use thrown rocks from smashing one of the boulders), retrieve your money and possibly a robe, cloak of magic resistance or protection, and 2-4 spellbooks. Then use their ghost from the desecrated temple to train a weapon (like a wish-saving silver saber from murdering the watch captain) and/or two-handed combat. With all those pesky do-gooders dead you can convert the altar, break a fountain for some water pools and build up your holy water supply. All quite useful really. Consequences aren't too severe if you plan for it. Fix your luck before praying or using a wand of wishing if it dropped into the negatives from the massacre.

Apart from spending it on protection and purchasing goods at shops, gold doesn't have much use other than end-game points. It's also quite heavy. I like to play quickly rather than for points so I tend to ditch all of my gold but a small bit for paying off demon princes in Gehennom.