When to panic and flee?

Question

Is it possible to see some stats of an entity on screen. Or perhaps some indication of how hard it is compared to the player?

I just played this game 2 times both of the times i was hacking through everything i was encountering very easily until i encountered a single entity which killed me in 2 or 3 blows. I would like to identify these types of enemies before engaging them in melee combat so i could flee if my odds of winning would be grim.

Apparently Ctrl+1 is "look". Does that allow you to examine enemies? — SaintWacko, Aug 09 '13 at 15:55
CTRL+1 is not "looK" for me. I can press L but that just tells me what it is and if it is injured. — Madmenyo, Aug 09 '13 at 16:25
Alright. I was going by a manual I found. It may be out of date. I haven't played adom, but I play a few other roguelikes which have 'examine' functions, so I tried to find something similar. — SaintWacko, Aug 09 '13 at 16:29
If adom is like many other roguelikes, it requires meta-experience to judge the difficulty of monsters based on what they are... and even then there are exceptions. Ware the Gnome with a Wand of Death. — Sconibulus, Aug 09 '13 at 16:46
Most monsters tend to allow you to gather a lot more information on them if you Look at them. I think there's a key you have to press after you've targetted them to get the expanded info. — Frank, Aug 09 '13 at 17:35
Still don't have it, there seems to be just that look around button that gives little info. — Madmenyo, Aug 09 '13 at 20:20

score 2 · Accepted Answer · edited Aug 11 '13 at 13:50

In ADoM version 1.1.1, creatures can be examined by hitting l (for look), selecting the creature you want to know more about, then hitting m. This will give you a description of it, as well as properties your current character has observed - initially you will probably know its speed (if you've seen it move). This will fill up as you observe the creature type do more stuff and fight it - expect to know its average HP, DV/PV values and so on. Keep in mind that there is a degree of randomness to creatures' attributes, and that creatures can level up. If the short description (before you hit m) says something like "it looks experienced", it's not just fluff.

There are also items and abilities that allow you to learn more of your opponents, but explaining those would be a spoiler.

Like most roguelikes, ADoM requires a lot of player skill and memorisation (or record-keeping): once you've encountered a creature, remember what went wrong, so next time you're prepared or at least know to use your contingency items. Losing is a (major) part of the game. ADoM is one of the harder and more unforgiving roguelikes. Expect to lose a lot, and enjoy your time in the Drakalor Chain!

When to panic and flee?

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