The bananator challenge

I remember once a topic about challenges in IVAN and the various suggestions. I've decided to pull out my own challenge, slightly more realistic than some other proposed, ie. the following:

1. At the start of the game, you have to go to New Attnam, leave Kenny there, and buy at least two bananas at the shop. You need to eat both and dual-wield the peels.

2. Throughout the game, the only wielded weapons allowed are banana peels, single-handed or dual-wielded. If they rot away (you get a message "equipment broken!"), your melee combat restrictions are as for panic - no direct combat unless cornered, and even so, only unarmed.

3. You cannot deal damage by wands except for the Holy Banana. Non-damaging wands are allowed (teleportation, polymorph, etc.).

4. Throwing, vomiting, potions, armour, cans, all food and divine interventions are all allowed, if they do not break the above rules. If a god grants you a weapon, you cannot use it, for example.

5. Pets are allowed, but only as god-granted gifts, and even so, you are obliged to prevent them from following you. You may steal their equipment or kill them afterwards.

6. Any version of IVAN is allowed, unless they're your own overpowered mods. I personally picked IVANT for its longer UT, so that you can get more stuff and power before facing Genetrix Vesana.

Now, onto the most successful adventure I've had with the above challenge - behold, the story of Bananator.

I started out and did my duty of dual-wielding banana peels. I then descended the mazes of UT and got myself some armour. Alas, my banana peels kept rotting away quickly, and before leaving the UT, I had to return to Attnam three times. Damn bananas.

Dual-wielding banana peels does two things: Improves your whip skills, and trains dexterity naturally and amazingly fast. Ironically, I've also found a runed +4 whip on my way in the UT, but I obviously didn't use it.

Trouble (or, if you prefer, FUN) starts with enemies that take no damage from banana peels. These are mutant asses, large carnivorous plants, kobold chieftains (strangely enough, not kobold lords) and Genetrix Vesana herself.

My way of dealing with Jenny was first to pray to Silva to get an earthquake, which teleported her away, and then using a wand of teleport to clear the area near the stairs and quickly escape.

Then I went to Attnam, and then to the GC, and then I forgot to get myself fire protection and I stepped on a bloody mine on the second level.



(please note the naturally trained dexterity and agility)

I had some fun before that, and the restrictions force you to do some extravagant strategies... I invite everybody to join I know that the challenge is a bit chaotic as it is, and some elements of it may be overpowered (for one, praying to Legifer). But I'll keep trying

Just had some fun with a heir to Bananator - Bananator II! Turns out you can dish out some damage with critical hits and when at high whip skill, even with banana peels. Bananator II died killed by an Enner Beast, facing the gruesome monster without any means to really kill him - presumably, a Holy Banana (or a teleport wand) would have helped. The wand of door creation didn't, but I had no other alternative

I'm in GC 1 currently and will continue this later. I have couple of questions about the rules: First, can I equip shields? Also, I found scroll of change material and was thinking is it against rules to use it or scroll of harden material to make banana peels harder?

That's a good question. Can we have GEF banana peels?

I'm in GC 1 currently and will continue this later.


I was thinking about it - my answer would be no. Let's just say you can only wield one banana peel or two banana peels. No banana peel + shield or nothing + shield.


Gah, I can't see why not, but then you're playing an "artificial banana peels" game

(alternatively, I thought about using only weapons made of (holy) banana peel / flesh - eg. if angry Loricatus changes your weapon to banana, you can use them)

My "artificial Bananator" didn't get too far. I hadn't got much intelligence but my last banana peel was about to spoil so I changed it to troll hide. Bad thing was that I didn't find even decent armor so that was the biggest problem. Of course GC 2 had to be wolf level, but luckily I had telecontrol and wand of teleport. I even got to shop to buy scroll of harden material, but that damn wolf killed me as soon as I got out from there.

I try this again later with new character.

I've got two different challenges for you guys.

The first is similar to the Dual Wield Peel above, but just use the banana's whole. This makes them blunt (mace, hammer) type weapons instead of whips. I tried this after I discovered that it was taking forever to kill zombies with my banana peels. I seriously knocked one guys head off nine times. He just kept reattaching it. I finally had to kick him to death.

The second one I call the Lightbringer challenge. Do as above (leave kenny behind), but instead of getting a banana, go straight into the dungeon. In the first room, there should be between 1 and 4 lanterns. Take them, and equip two (one in each hand). They count as their own type of weapon (uncategorized, I think) attack pretty fast, and do suprisingly good damage. I got to Attnam for the very first time trying out this challenge. Died on GC2, somewhere I had never been before.

For the second challenge I recommend having six lamps in your inventory (2 wielded, 4 stored) at all times. They will eventually break, but not until around UT3, in my three trial runs. Another nice thing about this challenge is that these things are ridiculously plentiful. Don't bother trying to get them repaired (not even sure if you can, actually), just drop 'em pull out some new ones.

Have fun!

EDIT: Quick question! I tired in one game to harden my lanterns. It told me my INT was too low. Can you really harden them, and, if so, in what and at what INT? (Dual Mithril Lanterns FTW!)

EDIT:AGAIN: I've only tried this on vanilla Ivan 0.50. So yeah.

Illithium at 25. Sounds fun, eh?

I've tried it with full bananas, but it was harder it seems Also, zombies are the bane of any weak-weapon challenge.

Will try the double lamp.

I tried the Lightbringer one. Took me too long to mow down Jenny, and i got chewed by some plopping giant plants

Was my third highscore though, and the lanterns are pretty strong, if undurable