After beginning to think that luck was something permanently factored out in nightmare mode, I have finally had a few strokes of it. I have also found the key to getting a half decent character whilst in the first dungeon. It is plainly and simply money. Money and lots of it will eventally enable you to buy enough items to take on a dungeon entrance in the wilderness and Jeff the draconian chaos-warrior is currently living proof of that. Having seen items come and go, even in the first town, and being unable to afford them, I began to go into the dungeon in search of nothing but cash. I can eat the walls (level 3 gift from chaos patron) so treasure veins are no problem. Long lines of skavens are common at the bottom of the first dungeon and these are very lucrative. Once a level is cleared, I go up a level and start again. This method got me 20,000 gold (items included, best ones are enchanted brass lanterns) in one outing and I soon had a mountain of cash. Nightmare mode requires incredible patience at times and mine was rewarded when the temple in the first town stocked a pair of hard leather boots of speed [3 +9] (+7) for ~32,000. This was a perfect find as it now makes me the same speed as the normal speed monsters. This was enough to tempt me into the wilderness once more where my luck was in again. Level 19 at the time and I have found 7 or 8 cities with loads of great stores. A bit more cash from the dungeon and a low level artifact shield (~8,000) with +2 to INT/DEX and confusion, electricity and poison resistance, as well as free action, was mine. There followed an iron crown of might [0 +11] (+3), a set of gauntlets of dexterity and a ball and chain holy avenger with +3 to attacks. I am currently level 22, having cleared a 'level 2' wilderness dungeon and am running around at 1200 feet in it. I had a lucky escape from Mandor Master of Logrus who fired an ice bolt at me. It took 100 hp off even with cold resistance, if he'd have breathed logrus at me, it would have been game over. The new items have made the game a lot easier and for anyone trying nightmare mode for the first time, focus on getting lots of cash! Hopefully I will find it a bit easier for the next 10 levels or so, until the monsters get harder than the equipment the shops stock...then I'll be in trouble again.