Avatar of West of Loathing

Avatar of West of Loathing is the Spring 2016 special challenge path, introduced on February 15, 2016. This path adds variant rules and restrictions to an ascension run. Its description in The Bureau of Reincarnation reads "Play as one of the classes from the upcoming Asymmetric Publications smash hit West of Loathing!"

Restrictions

• Stomach and Spleen are limited to 10 each, and Liver is limited to 9 (you become overdrunk at 10).
• The Feast of Boris does not grant additional fullness:

  Today is the Feast of Boris.

  They don't celebrate the Feast of Boris out West.

This applies even if you've broken the prism, though the default Feast of Boris message is used instead.

• No access to any non-Cow Puncher, Beanslinger or Snake Oiler skills, including Your Mystical Bookshelf. Trying to read skillbooks gives:

We don't read them thar books in the west!

• This restriction is lifted upon freeing the King.

• You cannot join a guild:

You decide to hold off on joining this organization, everybody talks too fast.

• Standard restrictions applied while Avatar of West of Loathing was the current challenge path. These restrictions were lifted on May 15, 2016.

Divergences

• When starting an Avatar of West of Loathing run, the player chooses one of three classes in Go West, Young Adventurer!‎
• When you pick your class, you receive a one-gallon hat and a toy sixgun, and the appropriate Tales of the West skill book for your chosen class and any class in which you have permanent skill points. You do not start with old sweatpants.
• You do not start with a Newbiesport™ tent, but other Housing is unaffected.
• The Council of Loathing has different text reflecting your new class.
• Wandering monsters will attack the player every 15-20 adventures. The monsters encountered depend on the player's level:

Level 1-4	Level 5-8	Level 9+
furious cow emaciated rodeo clown aggressive grass snake	furious giant cow menacing rodeo clown prince snake	ungulith grizzled rodeo clown king snake

• The first wandering monster you encounter is always the lowest level one which corresponds to your class.
• Sixguns gain a [holster] link, which "equips" them to the "Holstered" equipment pseudo-slot. Unlike proper equipment, holstered sixguns are not removed from the main inventory. Various skills are affected by your choice of holstered sixgun.
• You cannot enter The Sea. Clicking An Old Man gives the following message:

  That shack you saw on the main map was just a picture of a shack drawn on the ground.

• If you have the LT&T Office, you acquire 3 buffalo dimes when obtaining your cowboy boots.

Class

Rather than playing any of the traditional 6 classes, you will play as one of three special classes, each with its own skills:

• Cow Punchers have Muscle as their main stat.

• Cow Punchers always hit with unarmed attacks. Their unarmed attack command is labeled "Attack with your Cow-Punching Fists" instead of the usual %bodypart of Fury.
• Cow Punchers do not have their stats restricted by Cowrruption, and Cowrruption does not wear off with spent Adventures.
  • Cow Punchers can Absorb Cowrruption to remove the effect and restore HP/MP equal to the turns remaining.

• Beanslingers have Mysticality as their main stat.

• Beanslingers start with a can of Heimz Fortified Kidney Beans.

• Snake Oilers have Moxie as their main stat.

• Snake Oilers do not get to Pickpocket.
• Snake Oilers start with 3 Venom and 3 Medicine in their briefcase full of snakes.
• Snake Oilers receive +1 to Venom or Medicine whenever they defeat a Snake.

Skills

Regular class skills are disallowed, and each class gets a new set of skills:

• All classes start with Shoot.
• Cow Punchers get 10 skills from Tales of the West: Cow Punching.
• Beanslingers get 10 skills from Tales of the West: Beanslinging.
• Snake Oilers get 10 skills from Tales of the West: Snake Oiling.
• Characters start with one skill point and gain one skill point per level in their current class.
• Completing a run earns one permanent point for that class (two points if it's a hardcore run). Tales of the West for classes you have permanent points in will be received at the beginning of a run along with your current-class book.

The ability to learn advanced skills (the three skills listed at the bottom of each class skill list) is unlocked by reading Western Slang books purchased from the LT&T Gift Shop. Each book unlocks the advanced skills of its corresponding class. These unlocks persist through ascension.

Cow Punchers			Beanslingers			Snake Oilers
Name	Type	Effect	Name	Type	Effect	Name	Type	Effect
One-Two Punch	Combat 3 MP	Make two unarmed attacks	Lavafava	Combat 3 MP	Deals minor Hot Damage (twice)	Snakewhip	Combat 3 MP	Deal physical damage and poison your enemy
Cowcall	Combat 10 MP	Deal Spoooooooooky Damage to your opponent.	Pungent Mung	Combat 5 MP	Deals moderate Stench Damage	Fan Hammer	Combat 10 MP	Perform three rapid attacks with your holstered sixgun
Pistolwhip	Combat 3 MP	Smack your foe with your holstered pistol, briefly stunning them.	Canhandle	Combat 0 MP	Shake an off-hand can of beans for various effects	Extract Oil	Combat 10 MP	Extract useful oils from enemies
Hogtie	Combat 10 MP	Stun an opponent (with legs) for a few rounds	Beanscreen	Combat 10 MP	Prevent the next 3 monster attacks from damaging you	Bad Medicine	Combat 5 MP	Significantly weaken an enemy
True Outdoorsperson	Passive	+3 Resistance to all elements	Bean Runner	Passive	+75% Combat Initiative	Patent Medicine	Passive	You can make advanced patent tonics out of oils
Rugged Survivalist	Passive	Restore HP and MP after fights	Beanweaver	Passive	Doubles the enchantments of cans of beans Makes plates of beans more delicious and nutritious	Well-Oiled Guns	Passive	All skills involving your sixgun are more effective
Larger Than Life	Passive	Maximum MP +100% Maximum HP +100%	Beanstorm	Combat 15 MP	Deals significant damage of multiple elements	Good Medicine	Combat 5 MP	Restore some HP and briefly stun your enemy
Advanced skills
Unleash Cowrruption	Combat 30 Cowrruption	Unleash Cowrruption to disintegrate your enemies	Beancannon	Combat 15 MP	Destroy an off-hand can of beans to banish a foe for the rest of the day (up to 5 foes at once)	Long Con	Combat 30 MP	Mark a monster, making you more likely to encounter them (up to 5x/day)
Hard Drinker	Passive	+5 Liver Capacity	Prodigious Appetite	Passive	+5 Stomach Capacity	Tolerant Constitution	Passive	+5 Spleen Capacity
Walk: Cautious Prowl	Buff 40 MP	+50% Item Drops from Monsters	Walk: Prideful Strut	Buff 40 MP	+10 Stats Per Fight	Walk: Leisurely Amble	Buff 40 MP	+100% Meat from Monsters

Aftercore

Upon freeing the King, you will retain your West of Loathing class and skills and regain all your permed skills. Guilds and most rewards that rely on the six standard classes will remain inaccessible. Wandering monsters cease appearing. You may use items that grant skills to learn skills.

You regain access to your bookshelf. The Sea, Hobopolis, and The Slime Tube are accessible, but Dreadsylvania is not.

Council Text

See The Council of Loathing/Avatar of West of Loathing.

Strategy

• See Avatar of West of Loathing/Strategy for a discussion of speed strategies.

Rewards

• Finishing an Avatar of West of Loathing run that began while it was still the current special challenge path -- that is, between February 15th, 2016, and May 14th, 2016 -- gives players 100 (in Hardcore) or 50 (in Normal) extra karma points the next time they visit Valhalla.
• Players will receive a Thwaitgold scorpion statuette upon defeating Naughty Sorceress.
• Players receive additional skill points for use in future Avatar of West of Loathing runs - 1 point for normal and 2 for hardcore runs. These points correspond to the class of the completed run.

Ascension Paths
Teetotaler	Boozetafarian	Oxygenarian
Special Challenge Paths
Spring Summer Fall Winter 2011 None Bees Hate You Way of the Surprising Fist Trendy 2012 Avatar of Boris Bugbear Invasion Zombie Slayer Class Act 2013 Avatar of Jarlsberg BIG! KOLHS Class Act II: A Class For Pigs 2014 Avatar of Sneaky Pete Slow and Steady Heavy Rains Picky 2015 Actually Ed the Undying One Crazy Random Summer Community Service None 2016 Avatar of West of Loathing The Source Nuclear Autumn None 2017 Gelatinous Noob License to Adventure Live. Ascend. Repeat. None 2018 Pocket Familiars G-Lover Disguises Delimit None 2019 Dark Gyffte Two Crazy Random Summer Kingdom of Exploathing None 2020 Path of the Plumber Low Key Summer Grey Goo None 2021 You, Robot Quantum Terrarium Wildfire None 2022 Grey You Journeyman Fall of the Dinosaurs None 2023 Avatar of Shadows Over Loathing Legacy of Loathing A Shrunken Adventurer Am I None 2024 WereProfessor 11 Things I Hate About U Avant Guard None