[dogscoff]

drinking from fountains and kicking sinks is statistically a very bad proposition

Hell no, I always kick the first sink I come across. As a wizard with a nice erodeproof quarterstaff, black puddongs are nothing more than a tasty snack and XP-excercise. ANd they dish out intrinsics as well. Then there's a chance you'll find a ring as well, which ionly leaves the foocubs, which is sometimes good, sometimes bad. As for fountains, I always use them asap to make something worthwhile out of my useless potions and scrolls, and to hell with the consequences. THe only bad consequence really worth worrying about is the hostile water demon. Most anything else can be dealt with fairly easily if you're patient. Oh, and the water nymphs... Why do they ALWAYS go straight for my ]oMR?