Rogue-likes! (not a discussion of the correct use of the term)

[Kaptin Keen]

That said, all I can say is counter with my own anecdote that my Priests always get a lot of spells.

As do mine. I can't tell you how many books of ... Darkness, Slow Poison, Cure Light Wounds, and so on, and so forth ... I've found. Just no offensive bang-bang.

How far do you get before dying?

That depends. But the pattern is simple enough: I reach a point at which my damage output is too low. Generally, physical damage. Characters with healing spells just don't cut it in melee - and casters eventually run out of mana, and then they die. And I have ranged skills trained on everyone obviously.

I've died at the last two levels of PC, died to Keethrax, died quite many times in SMC. Started CoC only twice, and reached Dwarf Town only on my troll beastfighter.

Oh, and I've died quite a few times at levels 1 or 2 or so, because of being too careless. Actually, a goblin rockthrower one-shot me in the Secret Camp once. Literally from max to zero with one stone. Bloody runt! =)