Conservation (mostly of scrolls)

[joellercoaster]

So...

I'm standing at the upstairs Elf:1, contemplating the multiple spellcasters arrayed in front of me in a nice open area (plus annoying unique who worries me much less and shall remain nameless, but let's say he has questionable facial hair).

I remember what happened last time on E:1 and (less so, corridors are great once you get down to them) E:2 - all my scrolls got burned to a crisp by said fragile-but-pyro-happy Deep Elves in short order.

Do people without Conservation dump all their scrolls before venturing down? Pack just a few essentials? Wait until they do have it? Drive meat shields in front of them?

I'm going to give the first one a try.

[Stormfox]

I tend to wait till I find conservation before attempting Elf. It's a relatively common amulet.

Barring that, the scrolls you need the most down there are teleport and blink (isn't that true for most of the mid- and endgame?), and the first can be covered with a wand and the second with a low-level spell, so if I have a couple of teleport wands, I'll dump the scrolls and head on in.

Under no circumstances do I attempt Elf without see invisible. I suppose Corona would fill the bill, but the characters I play who end up with that spell tend to be spriggans.

[lucy_ferre]

I usually drop my scrolls and potions, unless I have a cloak of preservation or some method of disabling the elves (confusion or silence).