Identifying Items by Usage

[snow]

In my experience it's safe to try on equipment once you have a large number of scrolls (a cursed blunt weapon can be a pain), scrolls are always safe to identify by reading (to actually identify them by reading there are some hoops to jump through... that's a different topic though), and potions are generally not safe to identify by drinking because you might get mutated.

So the general strategy is to wait until you have quite a few scrolls, then test them with a rat in sight with some jewelry on. Even if a scroll wouldn't identify by reading it you'll know what it is anyway by simply logical deduction (so there's no reason for it to not automatically identify but again that's another thread)... then once you have identify scrolls identified you should start using them on potions.

Yet even if you wildly spam random potions and do get mutated there are only a few really bad mutations and odds are you won't hit them... and if you do you're early enough in the game to just reset. This causes the item identification game to either be "try it out to see what it is" or an elaborate system by experienced players who are trying to streak... that heavily depends on a vast pool of knowledge involving item probabilities, how to actually identify things (yes, I do in fact attempt to blink and do other silly things after trying on an amulet), and at times can be frustrating.

I don't like this. I feel drinking potions should be safe or not safe... not rather safe with a small chance of frustrating you and making you want to reset. I also feel scrolls are a bit too safe... there was only one dangerous scroll and it was revamped to no longer be a threat.

I suggest, for one, to add potions of lose strength, dexterity, and intelligence to match their gain strength, dexterity, and intelligence counterparts. I would also suggest to add more dangerous scrolls... none of which would instantly kill you like immolation did, but like... maybe buff up scroll of summoning a bit and make a chance that the demon is hostile? Maybe a scroll of blasphemy that makes your god mad at you.

Also there should totally be a scroll of banishment.

[roctavian]

potions of lose strength, dexterity, and intelligence

called potions of degeneration, or mutation potions.

[snow]

You clearly missed the point.

Temporary effects to drinking potions are a joke and potions of mutation can be beneficial a good portion of the time. The point is to make randomly drinking potions worth it or not worth it... instead of worth it if you don't mind resetting your game if you get a bad mutation set.

[cerebovssquire]

there are only a few really bad mutations

And even less good mutations. Currently bad mutations that can actually be crippling include Teleportitis, Blurry Vision (yes, this has killed people), Berserkeritis, Wild Magic, and frail/low magic can hurt too.
Really good mutations, off the bat: cTele, +Blink, the resistances, who don't even help much early on since most damage is physical, um... um... yeah, that's about it.
The main thing that should keep you from quaffing !mut is that you can totally win the game (reliably) without good mutations. On the other hand, the mutations I listed above quite likely to kill you.

Also there should totally be a scroll of banishment.

"let's add unneccesary tedium to the game!"

Currently use-IDing is optimal in some cases, knowledge of which does not require spoilers but some memory and playing Crawl for a large amount. If you don't like amassing knowledge over time, and learning from former (fatal or crippling) mistakes, then I'm sorry but roguelikes don't seem like a good genre for you. I used to drink !mut a lot, then I saw that it liked to kill me, and I was told that it's a bad idea -> learning from mistakes. I once charged into Tomb:3 and almost got myself killed, so now I try to avoid that -> learning from mistakes.
Stuff like the Scroll of Banishment goes too far. Seriously, that has two effects: death sentence on lower characters which screams Amulet of Strangulation out loud and is exactly the reason why restricting ?immolation to D:5 and lower makes sense, harmless tedium on powerful ones.

If you think that the current scroll/potion system requires too much knowledge, I really don't see how adding more dangerous stuff helps. All this does is screw players who don't have the knowledge even more up.

Adding dangerous items should not add to tedium or death sentences but add to challenge (danger of type 1).

[o_O]

Ideas: Scroll of enshaftment (shafts you to the next uncleared level), scroll of draw 3 bad weighted mutations and choose one of them to receive [so its bad but not gamebreaking], Potion of rot, potion of manarot, scroll of antitraining (like a manual in reverse), potion of draining, maybe a potion that hastes and invisibles you with a little bonus contamination added in.

I have seen someone else suggest a scroll of "tukimate weapon", but maybe it could actually summon an animated weapon with a random unpleasant brand, because then it would be both useful and dangerous.

Edit: am I the only person who likes to eat the purple corpses until I get a mutation set I am happy with?

[XuaXua]

potions of lose strength, dexterity, and intelligence

called potions of degeneration, or mutation potions.

Degeneration is just temporary.

[cerebovssquire]

Potion of rot

This is already in. (called "decay" though)

Also, your Scroll of Enshaftment has severe balance issues. Namely, you can just shaft yourself down instantly. Granted: this will possibly put you from the frying-pan into the fire. However, so can ?teleport. It's a bit like a distortion unwield that carries no additional risk of damage, teleport+confusion, glow and malign gateway and that has a much better chance of saving you (and has no tedium or severe danger for low-level chars attachted, woo!).
If it had a ?teleport-like delay "You feel the ground crumbling beneath you..." it would basically be similar to ?teleport that is worse (if the level is already explored or you have cTele) or better (if the level is really bad in general).
I don't think it's bad, it is, in fact, one of the best ideas in this thread so far in my opinion. However, it's not very unique.

It would also be ridiculous in ziggurats and unique Pan levels if not disabled there.
In addition, shafting yourself down a level allows instant access to a rune of Zot or the Orb of Zot itself, if both levels are mapped and the player knows about rune vaults or the Orb Chamber.

[Galefury]

One interesting thing about the shaft scroll would be that it doesn't work in branch ends.

[jejorda2]

One interesting thing about the shaft scroll would be that it doesn't work in branch ends.

Maybe shafts in branch ends should always lead to the abyss.