Tuesday, 28th February 2017, 17:35 by stoneychips
I don't usually spend identify on scrolls. I usually read-ID. If you can hold off most opponents, then you can save this process until you have a range of things that various scrolls will apply to. It's nice to be able to read-ID lots of scrolls when you just tried on a bunch of items at once (good chance of remove curse in a big collection of scrolls), when you have a wand you like (recharging may show up), when you have a weapon you like for a while (enchant or brand weapon), or when you're on a floor with a branch whose entrance clock is ticking away and you'd like to go there (mapping). Generally, though, I'll read off a big list of unknown scrolls around entering D:3. Sometimes D:4 or D:5.
Stronger characters can afford to read-ID only until they get the more important scrolls for them (Teleportation and Mapping come to mind), and read-ID some more in combat if they're careful about timing. You might pop a random Fear, Blinking, or Summoning at a useful time this way. Just don't try to read-ID a long list of scrolls in a combat after you're actually already getting slammed, unless you really have no other options. Ideally, you want to do that before you don't have an exit. Standing on a stairwell, still apart from the mobs is nice.
A noteable exception about scrolls is in Lair. If you have tried out most of the scroll types found in the Dungeon, then by Lair there's a good chance that an unknown scroll will be Silence, Summoning, Torment, Acquirement, Brand Weapon, Holy Word, or Vulnerability. None of these show up very often, and some of them are extremely useful to save. Or at least, to choose your time for them. This is also a good reason not to test unknown scrolls that showed up in Lair while in combat... Unless you have already seen the ones you are vulnerable to, or you're totally desperate for any change you might get.
I've rarely waited for a second instance of potions if all I get is a string of singles. It isn't absolutely fatal to identify a stand-alone potion type as soon as you can. Sometimes that single potion will be a lifesaver against an early unique. You'll also sometimes know whether it's worth wading through risky stuff to pick up a few potions, which you might otherwise have not identified yet. But it might be better to wait in the long run, I just don't know.
There is a fair chance that big unknown stacks of early potions will be Curing, but it isn't foolproof. Sometimes they're Mutation or even Degeneration. But if you just got fatally poisoned by an adder, it's a good place to look!
I'm a bit bullish about potions in early game. If a combat is going badly or the opposition simply looks frightening and I can't retreat to outrun/LOS the opponent (you want to avoid this situation but it happens), then I will quaff potions like crazy hoping to get a big boost. There are quite a lot of boost potions that can help living and mutable species in melee. Berserk, Lignification, Might, Haste, Agility -- all can make a huge difference. Sometimes you get a bad result, but fairly often you get a buff and now you'll recognize that potion type. Desperate measures for desperate times.
Probably obvious, but: If you see an early shop with cheap potions and scrolls you don't have ID'd yet in inventory, buy up as many different types as you can. Certainly the types you want to use. This will save ID scrolls for others.
- For this message the author stoneychips has received thanks:
- VeryAngryFelid