A Newbie says hello! (Questions inside)

[Oramin]

Really, it depends on what you find/buy. For example, if you find Sting and some Dragon Scale Mail, you really don't need the ranged weapon (as long as you have Free action from something).

As I said, I play conservatively, if I have a close call on a level, I grind that level, taking expensive stuff upstairs to sell (assuming you aren't using the "No Sell" option). The Black Market frequently has good stuff.

The first 10 levels or so, I'm usually wearing 2 Rings of Protection for the extra AC without the extra weight.

So, I'd play conservatively, I think Timo was the one who said he dives like a lunatic. Until you get more experience, I'd recommend the conservative style.

[Alice]

Thanks for being patient with me--I guess my priorities are a bit skewed.
In those cases where I haven't found that Longbow (+5, +5) by 500' (etc.), would you recommend that I slow down and allow my gear to catch up, or dive still deeper and take my lack of finds in stride?

[Oramin]

Ok, let me tell you now, as somebody who has a conservative play style and has multiple winners (look for the thread I started) - it isn't your conservative play style that is causing the problem. It is your gear.

By the time you've managed to hit 550' (L11), I would expect you to have - at a minimum - a (+5, +5) Long Bow.

Also, "don't enter the dungeon naked - the monsters will laugh at you". You still don't seem to be wearing a helmet.

The first 15 to 20 levels of the dungeon, upgrade your armor.

[Alice]

Why aren't you wearing any armor?

I never started with any, and had hoped I would find something in my first trip.

It's actually the first thing I remedied after posting that, lol. I updated the character dump with the armors.

[Oramin]

Why aren't you wearing any armor?

[Alice]

Salutations! Before continuing, I would like to extend a very warm thank-you to the maintainers (and original creators) for such a fantastic game.

Now--I am not 'new' to Angband, in the sense that I've only just started playing. Rather, I've not succeeded to get much further than clvl 15 in most of my playthroughs over the years, and I attribute that to my overly-conservative playstyle and resistance to diving out of my safe-zone. My Angband career has essentially been a vicious cycle of early-grinding.

To help facilitate my change in style, I've decided I was going to use disconnected stairs (to discourage cheap escapes) and force myself to carry consumables and escapes as I find/afford them, and make it a priority to dive as quickly as my sanity will allow to 1000' (picking up things on the way, of course).

At the moment I am playing a clvl 11 Elf Ranger at 550' who has already had several close calls (the most recent being an open room full of wolves which I eventually killed) and I am about to head back into town to replenish !C*W and ?PD before going any deeper.

Is there anything specific that I might have to look out for between 500'-1000' that might be dangerous to face without prior knowledge? (I'll post a dump when my inventory makes sense and doesn't look like such a mess)

Also, what does the (xN) multiplier on the bows represent? Is it a critical multiplier for the launcher, and damage itself is determined by arrows fired?
I have a Longbow (+5, +3) and a Shortbow (+5, +5), and I was wondering which between these I should use.

Lastly, is it smart to conserve identify scrolls for jewelry and test-by-use everything else, now that sticky curses are out in 3.4?

Edit: Here is my character in the ladder, which I will keep up-to-date.