@Derakon--
I think you are overthinking this. The chances of Wormtongue dropping something useful after dl 30 or so are exceedingly slim anyway, far less than even a scroll of acquirement. A single "excellent" (DL+10)/2 item just doesn't have much value at depth. The value of delaying killing Wormtongue already becomes negative very quickly after around DL 20. The issue is fundamentally that you shouldn't be able to use him as a piggy bank by stealing a large number of ego items. It seems that the solution should be other than special pleading on drop quality.
I think you are overthinking this. The chances of Wormtongue dropping something useful after dl 30 or so are exceedingly slim anyway, far less than even a scroll of acquirement. A single "excellent" (DL+10)/2 item just doesn't have much value at depth. The value of delaying killing Wormtongue already becomes negative very quickly after around DL 20. The issue is fundamentally that you shouldn't be able to use him as a piggy bank by stealing a large number of ego items. It seems that the solution should be other than special pleading on drop quality.
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