The scale armor was augmented for evasion; not even the scorpions could hit me. I waltzed through the demon halls without worries.
I also had a RoW +1 and a robber's armband, and at some point had more than 10,000 gold. I had never had more than 3,000 before. Overall, I collected almost 21,000 gold; all my previous wins hovered around 14,000.
There are three (!) stones of enchantment, not even in hidden rooms. And five experience potions!
If you're struggling with food without Horn of Plenty, have you tried consistently letting yourself starve to somewhere between 50-80% of your max health before eating?
I have but on those runs my death rate jumps through the roof. My health, at least until I get chainmail or get lucky with +2 weapon, is always somewhere between 50-80%. Maybe I play too haphazardly.
It might just be a matter of being more efficient with your route, or occasionally letting go of rooms if you're already hungry to move on a little quicker.
Yes, just food drops, potions of healing and dew. This particular seed has an ample supply of food as well. In general, I used to struggle with food management, but lately I've improved this aspect of the game and seldom run out of food. Some ideas:
Make sure to move diagonally when possible to save one turn.
Convert all mistery meats to edible meat.
Get the small rations from the shops.
Imbue the blandfruit with a seed of icecap or firebloom. Besides serving as a thrown weapon, they leave some food behind. It lasts for a long time!
Try not to go back and forth through a level -- minimize the amount of turns you spend moving.
The potions of honeyed healing (healing potion + shattered honeypot) also provide a bit of satiety.