Hexslinger

Version 0.12: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

Arcane Marksmen are ranged combat specialists who complement their attacks with Hexes magic. What the Skald is to the Fighter, the Arcane Marksman is to the Hunter. Arcane Marksmen enter the Dungeon with the Corona spell in memory.

Starting Equipment

Some species may receive different items based on their unique restrictions.

• javelins, sling, bow or crossbow of your choice
• +0 robe
• Book of Debilitation
• Bread ration
• 50 gold

Starting Skills

These are adjusted by your species' aptitudes.

• Fighting: 1
• Chosen Weapon's Skill: 2
• Dodging: 2
• Spellcasting: 2
• Hexes: 3

Strategy

Arcane Marksmen are fragile and dependent on a limited ammo supply to get them through tough fights. The most effective strategy is to grab a decent melee weapon (e.g. quarterstaves, scimitars, morning stars, ...) and use it in place of your ranged weapon in easy fights to save ammo, while you keep training your ranged combat skill. Bows may be the most reliable of the ranged weapon choices early on as their ammo is easy to find while still doing respectable damage. Reserve your ammo for nastier stuff like gnolls and adders.

Corona everything you don't overpower, regardless of whether you're shooting or going hand-to-hand. Slow often takes several castings to apply but can enable a kiting strategy for things you can't melee safely. Inner Flame can be tricky to pull off but is very effective against groups, especially if you can combine it with Portal Projectile. Cause Fear is both a great panic button and offensive tool, but doesn't work on undead or demons, so have fun with it in the Lair branches!

Look for Blink combined with Control Teleport, and Summon Butterflies with Portal Projectile -- those are fantastic utilities for a ranged player throughout the entire game. Eventually, you'll want to be able to cast Haste and Deflect Missiles as well. That's really all you need to sweep through most branches. An enchanted bow, a big stack of arrows, and a handful of spells. You'll have a lot of experience left over, so pour it into Fighting, Armour, and Stealth.

Okawaru is a decent choice for playing it safe since his ammo gifts will help ease the strain on you until you build up a big stack to enchant. He might eventually give you an enchanted longbow too. If you find yourself running low on ammo, dive deeper into the main Dungeon or head for the Vaults. Centaurs and yaktaurs are eager to help you reload.

Notes

Prior to 0.11 it was possible to enchant ammo using enchant weapon scrolls.