Hexslinger

Version 0.10: 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 die a lot early on no matter what you do. They're 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 (of whatever type your species has aptitudes for) and use it in place of your ranged weapon for a while. Bows may be the most reliable of the ranged weapon choices early on as they are easy to find ammo for early on while still doing respectable damage.

Reserve your ammo for nastier stuff like gnolls and adders. Always use the highest enchantment ammo first. This is because more damage = fewer shots and enchanted ammo mulches less often. Save up all the +0 missiles you can, along with all your scrolls of enchant weapon until you can collect a stack of at least 600 missiles to enchant. Enchant them all in one go (remember to fold in already-enchanted stacks into the master pile as you go) up to at least +4, but preferably +5 or +6, even if you burn through a bunch of scrolls to do it.

Corona everything you don't overpower, preferably twice to stack the effect, 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. A decent bow, a big stack of +5 or higher 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 a decent artifact longbow too, which is nice since they are relatively rare. 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

In version 0.11 it will not be possible to enchant ammo using enchant weapon scrolls. Mulch rates have been decreased, and damage has been increased.