Enchanter

Version 0.14: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

The Enchanter specialises in the subtle art of hexes. Instead of directly damaging foes, hexes disable and debilitate them, allowing the Enchanter to finish the helpless creatures in combat. The Enchanter begins with lightly enchanted weapons and armour, as well as the Corona spell and some enchanted darts, which should help them out until they can use the higher level hexes.

Enchanters are mages who have specialised in the more subtle area of Hexes. Although not as directly powerful as Conjurations, high-level Hexes offer a wide range of very handy effects.

Preferred Races

Deep Elf, Halfling, Kobold, Spriggan, Naga, and Vampire are the recommended races if you pick an Enchanter Background.

Starting Equipment

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

• +1, +1 dagger
• 12 darts
• +1 robe
• Book of Maledictions
• Bread ration
• 20 gold

Starting Skills and Stats

These are adjusted by your species' aptitudes.

• Short Blades: 1
• Throwing: 1
• Dodging: 2
• Stealth: 2
• Spellcasting: 2
• Hexes: 3

Choosing Enchanter adds 7 to your starting Intelligence and 5 to your starting Dexterity.

Strategy

Enchanters begin play with the Corona spell memorized.

Their starting focus in short blades and stealth, coupled with their spell book full of debilitating hexes like Ensorcelled Hibernation and Confusion, makes Enchanters well suited to a career as stabbers, disabling anything that hears them coming with sorcery before striking with lethal results. Just be prepared to branch out, as enemies with high MR/magic immunity can cause some serious problems if you don't take them out in one hit!

Species with +4 to Hexes

In 0.15 the Invisibility spell is gone from the Book of Maledictions, rendering this tactic just about useless (unless you find a Book of Burglary).

If you play an Enchanter as a race with +4 to Hexes, you can focus Hexes and rush Invisibility by level 6. Pick up only Ensorcelled Hibernation; you'll have to leave Confuse alone if you want enough spell levels for Invisibility. Your initial Stealth and Short Blades skill will give your stabs (barely) enough oomph to slaughter early game monsters. You should be able to kill just about anything short of ogres.

Once you hit level 6, learn Invisibility, spam it til it succeeds (Hexes miscasts are trivial), and enjoy killing everything.

Afterwards, you can alternate between stealth and weapon skill and proceed as normal. There are likely safer tactics towards early game Enchanter building but being able to cast Invisibility at dungeon level 4 is very entertaining. Just make sure you don't leave any ghosts, or your future characters will be sad...

This strategy is extremely effective with vampires; they don't hunger at Bloodless, gain a stealth boost from Bloodless-ness, have +5 in Stealth (so they start with 3 Stealth skill, good for stabbing), and compensate the lack of regeneration while empty by stabbing things.

History

Prior to 0.14, Enchanters started with only 1 level of Spellcasting.