Hexslinger

Version 0.20: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

Arcane Marksmen are Hunters who use debilitating spells to assist their ranged attacks. They are particularly good at keeping their enemies at a distance.

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.

Preferred Races

Formicid, Deep Elf, Kobold, Spriggan, Troll, and Centaur are the recommended races if you pick an Arcane Marksman Background.

Starting Equipment

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

• javelins, hunting sling, shortbow, hand crossbow
  • Those starting with a launcher start with 20 of the appropriate ammo (sling bullets, arrows, or bolts). Those starting with javelins start with 5 of them, as well as 2 throwing nets.
• +0 robe
• Book of Debilitation
• Bread ration

Starting Skills and Stats

These are adjusted by your species' aptitudes.

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

Choosing Arcane Marksman adds 2 to your starting Strength, 5 to your starting Intelligence and 5 to your starting Dexterity.

Strategy

Arcane Marksmen are fragile and dependent on a limited ammo supply to get them through tough fights. The first floors of the dungeon often have extra ammunition lying around, make sure to look for it. If you're low on ammo, the most effective strategy is to grab a decent melee weapon and use it in place of your ranged weapon in easy fight, while you keep training your ranged combat skill. 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, 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/Dodging, 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 surplus, and he'll eventually give you a well-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.

History

Prior to 0.17, teleport control combined with the blink spell allowed for semi-controlled blinks which was super useful for kiting even fast enemies.

Prior to 0.15, Arcane Marksmen starting with javelins didn't get any throwing nets.

Prior to 0.14, Arcane Marksmen started with 2 levels of Spellcasting.

In earlier versions of the game, ammunition for launchers was much less common in the early game. This required careful ammo management until supplies were found deeper in the dungeon.