So - while trying to make viable "Legolas" elf [Short Blades and Archery], I came up with a really nice robust build to get a good hunter going. The trick? *DON'T* start as a Hunter! Pick Conjurer instead!
I'm posting the vids as I go along on youtube: (see Elf-3):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSjcdInlCE4 . Suffice it to say it's going VERY well thusfar.
The method (warning-very detailed)Mephitic Cloud (is an incredibly powerful spell throughout the early and midgame. It gives the player the choice to flee from many many MANY fights that otherwise he would be obligated to fight. It gives +5 to hit with melee attacks and an opportunity for stabbing damage. It can drown enemies in deep water. It is a Lvl3 spell and thus can be made hungerless during the course of an ordinary run.
So why not use it on a melee character?
The class you choose for your character in Dungeon Crawl is far less significant than in most RPG settings. The skill aptitudes, your HP, and your intrinsic abilities are all determined by your race. The only really notable thing your opening can do is set your Str, Int, and Dex - which does a lot to limit what you can and can't specialize in later. It also affects what items you are given when you start the game and your *initial* distribution of skill masteries.
Let's say I want to run a Legolas. The instinct is: pick Hunter class. They start with 25 +1 arrows, a bow and short sword, 6 skill levels in bows, and str:dex of 11:15 [[bows require str:dex in a roughly 2:10 ratio]]. So your roll it, and it's great; you deal lots of damage and all is well, but you are RELIANT on getting good escape items, extra ammo for your bow, and have no way of dealing with special cases. In short: without luckily finding some blink/teleport scrolls and happening to avoid tough ghosts, you're gonna be crossing your fingers and hoping they die before they reach you.
My alternative is - play an Elven Conjurer (not a wizard!). You start the game with Str:Dex of 7:15 (still well within the 2:10 recommended, with solid dex), you have no arrows, no bow, and no dagger. You *do* have magic dart to get you going but - (and here's the exciting part) - right off the bat Mephitic Cloud is "Fair"! That's a 60% chance of successfully casting. Further, you gain spell levels each time you level up, so by the time you're Lvl3, you'll have enough spell levels to memorize it... and it doesn't take a whole lot of EXP to level a few magic schools (Spellcasting. Poison. Air) up to lvl 1/2 to make it reliable quickly - especially since ELVES HAVE HIGH MAGIC APTITUDES!!!!
So now the issues:
--> Doesn't it suck to not have a bow/dagger at the start?
Well - truthfully...not that much! Think about it, at the start of the game your magic dart is about as good as your +1 arrows (Conjuration skill:5). Now it's gonna drop off in usefulness, no question, since we aren't focus-levelling magic. But by then we'll have enough short blade skill to cover us. As for not starting with weapons:
1.) Your starting weapon is RARELY your final weapon, you're bound to find something better.
2.) Daggers/Short Blades are common on the first floors. You'll have your weapon soon enough.
3.) Bow&Arrow ammo mulches (IMO) fast enough that you're likely gonna be out of ammo by floor 3/4 as a hunter. Unless you get lucky pickups (pesky to rely on!). Your first real influx of extra arrows (>100) will come when you start killing centaurs; and they will also give you the bow later; so no risk of never getting that. [Seriously, when have you ever NOT met a centaur pre-Lair?].
4.) Consider how much *rarer* it is to find a spellbook that happens to have some nice Lvl1 spell you can train on as well as Mephitic Cloud. In my Elf-3 run I've cleared most the lair and STILL haven't found a spellbook like my first.
--> Won't you take an EXP hit for trying to go magic *and* melee/archery?
Again, not really - certainly not as much as you'd think. There are two aspects to this: being 'weak' with your weapons while you try to train them up to Lvl5+, and net-loss of EXP that you 'misallocate' to magic.
As far as being weak with weapons is concerned, as long as you get in a few hits and then turn the Short Blade skill on, nothing stops you from training the dagger while "leaning" on your (at first) more powerful magical attacks. Quickly though, your short blade skill overtakes it; especially considering the synergy between stabbing and mephitic cloud!
Loss to EXP is even easier to understand. Like many game systems, levelling takes exponential increases in EXP. It takes less EXP by far to go from Lvl0->5 Spellcasting/Conjurations than it does to from Lvl5->9. As such, enemies you're fighting later in the game give enough XP to hyper level leaving you at WORST 1-2 skill levels behind where a "pure archer" might have been. Also - Okuwaru's first ability lets you temporarily boost ALL your skills by +5; rendering a mild difference kinda moot. Throw in the fact that you have mephitic cloud and the utility speaks for itself.
--> I can't wear ring-mail/chain-mail/plate armour if I'm trying to preserve my stupid magery!
This is only a somewhat-valid concern, because it pre-supposes: that you're going to *find* appropriate armors. Granted, you almost always will, and Okuwaru will help in the long-run, but it bears mentioning that trying to buff your AC increases your reliance on dungeon-generated stuffs.
However, even if you do, Mephitic Cloud is a somewhat low-level spell (Lvl3); and as such with a decent amount of Armor and Spellcasting training, the hit to its casting reliability can be overcome. In the video series, I found Troll-Leather armor which I have been wearing thusfar in *addition* to wearing a buckler/shield. Besides, I'd rather have a Mephitic Cloud than a "+5 to AC" against the vast majority of opponents anyway.
Finally, there's the really awesome part: you *AREN'T* a mage! Unlike my SprigganConjurer runs which are reliant on getting a tier-2 spell book (preferrably Isekundurun's Mystic Blast), which often leaves you scrambling for tricks to kill spikey frogs with, the dagger/bow side of your damage output climbs far more steadily and predictably! Further, Oka starts gifting awesome ammunition much sooner than Vehument gifts better magic books. All these things put together I'm starting to reconsider the viability and entertainment value of a real Robin-Hood build!
Elves aren't Centaurs. What they lack in speed they make up for in magic aptitude. If you're not making use of t hat, then you're not taking full advantage of your Elf. But don't take my word for it. Check the vids - see for yourself; and then try rolling it
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-AHMAD
Tuesday, 27th September 2011, 00:06 
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. But I've been trying out HOFE in trunk and it actually plays very similarly - maybe even better as you get more MP and have better spellcasting/conjurations aptitude.
