Starting as archer without smithing

[Philip]

Ah yeah, forgot about that. Perhaps the effect should be magnified? I would like to see shelob and a gwathrauko teaming up.
EDIT: What I had in mind was a system where the monster figures out whether trying to move to darkness makes sense and then does it, like archers already do. Inevitably their retreat would drive them into a monster you can pin him against or a shadow bat/spider. Then the fun begins as they turn around.

[Fendell Orcbane]

I always thought that shadow spiders should come in packs - otherwise you can occassionally see them with a large light radius.

My non-archers are always tripping over bows in the early levels. I'd suggest playing a non-archer and then switching once you've tricked the RNG into generating a bow.

Yes ! This is what I tend to do : ) lol. Granted I just tend to play with what I find so if I find a bow early on, I tend to get some archery. But if I have a high strength character and I find a great sword early on...then its melee all the way. But honestly I think with 1.1.1 its pretty easy to find a bow...much easier than before, I was surprised when I played the comp at how many bows were turning up.

[wobbly]

Taking Spriniting from the start also works till you find a bow. A pt or 2 in melee + power isn't much of an investment either.

[Arjen]

Thank everybody for some good advice how to start! (And some ideas about lasershooting hoards of cyborg-shadowspider?)

[reatter]

Tried to play a smith, and the first bow I found was a 1d7 at 550' with clock at 300'! Bad luck. Next game I find a shortbow of Gondolin and poisened arrows at 150'...