40d:Ambusher

Skill: Ambusher

Association
Profession	Ranger
Job Title	Ambusher
Labor	Hunting
Tasks
Hunt
Workshop
None

Dwarves assigned to hunt automatically use the ambusher skill while hunting outside of the fortress, allowing them to sneak silently upon their prey. Dwarves using the ambush skill move slower, but cannot be seen by enemies. As an ambusher gets closer to his prey, there is a greater and greater chance he will be spotted and stop ambushing. The ambusher's chances improve as her skill improves.

You can assign hunting dogs to hunters, as they will sneak just as the hunter. War dogs die more often for hunters even if they are stronger, since the dogs outrun the sneaking hunter and thus the hunter never gets the first shot and sometimes never even has time to arrive at the combat before the dog is either dead or wounded.

Dwarves can hunt with any weapon or even unarmed, but a crossbow is the most sensible choice, due to its range.

You should consider training them with hammers and in wrestling in order for them to defend themselves. This is since a hunter will fight to the death even if he runs out of bolts. Without bolts, he must fight with the butt of the crossbow which is counted as a weak hammer. Wrestling is his last resort if the hunter drops his crossbow in the fight. Wrestling will help him to break the jaw-grips that the enemy critter places on him, and will help the dwarf wrestle on his own and even place his own jaw grips if both of his hands are incapatiated.

A hunter picks a mark which he pursues. Upon killing the mark, a hunter will carry it home to the butchery. A hunter may kill other creatures that are closer to them than the fleeing mark he is intent on catching. This happens frequently with crossbows due to their range. They will ignore the accidental carcass and only bring home a carcass they have marked beforehand. This means that sometimes multiple dead critters per hunt will be lying about and start rotting around the map if you do not set the refuse orders to 'gather refuse from outside' (corpses count as refuse). If you do this and have a good system of stockpiles, available dwarf haulers and a map free of menacing critters (the hunters should accomplish this just fine), then you should have the outside of your fort just as tidy as the inside, and will be able to salvage the corpses.

The same caution is advised to the slaughtering process. Hunters will drop carcasses directly into the butchery, which will make it cluttered very fast. Animals upon being butchered explode into chunks, meat, skin, bones, fat and skull, and the clutter will make the butcher work many times slower. Stockpiles and haulers are required, or your animal corpses will rot even while in the butchery and you will lose the skin, the meat and the fat (food). Bones and skulls can be salvaged even from rotting corpses.

If you don't have a good stocking and hauling system, you will not get more than half of the kill, and the craftsdwarf unfortunate enough to need the bones from the rotted critters will have to go out alone several times to get them every time which places a huge strain on production speed and safety.

Dwarves who enter the game with at least 'Ambusher' rank in the ambushing skill will each get normal-quality extra equipment instead of the normal equipment carried by other dwarves. All of this equipment is worn at once. Immigrating hunter dwarves and dwarves who start with 3 ranks of ambushing (18 points) will get these benefits.

They start out with a crossbow made of Bismuth bronze, Bronze, Copper or Iron. In addition they recieve a steel cap, and a giant spider silk or cloth quiver containing 30 to 40 steel bolts. They recieve leather armor, leather leggings, a leather helm, and leather high boots. The default shoes will be replaced by the boots.

In adventure mode, ambusher is skilled up by Sneaking and walking about. This will greatly reduce your speed just as it does in dwarf mode, but will cause hostile creatures not to attack you. Until you unSneak or someone spots you, you will gain a small amount of experience in ambushing with every step. Presently, smashing a creature's skull in with your bare hands does not count as being spotted, so the best way to tell if you're still sneaking is to check your speed in the bottom right of the screen.

See also

• Meat industry

V · T · E Skills
Miner	Miner
Woodworker	Bowyer · Carpenter · Wood cutter
Stoneworker	Engraver · Mason
Ranger	Ambusher · Animal caretaker · Animal dissector · Animal trainer · Trapper
Farmer	Brewer · Butcher · Cheese maker · Cook · Dyer · Grower · Herbalist · Lye maker · Milker · Miller · Potash maker · Soaper · Tanner · Thresher · Wood burner
Fishery worker	Fish cleaner · Fish dissector · Fisherdwarf
Metalsmith	Armorsmith · Furnace operator · Metal crafter · Blacksmith · Weaponsmith
Jeweler	Gem cutter · Gem setter
Craftsdwarf	Bone carver · Clothier · Glassmaker · Leatherworker · Stone crafter · Strand extractor · Weaver · Wood crafter
Engineer	Mechanic · Pump operator · Siege engineer · Siege operator
Administrator	Appraiser · Building designer · Organizer · Record keeper
Military	General Armor user · Shield user · Wrestler Dwarven Axeman · Crossbowman · Hammerman · Maceman · Spearman · Swordsman Other Blowgunner · Bowman · Knife user · Lasher · Pikeman
Social	Broker Comedian · Conversationalist · Flatterer · Intimidator · Judge of intent · Liar · Negotiator · Persuader Other Consoler · Pacifier
Other/Peasant	Swimmer · Thrower
Unused	Alchemist · Druid · Tracker