Editing 40d:Ambusher

| color      = 2:0

| specialty  = Hunter

| job name  = [[Hunting]]

* Hunt}}

{{av}}

 

[[Dwarves]] with the '''hunting''' [[labor]] enabled automatically use the '''ambusher''' skill while hunting outside of the fortress, which allows them to sneak up on their prey.  Dwarves using the ambush skill move more [[speed|slowly]], but cannot be seen by enemies.  Once close enough, the ambusher skill is no longer relevant, and the hunter will engage in standard [[combat]] with their prey using whatever [[weapon]] they are carrying.  If a hunter carries no weapon, they will [[Wrestling|wrestle]] their prey.

A dwarf with the hunting labor enabled will sleep outside and drink water, causing unhappy thoughts. It may thus be necessary to watch the mood of a full-time hunter and take him off the job in time. Make sure he drops the [[waterskin]] or don't produce any in the first place.

In [[adventurer mode]], ambusher skill is gained by moving around while {{key|S}}neaking.  This will greatly reduce your [[speed]] just as it does in dwarf mode, but will cause hostile [[creatures]] to not attack you.  Until you un{{key|S}}neak 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.  Ambusher also helps prevent encounters from enemies while traveling on the world map.

You can assign [[Dog#Hunting_Dogs|hunting dog]]s to [[hunter]]s, as they will sneak just as the hunter. [[Dog#War_Dogs|War dog]]s 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.{{verify}} Actual hunting dogs seem to be even less effective, arriving a minute late with your dwarf laying down in a coma.{{verify}}

 

You should consider training hunters in wrestling in order for them to defend themselves.  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 incapacitated, and is the only option if a weapon is dropped or stuck in the animal.  If your hunters use crossbows (as is recommended), you should also consider training them in [[Weapon skill|hammerdwarf]] skill, as a crossbow is used with this skill if an animal engages in melee against a marksdwarf, and hunters will fight to the death even if they run out of [[bolt]]s.  Without bolts, he must fight with the butt of the crossbow which is counted as a weak [[Dwarven_weapon#War_hammer|hammer]].  

Using your military to hunt (with the "chase dangerous animals" setting) can be safer and more efficient than using hunters, particularly if they are agile enough to simply outrun the creatures.  However, you may find that they maim an animal so badly that they refuse to fight it any more, as they no longer consider it a threat.  If there are no other huntable animals on the map, it is generally safe to send an otherwise untrained dwarf with high statistics and a melee weapon (e.g. a woodcutter or miner) out to hunt it.  However, be warned that hunters will not stop their current hunt if you disable their hunting labor; hence, your dwarf may end up hunting whatever creatures spawn next, with potentially suicidal results.  This may be avoidable by disabling the labor while hunting or returning the kill, or drafting the dwarf in question after the kill has been returned.

A hunter armed with a [[crossbow]] will increase both his [[Marksman|marksdwarf]] and ambusher [[skill]]s.