Authors note: Since writing this essay nearly a year ago, I have dropped mace fighting in favor of magery. The information here is still valid, but I found that meleeing monsters on level 4 and 5 maps was simply not an option for me, and on level 3's I could only engage a few of the monsters. Being a treasure hunter and having invested skill points into cartography, lockpicking and mining did not leave me with enough room to fully develop the fighter side. The combination of t-hunter / mace fighter did work extremely well on level 1 and 2's however, and was a lot of fun on those levels.

Treasure hunting is an exciting and rewarding pastime, but there is more to it than decoding a map and digging up the chest. The guardian monsters must be dealt with, and this is where the treasure hunter/fighter plays double duty.

An organized, well-prepared party makes for a better hunt. Remember that as guide of the treasure hunt, it is your responsibility to ensure that your party knows what to expect and what is expected of them. Weaker fighters should not be in the front lines; mages should keep one eye on the health of others; ghosts should wait for the spawn to die before begging for a res.

The first thing, of course, is to get your party to the site and dig up the chest. I like to bring the party to the location and dig up a "spot" where the chest will be, then stop the dig and re-organize the group. If the chest is near the water, and is a level 3 map or higher, I use a boat as a safe zone. Make sure everyone knows how to get from the chest to the boat quickly, and get them to stand on the boat side of the chest so they don't get trapped. When using this method, the monsters are led to the boat and not fought at the chest site. Party members can choose to stay on the boat or fight on the ground. Having a healer stay on board watching people's health is a good idea.

If a boat is not an option, spend a few minutes scouting the area for other structures you can use as a safe zone or to trap harder monsters. Mountains, rocks, houses, trees and clumps of weeds can all be used to your advantage. The worst thing is to have the party members panic and scatter. If they know what to do BEFORE three ogre lords spawn, your hunt will be much more fun for all.

Once safe zones and roles are established, it's show time...dig up that chest! Weaker members should stand further back or be hidden; they can join the attack once the monsters are targeted on the stronger, more experienced fighters. I try to hide just as the chest comes to the surface, but you may also try teleporting or recalling to a safe spot; anything to get you away from the initial outburst of monsters who will all have you as their first target. If you are not using magic to escape, hold your weapon while you are digging. I am still quite a weakling, so I try to get behind a monster someone else is fighting and bash on it with my mace from there.

Once the monsters in the first wave are all dead, it's time to regroup for looting. Give everyone time to collect themselves, resurrect the dead, heal and regain mana etc. before unlocking the chest. Take your gloves off (yes, it helps), pick the lock, get everyone to stand clear and cast telekinesis on the chest to remove the trap. (note: this assumes that as a fighting t-hunter you do not have room for remove traps, which is of course the alternative to telekinesis)

At this point, I assume the role of a fighter and let the map owner start to loot. Each item taken from the chest may trigger a spawn, so it is best to loot higher level chests slowly. If you can avoid more than one tough monster at a time, why not take advantage of it?

Helping to fight the monsters can make the treasure hunt more fun for the treasure guide, but remember that your primary role is to find the chest, dig it up and get it open. Most parties that you work for will be eager to fight the monsters themselves; that (and the loot) is what they came for. Being willing to step back and only getting involved if needed will help make you a popular guide.