thanks a lot for the replies
would you say that
"3. Bows will rarely give you the damage output of, say, spears, but you can do respectable amounts. You can also shoot from a distance and you're much less likely to be parried, and you can't get a riposte. You'll definitely want an archer or two, and it's possible to make an effective archer-only fighter."
and
"Regarding #1, remember also that experience earned scales with your level. Even a 45% experience penalty only translates to being about 3 levels behind for most of the game"
are true for avernum 1-5 + nethergate
even if one was to go as many experience penalties as possible with slith + expensive traits