videopete: Man is this game tough. Whether its finding enough food, or attempting to brave the dungeons. I wonder do levels affect what random encounters you get, I personally find that getting stuff done and then closeing out the game resets enemy encounters back to skeletons and goblins and such low level threats.
pickle136: You have to steal food from towns and attack the villagers for XP.
You don't HAVE to. It just makes it easier if you do.
I don't think character level affects what encounters you face. But the level of the dungeon you are on does...
Starting characters make a big difference. Starting with a cleric (preferably a Bobbit) with high wisdom and a wizard (Fuzzy) with high intelligence is important. Especially the cleric for the healing spells.