What if you recruit another player's hero in the tavern?
For example, a Ranger who will soon have decent defense stats + luck, which I think is significantly better than any other hero + enchanted arrow. Or a Knight, with his leadership and pleasant defense and attack stats.
Yesterday, my Warlock had a defense of 1 even at level 15!
And that was very painful, even when a mage attacked. Not to mention the commoners who wouldn't even perceive him as a threat. Especially with my dragons.