Listen for that weird crunching sound they make when they get ready to fight. That will tell you if one has spotted you. Slowly back up to lure it away from its buddies before they see you too. And if you hear sounds of fighting nearby, it's probably them.

Don't rush in, make them come to you and try not to alert all of them at the same time. If it has stars, leave it be for now. If there are some greydwarves nearby you can lead them to each other and they will fight, giving you a chance to get away, or just sneak and wait to see who wins.

A three-strike with a club ought to do it for regular ones, no skill needed. Torches also count as clubs but you will run through them quickly if you use them as weapons. The third hit does twice as much damage. Hide behind a tree for archers so they have to walk up and get into melee range.

Pulling mobs is always a good idea. Mobs do not deliberately camp corpses as many people claim. They just return to their area, and if that's where you died, it will be harder for you later. Never rush in.