single class fighter

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I'm going to make a single classed evil fighter for my next time through. I have not decided on a kit at this point, although I am confident I will not take the Kensai.

My question is what weapons to use? I really don't want katanas (only one good one throughout the entirety of SoA, and no real good upgrades in ToB).

Also, I have Korgan, so he'll have axes and war hammers.

I want to dual wield, so I'm considering flails/morning stars, long swords, and bastard swords. Seeing as how I will place three proficiency points into two weapon fighting style, it will simply not be possible to max out my proficiencies in all three, so I have to chose two of them.

Here's what I have come up with so far, but maybe I'm not seeing the big picture:

Flails - as a pro, I could select these proficiencies early in the game, and get a really good flail (FotA) very early in the game. As a con, there really isn't another decent flail in the game, so I'm stuck for another good weapon.

Long Swords - very plentiful, and there are several specialty long swords available, for things like dragons and undead, so I'll be well equipped for several chunks of the game. As a con, when I'm not fighting undead, I'm stuck with a +3 weapon as I believe Blade of Roses is the highest enchantment you can get on a long sword that affects everything until you hit ToB.

Bastard Swords - relatively rare, so I would take proficiencies in these last no matter what I do with the other two. Obviously, with this one, I'm waiting for the upgraded Foebane that can be acquired fairly early on in ToB (I think the parts are in Gromnir's castle, and the first level of WK).

So, given the options what do you think?

Flail/Long Sword
Flail/Bastard Sword
Long Sword/Bastard Sword

Feel free to give advice for other single handed weapon classes as well, but make sure you consider this:

1.) Axes and Hammers are out - I already have a character who will be using them. 2.) Katanas are also out, because I'm not going to be playing a Kensai, and frankly, I don't see why else you'd use katanas (frankly, unless you're a stalker or a thief, I can't see why you would use katanas).

 

I'd leave bastard swords out unless you want a few stars just in case, but I'd leave them out totally. Katanas might also work, Celestial Furry comes to mind. but I'd stick with one other weapon besides flail and just fill both to the max, before trying another weapon. There are many long swords so those might be your best option, one for every type of fight.

 

For roleplaying reasons I couldn't combine a flail with a sword - just seems too quirky for me. YMMV.

Don't forget the possibility of scimitars and shortswords. Throughout SOA you could use belm/kundane for the extra attack in your offhand. You rarely need better than +2 in SOA. Then, in TOB you have access to shortsword of the mask upgraded with two very nice effects which don't allow a save and you have the defender type weapon whose name I forget that is a scimitar class weapon as well as Spectral Shard which is one of the best in the game.

It really depends on how you see your character. Are you definite on dual wielding? I ask because if you are a straight fighter, you'll have lots of greater whirlwinds which sets your number of attacks to 10 and you may consider the possibility of a two handed weapon - halbreds for example.

 

Hmmm... Halberds might be the way to go. There aren't many good halberds early in the game though. I'm trying to think which ones are where...

There's a +2 with extra cold damage from the shade lord, but it's only +2.

There is one for dragons in the Unseeing Eye quest. That may be +3 for everyone and +6 for dragons, or maybe just double damage for dragons.

I won't get a really good weapon though until I hit the Underdark. I need to go through that to get the Wave. And then I think there's one called "Dragon's Breath" (which ironically ISN'T the one that's good against dragons, which I think is +4, along with 4 points of elemental damage. Obviously, Ravager is the bomb in ToB.

Now, spears are a possibility, but am I looking at anything worth using before I get the Impaler? That's already chapter 4 - a pretty long way to go. Then there's Ixil's Spike in ToB. Too long to wait with a +2 weapon that does nothing special.

Now 2-handed swords are interesting because as was said, you get a +2 immediately, and a +3 soon afterwards. You upgrade to a +4 in the underdark, and I think there are two different +5 swords in ToB (Psion's Blade and GtSoG).

I suppose the other possibility is start with two handed swords, and then take my proficiencies in halberds as I gain more levels.

But I just thought of something, I'm also going to have Sarevok come along too! Ugh, that kills two handed swords right off the bat. I suppose halberds are still a possibility though...

 

I agree: Dualwielding flails with swords ... just isn't right. Not that I dislike powergaming, to the contrary, but there are limits.

Why not choosing l'sword (Namarra and Blade of Roses are the best around early in the game) or b'sword (blade of searing and Jhor the bleeder are both awesome) or even s'swords (there are a few with great effects) dualwielded with s'swords or daggers? Daggers are pretty much underestimated IMO, and they offer nice special abilities - and how about dualwielding scimitars?

And as for two-handed weapons like halberds, 2hd'swords, staffs and spears I agree as well. Excellent weapons for each category around - like Dragon's Breath halberd, Staff of Rhynn, Lilarcor or the Impaler Spear and others - and that's just for the SoA stuff.

But still, duwlwielding flails and swords is still better than doing that with C'Fury and Crom Faeyr - the ultimate folly for a partygamer.

 

Well, by the time you get to Sarevok you'll have points in halbred pushed up high - you may want 2 or 3 in 2 handed swords and stop there as the benefit isn't particularly great later on.

The one advantage to dual wielding isn't the extra attacks once you get WW it's that you get to use multiple effects. Famously using crom in the off hand grants 25 str which results in something like +7 to hit and +14 to damage. Then there is the sword in tob which raises your strength to something like 22 etc.

It's not an easy decision but it was just a thought.

 

What about two long swords, for example: Answerer and the other which set strength to 22(forgot whats the name of it). Oh! yeah! And spears, there is the Ixil's spear which seems nice to me.

 

Doesn't Deidre sell a +3 Harmonium Halberd pretty early on?

 

Yep, and IMO it is overpriced for what it offers but it's a great beast for the early game though. Actually the only weapon class you're short of in BG-2 SoA are b'swords - the first good ones you'll only find in underdark, ToB changes that a bit offering a devastating weapon in Foebane.

Ixil's Thron is an awesome weapon, it's pin-down effect is just amazing, just as the special effect of the staff of the ram (sp?).

And the l'sword's name was Angurvadal iirc.

As for the multiple effects Laches mentioned: It is great to have a char dualwielding two special effect weapons, like the pixie prick and the demarche stiletto for example, and backstabbing. It's pretty devastating as the effects come to work quite often.
Also a good thing to do with shortswords: Add Kundane for the extra attack and Arabane for free movement ... and so on.
The lower damage and +2 weapons in BG-2 are the ones with the best effects so it is IMO really worthwhile to invest proficiencies there.

But in the end I still happen to prefer one weapon in single weapon style. My fav weapon for a kensai is the answerer - as kensais are the only class who'll be able to compensate for the weapon's poor initiative.

 

OK, does anyone know which weapons side affect affect bosses, and which ones don't? I'm asking about not only instant-kill weapons, but also ones with special damage (like Ixil's Spike).

Here's the list I want to know about:

Axe of the Unyielding
Ixil's Spike
Ravager
Vorpal Sword
Staff of the Ram
Gram the Sword of Grief

Does anyone know off-hand?

 

The vorpal weapons (Sword, Axe of Unyielding, and Ravager) don't affect 'bosses.'

The Ixil Spike will work on them (at least on some of them since I've seen it work on some of them.) Same story with Gram sword of grief.

Staff of Ram I'm not sure about.

 

Well, I played with a singleclassed fighter half-elf and it was really pleasent game... I put him in the start 5 points on Long Swords and 1 on Two Weapon Fighting... Throughout the game I made him a ful expert on the dual-wielding and started to put points on katanas and on bastard swords for something else... At the end I was wielding with deadly accuracy Angurdaval +5 and Hindo's Doom +5... I was really very happy with Skelemvana (that was his name) - he even could stand against Sarevok and beat him...

As for the Ravager - Minsc is subscribed to wield it.... Personnally I think Minsc is subsribed to wield any weapon you give him... One of the most poweful and highly varied characters from martial progress...

[ August 01, 2003, 11:22: Message edited by: Elan Morin Tedronai ]