You can be a half-orc kensai. I am playing one right now

<font color="lightblue">All of the Fighter kits are designed for melee... </font>

Don't forget the Monk. He does a lot of damage and gets a better armor class then the Kensai (he can use bracers at the beginning; later on his innate ac gets better and you don't need them anymore).

However, the in the beginning the Monk is more difficult to play then other fighter classes because because of his ac - only the Kensai is more difficult. I would use the Monk as a second fighter to speed up the killing, not as a tank.

An other possibility is a Kensai-Mage. Stoneskin, Mirror Image and other spells come in handy to give him some protections while you hack&slash.

I'm playing as a monk and if you look at the advantages they make up for the deficiencies quite well. Magic resistance, charm and poison resisitance. Alot of damage dishin', Stun hit, Quivering palm. Also no armour means more for the rest of your group. Besides he can wear braces and stuff so in a way he excells Kensai's in that fashion. And you can still equip him with weapons that give him bonuses, just don't use em. Just use the cheats to get him to full lvl and just try it. Then take the cheats code out and play a new game. Thats how I check out kits.

But for wholesale slaughter just go for half-orc barbarian. Only prob I had with mine was the speed bonus meant he left the rest of the group behind and ended up in fights on his own. Not a problem except they bad guys were illithids and elder orbs.

By the way. I played as a Half-orc cleric (Lathanda I think) and I romanced Vicona for a while before I realised I'd gone to the underdark far to early. I was a lvl 11 cleric. The rest of the group were lvl 10. Not a good idea.

Warby

The barbarian can't use plate. I have never played one because I see this as a big disadvantage for a fighter or tank. Considering the available equipment in SoA, is he really worth it compared with the berserker?

Who needs plate when
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ur dual wielding crom faeyr and the axe of unyielding??

If you ask either me or Jim, it will be a resounding yes to the Barbarian. ;) Do not forget that some of the leather armour in the game are extremely good, not to mention that the Barbarian has physical damage resistances.

The Barbarian is good in SoA, and godly with ToB.

My personal Favourite Melee class for shear stopping power is the Barbarian, especially the half-Orc barbarian, Dual Weilding crom faeyr and the flail of ages you have the ultimate Golem Killer. I often wonder why they even bothered with the beserker, but thats just my opinion.

The Armour thing is the only major disadvantage, but when you start getting armour like the Shadow Dragon Armour, White Dragon Scale(TOB) and the Bladesinger Chain this no longer matters.

Barbarians move like greased lightning, and that speed is doubled again with the boots of speed. Imunity to backstab (always a bonus). The Barbarian Rage is Far superior too Berserk aswell

---Barbarian Berserk---

- +4 str and Con

- Immunity to level Drain

- Immunity to most spells (maze, confusion, stun, charm to name a few)
NOTE: Yep the berserker gets these immunities too I know, but thats about as far as it goes.

- you don't get winded afterwards unlike the berserk

- Superior HP by the end of TOB I had over 300 HP (although 21 Con (25 in a rage), plus bonus's from tears of bhaal, deck of many things etc helped in that repect)

- 20% resistance to crushing, Slashing, Piercing damage (If memory serves it raises another 20% in TOB don't hold me too this though, so with the Hardiness skill you can have upto 60% - 80% resistance to crushing, Slashing, Piercing damage in TOB).

the only main advantage berserk has over the barbarian rage is immunity to imprisonment, but their are only a few enemies in the game who put the Imprisonment spell to good use anyway (and most of them are undead anyway, So a scroll of protection from undead will come in a lot more useful).

A common mistake, because of the Kensai's nickname the sword saint most people tend to think that they only get bonus's with swords, which isn't true they get the bonus's with any weapons. I usually play my Kensai with the Staff of the Ram +6 (A TOB weapon)

Staff of the Ram +6

THACO: +6 Bonus.
Damage: 1d6+12 crushing plus 1d4 Piercing.
15 % chanc on each hit that opponent is knocked back and stunned

So you can imagine the damage that a level 40 Kensai can get off with it [img]smile.gif[/img]

He has a better AC than anyone by the end of TOB lol

[ 09-19-2002, 07:23 AM: Message edited by: Daniel ]

The Barbarians HP are what make up for that, besides there is some great non-plate Armour in the Game

Shadow dragon Scale

Bladesinger Chain +4 (Upgradable to Plus +5 in TOB, immunity to non-magical weapons)

and in TOB the white Dragon Armour (-2 AC) there is no armour(even plate) in the game with lower AC than this (with the exception of the Big Metal Unit, but thats a secret and doesn't count)

[ 09-19-2002, 07:18 AM: Message edited by: Daniel ]

Crimson Chain +5 can be bought from Ribald when you return from the Underdark.

Jester's Chain +4 is dispensed from the magical boot dispenser in Bodhi's Gauntlet.

Ashen Scales +3 can be looted from the vampire hold.

Mail of the Dead +2 is available from VERY early on.