I just got this weapon. Since we're underwater, we can't fathom using it with its -3 HP drain. The valk could use it on land if she had one more +HP boost. Outside of that, it looks better than the Mystic Spear she carries. More damage plus 5% paralysis and 5% kill.

My question is: has anyone used this as an uberweapon polearm? Or is it not worth the HP drain, -4 initiative and cursedness? She will need another +HP item somewhere. It's a bit early in our plan to get Infinity helm but that might be the best way to get that extra +HP covered.

USing the Faust would make all 4 of the party "rangeless", too. The others are currently using Staff of Doom, Cane of Corpus and Bloodlust. On the other hand (I do this alot) it would force the hybrids to use their magic more.

I PP'd the thing from Antone in my first game, and since i had used one in W-7 i armed it. Never again. The extra hits from the spear's speed negates the increased damage from Faust. And -3 HP is A LOT. I do still occasionally arm Raven's Bill, another cursed polearm with kill and ko, -1HP, but normally i now stick to Mystic then Dread spears for anyone using Poles.

The only char the Faust Halberd is usefull for is the Lord... he doesn't need +HP items...
Even then I usually go for the Dread spear (damage and hex)

Lord's HP regen is only +1. You still have to find +2 more from items for Faust.

Everyone has the amulet of healing and there is an extra cross of healing, so I need one more item. Comparison of weapons:

Dread Spear
Damage 11-23
To hit +2
Init. +2
Polearm + 20
Hex 50%

Faust Halberd
Damage 10-30
To hit +2
Init. -4
HP drain -3
Paralyze 5%
Kill 5%

The valk gets 2x2 hits for both halberd and Mystic Spear (with init = +2) and has same attack rating (41).

[ 03-13-2004, 10:08 AM: Message edited by: Ziggurat ]

yah, but when you get good enough to make 3X3 with Dread, you'll only be getting 2X2 then maybe 3X2 much later with Faust. There's already been some discussion about initiative on weapons, dealing with Stun/Shock rod, and Giant's Sword. All the slower weapons (more than -2 Init) lose you a noticable number of swings once you top out on the faster weapons.

Scatter:

It's been told here in the past that a lord is totally immune to any amount of HP drain, even though I never verified this myself.

I just tested that, and it is NOT true. At least as of Patch 001b, Lord takes 2 HP damage per round with Faust armed, in the absence of any regen items.

I haven't done any checking, but I thought the Lord's regen rate was function of his vitality and level.

I just used a editor to give a party a Faust Halberd. When I gave it to a naked Valkyrie and camped, she got -3 hp until she cheated death and eventually died. When I gave it to a naked Lord and camped, he got a -3 hp message (sometimes -6 and -12), but his hps never went down, no matter how long I camped. Both characters were unedited lvl24 with unedited vit 100.

edit: I also give the Valkyrie a diamond ring (regen+1) with the faust halberd. She got -2 hp when camping until she died.

The Lord later got Black Gown of Death (U&L), Death Shroud and the Halberd for a total of -8. Still couldn't kill him while camping, but standing around yakking, it looks like he regens at between +4 and +5.

[ 03-14-2004, 01:18 PM: Message edited by: babar ]

so, to really check, you'd have to fiddle around with the level and Vit to see how much each affects the regen rate...the one i checked with was L7, 60 VIT; PP'd Faust from Antone, and while walking around was losing 2 HP per round.

hehe, somebody in this forum might just be crazy enough to do that (but not me). To tell you the truth, I don't think the regeneration rate is even constant. Maybe he gets a die roll to check if it happens and if so you get 1 to X hp back with X dependent on VIT and/or level.

I just checked the Valk camping with just a -1 drain. She didn't die (cheat death), but she settled at exactly 1 hp (ouch, cheat death, ouch, cheat death, repeat).

I encountered a weird thing with cheating death recently. I have a party of valks and was playing with the floor traps in the graveyard retro trying to get the party killed.
I was able to kill off half the party, but when it came down to the last three members, I found that they would always cheat daeth. What was happening was that I only had one concious party member whenever I stepped onto the trap. The trap would take remaining concious valk to death -- which she would always cheat -- and then immediately go into camp mode for a second until someone woke up. It seems like everyone going unconcious and going into camp mode was preventing absolute death.

[ 03-16-2004, 05:37 PM: Message edited by: yoodaa ]