How many of you have played cavaliers?
I'm starting a new game as a cavalier, dual-wielding long swords and bastard swords (yes, i have ToB ;) ), so i wanted to know:
Are they fun to play and roleplay?
any tips from you experts cavaliers (Sir Exxon, Dundee...)?

I'm not an expert but my cavalier kills EVERYTHING with carsomyr+6 (forged by Cespenar). He's good if you intend to kill most dragons in the game and since you have ToB there are a lot in said game.

Eh? Specifically?

Anyway, a few things to note.

Do not overlook your ability to Turn Undead. At high levels, it is devastating to undead foes. If you have the Baldurdash Fixpack, you will be rid of the bug that prevents Paladins and Rangers from wearing the Amulet of Power.

Remember that a Cavalier can cast Clerical spells. Armour of Faith, Draw Upon Holy Might and Free Action are very good spells. Do not forget to get a Deva or two as well, from your High Level Abilities.

Do not make Carsomyr +6. Use the Eye of Tir to make the Purifier +5 instead.

Dundee, i've seen in one of your screenshots that you dual-wield too, with Keldorn. Am i doing wisely, giving up the Carsomyr?
And, BTW, can you post a link to your Leonardo posts?
Maybe i can learn a thing or two from them...

When it comes to dual-wielding, I only do it when the Paladin is in a party. Dual-wielding is more or less pointless when soloing. Reason?

You are usually faced with two choices.

1) You pick up a big two-handed weapon and dish out the pain. AC concerns be damned. This is also when the enemy's THACO is so ridiculously good( usually the bosses), that the additional 5 AC bonus from the shield is pointless( as in, the enemy only misses on a critical miss).

2) Safety first! In the majority of the game, you will appreciate the usefulness of the shield as your Paladin laughs at the enemies' feeble attempts to hit you. It is a very good thing when the enemy needs a critical hit to touch you.

Thus, dual-wielding is best suited for a party Paladin, as you have other party members to cover your back. You do not give up the Carsomyr when you dual-wield. ;) You keep it in your Bag of Holding, to be used when necessary, like against a Dragon.

I recommend dual-wielding Purifier with Foebane. Put the Foebane in your main hand to fully maximise the life leeching property. Alternatives include Crom Faeyr, Flail of Ages and Runehammer to name a few.

Leonardo

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You're right, i forgot to mention that i'm in a party of six.
The party is:

Cavalier
Fighter/Mage
Fighter/Thief
Stalker(13)->Cleric
Archer
Sorcerer
So i have 4 characters with tanking capabilities, thus no need to sacrifice dual-wielding for a sheild, right?

And, thnx for posting the link.
You are indeed a great paladin, Dundee! [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 07-06-2002, 10:34 AM: Message edited by: Alson ]

Thanks for the compliment.

Cavaliers are in my opinion, the best Paladin Class Kit available. Come on, the only real drawback is no ranged weapons. They are very strong against undead and dragons, and use your Lay Hands ability when you sorely need it, cuz once you get to level 14, your healing 28hp instantly, in ToB, you can heal so much HP. Use your turn undead ability, its a lifesaver. Well equip your paladin with good plate mail. You can use magical armor, and try to get Armor of the Heart, its the best plate mail in SoA. Memorize some healing spells, and some wonder spells (chant, armor of faith, etc) and use your protection from evil abilities. Your Cavalier should be able to last long against mages due to your awesome saving throws, you'll have a natural 20% resistance to fire and acid, and with a insane THACO, you can survive the battlefield, if your Constitioun is in the high 16-18 area. Goodluck!

Im in inferno right now with a cavalier. I agree with what is said before that cavaliers are the best kit for paladins, but I really do not recomend then as main character bacause this can limit somewhatt the actions during the game, as there is the risk of becoming a fallen paladin.

But I can say I did not like paladins a lot. I prefer a full warrior AND a good priest that someone that does not do any of the jobs very well. The only thing m that makes having a palladin in your group worthwhile is the casomir, in my opinion

Carsomyr is not needed to make a Cavalier strong. Trust me on this. ;)

While I haven't played a cavalier (I prefer Inquisitors, for their awesome dispel magic and true sight abilities), I agree with those that say that you don't NEED to use Carsomyr as your standard weapon. I'm a player who nearly always prefers using shields.

However, I think that there's one time where wielding the Holy Avenger is useful. When you're attacking mages and those enemies are not attacking you physically, the 50% magic resistance and dispel magic in Carsomyr are quite useful.

One warning about Carsomyr's dispel magic... If you have cast the druid spell, Insect Plague, on a the enemy, do not attack with Carsomyr as the first hit will dispel the Insect Plague. (This happened to me. Ooops. Still won the battle, but I had to concentrate on taking the mage down a bit quicker than I'd intended.)

Can a cavalier use Azuredge - y'know, the axe that can be thrown or wielded?

I think the paladin can use it.

Yes, if you do play as a Cavalier, my recomended weapond is Carsyomar. It will help you so much.

Cavaliers kick arse. Their biggest bonus is probably the resistances (20% resistance to fire and acid, immunity to poison). In addition to all of the normal paladin powers they absolutely rule. I prefer not to have my cavalier memorize healing spells because my cleric will already handle that end of things. I prefer the offensive spells such as Doom, Holy Smite, etc. and the defensive spells such as Bless, Chant, Negative Plane Protection, etc. A paladin is, IMO, possibly the best tank there is because of three simple words: Shiny Plate Mail. Carsomyr is a nice touch to a Cavalier but hardly necessary. There are plenty of single handed swords that will handle the situation at hand in addition to having a shield which will give you nice AC bonuses and also any other effects that a given shield may have apply. Any way you look at it, a cavalier is a force to be reckoned with. And the whole paladin background is cool too. How can you not have a grand ol' time as a nigh unstoppable force of holy retribution? :D

-Jafin

Yes, killing undead has never been so easy. ;P

I had my cavalier dual weilding Celestial Fury and Purifier and gave Carsomyr to my skald. She used either Carsomyr or Ravager..

So i did wisely, dual-weilding with my cavalier?