I'm a NWN newbie wondering what weapon proficiencies I should give my chars. I'm glad the Cleric blunt-weapon-only rule is gone but, I am left with too many choices, I think.

Are there any rules of thumb?

e.g. for a Paladin, 2H-sword vs halberd vs Greataxe

or

for anyone, 2H weapon vs 1H weapon & shield

What about Blackguards or Desciples of Torm? Different from Paladins?

Also, what's the best weapon for Thief/Assassin/Blackguard backstabing?

Any class-specific proficiencies to always make sure to have?

Is it even worthwhile to get weapon proficiencies for any classes besides Fighter?

Personal preference should trump anything we tell you. Which would you rather play... What image do you like more? A paladin wielding a huge sword, or a longsword and shield, or perhaps a polearm? A rogue with a short sword, a dagger, or perhaps both at the same time?
What race is the character?
Sometimes it's best to work with the proficiencies you get... A fighting class (Paladin, Ranger, Fighter) requires you select one or two weapons to focus on (Weapon Focus, Specialization, etc.), while other classes limit you to Weapon Focus... and why take that when fighting with a weapon isn't the highlight of said class?
Weapon Finesse is a must if you're a rogue or a nonfighter char with higher Dex than Strength... I don't know.. I don't blame you for being overwhelmed.
For a paladin, though, I would suggest, in the end, a greatsword or bastard sword...
::runs fingers through hair::
This is an ambitious question and it's pretty late. Could you sort of narrow it down for me? Give me a character (race and class/es) and I'll see what I can do from there...
And I'm terribly sorry if this was incoherent.

The second part of my post was basically asking if there were some class specific weapons that I should be prepared for in case I choose to play thos classes (I wanna try out lots).

The BG2 equivalent of this would be Carsomyr for Paladins. Thus, smart Paladins wanting to prepare for this would put weapon proficiencies in 2H sword & 2H weapon style starting at the beginning of the game.

I'm most interested in class specific items for the Blackguard, Shadow Dancer & Disciple of Torm classes.

Thanks.

The only Holy Avenger in the NWN series occurs in the FIRST expansion and it's a longsword.

My preference for a paladin would be either longsword/shield or greatsword. The bastard sword requires that you use a feat on exotic weapons and the gain doesn't seem to be worth it to me.

You can always go with a paladin and switch over to a champion of torm once meet the requirements. The combination is a LETHAL mix. [img]smile.gif[/img]

What Micah said, but most items you'll find in the game come as random treasures. You'll get treasures somewhat according to what class you play but most of them are still random.