Great, I just bought Balder's Gate II and I'm salivating over the char choices. So I look at the Kensai....Wow! I say, interesting class. But then I see the disadvantages: no armor, no bracers or gauntlets.
**cough** **gag**
How's this poor Kensai supposed to get any defense?? I'm just wondering on this: is this class really viable to play given their severe to the point of fatal restrictions on armor?

They have natural AC bonuses...my kensai, at level 15, had an ac of -1 or 0, I think. Using fancy rings and cloaks helps.

My Kensai mage has -4 ac wearing a 5 ac robe. Yep, the mages can wear robes. So powerful it feels like cheating.

I have a lvl 19 kensai and have him equipped with a 'cloak of mirroring' a loun stone, ring of protection+2 and find that even though the AC isn't that great he is pretty much untouchable.
Get yourself a 'cloak of mirroring' and the games in the bag! 'Blackrazor' also helps with its regeneration capabilities and for that matter you could have a 'ring of regeneration' as well - these 2 items will help reduce any damage you may sustain. It becomes almost easy...

Sure, but any character's unbeatable with the good old cloak of cheating. You only have blackrazor for ten minutes at the end of the game.
The kensai hits harder. What they're terrible at is tanking, since every hit the enemy gets off will land. The kensai mage is an outrageously strong combination since stoneskin and mirror image make you physically untouchable (literally) and the kensai's bonus to hit and damage (+1 every three levels) make them that much better in melee. Still, I play a regular fighter/mage. I like helms and bracers, even if I am stuck with a robe, and I figure everyone else under the sun's playing a kensai mage, so I might as well lash out with a little bit of originality, no? : )

If you download the bonus disc, you can buy a helm which casts Simulicrum once a day. This would be very impressive on a fighter mage, unfortunately the Kensai can't use it.

The kensai is pretty much like a shock commando fighter - he needs to hit hard, hit fast, and kill quickly. that's what kai is for. You can use him to massively hurt a dangerous opponent in a one-on-one so that the other tanks can finish him off. If the opponent is still standing after a few rounds you better get your kensai out of there as he will not be able to sustain the intensity of his attack and he doesn't have the AC for prolonged fights (unless you buff him up intensely with the cloak of cheating, robe of vecna and rings etc).

Blackrazor is only really useful in this game if you use Shadowcheater.