summons can be useful to soak up some damage - summons that you can use include
spider figurine
staff of air*
staff of fire*
horn of valhalla (iirc?)
ras the dancing sword*
djinni flask
* admittedly these are weapons but chosen for their extras rather than the hitting
also - don't be ashamed of swapping the girdles of bluntness and piercing around depending on what you're up against (well you can be a
little bit ashamed
)