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SixOfSpades · 01-21-2002, 03:24 AM

Undead Hunter: Better than Cavalier?

Cavalier has +3 THAC0/Damage against Demons, Hunter has +3 against Undead. You're going to be seeing PLENTY of both, so these bonuses are pretty much equal in value.

Tanks are more about DEfense than OFFense--Killing the enemy is all well and good, but it's more important to keep the enemy away from your Thieves & Mages. All the kits do well here: Cavalier is immune to Fear & Poison, Hunter is immune to Hold & Level Drain, & Inquisitor is immune to Hold & Charm. (Take items into account: Many of these immunities are duplicated by items. An Undead Hunter with Lilarcor & the Ring of Gaxx would be immune to Hold, Level Drain, Fear, Poison, AND Charm.) All kits seem equal on this point. The Cavalier only takes 80% damage from Fire and Acid attacks, but to me that just means he Regenerates from those attacks a little bit quicker.

Spellcasting: Every Paladin's backup plan. This is where the Inquisitor gets left out in the cold, as far as I'm concerned; His Dispel Magic & True Sight are okay, but DEFINITELY not worth losing EVERY OTHER damn spell on the scroll. He also cannot Turn Undead or Cure Disease.....no big loss, but the Inquisitor still sucks. The Cavalier gets Remove Fear--not terribly useful, I much prefer Resist Fear, but Remove is decent, I guess. The Undead Hunter cannot Lay on Hands, and since mine is Level 15, that's a difference of 30 hitpoints per day, which is, oh, 25 seconds with the Ring of Gaxx? That's the Hunter's only drawback.

The Cavalier's drawback is huge in proportion: If he wants to use a ranged weapon (and there are some beasties that even Tanks want to keep a distance from--I've found out that 2 Critical Hits from a Mind Flayer can kill most characters), the Cavalier is restriced to Throwing Axes and Throwing Daggers--and while those weapons might have impressive enchantments on them (K'glorath, for instance), they are SLOW. Not even CLOSE to the firing rate of a bow, and when's the last time you saw a Throwing Axe that was as good as an Arrow of Piercing, or Dispelling, or Biting? Sure, your Tank is gonna be meleeing 98% of the time, but I prefer being able to use a bow over being able to Lay On Hands.

01-21-2002, 03:24 AM	#22
SixOfSpades Dracolisk Join Date: September 16, 2001 Location: Bellingham, WA, USA Age: 48 Posts: 6,901	Undead Hunter: Better than Cavalier? Cavalier has +3 THAC0/Damage against Demons, Hunter has +3 against Undead. You're going to be seeing PLENTY of both, so these bonuses are pretty much equal in value. Tanks are more about DEfense than OFFense--Killing the enemy is all well and good, but it's more important to keep the enemy away from your Thieves & Mages. All the kits do well here: Cavalier is immune to Fear & Poison, Hunter is immune to Hold & Level Drain, & Inquisitor is immune to Hold & Charm. (Take items into account: Many of these immunities are duplicated by items. An Undead Hunter with Lilarcor & the Ring of Gaxx would be immune to Hold, Level Drain, Fear, Poison, AND Charm.) All kits seem equal on this point. The Cavalier only takes 80% damage from Fire and Acid attacks, but to me that just means he Regenerates from those attacks a little bit quicker. Spellcasting: Every Paladin's backup plan. This is where the Inquisitor gets left out in the cold, as far as I'm concerned; His Dispel Magic & True Sight are okay, but DEFINITELY not worth losing EVERY OTHER damn spell on the scroll. He also cannot Turn Undead or Cure Disease.....no big loss, but the Inquisitor still sucks. The Cavalier gets Remove Fear--not terribly useful, I much prefer Resist Fear, but Remove is decent, I guess. The Undead Hunter cannot Lay on Hands, and since mine is Level 15, that's a difference of 30 hitpoints per day, which is, oh, 25 seconds with the Ring of Gaxx? That's the Hunter's only drawback. The Cavalier's drawback is huge in proportion: If he wants to use a ranged weapon (and there are some beasties that even Tanks want to keep a distance from--I've found out that 2 Critical Hits from a Mind Flayer can kill most characters), the Cavalier is restriced to Throwing Axes and Throwing Daggers--and while those weapons might have impressive enchantments on them (K'glorath, for instance), they are SLOW. Not even CLOSE to the firing rate of a bow, and when's the last time you saw a Throwing Axe that was as good as an Arrow of Piercing, or Dispelling, or Biting? Sure, your Tank is gonna be meleeing 98% of the time, but I prefer being able to use a bow over being able to Lay On Hands. __________________ Volothamp's Comeuppance Everything you ever needed to know about the entire Baldur's Gate series......except spoilers.