[Rataxes]

I've decided to take a solo Inquisitor through SoA and ToB.
This guy is intended to be one hell of a tank and will thus use a shield, I
decided against using Carsomyr upon discovering it's MR bug. As for dual-wielding, I find the idea of a Paladin doing that weird to say the least.
I've already taken him through BG1 and gotten all the tomes.
I drew a nice 98 total stat points so here are his current base stats

19 Str (will be 21 after Watcher's Keep)
19 Dex
19 Con
15 Int
16 Wis
18 Cha

I'll also probably use the Amulet of Power for the Negative Plane Protection.
So I'll be immune to Charm, Hold and Level Drain.

I've narrowed down my options to these weapons

Axe of Unyielding +5 The +1 Bonus to AC is obviously nice for a tank.
The damage, 9.5 average, is a tad low however, regen and +1 Con will both do nothing but marginally improve my regen, which will already be sufficient with the Ring of Gaxx. The 10% Decapitation sure sounds powerful, but for personal reasons I prefer a steady flow of high damage hits rather than doing mostly low dmg and sometimes killing in one hit, a bit too unpredictable for my taste.

Crom Faeyr With 19 str used as a base, this hammer will do an average of 15 dmg, after Watcher's Keep this sinks to 13. But still quite powerful. Doesn't do much else though, killing Stone/Clay Golems, Ettins and Trolls is of course very nice, but I wonder how many of those you really encounter in SoA Chapters 6, 7 and in ToB? Is a hassle to assemble and requires me doing a quest (Planar Sphere) that I normally skip. But it can be gotten fairly early compared to the ToB weapons.

Flail of Ages +5 The average damage of 19.5, provided that the target isn't immune to any of the elements, is the highest of any 1-handed weapon, 33% chance to Slow with no save almost seems a bit cheesy. Free action isn't really that important, wont it also cancel out positive speed enchantments? Punches through Stoneskin which is always nice, as well as killing Trolls. Does it also pierce Mantle-like spells? This definitely does seem like the best 1-handed weapon in the game, but it's a hassle to assemble and I personally don't like it for some reason.

Purifier +5 10 Average damage is ok, but not great. 30% MR is an amazing bonus, Dispel Magic is practically useless for an Inquisitor. Takes a long time to assemble as well. How many enemies in the game are Chaotic Evil btw?

Rune Hammer +5 Completely owns undead and it would allow me to exchange the Amulet of Power for the more useful Amulet of Seldarine. The damage, average 10, isn't really that impressive though, and you get it fairly late as well.

Angurvadal +5 Average damage of 16 with 19 str as a base, provided that the target isn't resistant to fire, this sinks to 14 average dmg after Watcher's Keep. Eliminates the need for a 2nd weapon to finish off trolls with.
Would allow me to use Amulet of Seldarine. Takes some time to assemble.
This does seem like one of the very best 1-handed weapons and not a tad cheesy either.

Foebane +5 Also seems like one of the very best. Average damage of 12.5, unless the target belongs to one of the specific creature types, in which case it rises to a very nice 18.5 dmg. Is it true that Extra-planar beings are especially common in ToB? +1 Saving Throws is also nice although I think it will almost be overkill by the end of game. Healing 1-4 HP's with each hit sounds extremely promising in conjunction with GWW, recovering an average of 25 HP per round will certainly make me a stronger tank. Is Larloch's Minor Drain affected by Magic Resistance? Does it indeed work on ALL enemies in the game? Does it punch through Stoneskin and/or Mantle-like spells? Best of all though, it can be acquired fairly early and easily
in ToB.

Spectral Brand 13 Average dmg, provided that the target isn't resistant to cold, is great and so is the Immunity to Level drain. The Dancing sword doesn't seem all that interesting but still a solid sword I think. Takes a while before you can assemble it though.

Sanchuudoku +4 14 Average damage, troll killer, nice defensive effects and a crazy regen rate. The -25% Acid res with each hit could have devastating effects vs tougher enemies if resistances are allowed to sink below 0. Too bad this godly Katana doesn't even exist in-game.

So, which of these weapons would you recommend for my solo Pally to use? I'm particularly fond of Foebane, Spectral Brand, Crom Faeyr and Angurvadal. Right now I'm leaning the most towards Foebane due to it's lifestealing effect, but I haven't really decided yet.

[ 11-27-2002, 11:49 AM: Message edited by: Rataxes ]