Dead Frog??

[Wereboar]

If you like to mix it up toe-to-toe a lot, it gives you the effect of Razor Cloak for free.

It only reflects the damage if you got hit on the body, not elsewhere (maybe 30% of the hits). So its much worse than razor cloak. I always prefer Golden Breastplate.

What i like is the vampire chain, as a secondary weapon in melee-heavy parties, instead of a bow. I sometimes even switch it in in short range combat when i need some healing.

[ChaosTheorist]

quote: If you like to mix it up toe-to-toe a lot, it gives you the effect of Razor Cloak for free.

It only reflects the damage if you got hit on the body, not elsewhere (maybe 30% of the hits). So its much worse than razor cloak. I always prefer Golden Breastplate.[/QUOTE]Matter of preference, I guess; as mentioned, the 2 AC difference doesn't seem to be that significant, and the damage reflection, of whatever degree, is free.

What i like is the vampire chain, as a secondary weapon in melee-heavy parties, instead of a bow. I sometimes even switch it in in short range combat when i need some healing.

Assuming you mean "alternate primary weapon", that's a technique I also like for flogger types: the best available extended-reach weapon in the alternate primary slot. Most of the best swords and maces are "short" weapons, so it's handy to have the front-line floggers able to switch to an extended-reach alternate automatically when all the short-range opponents turn into spinning goodies on the floor.

[Wereboar]

Yes, i meant "alternate primary weapon". In melee heavy parties, i use extended weapons as switch weapons, instead of bows.

IMO the main advantage of the Golden Breastplate are the resists, especially the mental resist. Helps to avoid insanity without having to cast soul shield every combat.

[Variol (Farseer) Elmwood]

Thanks a cool idea! An extended weapon instead of ranged. I'm using a 4 Valkerie, Ranger and Rogue party right now (all female). I thought I was going to have to forgo swords due to their better polearm skill, but maybe this will be a good altenative.

[ChaosTheorist]

Swords for a Valk? No way; through at least the first half of the game, the available polearms are better than the best swords you can find/buy, and the Valkyrie's class bonus is Polearm. Later on you can buy them Dread Spears, which are better than all but about 4 of the available swords (and one of those is incredibly rare, while another is race-specific--presumably you chose your Ranger with that in mind?). Having your Valkyries switch to swords for short-range work will just slow down their Polearm skill growth. Let the Rogue use Fang (or the *Light**Sword* if you're lucky enough to get it).

[Variol (Farseer) Elmwood]

Ok, Ok, you're right again.

The money for the swords should come in handy to buy those Dread Spears.

[ChaosTheorist]

The money for the swords should come in handy to buy those Dread Spears.

Though, since you have a Ranger, you can have as much gold as you want (or at least as much as will fit into a 32-bit signed integer, I'd guess). I built up over a million gold in Arnika with my Rangerettes party, and spent almost 3/4 of it with Bela: two Dread Spears for the non-Mook Rangers, CMC's for everyone, various Ankhs and--of course--Eagle-Eye Bows all around.

[Ziggurat]

Do you have to keep leaving and coming back, or can you camp on the spot to get these items? With Bela, he only had a few items I wanted at a time.

[ChaosTheorist]

Do you have to keep leaving and coming back, or can you camp on the spot to get these items? With Bela, he only had a few items I wanted at a time.

I just went over by the archway (on the AP side, on the side away from the campfire) and camped. He re-stocks every 24 hours, so it took something over 5 days to outfit everyone; I got interrupted one time by a group of Flying Snakes and again later by some Fire Ants, but that was it.