how to make a good kensai/mage? :confused

Lucian · Post by **Lucian** » Mon Nov 13, 2000 12:36 pm

how many proficienceies should you invest in..meaning how high a level you would go before dual classing him into a mage..

and the most crucial point..weapons...should a kensai be using a single weapon..two handed or two weapons...i have this bunch of top choice weapons from a run through of bg2..vorpal silver sword, black razor, crom faeyr and celestial fury....what the heck should i use??? they are all so damn good

Nighthawk · Post by **Nighthawk** » Mon Nov 13, 2000 1:28 pm

If you're just worried about effectiveness, I think a Kensai should use Crom Faeyr and Defender of Easthaven, dual wielded. Strange weapons for a 'sword saint' though.

For a Kensai/Mage I recommend Dakkon's Zerth blade and Celestial Fury. Dakkon's was made for a Kensai with the +AC and spells and Celestial Fury gives you a great offensive weapon while staying with a single weapon type.

As far as choice of dual/single/2-h goes, I think dual is the best.

Comparison
Single - +2 AC, Crit on 19
Dual - Extra Attack, Specials from 2nd weapon
2-h - Crit on 19, bigger weapon

With all the bonuses (STR, Kensai, Specialization) you will do almost as much damage with a dagger as with a 2-h sword. Also, katanas do 2-h damage single handed with a great speed factor. So, the 2-h doesn't really seem to gain you anything over Single except the Silver Sword. I haven't used that enough to know if it is worth it.

Single vs Dual I think the extra attack more than outweighs the extra chance for a critical. Also, you can get +1 AC with Dakkon's Zerth Blade or Defender of Easthaven so the AC almost cancels out.

For dual classing 9th level seems to be the most popular. If you want a stronger fighter at the expense of high level spells you might want to consider 12th (extra +1 to hit and damage).

Chade Fallstar · Post by **Chade Fallstar** » Tue Nov 14, 2000 4:30 am

... just a thought ...
Having never done it myself, but I'd go with 13th level kensai => mage. That way you'll of course get the 12th level bonuses but also the extra ½ attack from 13th level. The downside is that you can only reach 14th level as a mage. But isn't that what expansion sets are for ... (or exp. cap removers)