Dual-class Scimitar wielding Mage?

[SwordfortheLord]

I have been browsing the items on the strategy pages, and was thinking, what if I made a fighter/mage, and specialized in duel-weilding scimitars? Then I could use the Scarlet Ninja-To and Belm+2. If I dueled at lvl 13, wouldn't I get... lets see...1+1/2+1/2+1+2 = 5 attacks per round, unhasted? Then duel to mage and cast spells to boot! Has anyone tried this or seen it done?

Edit: Oh, and if I specialize in scimitars, that'd give me another 1 attack? Six attacks per round!?

[Laenor]

i recently played through SoA / ToB as a fighter mage, and i'd say that using 2hand weapons is even better due to the following reasons :

1.) You'll want to use Staff of the magi

Dual wielding + 2hand weapons = pain in the.. well

2.) 10% chance to crit on 2h weapons

3.) less specialisation skill points spent

4.) some GREAT 2h weapons (Staff of the ram, hallberd +4 wave..)

5.) Attacks / round don't really matter anyway :

for the toughest baddies, you'll be using Greater whirlwind, for the lesser one 2h weapons + Greater Haste will be more than enough to take care of them !

now, there are indeed some 1h weapon that are worth using over 2h weapons, but those don't include scimetars

If you have ToB of course.. and then, even without i don't see any scimetar beating other 1h weapon combos / 2 h weapons


Another thing to keep in mind :

Dual wield at high lvl + greater Haste = 10 atk / rnd anyway..
Constant GW anyone ?

[Mirk]

scarlet ninja-to can only be used by monks (or by thieves who have Use Any Item).

kundane shortsword +2 adds an extra attack, even if it does not say so in the dexcription.

so, using two weapons that give 2 attacks per round at level 13, with specialization in weapon used in the main hand, you SHOULD get:

1 (regular) + 1/2 (spec) +1/2 (lvl 7) + 1/2 (lvl 13) + 1 (main hand weapon) + 1 ("extra attack" off hand weapon adds an attack to the MAIN HAND weapon) = 4.5 main hand attacks, + 1 off-hand attack.

however, i think that the engine just will allow you 4+1, unless hasted, but i'm not sure.

one thing to bare in mind is that the extra-attck weapons are not that great (+2, +3 if thief), and you may be better off using a more powerfull weapon with your main hand (Flail of Ages, Axe of Unyielding, Celestal Fury, Blackrazor, etc.), and an Belm/Kundane/Scarlet in the off hand, thus making an extra attack with the weapon that produces some effect (or at least there's achance of it) on every hit. Being a ftr/mage, you'll have no problem hasting yourself to add attacks.

[SwordfortheLord]

Thanks for the feedback. I missed the class restrictions on the scarlet, that does pose a problem. This is the SOA forum, so I am assuming no HLAs (like greater whirlwind.) I suppose at higher levels, I won't be melee fighting anyway, I'll be casting, so its more important to have mage-enhancing weapons (CF, SoM etc.) Specializing in 2H and Staff would be a good combo then...I'll have to go try it out.

EDIT: I also didn't realize the spell improved haste actually doubles attacks per round, that negates the scimitars completely, Wee...lots more options.

[Mirk]

I suppose at higher levels, I won't be melee fighting anyway, I'll be casting

this, i belive, is a mistake! yes, i played a ftr/mage in BG1. yes, he was a pure spellcaster with a brutish avatar, some better HP's and a bow, which he used to kill kobolds and such. yes, my first SoA char was a kensai/mage. he was the only mage in my party and yes, i did treat him as a high-HP spellcastrer . untill i got another mage in my party. that's when i realised dual- and multiclassed warrior/mages are MUCH MORE than this.

they are the ultimate TANKS, just having a different "finesse" approach about it - where a beserker will scream in rage and charge into combat, gutting out the damage and hoping to protect himself with whatever his rage protects him from, a fighter/mage will have researched, experimented, and applied the best protection/preparation for that kind of enenmy, be that at the beginning of adventuring day, before or in heat of battle... only to emerge unscratched from the fight, with 3/4 of his buffs still active, and enmies' pieces still landing from his killfest...

there's an old saying, by Napoleon, or maybe Alexander the Great: "a general only enters battlles he has already won". in many aspects, the fighter/mage is the D&D implementation of this phylosophy...

roleplaying- AND powergaming-wise (and it's not often thes two converge, is it? ) a dual or multy fighter/mage should be a well-prepared frontliner, focusing on self-buffs and !!!BREACH!!!, while leaving the nuking/enemy croud control/party protection to someone else... and only then his full potential will be revealed!



* actually, i'm not sure about who DID say that thing about winning battles... can anyone enlightem me?
*wink* fable *wink*