Is it worth it? One spot spent gives you a -2 AC bonus against missile weapons, and Two spots, -4 AC.
Is this good enough to spend anything on it?
Sword & Shield Style
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Raven_Song
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fable
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I wouldn't bother. Opponents seldom rely upon really souped up missiles, choosing to go the magical route, instead. You need to focus more on protection from various kinds of magic, rather than from missiles. Though there are a few items and spells that will let you largely escape all missiles.
To the Righteous belong the fruits of violent victory. The rest of us will have to settle for warm friends, warm lovers, and a wink from a quietly supportive universe.
single weapon style seems more useful - if for example your character has a double-handed weapon such as a bow or a crossbow and they switch to a single-handed sword when close up - I seem to recall that you get an AC boost.
if you are worried about missiles - there are various shields and the 'boots of avoidance' which can give you a very high AC.
if you want to trade shots, the beast-master's tuigan bow is one of my favourites - you get 3 shots per round at +2.
if you are worried about missiles - there are various shields and the 'boots of avoidance' which can give you a very high AC.
if you want to trade shots, the beast-master's tuigan bow is one of my favourites - you get 3 shots per round at +2.
"All the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players"
I'd rather use proficiency points for offensive capabilities instead of defensive capabilities, so I hardly ever put points in Sword and Shield Style.
On the other hand, if I play a character who will be wielding only one weapon and no shield (such as a Bard or a Thief or a character like Imoen who switches been a short bow and a melee weapon as needed), I do put a proficiency point (or two, if possible) in Single Weapon Style.
Keep in mind that certain items will lower your character's Armor Class against certain kinds of damage. For example, the Boots of Avoidance and the Girdle of Piercing lower your character's Armor Class against arrows and missile weapons. The Golden Girdle is especially useful for a melee warrior since most enemies inflict slashing damage. (Golems and a few other monsters inflict blunt damage.)
Most of your enemies' missile attacks are not very effective in Shadows of Amn if your characters have low Armor Class. (You still don't want to be shot up by ten kobold commandos, of course.) However, when you get to Throne of Bhaal, you will encounter lots of enemy archers who hardly ever miss since they're armed with +2 long bows (normal composite long bows already have a +3 THAC0 bonus) and +3 arrows. It's really pretty sick. Better AC against missile weapons helps a little bit, but damage resistance (such as Hardiness and Armor of Faith) makes a bigger difference. But I like to use a strategy that turns their own weapons against them: take off your character's armor to make it as high as possible and equip him with the Reflection Shield.
Or you can just stay away from the archers altogether and send a bunch of Mordenkainen's Swords after them. You'll probably need a lot of new strategies when you get to Throne of Bhaal, so be creative.
On the other hand, if I play a character who will be wielding only one weapon and no shield (such as a Bard or a Thief or a character like Imoen who switches been a short bow and a melee weapon as needed), I do put a proficiency point (or two, if possible) in Single Weapon Style.
Keep in mind that certain items will lower your character's Armor Class against certain kinds of damage. For example, the Boots of Avoidance and the Girdle of Piercing lower your character's Armor Class against arrows and missile weapons. The Golden Girdle is especially useful for a melee warrior since most enemies inflict slashing damage. (Golems and a few other monsters inflict blunt damage.)
Most of your enemies' missile attacks are not very effective in Shadows of Amn if your characters have low Armor Class. (You still don't want to be shot up by ten kobold commandos, of course.) However, when you get to Throne of Bhaal, you will encounter lots of enemy archers who hardly ever miss since they're armed with +2 long bows (normal composite long bows already have a +3 THAC0 bonus) and +3 arrows. It's really pretty sick. Better AC against missile weapons helps a little bit, but damage resistance (such as Hardiness and Armor of Faith) makes a bigger difference. But I like to use a strategy that turns their own weapons against them: take off your character's armor to make it as high as possible and equip him with the Reflection Shield.
Or you can just stay away from the archers altogether and send a bunch of Mordenkainen's Swords after them. You'll probably need a lot of new strategies when you get to Throne of Bhaal, so be creative.
