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What weapon for Jaheira?

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Jason

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Mar 5, 2001, 12:34:16 AM3/5/01
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Everyone in my party is doing nicely. The only real disappointment is
Jaheira and her hand-to-hand ability. Right now she's weilding the
juggernaught of swords, a Scimitar +1. Is she doomed to melee mediocrity?
Even my Kensai/Mage is more effective, and dead mice can land blows with his
AC 7.

Thanks in advance.


Brian H.

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Mar 5, 2001, 12:46:31 AM3/5/01
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I would suggest that you improve Jaheira's proficiency on staff & two handed
weapons. If you prefer her to use sword & shield, then I would suggest
club. There is a +3 club in Trademeet which you can get pretty early. But
for +3 scimitar, you won't get one until you are in the UnderDark. For
staff, you can get plenty of good staves for Jaheira: Staff of fire+2, which
can let Jaheira to raise a fireshield; Staff of Rynn+4, available for sale
in Adventurer's Mart; Staff of Thunder & Lightning +2/+3, which you'll get
it also pretty early and it can let Jaheira to cast call lightning pretty
fast and can stun enemies; and of course the near endgame (spoiler) staff
+4, which can summon the most powerful summonable monsters in the game.

Jason <jas...@spamfree.net> wrote in message
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The Rat

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Mar 5, 2001, 1:00:35 AM3/5/01
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Staff of the Woodlands +4 is what I had her equipped with...Staff of Rynn
+4, which you can buy somewhere, is also nice. The long reach makes it nice
to position her in a doorway or other narrow spot where a golem, such as the
iron or admanatite(spelling?) can't fit through, and let her poke them to
death while standing out of harms way...she was my designated "golem killer"


Johan Parin

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Mar 5, 2001, 2:23:06 AM3/5/01
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Jason wrote:
>
> Everyone in my party is doing nicely. The only real disappointment is
> Jaheira and her hand-to-hand ability. Right now she's weilding the
> juggernaught of swords, a Scimitar +1. Is she doomed to melee mediocrity?

Absolutely not. Do the Trademeet / Druid Grove quests (can be done
_early_), and she'll get the Belm +2 Scimitar with an xtra attack and
the Blackblood Club +3. Of course, you should also get her the Girdle of
Hill Giant Strength - that is very essential.

At the moment Jaheira is the best melee fighter in both the parties I
have going.


Johan

Mikko P Vuorinen

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Mar 5, 2001, 2:57:08 AM3/5/01
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In <3AA33EDA...@abc.se> Johan Parin <Johan...@abc.se> writes:

>Jason wrote:
>>
>> Everyone in my party is doing nicely. The only real disappointment is
>> Jaheira and her hand-to-hand ability. Right now she's weilding the
>> juggernaught of swords, a Scimitar +1. Is she doomed to melee mediocrity?

>Absolutely not. Do the Trademeet / Druid Grove quests (can be done
>_early_), and she'll get the Belm +2 Scimitar with an xtra attack and
>the Blackblood Club +3. Of course, you should also get her the Girdle of
>Hill Giant Strength - that is very essential.

Okay, where does one get Belm? I've never got that, only the normal +2
scimitar Rashad's Talon from the genies.

--
)))) (((( + Mikko Vuorinen + mvuo...@cc.helsinki.fi
)) OO `oo'((( + Dilbon@IRC&ifMUD + http://www.helsinki.fi/~mvuorine/
6 (_) ( ((( + GSM 050-5859733 +
`____c 8__/((( + + Tähän tilaan ei mahdu mitään.

Brian H.

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Mar 5, 2001, 3:26:41 AM3/5/01
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Mikko P Vuorinen <mvuo...@cc.helsinki.fi> wrote in message
news:97vgsk$2f1$1...@oravannahka.helsinki.fi...

> In <3AA33EDA...@abc.se> Johan Parin <Johan...@abc.se> writes:
>
> >Jason wrote:
> >>
> >> Everyone in my party is doing nicely. The only real disappointment is
> >> Jaheira and her hand-to-hand ability. Right now she's weilding the
> >> juggernaught of swords, a Scimitar +1. Is she doomed to melee
mediocrity?
>
> >Absolutely not. Do the Trademeet / Druid Grove quests (can be done
> >_early_), and she'll get the Belm +2 Scimitar with an xtra attack and
> >the Blackblood Club +3. Of course, you should also get her the Girdle of
> >Hill Giant Strength - that is very essential.
>
> Okay, where does one get Belm? I've never got that, only the normal +2
> scimitar Rashad's Talon from the genies.
>

Belm can be found in the Ogre's farmhouse. The one with a cow inside.

Barbarian X

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Mar 5, 2001, 3:24:05 AM3/5/01
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"Brian H." <bh1234...@nospam.please.ismart.net> skrev i meddelandet
news:97vife$mf...@imsp212.netvigator.com...

> Belm can be found in the Ogre's farmhouse. The one with a cow inside.

I have missed this one completely. What cow? what farmhouse? where?


/S


WiCkdULL

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Mar 5, 2001, 3:33:18 AM3/5/01
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Spoiler
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there are some good scimitars out there... two +2's.. one of which gives an
extra attack... and a +3.. not sure on its stats.. the +2's are with the genies
in trademeet and in Firkraag's dungeons...
Serafin Nunez

"Be born then, gasp wind, screech at the surgeon's slap, seek manhood, taste a
little of godhood, feel pain, give birth, stuggle a little while, succumb.
(Dying, leave quietly by the rear exit, please.)"-A Canticle for Leibowitz

Htn963

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Mar 5, 2001, 3:33:40 AM3/5/01
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Jason wrote:

Jaheira's forte is the club, not the scimitar (and thinking scimitar is
the way to go for Jaheira is probably the most common error people make when
first playing with her.) Equipped with the strength girdle and Black Blood, a
+3 club (which you can buy after the Trademeet quest), her THACO dips below 5
sooner than Minsc most of the time. And having the druidic spell stone skin
doesn't hurt. You can also get the quarterstaff-mace (+2) for her to use right
away at the Adventurer's Mart.

Brian H.

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Mar 5, 2001, 4:29:45 AM3/5/01
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Barbarian X <this...@validadress.com> wrote in message
news:T4Io6.6466$hi2....@nntpserver.swip.net...

The Ogre's farmhouse can be found in the Druid Cove map. It's just next to
Ihtafeer's hut. There is a mark on the map as well.

If you did the "Gong" quest, i.e., the quest given by the "Limited Wish"
genie. Eventually you'll have to get the gong from there.

>
> /S
>
>


Jason

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Mar 5, 2001, 8:14:45 AM3/5/01
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Just want to thank you all for the good tips. I'll try them out.

Also, is AC 7 really bad for a Kensai?


Rutger

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Mar 5, 2001, 10:37:08 AM3/5/01
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I don't think anyone mentioned the Staff of Arundel. It is a +3 staff that
give her an extra 5th and 6th level spell. Also +10 to resist fire/cold.

Rutger
Assassin Extraordinaire

"Jason" <jas...@spamfree.net> wrote in message
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Htn963

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Mar 5, 2001, 12:48:13 PM3/5/01
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Rutger wrote:

>I don't think anyone mentioned the Staff of Arundel. It is a +3 staff that
>give her an extra 5th and 6th level spell. >Also +10 to resist fire/cold.

Hmm, extra stone skin/insect plague and extra fire elemental. The name of
this piece rings a bell but I hardly ever equip a two-handed staff on Jaheira
because she's quicker and much more resilient in combat with a club and shield,
and already starts out with two proficiency points for club vs. only one for
staff. But I might test this Arundel Staff out just for these extra spells --
when and where can I get it for the next game with my favorite druid?


Johan Parin

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Mar 5, 2001, 6:03:00 PM3/5/01
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Htn963 wrote:

> Jaheira's forte is the club, not the scimitar (and thinking scimitar is
> the way to go for Jaheira is probably the most common error people make when
> first playing with her.) Equipped with the strength girdle and Black Blood, a

Not that she's bad with a club, but the extra attack you get with the
Belm is worth much more than +3 vs +2 (unless you _need_ +3 of course)
And if you give her another * in Scimitar when she hits 9, she's no
better with a club than a Scimitar anyway.

She should use both clubs and scimitars, and switch to the club when
blunt weapons are needed.

On another note, one of my last fights I saw Jaheira do 46 damage on a
single critical hit...


Johan

Htn963

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Mar 5, 2001, 7:34:47 PM3/5/01
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Johan Parin wrote:

>Not that she's bad with a club, but the extra attack you get with the
>Belm is worth much more than +3 vs +2 (unless you _need_ +3 of course)
>And if you give her another * in Scimitar when she hits 9, she's no
>better with a club than a Scimitar anyway.

I did test Belm for Jaheira and wasn't impressed. The damage it does
is scant compare to Blackblood, and imo, you're much better off giving it to
a dual-wielding kensais or clerics, who can combine it with Crom Fayer or
Celestial Fury. It is a poor weapon for a druid, and at this stage in the
game, it is a bad idea to depend on a +2 item as your main weapon.

The extra proficiency for J. at level 9 is also much better spent in
slings and not wasted on scimitar -- the Sling of Seeking and strength girdle
is probably the most efficient and lethal combined use of magic items in BG2,
all the more so since you can get both so early in the game; J. regularly does
15-20 points of damage with a single bullet shot.

>
>She should use both clubs and scimitars, and switch to the club when
>blunt weapons are needed.

There's no advantage to offset the bother to have to fuss with both, imo,
unless you resort to killing Drizzt. It's annoying to have to worry about
switching when you encounter creatures that can only be harm with blunt
weapons. Blunt weapon is the default to go, assuming everything else equal.

>On another note, one of my last fights I saw Jaheira do 46 damage on a
>single critical hit...

Pretty good. I'm sure she's capable of even more.

Johan Parin

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Mar 6, 2001, 3:25:16 AM3/6/01
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Htn963 wrote:
>
> Johan Parin wrote:
>
> >Not that she's bad with a club, but the extra attack you get with the
> >Belm is worth much more than +3 vs +2 (unless you _need_ +3 of course)
> >And if you give her another * in Scimitar when she hits 9, she's no
> >better with a club than a Scimitar anyway.
>
> I did test Belm for Jaheira and wasn't impressed. The damage it does
> is scant compare to Blackblood, and imo, you're much better off giving it to
> a dual-wielding kensais or clerics, who can combine it with Crom Fayer or
> Celestial Fury. It is a poor weapon for a druid, and at this stage in the
> game, it is a bad idea to depend on a +2 item as your main weapon.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but here is how I calculate (using the level
she's at in my game - 9/12): With the girdle she gets +7 damage. The
Scimitar does 1d8 + 2. The Blackblood does 1d6 + 3, +3 acid. So on
average, the scimitar does 13.5 per hit, Blackblood 16.5 per hit. That
equates to 41.5 per round for the scimitar and 33 per round for
Blackblood. And discarding the 1 THAC0 difference it's 50% better chance
she hits in the first place since she's got 50% more attacks. Later in
the game when she's got more attacks it might be a different story (when
do you get those extra attacks, anyway?)

At this stage of the game (ch2), barely anything requires +3 weapons.

> The extra proficiency for J. at level 9 is also much better spent in
> slings and not wasted on scimitar -- the Sling of Seeking and strength girdle
> is probably the most efficient and lethal combined use of magic items in BG2,
> all the more so since you can get both so early in the game; J. regularly does
> 15-20 points of damage with a single bullet shot.

Interesting. I've got to pay more attention to her sling damage. I'm
mostly using her for melee at this point.


Johan

Htn963

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Mar 6, 2001, 8:50:14 AM3/6/01
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Johan Parin wrote:

>Correct me if I'm wrong, but here is how I calculate (using the level
>she's at in my game - 9/12): With the girdle she gets +7 damage. The
>Scimitar does 1d8 + 2. The Blackblood does 1d6 + 3, +3 acid. So on
>average, the scimitar does 13.5 per hit, Blackblood 16.5 per hit. That
>equates to 41.5 per round for the scimitar and 33 per round for
>Blackblood. And discarding the 1 THAC0 difference it's 50% better chance
>she hits in the first place since she's got 50% more attacks. Later in
>the game when she's got more attacks it might be a different story (when
>do you get those extra attacks, anyway?)

Hmm, I don't have a problem with that assuming: a) you had spend that
precious proficiency point on scimitar rather than sling, which I am still
loathe to do; and b) the difference in THACO will not substantially skew this
analysis, which I think it will over the course of many battles -- there's a
statistical formula that will take this into account but my math is rusty. And
iirc, J gains an extra attack at level 10. But I'll certainly test Belm more
extensively based on this analysis.

> At this stage of the game (ch2), barely >anything requires +3 weapons.

I still think it's a bad idea to juggle weapons around. Becoming too used
to fighting with a +2 weapon, even if it may do (slightly) more damage, will
come back to haunt you once your run into those +3 critters, just as being
used to Drow Armor will hurt your defense readiness once you can no longer wear
them -- which is why I hardly ever do.


Barbarian X

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Mar 6, 2001, 9:06:30 AM3/6/01
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"Htn963" <htn...@cs.com> skrev i meddelandet
news:20010306085014...@ng-mb1.news.cs.com...


> > At this stage of the game (ch2), barely >anything requires +3 weapons.
>
> I still think it's a bad idea to juggle weapons around. Becoming too
used
> to fighting with a +2 weapon, even if it may do (slightly) more damage,
will
> come back to haunt you once your run into those +3 critters, just as
being
> used to Drow Armor will hurt your defense readiness once you can no longer
wear
> them -- which is why I hardly ever do.

What do you mean, get used to? I always use the best equipment aviable, of
course, which means that I *of course* use as many drow armours as possible.
To not use them would be stupid.
(Since I only use Jaheira with slings, and there is a verrry special sling
aviable with the bonus CDs, the +2 thing doesnt apply... :P ) All other
weapons basically have at least one +3 version somewhere in the game.

/S


Htn963

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Mar 6, 2001, 9:34:37 AM3/6/01
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Barbarian X wrote:

>What do you mean, get used to? I always use the best equipment aviable, of
>course, which means that I *of course* use as many drow armours as possible.
>To not use them would be stupid.

No, not to use them because you've already got good armor that would not
turn to dust on you is wise.

>(Since I only use Jaheira with slings, and there is a verrry special sling
>aviable with the bonus CDs, the +2 thing doesnt apply... :P ) All other
>weapons basically have at least one +3 >version somewhere in the game.

You really should use the Sling of Seeking since it adds strength bonus
for fearsome damages, and costs about $28,000 less. If you haven't used her in
melee, then you're missing out on Superwoman: her THACO is usually better than
that of Minsc in the end game. But hey, what do I know, I'm just letting my
"smaller head" do the thinking, right?

Barbarian X

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Mar 6, 2001, 10:04:54 AM3/6/01
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"Htn963" <htn...@cs.com> skrev i meddelandet
news:20010306093437...@ng-mb1.news.cs.com...

> Barbarian X wrote:
>
> >What do you mean, get used to? I always use the best equipment aviable,
of
> >course, which means that I *of course* use as many drow armours as
possible.
> >To not use them would be stupid.
>
> No, not to use them because you've already got good armor that would
not
> turn to dust on you is wise.

I don't understand your point.
To forgetting to change back when above ground would be stupid.
(Besides its a roleplaying issue, right? "Hey Here is an armor that is twice
as good as mine, but naw... I rather face the demons and stuff dressed in my
own, because I usually forgets to change... Heck I even sleep in my full
plate armor or I forget to dress in the morning")
;)


> >(Since I only use Jaheira with slings, and there is a verrry special
sling
> >aviable with the bonus CDs, the +2 thing doesnt apply... :P ) All other
> >weapons basically have at least one +3 >version somewhere in the game.
>
> You really should use the Sling of Seeking since it adds strength
bonus
> for fearsome damages, and costs about $28,000 less. If you haven't used
her in
> melee, then you're missing out on Superwoman: her THACO is usually better
than
> that of Minsc in the end game. But hey, what do I know, I'm just letting
my
> "smaller head" do the thinking, right?

But the Sling of Seeking is only +2 right?
And I always use her as a back row healer / slinger, letting me and minsc or
keldorn or whoever go front.

/S


bob

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Mar 6, 2001, 7:28:20 PM3/6/01
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On Tue, 6 Mar 2001 16:04:54 +0100, Barbarian X wrote:

>
>"Htn963" <htn...@cs.com> skrev i meddelandet
>news:20010306093437...@ng-mb1.news.cs.com...
>> Barbarian X wrote:
>>

<snip>


>I don't understand your point.
>To forgetting to change back when above ground would be stupid.
>(Besides its a roleplaying issue, right? "Hey Here is an armor that is twice
>as good as mine, but naw... I rather face the demons and stuff dressed in my
>own, because I usually forgets to change... Heck I even sleep in my full
>plate armor or I forget to dress in the morning")
>;)

Besides, by the time I get to the underdark, my armor is generally
better then whatever I pick up in there (acid/fire protections from
the dragon scale, etc.).
And as the weaponary the drow have are generally longswords and
crossbows, maybe the odd +3 flail, and my fighters use 2 handed
swords, axes, clubs, the drow weaponry don't interest me.

<snip>


>But the Sling of Seeking is only +2 right?
>And I always use her as a back row healer / slinger, letting me and minsc or
>keldorn or whoever go front.

And does the Sling of Seeking need ammo? Everad doesn't, which is
about the only reason I use it (it's annoying having to restock on
ammo every 5 minutes and hmm, was about to say I run out of space, but
now I think about it, Jaheira's pack is usually empty... we don't want
to strain her or anything... ;-) ).

__
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Derville

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Mar 5, 2001, 1:41:16 PM3/5/01
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Rutger <diver...@home.com> wrote in message
news:EoOo6.510503$U46.15...@news1.sttls1.wa.home.com...

> "Jason" <jas...@spamfree.net> wrote in message
> news:3aa32...@nntp2.nac.net...
> > Everyone in my party is doing nicely. The only real disappointment
is
> > Jaheira and her hand-to-hand ability. Right now she's weilding the
> > juggernaught of swords, a Scimitar +1. Is she doomed to melee
mediocrity?
> > Even my Kensai/Mage is more effective, and dead mice can land blows
with
> his
> > AC 7.
> >
> > Thanks in advance.
> >
> I don't think anyone mentioned the Staff of Arundel. It is a +3 staff
that
> give her an extra 5th and 6th level spell. Also +10 to resist
fire/cold.
>
> Rutger
> Assassin Extraordinaire

Tried it, didn't like it. I use Jaheira as backup missile firepower,
and every time she de-equips the staff, there go her bonus spells with
it. As a result, I'd find that the fire elemental I'd been hoarding had
suddenyl disappeared. Personally, I enjoyed giving her the Rod of
Terror in my first game, just to see her charisma plummet ;-). I let
her off the hook when her charisma dropped to about 4 or so. I'd rather
let Jaheira wield Belm or Blackblood, along with a nice large shield to
turn her into a tank (AC -8 at the moment, and even Firkraag hardly
touched her).

--
P.
(Remove 'your.inhibitions' to reply)
Read the alt.games.baldurs-gate Usage FAQ:
www.demonspawn.net/bg/usage.htm


Derville

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Mar 5, 2001, 1:38:37 PM3/5/01
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Jason <jas...@spamfree.net> wrote in message
news:3aa38f62$1...@nntp2.nac.net...

> Just want to thank you all for the good tips. I'll try them out.
>
> Also, is AC 7 really bad for a Kensai?

AC7 is very bad indeed. A kensai should look to start with 18 dexterity
(sets AC to 6) and then add in the -2 bonus to AC on character creation
(AC4). Also, sword and shield style or single weapon style can help to
boost AC if you choose at the beginning. I suggest you do something to
bump up your poor chap's dexterity, as he must have a mere 15 at the
moment to be wandering round with AC7. Failing that, look for any
weapons which give AC bonuses, and items which aren't armour or bracers
which also give bonuses (rings or amulets of protection, cloaks etc can
all help).

You also said he was kensai/mage, which means he can cast Stoneskin,
Mirror Image, Armour (or any of the improved versions, a la Ghost Armour
etc) to beef his AC up a bit before entering combat, which should
increase his survival chances. Add in all those spells (and the fact
kensai/mages can wear mage robes), and negative AC's are what you should
be aiming for, preferably -4 or so. Now if only BG2 had the spell
Submerge the Will...

Ykalon Dragon

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Mar 6, 2001, 8:46:27 PM3/6/01
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Jason wrote:
>
> Just want to thank you all for the good tips. I'll try them out.
>
> Also, is AC 7 really bad for a Kensai?

First of all a Kensai is about the only fighter kit that really *needs*
max dex. 18 dex alone should get you to ac 5 I think, and after that
equip a ring of protection, the ioune stone that offers ac improvement.
And I believe there's one or two swords with defensive attributes. And
can't a kensai wear bracers? You should be able to get a negative ac
with all that. Also single weapon style gives an extra +1 ac bonus.


whoever

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Mar 6, 2001, 2:44:06 PM3/6/01
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Hi,

I have Jaheira using the Spear of Withering+4. I'm not sure where I got it,
but it was midway in the game.
Spears seem pretty good in the game since +3 ones are readily available.
Also the Spear +3 Impaler (+10 piercing damage) is really good until
you get the +4 one.

I would think that Spear or Staff is best since the club and scimitar
stop at +3 weapons, IMHO.
At higher levels her base THACO is pretty good and with only
two stars in Spear Proficiency and one or two in Two-Handed
proficiency she is at a pretty low THACO with a Spear.

Spear of Withering also does some xtra damage by sucking
water out of opponents. (AFAIK that's what it does)

Anyway, it's fun having someone use a spear..
Probably the Staff option is more powerful but it seems
wasteful to have a fighter type use a staff, even if a druid also.
(I just like to have the party use varied weapons so it's more fun)

It would be nice if spears were 1D8 instead of 1D6 in the game.

Danae

Htn963 wrote in message
<20010305124813...@ng-mb1.news.cs.com>...

Htn963

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Mar 8, 2001, 2:19:19 AM3/8/01
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whoever wrote:

>Hi,
>
>I have Jaheira using the Spear of Withering+4. I'm not sure where I got it,
>but it was midway in the game.
>Spears seem pretty good in the game since +3 ones are readily available.
>Also the Spear +3 Impaler (+10 piercing damage) is really good until
>you get the +4 one.

> I would think that Spear or Staff is best since the club and scimitar
>stop at +3 weapons, IMHO.
>At higher levels her base THACO is pretty good and with only
>two stars in Spear Proficiency and one or two in Two-Handed
>proficiency she is at a pretty low THACO with a Spear.
>
>Spear of Withering also does some xtra damage by sucking
>water out of opponents. (AFAIK that's what it does)
>
>Anyway, it's fun having someone use a spear..
>Probably the Staff option is more powerful but it seems
>wasteful to have a fighter type use a staff, even if a druid also.
>(I just like to have the party use varied >weapons so it's more fun)

I never gave serious thoughts to J using spears, but that does sound
workable, at least more so than scimitar, and would be a a refreshing change of
pace for my next game. The spears is probably the most neglected weapon in
BG2 since don't find killer versions till relatively late in the game and the
only other likely candidate to use it is Valygar, who's already found his
wonder weapon with Celestial Fury.

>It would be nice if spears were 1D8 instead of 1D6 in the game.

and has a better attack speed.
>
>Danae


Speaker-to-Customers

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Mar 8, 2001, 12:36:57 PM3/8/01
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"Htn963" wrote ...

> whoever wrote:
>
> >It would be nice if spears were 1D8 instead of 1D6 in the game.
>
> and has a better attack speed.

And were one-handed (standard equipment of Greek hoplites, Masai moran,
Saxon fyrrdmen, etc. = Spear and Shield!). I have never encountered a spear
being strictly a 2-handed weapon in 25 years of wargaming, D&D, and martial
arts, before playing BG. You certainly can use one 2-handed, and if you
haven't got a shield it's the best way to use it, but Spear and Shield is
much more effective.

And you should be able to throw spears if necessary.

Paul Speaker-to-Customers

Htn963

unread,
Mar 8, 2001, 8:31:52 PM3/8/01
to
Speaker-to-Customers wrote:

>"Htn963" wrote ...
>> whoever wrote:
>>
>> >It would be nice if spears were 1D8 instead of 1D6 in the game.
>>
>> and has a better attack speed.
>
>And were one-handed (standard equipment of Greek hoplites, Masai moran,
>Saxon fyrrdmen, etc. = Spear and Shield!). I have never encountered a spear
>being strictly a 2-handed weapon in 25 years of wargaming, D&D, and martial
>arts, before playing BG. You certainly can use one 2-handed, and if you
>haven't got a shield it's the best way to use it, but Spear and Shield is
>much more effective.

Which is why I love playing the Amazon on Diablo 2. (It didn't have
anything to do with her statuesque figure and long, honey-colored hair, of
course.) But some spears could only be used with two-hands because they were
so long and heavy, e.g. the brandistock and spetum.

>And you should be able to throw spears if >necessary.

They're called javelins.


Speaker-to-Customers

unread,
Mar 8, 2001, 9:36:05 PM3/8/01
to

"Htn963" <htn...@cs.com> wrote ...

> Speaker-to-Customers wrote:
> >"Htn963" wrote ...
> >> whoever wrote:
(this is getting like Genesis Ch. 5, v. 1-32)

> >> >It would be nice if spears were 1D8 instead of 1D6 in the game.
> >> and has a better attack speed.
> >
> >And were one-handed (standard equipment of Greek hoplites, Masai moran,
> >Saxon fyrrdmen, etc. = Spear and Shield!). I have never encountered a
spear
> >being strictly a 2-handed weapon in 25 years of wargaming, D&D, and
martial
> >arts, before playing BG. You certainly can use one 2-handed, and if you
> >haven't got a shield it's the best way to use it, but Spear and Shield is
> >much more effective.

(Snip)


> But some spears could only be used with two-hands because they were
> so long and heavy, e.g. the brandistock and spetum.

I'd class those as pole-arms, rather than spears. Some Ancient armies had
spears up to 9 feet long, which were used 1-handed in conjunction with a
shield.

I remembered a Chinese spear which is normally used 2-handed, after I had
sent my post, but it is wielded in a fashion more akin to a pointed staff
than to a spear.

> >And you should be able to throw spears if >necessary.
>
> They're called javelins.

Or pila, azagai, etc. However, it is perfectly possible to throw a normal
spear, as opposed to a specialised throwing spear. The Greek hoplite spear
was ill-suited to throwing, because of the weighted butt-spike, and the Zulu
Iklwa is impossible to throw, but many others are well balanced for throwing
and are true dual-purpose weapons.

BG seems to treat spears as being pikes. Unlike P&P AD&D, which draws a
clear distinction between the two, classes spears as 1-handed, and allows
them to be thrown (although with a shorter range than javelins).

Not directly relevant to Jaheira: You should also be able to wield a
throwing axe in melee combat. And retrieve throwing axes after the battle
for future use, rather than have to carry vast numbers around because of
them being usable only once each. Fair enough that arrows and sling bullets
should be lost, but it's not hard to find an axe, and they don't break very
often.

Paul Speaker-to-Customers

Derville

unread,
Mar 9, 2001, 9:00:15 AM3/9/01
to

Speaker-to-Customers <oct...@mcb.net> wrote in message
news:988fni$rv3$1...@MANNET-3800-2.mcb.net...

>
> And were one-handed (standard equipment of Greek hoplites, Masai
moran,
> Saxon fyrrdmen, etc. = Spear and Shield!). I have never encountered a
spear
> being strictly a 2-handed weapon in 25 years of wargaming, D&D, and
martial
> arts, before playing BG. You certainly can use one 2-handed, and if
you
> haven't got a shield it's the best way to use it, but Spear and Shield
is
> much more effective.
>
> And you should be able to throw spears if necessary.
>
> Paul Speaker-to-Customers

I'd like to see two-handed axes as well, but it's looking unlikely.
Also, take the case of the barstool sword - in PnP, AFAIK you get
bonuses if you choose to wield the weapon in two hands as opposed to
just one, but no such bonus has been implemented in either BG game. As
for throwing spears, if players can throw axes then I see no reason why
they shouldn't be allowed to throw spears too (although carrying a dozen
spears around would weigh an awful lot). However, I do recall a
discussion ages ago on another NG looking at spears and other such
martial weapons, where the suggestion was made that a herd of people
with two-handed spears can stop most any infantry attack you care to
throw at them (archers excepted), and that a two-handed grip on a spear
allows for more careful parrying and disarming of an opponent. Sadly,
none of these attributes has been put into any BG spears (if katanas can
get AC bonuses against slashing attacks, then why not spears too,
reflecting an ability to parry an attack?). I guess it depends on the
type of spear we're talking about - I for one always thought that the BG
spears were intended more to appear like pikes and the like (hence their
inclusion with halberds as a similar proficiency type in BG1) than as
one-handed weapons.

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