Answer some questions for me...

[der_kluge]

Ok, so I've only really played spellcasters in this game up to now, and am trying to learn the *other* side of the game, and I have some questions.


What exactly do people mean by DPS? I know it's damage per second, but kinds of builds constitute DPS builds? I've heard people say sword-n-board characters can't DPS, is that true?

What exactly does an intimitank look like? Is it a paladin, or fighter? Or either? What is the purpose of an intimitank?

What is a tank? Just any high AC build? What is the purpose of a tank?

Is it true that the THF feat grants glancing blow benefits to a bastard sword? If so, why doesn't the feat description say as much?

Is it true that Quickdraw speeds up the cooldown of intimidate?

Is Cleave/Great Cleave useful?

Why is Khopesh considered a better weapon than a bastard sword? If you do the math, Bastard sword does more damage. What behind the scenes thing is going on here that I'm not taking into consideration?

[dunklezhan]

Is it true that the THF feat grants glancing blow benefits to a bastard sword? If so, why doesn't the feat description say as much?



Borror0, I summon thee!

Sorry. this isn't a helpful post (unless the summons works). I'm not qualified to answer your questions, but there are plenty who will. I just know the quoted issue is close to Borror0's heart.

[Shishizaru]

1) When someone makes a statement like "sword and board isn't DPS," it means that person does not believe sword and board outputs viable DPS. Is said statement true? Probably. Sword and board characters do less DPS than their THF/TWF counterparts. Moreover, for many melee builds, AC is not meaningful, so equipping your shield is normally more detrimental than beneficial.

2) An Intimitank is anyone who can (successfully) hit Intimidate and survive the aggro they pull. I don't have a lot of experience with them, but I believe Fighter and Paladin are the go to choices. There might be an influx of Paladin Intimitanks due to the recent change (where Intim became a class skill) and a Paladin's (normally) higher CHA stat.

3) Tank means many things. In some MMO's, it refers to a character that's meant to initiate fights, taking aggro and being more or less invulnerable (or much less vulnerable). As mentioned before, meaningful AC is tough for most characters and it is very gear intensive. As such, many DDO'ers will use "tank" to mean any character with a large HP pool. Barbarians and Fighters stereotypically fall into this category. They will take damage, but their higher HP pool makes them better suited to take the damage than a squishier character. Monks and Paladins are also sometimes referred to as tanks. Many have decent to high AC which helps, as well as significant self-healing to stay up longer (and without as much babysitting).

4) Based off what I've read, yes, this it true (I can't verify it with in-game proof though). It "works" as long as you don't have a weapon in your off-hand (a shield is fine). I don't know why the feat description doesn't say this. It might just be one of the descriptions that was never updated as they changed things. I believe Dwarven Axes also benefit from THF.

5) I believe Quickdraw reduces the amount of delay after activation of skills (like Intimidate). I don't know that much about it though, so best wait for someone else to answer.

6) The general consensus is no. Unless you are taking it for a pre-req (e.g. Barbarian Frenzy Berserker). It has a slow animation and you can often do more damage auto-attacking in that time duration.

7) Khopesh is "king" for TWF weapons because it combines good base damage, a good crit modifier and a good crit range. Against high fort mobs, the mathematical gap starts to lessen. All in all though, unless you absolutely must min-max to be happy, you can swing Bastard Swords and do just fine.

[Rusty_Can]

Is it true that the THF feat grants glancing blow benefits to a bastard sword? If so, why doesn't the feat description say as much?




4) Based off what I've read, yes, this it true (I can't verify it with in-game proof though). It "works" as long as you don't have a weapon in your off-hand (a shield is fine). I don't know why the feat description doesn't say this. It might just be one of the descriptions that was never updated as they changed things. I believe Dwarven Axes also benefit from THF.


Yes; you can find official info looking at U5 release notes (http://compendium.ddo.com/wiki/Release_Notes_Update_5_Official#Items).

[der_kluge]

Yes; you can find official info looking at U5 release notes (http://compendium.ddo.com/wiki/Release_Notes_Update_5_Official#Items).

Here is the relevant bit:

"■Bastard Swords and Dwarven Waraxes are now as if they were two handed weapons for the purposes of Glancing Blows when they are the only weapon wielded by a proficient user. (Weapon and Shield or Single Weapon styles, but not when Dual Wielding.) Feats or enhancements that affect Glancing Blows (such as the Two Handed Fighting chain, or Great Weapon Aptitude) will also modify these weapons. They are still treated as one handed weapons for all other purposes, such as strength bonus to damage. "

No mention of khopesh - that would seem to make Bastard sword the weapon of choice then, yes?