Melee Artificer

[jarlaxle_dourden]

I have read in a couple of places ... Melee artificer ... Uses bastard Swords and has feats for two weapon fighting.

Questions:
1) Why bastard swords?
2) Why two weapon fighting feats? What benefit does these give ... since bastard swords are one handed weps?

Thanks for any info

[Wildseed]

I have read in a couple of places ... Melee artificer ... Uses bastard Swords and has feats for two weapon fighting.

Questions:
1) Why bastard swords?
2) Why two weapon fighting feats? What benefit does these give ... since bastard swords are one handed weps?

Thanks for any info

Bastard swords and dwarven axes give glancing blows when you take Two Handed (note, not weapon) fighting. So, you can still use a rune arm, and get glancing blows with the weapon. So, bastard swords are chosen over dwarven axes I guess because of the crit range (19-20 vs. 20 for dwarven axes)

[Wildseed]

looks like the clock went backwards. Since I posted after you LOL

[jarlaxle_dourden]

Wow that was weird Thanks for the info.

Opinions: Is the glancing blow damage ready worth the two feats?

[Entelech]

Basically, Fernando Paiz likes Bastard Swords.

Not enough to make them actually useful, or anything. But he's stated in several interviews that he likes them. So every ******** gimp piece of fluff text in the game mentions them.

Maybe the currently nonexistent melee PrE for Artificers will indeed make Bastard Swords worthwhile if it gives them some spectacular power boosts, but until then every non-Dwarf still considers Khopeshes the only exotic weapon worth using at endgame.

Pen and Paper had a way to imbed a magic wand into the hilt of a specially-prepared weapon (provided said hilt or haft was large enough) and the wand could be used normally while you held the weapon. THAT would be something worthwhile.

As near as I can figure, most melee Artificers at endgame will want to be using a Wand in one hand and a Tower Shield in the other. At least, if they're not just mopping up trash. Shield Mastery + Radiant Forcefield + Reconstruct = most survivable toon currently available.

[Chimeran]

Mellee Artificers suck.
Tried one, in no way do you have the survivability of a ranged artificer.
Ranged saves you having to always heal ( ranged does not get hit as much )
Melee just get pooned and are gimp like a wizard/sorc melee.

Do not believe the hype. Test it for yourself.. melee Artificers are gimp.

Sure at 20 it could be fun with an Epic Chimeran's Fang and Tovern Hammer, but Epic Hellfire Xbow + Toverns is a proven build winner, save your feats, go with the Xbow

[wax_on_wax_off]

Mellee Artificers suck.
Tried one, in no way do you have the survivability of a ranged artificer.
Ranged saves you having to always heal ( ranged does not get hit as much )
Melee just get pooned and are gimp like a wizard/sorc melee.

Do not believe the hype. Test it for yourself.. melee Artificers are gimp.

Sure at 20 it could be fun with an Epic Chimeran's Fang and Tovern Hammer, but Epic Hellfire Xbow + Toverns is a proven build winner, save your feats, go with the Xbow

Yeah I'll pretty much save the melee artificer until I've pulled a Docent of Defiance; then I think that it could be fun.