Aegondragan wrote:
Character lvl 10
9 divinations
8 lore with ring +2
10 swords
7 heavy armor
3 cartography
29 str
20 dex
20 end
15 wis
10 per
18 con
15 int
Aegon
I have many suggestions and I agree with much of what's been said already! But before you read all my dribble (very long but worth the read I promise), check out the links in Strategy Central, they may provide you with all the information you're looking for,
viewtopic.php?f=12&t=3299
1) Lets start with your stats. Str is important for melee folks but End is by far the most important stat (Perception is most important for magic only classes). When I create a melee build I make sure I have at least 15 Str but then it's all End until I reach 40 for that magical 1 HP every round regeneration rate. Plus getting 12 HPs every level is a life saver. End also increases ALL of your resistances (magic, disease, poison, etc). Seriously, End is key for melee.
2) Speed should always be ignored. Str or Dex are superior in every way. You can safely ignore Concentration too unless you're playing a Rogue/Bow class.
3) Since you're playing with Divination, you'll want to spend a few points in Perception as this will improve your MP/level and your MP regen rate (no higher than 20 for melee build). You'll also need points in Wis to learn spells (you've got 15 now and with additional +wis gear, you shouldn't need any more than that for the rest of the game). You can safely ignore Int unless you plan to also take Elemental Magic (not necessary for melee/divination build). If you haven't read the thread on how Stats affect your build you should read up on it (see link to Strategy Central)
4) For Skills, my first play through was a sword/divination build as well. I liked it a lot (plenty of fun swords to find). Bludgeon is the better weapon though as it bashes doors/chests better and Devastating Blow is a marvelous weapon feat. With Sword at only 10 by level 10, this is definitely what's holding you back. My melee builds get their primary weapon to level 10 by level 2. My goal is to achieve level 32 primary weapon skill as quickly as possible to allow for the weapon feat every 4 rounds. This is your bread and butter for taking down foes.
5) So, where do we get all these points for your weapon skill? First, you never need more than 1 point in lore, maybe not even that (your Divination skill should allow you to cast Lore to id any object in the game). You can always don one or two +2 Lore rings for item identification too.
6) Second, you never officially need more than 1 point in heavy or light armor. I prefer Light armor as the difference in protection is fairly minimal but the weight saving is dramatic compared to Heavy armor. Putting more points into armor helps reduce wear, but with just 1 point in Repair, wear becomes just another few rounds of camping (I take 1 point of Repair at character creation for my melee builds, but you can also find/buy a pair of +2 repair gloves and don them when camping. Never ever pay for repair services!) Technically Damage Reduction increases with more armor skill too, but DR is generally considered a waste (see threads on DR for more info).
7) If you recouped 6 points from heavy armor and 8 points from lore and added that 14 points to your sword skill, you'd be up to 24 swords! Considering you get +1 hit and +1 damage with every 2 points of weapon skill you're talking +7 hit and +7 damage with every swing. You're also much closer to that magical 32 weapon skill for your weapon feat every 4 rounds. This would greatly improve your ability to quickly defeat monsters. A good offense trumps defense every time (I took an armor-less and weapon-less build, using unarmed skill, through completion with little trouble).
To address your other concerns, you have Divination which means you never need to worry about food again once you buy/find Create Food. You can also learn Detox to defeat poison (also available through Alchemy but more on that later). Other crucial spells in Divination will be Bless (+1 hit/dam at each casting level, with Div 9 now I think you can cast level 6 bless, this is HUGE boost to your offense), Cat's Eyes (fight in the dark to make it harder for your enemies to hit you but you suffer no penalty), Stoneskin (+10 armor), and possibly buffs like Haste/Ogre Strength as well as Cure Ailments for curing diseases (also available through Alchemy). Your Wis/2 determines the max number of Div spells you can learn, but you can wear +Wis items to temporarily boost your stat to learn a spell and then remove the gear when casting (No Wis check is performed when casting a Div spell).
9) The Alchemy/Foraging combination is very powerful. Trainers are available for both of them and with books they can each reach level 10 with no skill points from you (just add money). With Foraging, every time you camp you make money by finding reagents (don't forget to wear your two +2 foraging rings when you camp and a +2 Mercantile hat helps when selling). Pair that with Alchemy and you essentially have a never ending supply of Detox potions, Health/Mana potions, Str and Dex buffs, etc. Plus, with a few extra points added by you, Alchemy turns into a game-changing skill, the ability to permanently enchant armor and weapons. With training, books and a pair of +2 Alchemy rings you're at 14. That's enough for +2 hit/damage/fire/ice/poison enchants, +2 harden armor, top tier mana/health potions, Invisibility II, Demon Oil III, etc. At 22 you've reached Valhalla with +3 armor/weapon enchants. Yum.
10) Other random tidbits, fighting in Power mode is the only way to go. More damage = Faster kills. This requires heavy points in your main weapon in order to overcome the To Hit penalty. Time engagements to occur only when your feat is charged (weapon feats never miss).
11) Take your boots off before you fast travel and take both leggings and boots off before stepping in lava. Much less wear on these items that way.
12) keep a ranged weapon (like bow/arrows or thrown weapon) around, even if you aren't trained in them, to trigger trapped doors/chests instead of using your face.
13) Run away! Letting monsters gang up on you is a quick way to die. Take them one at a time (or even run in circles for a few rounds) to let your HP regenerate (esp if you've pumped End to 40) and your weapon feat recycle.
That's about all I can think of at the moment. Heh, guess that's a mouthful anyway!! Have fun!!
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