(This information applies to any character that engages in close or ranged combat.)

Quick Summary: If you can't decide whether to put skill points into (for example) Close Combat Skill or Sword Skill, but your character always uses a sword (ie. a Samurai), put EVERYTHING into the Sword Skill.

As CharlesM mentioned in an earlier post, a character using an Axe with Close Combat Skill 100 and Axe Skill 10 will hit LESS OFTEN than the same character using an Axe with Close Combat Skill 10 and Axe Skill 100. This is an elaboration on that point.

I did a little 'exploration' of the game mechanics, and it's slightly more radical than that. If you know your character will always use one type of weapon, you might as well ignore Close Combat (or Ranged Combat) and put ALL bonus skill points into that skill. The accuracy bonus for a specific weapon skill is approximately 2 times that of Close Combat / Ranged Combat.

This table assumes that all Stats are at 50. Numbers in the table reflect the Attack Rating (higher AR = more chance to hit). And uhh... CC 125 / Weap 125 is not achievable in the game, but I included it for 'completeness'.
.... CC 000 025 050 075 100 125
Wpn ....................................
000 .. 015 016 017 018 019 020
025 .. 017 018 019 020 022 023
050 .. 019 020 022 023 024 025
075 .. 022 023 024 025 026 027
100 .. 024 025 026 027 028 029
125 .. 026 027 028 029 030 032

Let's say you play a Ninja. You'd probably want to max out Stealth and Critical Strike during each level up, leaving you with 3 measly bonus points to distribute between Throwing and Ranged Combat (or between Martial Arts and Close Combat).

If you distribute them as +3 to Ranged Combat and +0 to Throwing, let's say you'll eventually get Ranged Combat Skill 75 and Throwing Skill 0 (unrealistic, but this is just an example). Assuming all your stats are at 50 (again unrealistic, but whatever), your Attack Rating would be 18.

If you distribute them as +2 to Ranged Combat and +1 to Throwing, let's say you'll eventually get Ranged Combat Skill 50 and Throwing Skill 25. Assuming all your stats are at 50, your Attack Rating would be 19.

If you distribute them as +1 to Ranged Combat and +2 to Throwing, let's say you'll eventually get Ranged Combat Skill 25 and Throwing Skill 50. Assuming all your stats are at 50, your Attack Rating would be 20.

If you distribute them as +0 to Ranged Combat and +3 to Throwing, let's say you'll eventually get Ranged Combat Skill 0 and Throwing Skill 75. Assuming all your stats are at 50, your Attack Rating would be 22.

In other words, if your character is going to specialize in one type of weapon (and I think most power-players will probably do this), you can afford to ditch the Close Combat & Ranged Combat Skills and just concentrate on the specific weapon skill. You are better off SPECIALIZING in a weapon skill (than distributing the points evenly) in order to maximise your chance to hit.

PS: If you actually have enough points to raise both (for example) Throwing and Ranged Combat, of course it's better to raise both. But if you don't have enough points to max both during level ups, try to max Throwing before Ranged Combat if you always throw things.

• RE: Info on skill distribution for fighter-type classes,Arthur Tuxedo, 05:54 PM, Nov-18-01
  • RE: Info on skill distribution for fighter-type classes,zzled (Guest), 07:37 PM, Nov-18-01
    • RE: Info on skill distribution for fighter-type classes,Common Sensei (Guest), 07:19 AM, Nov-19-01
      • ** Spoiler ** Skills over 125,Llevram, 09:16 PM, Nov-19-01
    • RE: Info on skill distribution for fighter-type classes,Djaran (Guest), 08:49 PM, Nov-29-01
• RE: Info on skill distribution for fighter-type classes,kaenash88@hotmail.com (Guest), 05:49 PM, Nov-29-01
  • Yes, to both,Llevram, 09:21 PM, Nov-29-01
    • Primary and Secondary,Sphynx (Guest), 07:46 AM, Nov-30-01
  • RE: Info on skill distribution for fighter-type classes,gd2 (Guest), 02:39 PM, Dec-03-01

Yes, but consider that if you max something out to 100 and leave the other one in the teens, any practice points you would have gotten for Sword are wasted, so you might get both up to 100 earlier if you don't put ALL points into Sword rather than 2 into Sword and 2 into Close Combat.

"Of all the things I've lost in life, I miss my mind the most" - Ozzy Osbourne

Well... the thing about this is that (for example) Close Combat and the Sword Skill only affect accuracy. I don't know about you, but my experience is usually that early in the game, the characters don't hit often enough... but later in the game, they usually hit but don't do enough damage. Because accuracy isn't a huge concern later in the game, I think it's more important to be able to hit more accurately early in the game rather than to max both skills faster (cause that never happens until later in the game, when accuracy isn't as important).

Furthermore, you can't allocate points to skills above 75, and it's easier to train a skill from, say, 5 to 30 rather than from 75 to 100. Thus, the 'neglected' skill shouldn't be lagging too far behind the skill you were training, and it shouldn't make a big difference in the long run. Well, hopefully.

A skill score of 125 is possible, but only if that skill is the primary skill for the class. This is because primary skills get a 25% bonus, so a full score of 100 becomes 125.

So a Valkyrie with a 100 Polearms skill really has 125, a Samurai with 100 in Swords really has 125, etc.

I believe you can get skills above even the 125% mark. There are spells and items that (at least temporarily) boost your skills.

Depends on your focus. If you're trying to depend on criticals, then your goal is to hit the opponent as many time as possible as you can in order to get that elusive critical hit.

SO HERE IS my question:

The book that comes with the game, claims that dual weild is the skill used when dual weilding (For BOTH weapons?)

If I am using a sword and axe or sword and sword, does the game ever look at sword or axe skill?

=======================================

Whatever weapon you are wielding, you need skill with that weapon type. Additionally, if you choose to wield two weapons, you want skill points in the ability to wield two weapons (dual weapons skill).

With too few points, you can reduce your effectiveness (with each weapon).

www.softwarespecialties.com Tools for Wizardry(r) 7

I noticed something curious. My samurai has been using two
swords for some time and has built up that skill, just recently
gaining a second attack on his primary weapon. However,
when I switched the secondary weapon from sword to dagger,
he lost his second attack on his primary weapon! Beware,
using different weapon types will hamper your performance
until you can get your weapon skills up for BOTH weapons.

LAST EDITED ON Dec-03-01 AT 06:00 PM (Pacific) by Llevram (admin)

Hi there,
not only are you using dual wield as well as the individual weapon skills, but you use close combat as well! Kinda whacked huh? While I dont think the dual wielder depends on the close combat skill as much as they do on dual wield and individual weap skills, it still factors in nonetheless. Reason I believe this is that inevitably after combat every so often my dual wielders' close combat skill improves, albeit considerably slower than the dual and weapons' skills...