*Neverwinter Nights 2: Weapon Master Guide* by Sajber

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Neverwinter Nights 2:
"Weapon Master" Class Guide by
Erik Fasterius, erik.fasterius@hotmail..com
Copyright 2007 Erik Fasterius
===========================================
--------------------0.0 TABLE OF CONTENTS
--------------------1.0 INTRODUCTION
Who I am, what this guide is for, and so on...
2.0 THE WEAPON MASTER
An introduction to the class and it's possibilities
3.0 STYLE 1: TWO-HANDED WEAPONS
For Weapon Masters who like big numbers!
3.1 Weapons
3.2 Race
3.3 Class
3.4 Stats
3.5 Feats
3.6 Conclusion
4.0 STYLE 2: ONE-HANDED WEAPONS
For those that like finesse or tanking!
4.1 Weapons
4.2 Race
4.3 Class
4.4 Stats
4.5 Feats
4.6 Conclusion
5.0 STYLE 3: DUAL WEAPONS
For you who like hack-n-slash!
5.1 Weapons
5.2 Class
5.3 Race
5.4 Stats
5.5 Feats
5.6 Conclusion
6.0 OTHER CHOICES

Things
6.1
6.2
6.3

that won't be affected by your chosen style

Skills
Backgrounds
Deities

7.0 CREDITS, VERSION HISTORY, ETC

Everything else, mostly boring stuff...
7.1 Credit where credit is due
7.2 Version History
7.3 Who can use this guide
7.4 Special Thanks

---------------1.0 INTRODUCTION
---------------My name is Erik Fasterius, just a nobody from sweden who spends far too much
time at my computer. This is my second guide, the first one being my "GCH-Jedi"
-guide for Knights Of The Old Republic. I believe myself to be pretty fluent in
my english, but I'm sure there will be mistakes anyway. If you find a mistake,
be it grammar and/or spelling, feel free to send me an email telling me about
it. You can find my adress at the top of this page. I also welcome criticism,
but only if it is CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. Any mails blatantly telling me how my
guide sucks in this way and that will simply be ignored and blocked. You may,
of course, mail me and tell me how good you thought my guide was, and why! =D
And while I'm at it, this is NOT a walkthrough! Don't email me with "I'm
stuck, tell me what to do!", because I won't answer them. GameFaqs a couple
of good walkthroughs, use them!
Before I start with the guide, I would like to point out that I will use
smilies. I do this because I have learned from experience that I'm simply not
good enough at writing to be able to express sarcasm, jokes and the like
without them. With smilies, hopefully everybody will know when I'm serious and
when I'm not!
To search this guide, simply press CTRL+F and
example, if you're looking for the section on
browser will automaticly take you to any text
which should only be two places, if I've done
Contents and the section itself.

type in a searchword. For

Skills, type in "6.0", and your
in the guide with 6.0 in it it correctly: the Table of

I will assume you know the basics of the AD&D 3.5 ruleset. If you don't, read
your manual and catch up. I will often refer to feats and such without giving
a description of what it does, you will have to check that for yourself. Your
manual is as good a place as any, and I can recommend
www.gamebanshee.com/neverwinternights2 as well, they have very good search
functions for everything from races to feats and everything in between.
And last but not least... This is MY guide, therefore, it contains MY ideas on
how you should play a Weapon Master to the fullest of it's abilities. You may
disagree with some of my ideas, and that is perfectly alright. If you feel that
I am wrong about something, or have a better idea, feel free to mail it to me
and tell me about it. Just because it's my guide does not mean that I am
perfect and all-knowing! =P I will sometimes use math and calculations for
comparisons or to make a point, and they are of course subject to be wrong as
well, feel free to correct me (with correct calculations, of course). And this
is by no means a guide to the "perfect" Weapon Master - I will not tell you
exactly how to build your character, there are quite alot of choices you have

to do by yourself. I'm merely putting all your choices together in a nice pile
for you to pick your favourites from, and removing the bad choices before you
even make them.
So, without further ado, let's start the guide!

--------------------2.0 THE WEAPON MASTER

--------------------So, what sort of character is a Weapon Master? The general idea is that the
Weapon Master is a master of weapons (duh!). A Weapon Master is a character who
has dedicated all his or her training to master just ONE type of weapon, but
fights like no other with said weapon. This means that a Weapon Master does not
have alot of weapons to choose from, but really excels at using one type of
weapon.
Weapon Masters can be very different from one another, except the obvious of
their choice of weapons. One might like using big two-handed weapons, such as a
Greatsword, while others might like to use a lighter weapon and a shield. Some
even prefer to dual-wield their favourite weapons! Some Weapon Masters are big
and hulky, and very resiliant to damage. Some may be quick and nimble,
preferring to avoid damage rather than soak it up. A very big difference is
what class the Weapon Master originates from. He could have been a Fighter,
perhaps a Ranger, or even a Paladin! There are quite a few classes to choose
from that can make excellent Weapon Masters.
Becoming a Weapon Master is not something you just choose to. You have to build
your character quite carefully, as there are quite a few requirements for one
who want to become a Weapon Master - mainly: feats. This also means that there
are some stats which you need more of than you might initially have thought...
Here are the required feats:
Weapon Focus
Dodge
Mobility
Combat Expertise
Spring Attack
Whirlwind Attack

(Req:
(Req:
(Req:
(Req:
(Req:
(Req:

a Base Attack Bonus (BAB) of +1)

13 Dexterity)
13 Dexterity)
13 Intelligence)
13 Dexterity, BAB +4)
13 Dexterity, 13 Intelligence, BAB +4)

So, at the very least, you need to have 13 Intelligence and 13 Dexterity.
This means that a generic Weapon Master is not just some dumb guy with a big
sword shouting "RAAARGH!!" - he or she can actually think properly! =P
You will also need a BAB of +5 and 4 ranks in Intimidate before you can become
a Weapon Master. So, any race with at least two levels in Fighter can become a
Weapon Master by level 9. I might as well list the specifics of the Weapon
Master Prestige Class while I'm at it. This is just copied from the class
description in-game.
"--Hid die: d10
Base Attack Bonus: High
High Saves: Reflex
Weapon Proficiencies: None
Armor Proficiencies: None
Skill Points: 2 + Int modifier

Class Skills: Craft Weapon, Intimidate, Lore, Parry, and Taunt.

Weapon of Choice: When a character acquires his first level of Weapon Master,
he must select a single melee weapon type (for example, longsword or dwarven
waraxe) as his weapon of choice. His weapon master abilities only function when
he has a weapon of that type equipped.
Ki Damage: Once per day, a 1st level Weapon Master may choose to make a special
attack with his weapon of choice. If this attack hits, it automatically
inflicts maximum damage.
Increase Multiplier: At 5th level, the Weapon Master's critical multiplier with
his chosen weapon increases by +1. (ie. x2 becomes x3, x3 becomes x4, etc.)
Superior Weapon Focus: A 5th level Weapon Master gains Superior Weapon Focus
with his weapon of choice as a bonus feat.
Ki Critical: At 7th level, the weapon master increases his threat range by 2
when using his weapon of choice. For example, a longsword normally has a threat
range of 19-20. In the hands of a 7th level Weapon Master, it threatens on a
17-20.
---"
As you can see, a Weapon Master gets his true power from his free feats as he
levels. There is no real reason to level a Weapon Master any more than to level
7, but there's no reason NOT to level any less than 7. So, you have 13 levels
of whatever other classes you want to take. Ki Critical is simply too good to
pass up. Of course, it doesn't work on creatures that are immune to critical
hits (such as undead)...
So, we've now gone through all the things that all Weapon Masters have in
common. Now my guide divides into three parts, the three different "styles" a
Weapon Master can choose from. Which one you choose depends largely on what you
like most. I will try to the best of my abilities to give a fair description of
them all, and you can later pick your favourite.

------------------------------3.0 STYLE 1: TWO-HANDED WEAPONS

------------------------------So, the big, bad guy with a big, bad axe on his back. Yep, this is one sort of
Weapon Master. A Weapon Master wielding a two-handed weapon will by all
probability be quite the large guy, and probably wearing a lot of armour. He's
the guy that charges first into the battle, taking all the blows for himself
and dealing a lot of damage while he's at it. A Weapon Master that utilizes
two-handed weapons more often than not focuses alot on strength and
constitution. He may shout "RAAARGH!!", but he does it with style!
3.1 Weapons
----------The first thing you need to think about is "What weapon will my character
wield?" Here's a short list of the better two-handed weapons you can choose
from:
Greataxe:
Greatsword:

1d12 slashing, Martial (Large), 20/x3 criticals

2d6 slashing, Martial (Large), 19-20/x2 criticals

Dwarven Waraxe:
Halberd:
Warmace:

1d10 slashing, Dwarf/Exotic (Medium), 20/x3 criticals

1d10 piercing/slashing, Martial (Large), 20/x3 criticals
1d12 bludgeoning, Martial (Large), 20/x2 criticals

I myself prefer the Greatsword, because of it's slightly better avarage damage
and wider critical range. It doesn't really matter though, as it's more a
matter of personal preferance.
3.2 Race
-------Ok, so what race do we take? We need something that preferably has alot of
strength and lots of constitution. Some races, such as the Dwarves, are
proficient with racial weapons (in the dwarves' case, Dwarven Waraxes), so we
have to keep that in mind as well. And then, of course we have to think about
that we need 13 intelligence and dexterity as well, so we don't want a race
that totally gimps those stats either...
I will only list the "majour" strengths and weaknesses of each race here, if
you want the details, please look them up yourself.
Shield Dwarves (Dwarf):
+2 Constitution, -2 Charisma, Darkvision, favoured class: Fighter.
A solid choice, not much fuss, the only negative thing is you loose 2 Charisma,
which can be a bummer if you're playing a good character in the Original
Campaign and want to use Diplomacy. As all dwarves, they can use Dwarven
Waraxes without any Exotic weapons training. Otherwise, not much else to say.
Humans:
One extra feat at first level, bonus skill points, favoured class: any.
Humans are always good, no matter what class you're going to build. Good
strengths, and they don't have any real weaknesses at all. A good choice.
Tieflings (Planetouched):
+2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma, Darkvision, Infernal Resistance.
Tieflings don't actively give anything to your main stats, but boosts two that
needs boosting anyway, leaving room for you to put more into Strength and
Constitution. I've found that the level adjustment (+1) doesn't really make any
difference. That goes for all races, even if it's a +2 adjustment.
You can, of course, choose any other race as well. Perhaps you like to
roleplay, and another race suits your roleplaying needs better. Any race can
make a good Weapon Master, but there are some that are better than the rest.
3.3 Class
--------And now you have to choose your class. Obviously, you're going for the Weapon
Master Prestige Class, but you have to start somewhere. There are several
routes you can take as somebody who uses two-handed weapons, all more or less
equally viable. What you choose is up to you, and what sort of playing style
you want to have.
Fighter:
A very good choice. You get d10 hit die, all armour proficiencies, Martial
weapons, lots and lots of feats and a good BAB. You get a moderate skillprogression (2 + Intelligence bonus) and an ok selection of class skills. The
sheer amount of feats you get is something that's really good, if you select a
fighter. That means you can take the five required feats (listed above), and
still have good room for optional feats. You can find a good selection of

optional feats in the feats section, lower down.

Barbarian:
You're huge. d12 hit die isn't to be toyed around with. One down-side is that
you don't get the Heavy Armour feat for free like a fighter, and you don't get
as many feats either. You get more skill points (4 + Intelligence modifier),
and a few more choices in what to spend them on. What's really good about the
Barbarian class is that you get Rage, slightly faster movement speed, Uncanny
Dodge and Damage Reduction. Keep in mind, you will only reach a maximum of
level 13, since you want 7 levels in Weapon Master.
Paladin:
d10 hit die, all armours, martial weapons, high BAB, ok skills. You get the
idea. But as a Paladin, you gain a little more than this. Smite Evil, Divine
Grace, Lay on Hands, Aura of Courage, Divine Health, Turn Undead, Divine spells
and Remove Disease are your bonus feats, and they can be quite useful. Most of
these will stop gaining in strength when your Paladin level stops increasing,
so be careful. Some don't, however, such as Aura of Courage (which is really,
really nice!) One thing you could do is to mix 3 levels of Paladin with
whatever other class (except your 7 levels of Weapon Master) you choose, to get
the free feats you get at level 3 (Aura of Courage and Divine Health). Keep in
mind that you have to be Lawful Good to be a Paladin.
Figher/Frenzied Berserker/Weapon Master (6/7/7):
This is a combination I'm trying out right now, actually, and it's a relly good
one! I just love to see my character berserk and run into the middle of the
fray, completely destroying everything in his path. Try it out, I think you'll
like it! Start with 6 levels of Fighter, continue with Frenzied Berserker levels
until you can take Weapon Master. Finish with the last Frenzied Berserker levels
you have left.
Other Prestige Classes:
There are numerous combinations you can do to fill out the 13 leftover levels
for your Weapon Master, but I haven't tried any of them. Feel free to
experiment and send me results, I'll put them here for others to see.
3.4 Stats
--------This is a pretty easy section on the two-handed Weapons' Master. All you really
need is the required 13 Intelligence and Dexterity, dump the rest into Strength
and Constitution. I don't really mind keeping Wisdom at 8, but I like to have
Charisma a little higher. Naturally, if you're a Paladin (or any other class
that uses Wisdom and/or Charisma) you might want it to be higher. Think for
yourself, do what suits your character, your needs!
3.5 Feats
--------As a fighting-type of character, feats are very important for you. How many you
have largely depends on what starting class you took. This is a selection of
great feats for a two-handed Weapons' Master to have, nothing more. You still
have to do the choosing yourself! Naturally, this does not include the five
required feats that you need to be able to become a Weapon Master. If you've
forgotten what they are, scroll up.
Cleave/Greater Cleave: A really, really good feat for any melee fighter with
two-handed weapons! You'll chop through lesser creatures
like a warm knife in butter! (Requires: Power Attack)
It's really only good for those encounters with lots of

enemies, though, and some will say that it's not really
as essential as I may tell you it is. Whom to believe,
well, it's up to you! =D
Power Attack:

Quite useful for slaughtering the easy-to-hit opponents.

How many ranks above 1 you want is up to you. I strongly
suggest you take at least one, if only to be able to get
Cleave.

Blind Fight:

A lifesaver against rogues and other nasty things that

go invisible (like wizards).

Luck of Heroes:

It's always nice to have, but not really essential in

any way. A good feat to take if you know you have them
to spare (Fighters, for example). Keep in mind that you
have to take it at level one, so there's some planning
needed here.

Those are the "main" melee-type feats. There are others, such as the armour
feats (if your lass doesn't give them for free at level 1) or Disarm that you
might want to take as well.
3.6 Conclusion
-------------So, you're a good way into creating your big, bad two-handed Weapons' Master!
What's left is basicly Backgrounds and Skills, which have their own section
lower down in the guide. If this style of Weapon Master isn't what you were
looking for, then read on, here comes the other two!

------------------------------4.0 STYLE 2: ONE-HANDED WEAPONS

------------------------------"What is this?" you might ask. Well, you might think about it, and may not see
it very often, but there are actually shields in this game. Yes, SHIELDS! =D
Shields will give you more Armour Class, another slot for stat bonuses (and
other bonuses), and you'll be different from alot of other players out there.
This type of Weapon Master will wield a one-handed weapon to go with his
shield, and is one of the better tanks out there. He might not kill stuff as
quick as the other two types, but he will survive longer. Your main stats are
still Strength and Constitution.
4.1 Weapons
----------We have quite the selection to choose from here. There are lots of one-handed
weapons in this game. What we're looking for is one that does high damage, so
that leaves out most of the light weapons. I will list my own favourites here:
Bastard sword:
Battleaxe:
Katana:
Light Flail:
Longsword:
Morningstar:
Warhammer:

1d10 slashing, Exotic (Medium), 19-20/x2 criticals

1d8 slashing, Martial (Medium), 20/x3 criticals
1d10 slashing, Exotic (Medium), 19-20/x2 criticals
1d8 bludgeoning, Martial (Medium), 20/x2 criticals
1d8 slashing, Martial (Medium or Elf), 19-20/x2 criticals
1d8 bludgeoning/piercing, Simple (Medium), 20/x2 criticals
1d8 bludgeoning, Martial (Medium), 20/x3 criticals

The Longsword or the Bastard sword (if you're a large enough race to use it)
would be my pick, preferably the Bastard sword. Keep in mind you need the
Exotic weapons' feat for that, though. The Katana is a very good choice as
well, though I just keep thinking of Samurai's when I'm using one... =P
4.2 Race
-------The Shield Dwarves, Humans and Tieflings are still good choices for the
one-handed Weapons' Master for the same reason as they're good for the
two-handed Weapons' Master. If you didn't read the above section, scroll up to
the section about races for the two-handed Weapon's Master. You can still
choose any other race you deem fit, of course.
4.3 Class
--------Here we need a bit more tactics. We want to be able to use Tower Shields (as
they obviously are better and give more AC bonus), and the only class that can
do that without investing a feat in it is the Fighter class. So, we want at
least one fighter level. You could either keep gaining fighter levels, since
more feats are always nice, or you could go on and get some levels in another
class. The Barbarian and the Paladin are still good choices, but I believe that
taking just one level of Fighter and spending the other 12 into a Cleric is a
good option.
"Say WHAT? but aren't we trying to make a Weapon Master?" I hear you say. Well,
that's true, but seeing as this type of Weapon Master isn't the type to deal
awesome damage, becoming a Cleric can really give you some abilities to
strengthen your tanking capability. Stay with me here. A Cleric can heal. This
means that he can heal himself when he's low on hitpoints, without a real need
for another full-time healer. A Cleric will give up some of his BAB and feats
in favour of this. This will be a very defensive Weapon Master, using his
knowledge and wisdom to enable his allies to do a big part of the fight. His
levels as a Weapon Master will allow him to dish some damage out, albeit not
as much as other combinations. But, if you're choosing this type of Weapon
Master, you shouldn't be looking for great damage anyhow. About choosing a
Cleric domain... I won't list them all here, you'll have to look them up
yourself. I'd think that "Healing" is a nice choice, though, to really give
you the most out of your defensive capabilities.
You can similarly create a Weapon Master with 1 Figher level and 12 Paladin
levels to get something near you'd get with the 12 Cleric levels. I do believe
that the Cleric would be better suited for this sort of character, though. If
you know something I don't about this, please email me about it! (You'll find
my email at the top of the page.)
And there's still the combination of different Prestige Classes along with
whatever starting class you pick and the Weapon Master levels to consider.
4.4 Stats
--------Your main stats are still Strength and Constitution, and that's still what you
should put most points in. You still need at least 13 Intelligence and
Dexterity, so you'll need those points there as well. If you're building the
"normal" one-handed Weapons' Master, that's all you need to worry about.
However, if you're trying out the combination of one level of Fighter, 12
levels of Cleric to go along with your Weapon Master level, you'll need Wisdom
as well, to be able to cast your divine spells. A Wisdom of 10 + (spell level)

is needed to be able to cast spells of that level. Do the math and assign stats
according to how many spell levels you want to be able to cast. I think you
should forgo Strength before you reduce Constitution in favour of your Wisdom.
Again, you'll have to think on your own here. I know, it's frustrating! =D
4.5 Feats
--------Again, your amount of feats depend on what class you took. What sort of feats
your Weapon Master should take depends on if you went with more
Figher/Barbarian or Cleric/Paladin.
Improved Combat Expertise: This would be a good choice for a character that
focuses a bit more on defense, which our one-handed
Weapons' Master does. Especially for the
Cleric/Paladin type, more defense is always good.
Cleave and Greater Cleave: It's still useful, but since you don't do as much
damage as with a two-handed weapon, you won't get to
use it as often. It's still a good choice, though.
Luck of Heroes:

If you've got the feats to spare, this is always

nice to have.

Blind Fight:

Same as for all melee fighters, very useful.

Improved Parry:

More defensive abilities, yay!

Skilled Offense:

Helps with Parrying, if you feel you're going to be

Parrying alot. I've never used Parry much, but some
swear by it that they couldn't live without it.

4.6 Conclusion
-------------In this section, I've talked alot of about the weird combination of
Fighter/Cleric/Weapon Master. Just because I've talked alot about it doesn't
mean that's the "best" choice for a one-handed Weapons' Master, it's just that
it takes more space to explain it. The other choices are as good as any. I
believe the weird combination can make quite an interesting experience, though,
but I've yet to actually try it out to it's fullest. If you do, please let me
know what you thought about it, and how it worked! And now, onward to the last
"style" of Weapon Masters, and consequently, my favourite...

------------------------5.0 STYLE 3: DUAL WEAPONS

------------------------Finally! This is the type of Weapon Master that I like the most, probably just
because of the cool-factor of running around with two sword, hacking into
everything and everyone. If you don't like it as much as I do, that's perfectly
OK as well. And just because I like it the most doesn't necessarily mean that
it's the best. The Dual wielding Weapon Master generally is a bit more agile
and can't take quite as big a beating as the other two types can. That being
said, he's still a warrior-type, and can still soak some damage, albeit there
are better character for doing it.
Note that the Class section comes before the Race section here, as the class

choosing has a much bigger impact on the gameplay here.

5.1 Weapons
----------Being a Weapon Master, even though you're dual wielding, you still need to have
the same type of weapon in each hand to be able to get the full benefits of
being a Weapon Master. That means that you can't pick the longsword as favoured
weapon, but use a light weapon in your off-hand to be able to get the
penalities down. Here are some good choices for weapons for a dual wielding
Weapon Master:
Katana:
Kukri:
Dagger:
Kama:
Longsword:
Short Sword:
Light Flail:

1d10 slashing, Exotic (Medium), 19-20/x2 criticals

1d4 slashing, Martial (Tiny), 18-20/x2 criticals
1d4 piercing, Simple (Tiny), 19-20/x2 criticals
1d6 slashing, Exotic (Small), 20/x2 criticals
1d8 slashing, Martial (Medium or Elf), 19-20/x2 criticals
1d6 piercing, Martial (Small), 19-20/x2 criticals
1d8 bludgeoning, Martial (Medium), 20/x2 criticals

A dual wielding Weapon Master will obviously need to spend feats into
Two-Weapons Fighting. This means that his penalities for using his off-hand to
swing weapons will go down to -4/-4, and even further down to -2/-2 if a light
weapon is used. Light weapons are Small and Tiny. Light weapons will do less
damage than medium weapons, but they will hit more often due to the reduced
penalities. Which one you choose is up to you, as always. I myself took
Longswords for my first Weapon Master. (I like blades, if you haven't already
noticed! =P)
5.2 Class
--------Now it's getting a bit complicated. You've got a big choice here: "To be a
Ranger or not to be a Ranger". If this question is not obvious to you, let
me explain...
Rangers get to choose a combat style by level two. The choices are "Archery" or
"Two Weapon Combat". This means that a level two Ranger will get the feat
"Two-weapon fighting" for free. And note this: even if he doesn't meet the
requirements! This combat style will improve at level 6 and 11. This is still
without having to meet the requirements for the Improved and Greater versions!
Conclusion: a Ranger can keep his Dexterity at measly 13 and still get all the
Two-weapon fighting feats, as other Weapon Masters will have to have 15, 17 and
19 Dexterity respectively to get to the same level of two-weapon fighting.
What are the bad things about Rangers, then? Well, for starters, they only have
a hit die of d8, and they only have light armour. They have a few divine
spells, but need wisdom to make use of it. Rangers also get a lot of free
feats, Favoured Enemy among the better. They have more skills to choose from,
and get more skill points (6 + Intelligence modifier). They still have a high
BAB gain, and high Fortitude and Reflex saves.
A good combination is to start with 1 level in Fighter, and move on to Ranger,
and finish with your Weapon Master levels as soon as you can. This way, you
still get all your armour proficiencies.
If you don't want to take any Ranger levels, prepare to have to put more points
into Dexterity. You could go the all-Fighter route, which will give you more
than enough feats and more hit-points. You could mix some Fighter levels with a
few from the Barbarian or Paladin (although I don't think the Paladin really

fits to be a dual wielding Weapon Master, it's your choice).

I've said much good about the Ranger variation, but I myself didn't actually go
that route. The 6 stat points that you save from not having to put 19 points
into Dexterity have to be used for other stats, Wisdom for one. I had 8 in
Wisdom with my pure Fighter/Weapon Master, but a Ranger/Weapon Master would
require more. Unless you forgo all the spellcasting the Ranger have... which
I suppose is entirely possible. The hit die of d8 could be fixed by having more
points to spend on Constitution. You'd get more points to spend on Strength by
going the Ranger route as well.
I could go on. It really is more of an aesthetic choice. I myself don't like
Rangers as a roleplaying class. They are just... weird. Too much Aragorn for me,
thank you very much. If you like Rangers, go ahead and go that route, it's a
good one. But not going down that route is an equally good choice.
5.3 Race
-------Now, if you've chosen to go Ranger or something else will largely give you more
or less viable options here. Shield Dwarves, Humans and Tieflings are still
solid options to go with, for both the Ranger and non-Ranger Weapon Masters.
However, if you took the Ranger route, you have a bit more to choose from:
Drow:
+2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma, -2 Constitution, Keen senses,
Darkvison, Spell Resistant, Strong Will, Light Sensetivity, Level
Adjustment (+2).
You get so many nice stuff from this race that the -2 in Constitution is
something you can forget. You'll have so many stats to spare from the other
pluses that you can get a decent Constitution anyhow. Without the need for alot
of Dexterity, you can dump alot into Strength as well. A good choice (plus
Drow are really cool! =P)
Wood Elf:
+2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence, Keen senses,
Favoured class: Ranger.
This is a good choice if only to negate all the experience penalities
you'll get from having that one level of Fighter hanging around. The stat
bonuses aren't as good as the ones you get from the Drow, but they are
affordable. There's of course the trouble of looking like crap, in my opinion
at least! =P
5.4 Stats
--------Well, we've basicly already covered this section in the previous ones. If you
missed it, your main stats are Strength and Dexterity if you didn't take
Ranger levels, and Strength and Constitution if you did. You still need at
least 13 in Intelligence and Dexterity. If you have Ranger levels, you have
to choose if you want to spend points into Wisdom to be able to cast spells or
not. The Formula is 10 + (spell level).
5.5 Feats
--------This selection will obviosly be different from that of the other styles of
Weapon Masters. For one, Cleave isn't as useful to you, since you won't do as
much damage with your weapons. Power Attack isn't really an option either,
seeing as you've already got all the minus to hit you need. Luck of Heroes and

Blind Fight are still good feats to take. If you haven't taken Ranger levels,
you'll need the Two-Weapon Fighting feats as well.
It's a bit up to you what to take. Disarm is always a good choice, since the
other melee feats don't really help you. Greater Weapon Focus helps as well.
The Two Weapon Defense line of feats does help, especially if your character
has low AC. Weapon Specialization for more damage.
Some like to take the Monkey Grip feat, either because it's cool or because
they want to roleplay. I myself am not sure if it's "good" or not. -2 to attack
for more damage seems like a good choice, but seeing as you already have quite
alot of minuses to attack... well, decide for yourself.
The choices are many, and you have to make them yourself. If you're having a
hard time deciding, think out of a roleplaying perspective, maybe that'll help.
5.6 Conclusion
-------------My first Weapon Master was a dual wielding Drow pure Fighter, no Ranger levels.
He was kinda hard to play at times, since he lacked a big pool of hit points.
But he was mighty cool, and very fun to play. It felt a bit weird though,
running around in plate armour that didn't let me have more than +1 AC from
dexterity, though I had somewhere around +6 in total from bonuses and from
having to have 19 in there. *shrug*. Hopefully, my experiences and this guide
will help you create a "better" character than my first one. But if you want
something cool, generally badass and a bit of a challange, I suggest you try my
character out. Let him have 12 Constitution, like mine had! =D

----------------6.0 OTHER CHOICES

----------------Here are the other stuff you have to decide upon when you're creating your
Weapon Master, but doesn't fit into the other categories. The reason I put
Skills in this section is that they're almost the same for the three different
Weapon Masters, and it felt stupid writing the same thing three times over.
6.1 Skills
---------You need at least 4 ranks of Intimidate to be able to get to Weapon Master,
there's no way getting around it. Just put the points there. If you're evil,
you might even want more, it helps if you don't like Diplomacy in the Original
Campaign.
Craft Armour

Well, if you want to craft armour, naturally you take this

skill. Keep in mind that only your starter classes (Ranger,
Fighter, Paladin, Barbarian) have this as a class skill,
your Weapon Master does not.

Craft Weapon

Same deal as above, but this is a class skill for the your
Weapon Master.

Lore

Well, there are probably character with more skill points

than you that can make better use of this skill.

Parry

If you want this skill largely depend on what sort of

character you're playing. If you're the one-handed Weapons'

Master ("Style 2"), it might be a very good skill. For the
other two styles, I wouldn't bother with it.
Taunt

A good skill to put points into, for any Weapon Master.

It'll make hitting enemies alot easier. Might be essential
for dual wielding Weapon Masters, to make up for their tohit penalities.

Diplomacy

Not a class skill of the Weapon Master, but of the Paladin.

Even if you don't have Paladin levels, you might want to
have some ranks in Diplomacy, especially in the Original
Campaign, if you're good. There are alot of good
conversations there, and you'll miss out without a skill
for persuation (Diplomacy or Intimidate).

Intimidate

As I've already said, you need at least 4 ranks here. If

you're evil, you might want even more, to give you more
persuation options.

Heal

Class skill of the Ranger and the Paladin. Good to have if

you have levels in either of those classes, otherwise, you
can't afford it.

There are alot of other skills out there, but you haven't got enough points to
make good use of them. Let the Rogues take care of the lockpicking,
trap-finding and such Rogue-ish things.
6.2 Backgrounds
--------------You have the option of choosing a background for your character. These are the
ones that are any good for the Weapon Master:
Bully:

+1 Intimidate, +1 Fortitude Save, -1 Bluff, -2 Diplomacy,

(Requires: 10 or more Strength.)

Militia:

+2 Parry, +1 Craft Armor, +1 Craft Weapon, -2 Will Save,

(Requires: BAB +1)

Natural Leader:

+1 to companions' attack rolls, -1 to your saving throws,

(Requires: 10 or more Charisma.)

If you don't like any of them, there is absolutely nothing wrong with not
having a background in the first place. The "Militia" background might be a
good choice for the one-handed Weapons' Master, for the +2 in Parry, if you
use it.
6.3 Deities
----------This has absolutely no impact on your character whatsoever, except for
roleplaying. Take one or not, it doesn't matter.

--------------------------------7.0 CREDITS, VERSION HISTORY, ETC

---------------------------------

It's the end of the guide, noes! =P

7.1 Credit where credit is due
-----------------------------As this is the first version, there's nobody except me that has done anything
for this guide. If you contribute with something, I will add your name (with
your permission) to the 'Special Thanks' section below here. If you do not wish
to be listed, but still with to contribute, I won't put you up there, simple
as that. If you wish to contribute, with constructive critisism (good or bad),
grammar and or spelling mistakes, or something else, you have my email at the
top of the page.
7.2 Version History
------------------ver. 1.00, 30th of March 2007
- Initial release
ver. 1.01, 5th of April, 2007
- Added a "Type 1" class combination
- Added "Monkey Grip" feat
- Fixed various spelling/grammar mistakes
7.3 Who can use this guide
-------------------------GameFaqs, obviously, and anyone who wants to, but I require an e-mail asking
for permission before doing so. My mail can be found at the top of this guide.
I will almost always give you my permission to use the guide, I just want to
know who you are and where you'll be putting the guide.
7.4 Special Thanks
-----------------Bioware
Black Isle
My homework
My family
-

For keeping making these great RPG's!

For starting to make great RPG's!
For making me want to do something other than the homework!
For putting up with me sitting at the computer for 7 hours
straight!

Ok, I think that's all, I hope you've enjoyed my guide!

*Neverwinter Nights 2: Weapon Master Guide* by Sajber
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