Best melee weapon for Viconia? (spoilers)

Oxford_Guy

I'm wondering which is the best weapon for Viconia to use in melee - the Stupifier Mace (+1, but with 25% chance to stun on hit) or the +2/+1 electrical damage hammer you can get from Bassilus? I don't really want to give anyone else in my party mace or hammer proficiencies, and am considering giving her the ogre gloves anyway for serious sling damage (given that they're the *only* ranged weapons in BGEE which currently get the strength damage bonus added), which should be pretty effective with her 19 Dex.

There's also a +2 flail available later, I believe?

revaar

Until you hit higher levels where the monsters are immune to lower enhancement bonus weapons, I would suggest going for added effects over "+x's." However, there is no downside to carrying both with you and swapping as needed.

Ignatius

I never ever played with Viconia, for RP reasons. But for a cleric-type my favourite melee weapon is the Stupifier.

Kirkor

I don't use anything other than sling +1 for her :P
But if I did, you would prefer to have Bassilius' hammer +2/+1 Electrical damage.
I has higher chance to hit, bigger damage and is slightly faster + electrical damage.

Tresset

I think that the most damaging one handed melee she can get (correct me if I'm wrong) Is the Staff Mace(+2) on the puppy dog island. The proficiency required would be quarterstaff for that one and it is the only one handed quarterstaff. There is also a +2 mace in Durlag's tower and a +2 club in Cloakwood you could could consider. The electric hammer is stupid at a measly 1d4 base damage. The Stupifier is however a very tempting option seeing as it has the stun effect. If I didn't vote for any of These I would probably go with the Stupifier.

Based on the choices in the poll I assume you only want 1 handed weapons...
If not then I recall hearing that the most damaging weapon in the game was the Staff of Striking and I think the only +3 weapon she can get is the quarterstaff +3. (or the Root of the Problem if it exists)

Nishi_Kara_No_Kaze

It's doesn't matter, as long as you hit her hard enough in the face with it.

Oxford_Guy

revaar said:

Until you hit higher levels where the monsters are immune to lower enhancement bonus weapons, I would suggest going for added effects over "+x's." However, there is no downside to carrying both with you and swapping as needed.

That's what I'm currently doing, she has proficiencies in both currently, will likely add flails later

Carston

I am not sure if it is bug or not, but in one of my games Viconia managed to stun random mage through Mirror Image with stupifier, so I think it's not that bad. But it's up to you how you want to play; Ashideena for damage or Stupifier for odd crowd control chance. Best part is that both weapons are light and she can carry them without ogre gloves.

Oxford_Guy

Tresset said:

I think that the most damaging one handed melee she can get (correct me if I'm wrong) Is the Staff Mace(+2) on the puppy dog island. The proficiency required would be quarterstaff for that one and it is the only one handed quarterstaff. There is also a +2 mace in Durlag's tower and a +2 club in Cloakwood you could could consider. The electric hammer is stupid at a measly 1d4 base damage.

It does 1d4+3 + 1 electrical damage, that's 1d4+4 really i.e. 5-8, five is a very respectable *minimum* damage!

Tresset said:

The Stupifier is however a very tempting option seeing as it has the stun effect. If I didn't vote for any of These I would probably go with the Stupifier.

Based on the choices in the poll I assume you only want 1 handed weapons...

Yes, then it's easy to switch from sling+shield to melee weapon+shield

Tresset said:

If not then I recall hearing that the most damaging weapon in the game was the Staff of Striking and I think the only +3 weapon she can get is the quarterstaff +3. (or the Root of the Problem if it exists)

Montaron is going to get given the Staff of Striking for nasty backstabs! :-)

Oxford_Guy

NB: am voting "other", so that I can see the results...

Quartz

Yeah, the Hammer has good minimum damage is the thing. There's also a Mace +2 you can get at the bottom of Durlag's Tower that she's nasty with. It has higher max damage by 2 but lower minimum damage by 1 if you include the lack of an electrical effect. 1d6+3 Damage I believe, rather than the Hammer of Thunderbolts which has 1d4+3 +1 Electricity. Same THAC0 adjustment on both, of course.

And right next to said Mace +2 is the famed Sling +3. Which is just sexy on Viconia with her Clerical THAC0 progression and +3 Ranged adjustment.

Oxford_Guy

Quartz said:

Yeah, the Hammer has good minimum damage is the thing. There's also a Mace +2 you can get at the bottom of Durlag's Tower that she's nasty with. It has higher max damage by 2 but lower minimum damage by 1 if you include the lack of an electrical effect. 1d6+3 Damage I believe, rather than the Hammer of Thunderbolts which has 1d4+3 +1 Electricity. Same THAC0 adjustment on both, of course.

Thanks for the analysis @Quartz.

Quartz said:

And right next to said Mace +2 is the famed Sling +3. Which is just sexy on Viconia with her Clerical THAC0 progression and +3 Ranged adjustment.

Even nastier with the ogre gloves on, due to the sling strength damage bonus! :-)

BTW I think to use a flail (or a morning star), she *has* the ogre gloves, as has too low strength to wield them otherwise. Even else who is likely to enter melee in my party has okay strenght (Dorn has 19, CHARNAME has 18/49, Monty has 16), so she's not a bad candidate for them, if not her, then Monty will get them.

Nukenin

The mace is good since she'll start with a proficiency in mace no matter how early you get her, and you can save the war hammer (which she'll have a proficiency in as well should you get her at level 4+) for another cleric like Branwen or Yeslick, or of course for CHARNAME.

Quartz

@Oxford_Guy Sling Strength damage bonus was removed ... or rather, lazily overlooked in BG:EE, a la TuTu. Sling Strength damage bonus is only in BG vanilla, sorry to say.

Oxford_Guy

Quartz said:

@Oxford_Guy Sling Strength damage bonus was removed ... or rather, lazily overlooked in BG:EE, a la TuTu. Sling Strength damage bonus is only in BG vanilla, sorry to say.

@Quartz - No, sling strength damage is still in BGEE - you can check on your character sheet and others have tested this in-game. Personally I don't think slings ought to get the strength bonus really, but think that throwing axes (and perhaps daggers) should - in BGEE neither do, despite what the manual says.

Oxford_Guy

Nukenin said:

The mace is good since she'll start with a proficiency in mace no matter how early you get her, and you can save the war hammer (which she'll have a proficiency in as well should you get her at level 4+) for another cleric like Branwen or Yeslick, or of course for CHARNAME.

CHARNAME has spent all points on dual-wielding long swords (elf fighter/mage) :-)

DJKajuru

The extra electrical damage of the hammer compensates viconia's low strength.

toanwrath

If you are going to use melee weapons at all, I think the Mace could be useful because I think the 25% stun is just awesome. If you are going to give her the Ogre Gauntlets already, she will hit more often, and stun more often. Sure it may not be as much THAC0 as the electrical hammer or the +2 Flail (which does exist, you can purchase it in Sorcerous Sundries in Baldur's Gate it's called Thresher I believe), but with the Gauntlets equipped 1 more point of THAC0 isn't a huge issue. Generally, I would keep her on sling, but that is because she already has an insane Dex and if you give her the Marksman gauntlets/gloves instead of the Ogre ones, you can save those for an up close fighter with slightly more hit points.

Edwin

I do like the stupidomater. I never played here originaly in BG1.

I have to play her more gingerly in BG1, but in SOA, and TOB...she really can be a wrecking ball with some of the legendary hammers up in there.

CutlassJack

I have her with the Stupifier and Gauntlets of Ogre Power and have no regrets. She's just awesome in that setup, and you can get the mace...pardon the pun...stupidly early. The gauntlets combined with her superior dex makes her great with slings too. (since they get str bonus)

Oxford_Guy

toanwrath said:

If you are going to use melee weapons at all, I think the Mace could be useful because I think the 25% stun is just awesome. If you are going to give her the Ogre Gauntlets already, she will hit more often, and stun more often. Sure it may not be as much THAC0 as the electrical hammer or the +2 Flail (which does exist, you can purchase it in Sorcerous Sundries in Baldur's Gate it's called Thresher I believe), but with the Gauntlets equipped 1 more point of THAC0 isn't a huge issue. Generally, I would keep her on sling, but that is because she already has an insane Dex and if you give her the Marksman gauntlets/gloves instead of the Ogre ones, you can save those for an up close fighter with slightly more hit points.

Yes, I'll still use her with a sling most of the time, except against enemies that have resistances against piercing/missiles, where a blunt weapon is more effective, but she still needs to enter melee for some ambushes etc. After she gets given the ogre gloves I'd be more inclined to use her in melee, though. I won't give her the marksman gloves, as Imoen is using them, with the light crossbow of speed... If she has the ogre gloves, then I think might be more inclined to use the mace than the hammer (or perhaps later the +2 flail), but will probably stick with the hammer before then.

Elendar

Sling. She dies too fast to be a front-liner.

CoM_Solaufein

She's doing fine with a +1 mace. I'll have to find this Stupifier Mace +1 / 25% stun so she can be better.

Oxford_Guy

Elendar said:

Sling. She dies too fast to be a front-liner.

Yes, I have her with a sling most of the time, but there are still situations where it's useful fir her to use a melee weapon, she my previous post above

Lemernis

I didn't even know about the Stupifier mace. Where do you get it?

Xezmeraude2

Polls like these really shouldnt exist for it can spark conflict and opinionations about which item is better. But personally its all about using more than one weapon for each situation and everyone has different play styles. But if I had to personally choose which one. Its stupifier as stunning an opponent can lead to extra hits within the stuns duration with no saves. Electricity will be good against those weak to it and perfer Bassilus in that situation. Flail+2 is too mediocre to be part of the poll due to it lacking bonuses like the others do. But when you get to BG2. hands down the Crom Faeyr wins it all for one of the best if not the best weapon possible i should say though being a warhammer and possible for her along with the disruptor mace in Bodhi's lair and Flail of Ages. But those are BG2 weapons so they dont actually count towards this.

Oxford_Guy

Lemernis said:

I didn't even know about the Stupifier mace. Where do you get it?

Unstairs in one of the Inns in Beregost, in a container

Pantalion

@Xezmeraude2

If people shouldn't ask about others' opinions for fear of sparking conflict, then forums need not exist at all.

Anyway, the Stupefier is easily one of the neatest magical weapons in BG1 in my opinion. Viccy without strength boosts is never going to be a damage fiend at range or in melee, but keeping a target stunned so everyone else can auto hit is a great role for her, and leaves the warhammer open for someone like Yeslick who can actually do some damage with it.

Xezmeraude2

@ pantalion

hence why i made a topic about it awhile ago. Some topics have been leading to alot of conflicts between polls like these and power gamers feuding with P&P rule players and role players too in any combination of those 3 gamers. Many can go check it out. I give my insight about things like these but ill still give my feedback to them and give my opinion what i think is the best

Oxford_Guy

BTW I've been very happy to receive people's opinions in response to this poll, it's been quite interesting to see others' thought processes...

Tresset

@Oxford_Guy
Hmm, You have a point about that hammer. Perhaps I should give it a second look. (I still like the staff mace though.) BTW: I noticed you voted for other... What other weapon were you thinking of?