Cernd

MrSexton

Hi!
Cernd has scimitar as a weapon he can use but why can't he weild a ninjato (it's the same as a scimitar). /J

elminster

That is more of a monk weapon I guess.

dockaboomski

Druids are restricted from using wakizashis and ninjatos, to my knowledge.

Jarrakul

Yeah. It's the same proficiency as scimitar, but they have different class restrictions.

reap_ii

Its a restriction from the dungeons and dragons ruleset this game is based on.

Naten

It is really just because Cernd is a terrible ninja, he growls when he is hiding and smells awful so they never let him play with ninja swords.

GoodSteve

I wouldn't be too worried about it, Cernd is just plain awful anyway.

DreadKhan

Cernd is awful in melee without shifting, so I would look for gear that offers something else. Cernd is really not very dependent on items, especially weapons, but he is very useful as a caster or as a tank/speedbump when shifted.

He's less newbie friendly than Xan nearly, who wins out because every newbie wants him to do melee with his kickass sword.

Gallowglass

GoodSteve said:

I wouldn't be too worried about it, Cernd is just plain awful anyway.

I disagree, I find Cernd useful and versatile.

After reading scores of negative comments about him without ever taking him along, I decided one time to experiment with him as a permanent member of the party, and I was surprised to find how good he can be, once you've figured out how to use him efficiently. The key thing about Cernd, unlike most other NPCs, is that his most effective role changes as the game progresses.

In early SoA, he's terrible in melee and only second-rate as a caster, but he's worth persisting with. In mid-SoA, when he gains the Greater Werewolf form (at level 13), he's a good front-row tank, but still a second-rate caster. In late-SoA, when he suddenly gets a whole load more spells (at level 15), he's a pretty good back-row offensive caster (use him more like a Mage than like a Cleric) in human form, and still a good tank in Greater Werewolf form, so he's a very useful all-rounder. Late-SoA/early-ToB is the phase when Cernd really shines.

In ToB, if you've got him kitted out correctly, his werewolf form can get an astonishingly-good AC (better than -20), so that even the ToB enemies struggle to hit him, so he's still very useable in melee to absorb enemy attacks, although his ability to deal damage in melee starts to fall behind in ToB. However, by then, his human form has developed into a very powerful caster - particularly if your playing-style uses a lot of summoning, at which he is excellent.

lunar

@Gallowglass yeah, I agree, at lvl 15 and beyond druids are powerful spell casters. 5-6 castings of creeping doom, earthquake, firestorm etc. will ruin any enemy's day. And when push comes to shove he can turn into a considerable melee force, as well. With ironskins he csn stay the heat for some time. Nothing outstanding like a true melee monster as Sarevok or Minsc but he is better than most in greater werewolf form.

Gallowglass

@lunar - I reckon that Cernd's Greater Werewolf form is sometimes better in melee than Minsc. Minsc is certainly viable in melee throughout the game, a good steady performer, but I don't find him particularly outstanding at it.

I haven't actually compared Cernd and Minsc head-to-head for a full run, although I'll try that sometime. However, what I have tested in practice is to run Cernd side-by-side with Dorn and Rasaad (yes, I know that's a strange combination, but it was an experimental run). Dorn was the star performer for early and mid-SoA, and Rasaad took the lead for mid- and late-ToB (Monks are astonishing fighters once they reach epic levels!), but Cernd was very impressive in between (i.e. late-SoA and early-ToB). I don't reckon Minsc would have been as good as Cernd at that stage, although he'd be better both earlier (before Cernd gets Greater Werewolf form) and later (once Minsc has multiple HLAs).