PosChengband dual wield.

[Dougiegee]

Hi folks,
I hadn't played any Angband in quite a long time other than the superb Sil but I'm loving PosCheng and Halls of Mist from what I've seen so far. One quick question: I'm playing a ninja and can't find anything in the help about dual wielding. Is it a good idea and what effect does it have on accuracy etc? Does the skill %age in the weapon stats have something to do with this?
Thanks in advance,
Doug

[chris]

Hi folks,
I hadn't played any Angband in quite a long time other than the superb Sil but I'm loving PosCheng and Halls of Mist from what I've seen so far. One quick question: I'm playing a ninja and can't find anything in the help about dual wielding. Is it a good idea and what effect does it have on accuracy etc? Does the skill %age in the weapon stats have something to do with this?
Thanks in advance,
Doug

For a Ninja, dual wielding is a very good idea. I guess I should update the help files on this matter since the system is now a bit different from what it was in Hengband and in Chengband.

When dual wielding, your fighting skill will be decreased. This is what the listed skill percentage means. However, you should still be able to hit enemies that have a low armor class (Pay attention to the accuracies listed versus armor class. You will notice that you should have fairly good percentages on the low end but will struggle against highly armored foes). And the more that you dual wield, the better you become as your skill improves. This you will see as your skill percentage increases, and you should notice a corresponding increase in you accuracy. However, as you become more skilled, you need to fight deeper monsters in order to further increase your skills. So there is no sense in farming white worm masses, for example.

Dual wielding also decreases your strength damage bonus to each attack. You probably won't notice this as an early ninja, but it can be significant later in the game. Like accuracy, this penalty also is decreased the more skill you gain.

So the best advice for dual wielding is to keep the weapons light (Ninjas have to do this anyway) and to keep practicing as much as possible. If you struggle to hit enemies, then stock up on potions of heroism and scrolls of blessing. You can then use these for temporary fighting boosts that should really help you get started. But ninjas are almost the best at dual wielding of all the classes, so you should do just fine.

[Dougiegee]

Thanks, seems like a pretty good system. I hadn't even noticed the proficiencies at all and didn't realise skills trained in this game!

[emulord]

Suggestion for ([pos]c)hengband:
As you level up, increase all weapon skills so you don't have to grind up when you switch weapon types. It should feel like a bonus to the current weapon, not a penalty for switching. This would reduce grinding training late game new weapon types, riding, and dual wielding.

[chris]

Suggestion for ([pos]c)hengband:
As you level up, increase all weapon skills so you don't have to grind up when you switch weapon types. It should feel like a bonus to the current weapon, not a penalty for switching. This would reduce grinding training late game new weapon types, riding, and dual wielding.

Actually, I kind of like the current system as the only way to increase skill with a particular weapon is to use it. Of course, as you level up, your general fighting skills improve so you already get better across the board.

I agree that mastering a new weapon takes a long time. However, the skill benefits are not linear in time. So while Unskilled is -20 to hit and Skilled is +10 (and going from Unskilled to Skilled rarely takes very long), going from Skilled to Expert (which can be slow) only adds another +5, and Expert to Master (which seems to take forever) another +5. Personally, I don't worry about mastering weapons unless I am playing a class that is marginal in melee (i.e. one that uses Heroism and Blessing for every battle and still struggles to hit).

[emulord]

Right, it doesnt take long, but getting those first skill points at -20 tohit really sucks. I just don't want to un-dive to half my maxdepth when I happen to switch to a better weapon.
Id just want to start off at +0 eventually.

(Actually I disagree with trained skills entirely, but thats not my call)