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Message: <blockquote data-quote="wolff96" data-source="post: 90642" data-attributes="member: 342">OffhandActually, the best thing is to use the Off-Hand Parry feat to get more benefit from that offhand AND to have a weapon ready in that hand for when you come up against undead, oozes, etc., that don't care about your precise strike damage.Then, once you're about 20th level and very rich, make it into a +5 defending dagger or some such nonsense...  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />Is it just me, or can the duelist get pretty silly at high levels, especially in the defense area?Let's see...  Leaving silliness like defending weapons out of it, you get your Dex and Int to AC, a +2 for Off-Hand Parry, +10 for fighting defensively (only a -4 to a class that gets fighter BAB?  Ha!), and since the Elaborate Parry doesn't replace the normal fighting defensively bonus, you get ANOTHER +2 from that source.Let's take a fighter (took the tumble and perform cross-class) and give her a 20 in Dex and Int (that counts the levelling bonuses) and (to be fair) a 10 STR. This character attacks at 16/11/5/1 (21/16/11/6 with Weapon Finesse)for 4d6 with an AC (naked!) of 34.  And a very weak will save, I know. Seems kind of funny compared to a fighter with his AC of 23 -- fighting defensively in full plate and with a large steel shield, dex of at least 12 -- and the exact same BAB...Obviously this little comparison doesn't take magic into account -- but almost everything that the fighter can do with magic, the duelist can also. Enhancements to dexterity and intelligence, bracers of armor, and Rings of Deflection can push the AC of this theoretical duelist just as high as +5 platemail, a +5 shield, and a Ring of Deflection can get the "standard" fighter... and with the +3d6 to damage, the duelist is pretty much always better than the normal fighter at dealing out damage, even if her strength bonus is terrible.Naturally, if the creature they fight has a high enough AC, things will balance a bit as the fighter does better at hitting the monster, since he doesn't need to fight defensively. Then again, against things that have a ridiculously high AC, I'd rather have a good defense, since they tend to hit so darn hard!  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />It's things like these that make me wary of the class supplements and how well they've been "tested" by WoTC. Okay, rant over!  Sorry about that, just got a little carried away...  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /></blockquote>

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