Maul vs Claidhmore

[fallenSaint]

So Im trying to decide on a nice weapon for my Paladin to use, I can't seem to find any claidh's that really fit the style Im going for so I was looking into Mauls.

How do they compare out damage wise?

Pro's Con's of using Maul over Claidh?

Any input would be appreciated especially if someone uses a Maul currently.

[Artha]

Mauls have better DFs against lighter armors and are faster. They'll be cheaper to buy enchanted and/or sanctified. Claidhmores have tons and tons of crit weighting. They're more expensive for enchanted and/or sanctified.

[fallenSaint]

Sounds decent so far, what about the loss of slash damage? Purely crush damage make them any worse or better off?

[StrayRogue]

You won't lose AS/DS with a maul. I'd only go with a claidh if it was highly enchanted.

[Artha]

I don't think there are any crush resistant critters, but I could be wrong. Crush does the least damage, but has the most death crits. Depending on your fighting style, that might be a boon or a hinderance.

[Bobmuhthol]

Crush and slash damage are identical in almost every case. They are also both greater than puncture. Mauls are worse than claidhmores on skin, leather, and scale. While they may be better than claidhmores on chain and plate, the damage added by crit weighting far exceeds any damage you'd be doing with the extra enchant AS combined with the greater DF.

The only real benefit is that they're 1 second faster, so you can swing them in 5 seconds instead of 6 (as a giant).

[Edited on 6-13-2005 by Bobmuhthol]