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Vagabondbard
01-31-2013, 02:16 PM
My paladin is doing swell as a Maul user but I am thinking of changing later on this year to a x7 perfect Morning star/x7 shield just to add open ambushing and make use of 1609 and 1617 which I dont use currently but will as soon as I get the paladin into Full plate.

Anyone done both of these builds? Which one did ya like better? Could you leg then head to kill most everything with morningstars?

GBB

Buckwheet
01-31-2013, 04:08 PM
Why can't you ambush from the open with the maul?

andrew wiggin
01-31-2013, 05:09 PM
I have converted a lancer build into a ohb/shield build for a paladin at lvl 90 though. The shield build is superior, with as much AS a paladin can generate, it's easy to open ambush crit kill to the head with a morning star and your offensive ds is so high, as/ds resolution won't be a factor of you getting killed.

Vagabondbard
01-31-2013, 09:16 PM
Why can't you ambush from the open with the maul?

I am a giantman....currently trying to get to Full Plate (125 ranks) no time for ambush ranks and not fully doubled in CM (like 1.75 or something) due to getting spells out of the way first.

Thinking that dropping my dodge ranks and the switching from THW to OHB will allow for ambush to 20 or so and x2 CM as much shield use as possible and full plate. He will probably be around 70 trainings when I do the switch. If I do it.

cuos
02-13-2013, 04:47 PM
If/When you can get your ambush skill sufficient enough to hit consistently:

Morning Stars have lower damage/kill crit values on the neck than the head or eyes.

Crush damage from a morning star can net you a kill with 15 crit to the neck as opposed to 25 crit to the head.

Granted the neck will take more training to hit consistently, but it may be worth it in the long run.

Buckwheet
02-13-2013, 05:28 PM
Ambush plays little part in open aiming. It's all combat maneuvers. I only have 40 ranks of ambush and hit the head all the time

Archigeek
02-13-2013, 05:34 PM
Ambush plays little part in open aiming. It's all combat maneuvers. I only have 40 ranks of ambush and hit the head all the time

I think that's the case for most people who open aim, but I believe they are actually equal in value in the equation, and pretty well interchangable as a result. But if you're just going to open aim, it makes sense to focus on CM, as you get the other benefits from that as well.

As for shield/star vs maul, I've always been a fan of one handed weapons with a shield. Everyone gets excited about the devastating power of big weaponry, but to me the ideal weapon is the fastest weapon that gets the job done with the least exposure to risk. If it only takes a dagger to do the deed, then the dagger is the best weapon. On the other hand: E-Peen. Your call.

Aluvius
02-13-2013, 06:01 PM
I found with my monk that just taking 10 ranks of ambush made a huge difference open aiming, bumped him up to 15 ranks last level after seeing a few failed openings. Those few ranks took my chances of a failed opening from once every few critters to once every 5-6 hunts. He's fully 2x in CM and using UAC.

Jeril
02-13-2013, 09:37 PM
Those bigger weapons aren't always about epeen though because there are things that they will kill faster, like constructs and noncorp undead. And depending on race you can have the same speed with a two-handed weapon as you can a one handed, and this is excluding enhancives which are easy enough to come by. You also don't need to generate endrolls quite as high while using two-handed weapons as you do one-handed varieties. As far as DS goes, if you wear spells its a non issue for the most part and if you don't wear spells you tend to employ the same tactics because you will get hit in offensive either way. Ambush and combat maneuvers both help opening aiming equally and while some say 40 is enough it all depends on your race and the size of your target, as a giant I can still fail to find an opening on small things like cerebralites with 101 ambush and 202 combat maneuvers.