Is a Kensai any good?

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If you keep a Kensai single-classed, is it a viable character?

 

If you stay buffed to the hilt and use the shield amulet, you're fine in SOA. You should be OK in TOB if also buffed to the hilt, though it's kind of a pain to keep buffing. Also, you might start missing at least having berserker/barbarian rage when fighting liches with imprisonment, and such. Towards the end of TOB, you start getting diminishing returns on AC anyway.

 

Yeah, my very first run-through was with a pure elven kensai. Don't know if you can solo it though. I had a full party with me to heal, direct offensive magic, thieve and you need a tank to soak up the damage while your kensai comes in from the side/behind.

 

Considering that there are non-dualable kensai NPC mods out there, I'd say yes. But viable and "best use" are two very different things. I mean, UAI and Kai backstabs...*drools*

 

Yes. It's not even that hard and I can very honestly say that I never missed beserker/barbarian rages ever.

He's an equipment hog (ends up with the +1 AC orb, Ring of Gaxx, etc.). But in a party, no problem whatsoever.

Of note, if you can, get him something that prevents Stun (getting Free Action is easier). This will save a lot of deaths.

 

At higher levels a Kensai should be awesome but IMO at lower levels such a character is a liability. I never liked that class.

 

Kensais are great against mages. When the triggered stoneskin went up they often were already dead.

 

Totally viable. I don't seem to have the problems using Kensais that other people do. Dex of 18 and 2 points in single weapon style, and your AC is comparable to many other characters. My Kensais are always the first into battle, and rarely face a situation where they are getting hurt faster than they are dealing out the pain The only real drawback in my mind is that you're vulnerable to critical hits until you get an Ioun Stone.

One nice thing about them is they keep improving throughout the game.

 

I took a kensai half-orc through a game recently, he specialized in halberds and I can tell you that when using the harmonium halberd with the other strength enhancements you get during the game and the bonuses for being kensai, he was a force to be reckoned with. Its been a while but I remember his average damage per hit being in the 30+. Combine that with gww attack and he could take down just about anything with ease. Of course its really easy for him to get swamped and screwed. I had a barbarian with me and with that combination it was my easiest runthrough yet.

 

A Kensai is viable in this game, but that is not saying much as even a Beastmaster is viable...

Look...there is a difference in being viable and being good. IMO, a Kensai is far from being even halfway good as he lacks any sort of defensive staying power in ToB. I know AC becomes meaningless more or less in ToB but the enchantments from gear is also important. No bracers for +2 damage from those gloves in Watcher's Keep?? No free HP and AC from Helm of Balduran? No Helm of Charm Protection? No elemental protection from Dragon Helm?? No extra HP from Plate of Balduran?? No thanks...Kensai's are only good when dual-classed or Sk'd into a multiclass...otherwise, they are worse than mediocre.

 

Kensai's are very situation specific characters. They aren't good against tons of enemies and thats where the AC really hurts. They're made for one thing and that is taking down powerful single opponents. Kensai's are great additions to a team but don't rely on them to be your main
melee combatant. They don't always seem like the best choice but when you need the extra muscle, you'll be glad you brought him along.

 

Have you ever actually played a single class Kensai in ToB, Faraaz? All the examples you gave are trivial - a Kensai laughs at the idea of needing +2 damage from bracers; gets armor class from either the Dusty rose or Wong Fei's ioun stone and doesn't particularly need another 5 hp. I've never found a helm of Charm Protection to be that useful (although a Helm of Domination Protection would be), can get elemental resistances from rings if necessary, and generally kick butt faster than anything else can. A Kensai can't put anything in the armor or gauntlets slots - a pretty small price to pay for some good abilities, and a coolness factor second to none (although that last bit is entirely subjective).

 

The Helm of Charm Pro. is also immune to domination. Unless you've got some wierd mod on your game. It sucks that they can't use Vhailor's helm but I reserve that for my barbarian anyway.

 

@Truper: Yes I have. In fact, I have solo'd the entire vanilla SoA + ToB campaign with every single class and kit there is except the Beastmaster, Totemic Druid and the vanilla Bard. If you want me to start boasting about the number of my solo runs, I could do that too...

And you say I am being trivial? Mate, all your arguments are only valid for about...5-10% of the game...what about the other 90% where you get your butt kicked? No thanks...Kensai's are like weak little babies who squeal when they get knocked around a bit...

 

Then you dual them and they become raging juggernauts of destruction that inspire nightmares in children and adults alike. Seriously, Batman would wet his pants at the sight of my kensai-thief.

 

True...which is why I said:

A single-classed vanilla bard can fight better than a Kensai end game...which is quite sad IMO...

 

After playing both I seriously doubt that not that I doubt the abilities of a powerful bard but still... Even Tensor's wouldn't be enough to give a bard the upper hand against a kensai with decent HLA's. A little off topic but tell me, is it true that when you reduce any ability score to 0 you kill that person?

 

Yes that is true.

I know this is off topic, but gatsbygoon, have you ever seen a lvl 40 single classed Bard with the following, in combat??

*Staff of the Ram +6
*25 STR (UAI + Potion of Cloud Giant Strength)
*Tensor's Transformation
*4-5 Mislead images singing Improved Bard Song
*Bracers of Weapon Specialisation (the ones from WK which give an extra half attack and +2 damage)
*Improved Haste which also lasts for 20 rounds minimum!!
*All usual buffs which I won't even bother mentioning...you guys should know these by now

He will absolutely SLAY a Kensai. Unless a single classed Kensai can dispel SI:Abjuration and the Mirror Image AND the Stoneskins AND the INSANE AC the bard will have due to Improved Bard Song AND has enough hitpoints to survive hits of upto 60-70 dmg on a NORMAL NON CRITICAL HIT for 20 rounds MINIMUM...

You get what I mean?

 

Potion of Cloud Giant Strength gives a strength of 23 (+5/+11).

A Potion of Storm Giant Strength gives a strength of 24 (+6/+12).

You need Crom Faeyr or other spells for a 25 strength. I only get 40-50 per hit which is still quite impressive. The only problem I see is if the kensai gets to hit you (with +6 Ravager or other wonder weapon) while you're casting all those buffs.

 

@T2Bruno: I was under the impression that Cloud Giant Strength was 25. Ah well, Storm Giant Strength it is then!

Anyway, that just means a reduction in damage of 7 pts...not a big deal when you are getting almost 180-200 damage per round at an INSANE THAC0.

Also, you always have Protection from Magic Weapons to prevent vorpal weapons from affecting you at the cost of an extra +4 damage from a Mislead Image...

Besides, the scenario I painted is overkill. A single-classed bard could always just spook/glitterdust/hold person etc in conjunction with a Greater Malison on a Kensai and then its game over in like 2-3 rounds max.

My point here is that fighters in general have almost no options when faced with more versatile enemies at higher levels of play. Take on the Improved Ascension battles with a singleclassed fighter to see what I mean. Kensais are gipped even further by not having a full range of items to complement their weakness. And the bonus they get which is +4-5 damage per hit end game can be compensated by the vastly better staying power of any other tank (Berserker/Wizard Slayer/Paladin kits/Ranger-Cleric multiclasses) etc...

A well played solo bard would annihilate a kensai as soon as he saw him...