Weapons specialization and class-switching

[fable]

The NO must be a fighter in order to learn any weapons specialiization skills. But do these skills remain if you switch to either mage or thief mode?

[kmonster]

Yes. But you can't use all weapons in other modes.
In mage mode you can hardly use anything else but daggers, thieves also benefit from specialisation in fists.

[fable]

Originally Posted by kmonster

Yes. But you can't use all weapons in other modes.
In mage mode you can hardly use anything else but daggers, thieves also benefit from specialisation in fists.

Not meaning to sound doubtful, but are you sure of this? I know that the stats info for the NO shows weapons proficiencies for weapons that are unusable while you're in, say, mage mode, but do those proficiencies exist as more than text on a screen at that point? After all, wisdom is described throughout BG2 as affecting save throws, but that was never implemented within the final game. I'm curious, because it appears that my mage NO hits considerably less often in battle against the same opponent types using the same knife as he does when a fighter NO.

[kmonster]

I'm sure. My NO had ***** in daggers and after 13 levels as fighter he had 3.5 attacks/round with his dagger even in mage mode.
I didn't find an axe or hammer my NO could use in mage or thief mode. There was a club thieves could use, but I don't remember any weapon of another profiency than dagger usable in mage mode and worth using.

[fable]

Originally Posted by kmonster

I'm sure. My NO had ***** in daggers and after 13 levels as fighter he had 3.5 attacks/round with his dagger even in mage mode.

Really--as in you see 3 attacks in a round, rather than just see the description of it? I'll have to watch for that. My NO has *** in daggers and fists at this point, but still only 1 1/2 attacks/round.

I didn't find an axe or hammer my NO could use in mage or thief mode. There was a club thieves could use, but I don't remember any weapon of another profiency than dagger usable in mage mode and worth using.

The club being the mace from Platter's restored Candlestick Quest? A shame Annah lacks a point of proficiency in clubs, though understandable. It is a nice weapon for the NO as a thief, though, as you point out.

There is also that sword Trias waves about. Requires Lawful Good, as I recall from my last run through (it's been some time, just started up again). Your NO can use it, I think, in mage mode.

[kmonster]

I didn't use the stopwatch and counted the attacks my NO got in in 6 seconds, but I didn't realize a difference in the direct combat power between the different classes (except that as mage he could use armor (bracers)).

1.5 attacks/round are normal for specialised with less than 7 fighter levels, you gain 1/2 attacks for fighter level 7 and 13 and 1 additional full attack for adding the 5th weapon profiency point, reaching 3.5 .