I recall suggesting that the Nimble perk should be revised so that it increases melee defence to a lesser degree (e.g. 1.5) but is compatible with the use of a light shield (e.g. one that imposes no more than +5 fatigue). I also suggested that it should be compatible with carrying a bow (since, from a conceptual point of view, only two-handed melee weapons or large shields should prevent you from being nimble). Being concurrently nimble would probably make crossbowmen too powerful, but maybe Nimble could be moved to tier-3 so that characters using it were restricted on the other trees?
If the possibility for such high defence is there, however, it’s too tempting to see how high it can actually get. Ernst starts each battle with 132 melee defence and still has a couple of level-ups to go …
However, Nimble fighters are definitely vulnerable to arrows, even with a ranged defence superior to that of carrying a kite shield. Ernst’s first battle was against goblins, and he was poisoned several times at close range and left with c. 10 hit points (although he did have the satisfaction of beheading those pesky ambushers in the end). Since then, he’s been shot several times, on one occasion accidentally by a comrade with a spiked impaler. He’s only been hit in melee once, and that was a shield Knock-Back that did no damage and left the Dodge bonus intact. But he’s been shot and hanging onto life while surrounded in melee several times, and there should always be a 1-in-20 chance of being struck, and just one strike from an orcish blade could bring sudden end to his life …
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