Kensai in PoE ?

There is Kensai in Baldur's Gate 2. It's a subclass to warrior.
The class is set on using sword, deals great melee demage and has best attack speed, but can't use any kind of armor (no helmets, gauntlets...)
So i was wondering if you could make this kind of build in PoE. what interests me the most is which class would be best for this I'm assuming duelist kinda fits it's requirements but maybe shadow? what do you think ?

I think you have to use some armor (to be able to survive at all), but you could try pure dex or pure int armor (they give evasion (dex) or energy shield (int)) - if you want close combat i would say ES would probably be better than eva...

Hm. Funny how a common mistake can become 'official' like this. Kensei (Sword Saint) is a really fun variant to play and, if you're seriously into it, possibly doable on PoE.

I'm looking at the details of it, keeping in mind that 'no armour' in D and D still means clothes. As I recall it, armour in D and D is mostly about protection against damage types. So in this case, I'd say that discounts 'strength' based armour.

Evasion based armour, as Sony Black noted, is still in-theme with the kensei, because it increases not your ability to take damage but your ability to totally evade it. The Kensei is all about very fast, very deadly attacks at the expense of armour -- which encumbers him and makes it harder for him to move quickly.

Evasion armour technically emulates moving quicker.

So there's that for a start.

You'd probably pick the Shadow for aesthetics and the fact that he has a fair chunk of IAS and damage at first, but the Duelist is just as good a choice.

Although the kensei class takes its name from Miyamoto Musashi, the original kensei and creator of nito ichi ryu (two swords, one school), I've seen that many kensei in D and D actually use only one sword. Unfortunately, there are very few two-handed swords in Path of Exile with sufficient speed to justify a kensei wielding them.

There is this sword, which was designed specifically to be wielded by a kensei-like character:



Unfortunately, for now, it still uses the rapier model and doesn't quite look like the katana we all know it's trying to be.

Other than that sword, you're probably best off dual-wielding. A kensei would never use a shield.

My current Shadow is quite like this. He dual-wields swords and uses Cleave as his main attack. His attack speed is very high, and I'm neglecting his defensive nodes for the time being. He'll use evasion+energy shield just because the armours look awesome.

I also use Phase Run to get around quickly. Nothing would stop you from throwing Flicker Strike in there to emulate *very* quick movement, but I don't think I'd use it for a main skill as a kensei. A little too spammy.

Whirling Blades for mobility would be essential.

It says the Kensei can't use spells. I'm not sure that applies to auras here, because something like 'Grace' (which increases base evasion rating) is less a spell and more like a high-end ability.

Finally, you're missing out on gauntlets, but again, would that include leather gloves? The question is, ultimately, how do you interpret armour?

If you wanted to be truly crazy, you could play naked but for the swords and maybe a few rings and an amulet. This would take *mastery* of the Skilldrasil, I think. Absolute mastery of knowing precisely what nodes you need. Also, it'd severely restrict how many skills you can equip!

Don't get me wrong i LOVE the idea :) But as i said some of the armor of PoE wouldn't go against the way of the Kesai - dex would be the obvious choise, but the int base armor is in the end only 'normal' clothing as well.

Anyway quite a lot of health would have to be stacked... And i case you go dex armor the passive keystone which give you dogde chance would help greatly (evasion chance and dodge chance are two different 'rolls').

Getting block chance for dual wielding would help as well (this MIGHT be easiest with the Duelist, but the Shadow has some interesting dueal wield block nodes as well)

Okay I don't have a complete understanding of this class, so would this gear/skills/passives fit?

for convenience I have only used uniques for gear:

armour, hyrri's ire

Boots, sundance

gloves, hrimsorrow

Helmet, fairgraves tricorne

Sword, terminus est

Passives

weapon elemental damage
Cold damage
Critical
Evasion
Dexterity
Movement speed

Skills

Viper strike
Puncture
Flicker strike
Phase run
Hatred
Haste
Grace
Purity

Basically it is supposed to be a high (cold) damage hit run character that used auras and evasion to survive. Of course it is unlikely that someone can build this character with this build due to gear, but if someone wants to try something of a similar concept, please tell me how it goes

Also, did I break any of the 'conventions' of this class?

Double post

"

Charan wrote:

As I recall it, armour in D and D is mostly about protection against damage types. So in this case, I'd say that discounts 'strength' based armour.

Armor class or AC in D&D is all about evading attacks within 20 dice roll (Your chance to hit against plate mail is less than against robes. Lighter armours however get dexterity AC bonuses). You're confusing it with resistances/damage reductions.

Funny the idea for a kensai came to me last night too as I was looking at other people's build. I was under the impression that a Kensai was a warrior mage of sort. Single hand, no armor or shield of any kind, Dex dominant but needs to focus on mana as well, build for agility and critical attacks. (since this will disable spells and abilities, I am going by AD&D 2 ruleset I think).

Anyway, it seems like I have unconsciously molded my dual wield duelist into a semi kensai with Evasion/armor with focus on dual wield. It works pretty well for me, although I can get put down fairly quick if pinned to a corner. But my skill sets pretty much are build around avoiding that.

http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAAAQQACz7rgAuCpKYOhOkcG_5Ilx7vC7UitfrNJEKdoCnWOTIqum1eNDa1ajXuYPo6_biGQS3w9E_pgyBS_IQEWPFopVxZFhhhmt9KYk1vCGfghtFu3PybcsWYfXO-ypl3ztDsfztvT4O0mxKF_S_8huaFD42pGP-UFqWjlIM7npXAPlGWxjQJnVC6-6qX7eOuutvhsrw6_LL3UEe4ZfYJwAzcYcLpd_7XzKP52sdaxNtybSDeoK9N3-cAR_M67Mv1icPN9cQ-yf1oCW0=

"

Targuil wrote:

"

Charan wrote:

As I recall it, armour in D and D is mostly about protection against damage types. So in this case, I'd say that discounts 'strength' based armour.

Armor class or AC in D&D is all about evading attacks within 20 dice roll (Your chance to hit against plate mail is less than against robes. Lighter armours however get dexterity AC bonuses). You're confusing it with resistances/damage reductions.

I'm well aware of THAC0 and the fact that in earlier iterations of D and D Armour class was about being 'evaded'. However, as you've described, the chance to hit something with plate mail (big, heavy armour) is *less* than against robes (light, airy cloth). In that light, I do not view Armour Class as true evasion in D and D so much as the chance of being hit *and taking damage*.

So no, I wasn't confusing anything -- base damage reduction, such as that granted to monks and magical creatures such as dragons, is something else entirely.

"

Charan wrote:

"

Targuil wrote:

"

Charan wrote:

As I recall it, armour in D and D is mostly about protection against damage types. So in this case, I'd say that discounts 'strength' based armour.

Armor class or AC in D&D is all about evading attacks within 20 dice roll (Your chance to hit against plate mail is less than against robes. Lighter armours however get dexterity AC bonuses). You're confusing it with resistances/damage reductions.

I'm well aware of THAC0 and the fact that in earlier iterations of D and D Armour class was about being 'evaded'. However, as you've described, the chance to hit something with plate mail (big, heavy armour) is *less* than against robes (light, airy cloth). In that light, I do not view Armour Class as true evasion in D and D so much as the chance of being hit *and taking damage*.

So no, I wasn't confusing anything -- base damage reduction, such as that granted to monks and magical creatures such as dragons, is something else entirely.

The damage reduction stats still were rare and could appear quite equally in all types of armor. But you are true in that mind that kensai had no access to any of that in armor. (unless going kensai/mage)