and into wrote:Well I don't think you should set aside god choice, experience investment, and the fact that one has no clue when claws 2 goes to claws 3 (could be next level, could be level 27). I don't see any compelling reason at all for this character to sink any points into unarmed combat, period. Doesn't really make sense.
I mean yeah, getting 10 or 12 levels in unarmed combat is not a huge investment, but it isn't a great weapon either, especially when one considers that at this stage of the game (or very soon) there will be stuff like demon blades and demon whips (thx hell knights and spriggan defenders!) left and right.
I'd argue that 10-12 levels of unarmed with claws 3 is a great weapon, actually. A demon blade would hit for 13 damage at .6 speed requiring 14 skill. Unarmed 11 hits for .8 speed for 17 base damage. If you got it up to 14 to be equal, it would be 20 base damage and about .73 speed. So about 20% slower, for about 50% more damage. Factoring in enchantments and brands will make it more or less even, but it's still very competitive with one of the best weapon types in the game, with also giving you an option to train it further for rapid improvements later on, while the demon blade is more or less done and won't improve. In short, around 16+ unarmed is where unarmed + claws 3 will start to completely outclass a demon blade, but you could manage to only train 11 if you're using it as a secondary damage source and it's competitive with demon blades, if a bit worse.
I completely concede the point about ash though - you can't curse claws, and I understand if you want to avoid that for ash characters. In general, though, claws 3 makes unarmed a great weapon even in the teen's skill level range. I don't think the concern over when you get claws 3 matters terribly much, because you already have claws 2, which is quite good already.
TL;DR: How many trolls do you know that wield demon blades?