Brawlers are a different story, I would think, since they should be effective barefisted as well as with a weapon. But I do not for know certain as I haven't played a Brawler yet.
Truly told, I'm avoiding the numbers, perfect performance (in terms of game mechanics) thing in EQ2. I deal with it in FFXI, but in EQ2, I'm full roleplaying. So what my characters use, they use because they master that particular weapon or style and not because "sword and shield offer the best AC, which a main tank needs". Granted, I haven't seen many roleplaying groups, so I do bring along a sword and board with me, but I try to avoid a lot of the stuff that could be considered min/max and powergaming.
There is nothing wrong with the min/max or powergaming way of playing, but it's something I personally am not doing in this game.
Quote:
Arcos: "Sword and board" and "Honor above all" have a very SCAdian ring to them. Would that be merely coincidence or not so much?
I'm sorry I do not understand. What is "SCAdian"? I believe this is coincidence, I'm sorry.
I've recently (a few months) adopted the term "sword and board" because tower shields look... well, like boards. ^^ I've always said "sword and shield" even though I've seen people use "sword and board" before.
As for "Honor above all." When fleshing my character's life and path, I chose Guardian from the beginning, so I felt "Honor above all. Protect until death." is a good saying and one that would end up meaning more to him (the character) as he progressed in life and eventually became a Guardian.