Sadly, you will only have one weapon slot.
That said, you still have a lot of options available. Early game, you can get by on a bow along with Grease or Web, later on, mostly you will rely on magic and tactics.
To start the game, you will want a single point in bows, one in short swords, one in long swords, and one in missles. Later, when you get more points, add points to what you feel comfortable with. So why the wide spread of options?
Well, to start, ranged attacks are king. Period. Darts, throwing daggers, bows and arrows, crossbows and bolts. They all serve one purpose, death from a distance. Bows are generally the best choice. However, there are times when there will be a better option. The Army Scythe is an incredible weapon to be honest, with Haste, you get to unleash a whole bunch of bolts. There are a few magical bolts worth using, namely, the Bolts of Lightning. These make your enemies scream with pain, they are quite entertaining. And they light Saverok up like a Christmas tree. Missles. Like darts for example. Why use these over a bow? Well, there will be a few ecounters where every point in AC will mean something, you will want a shield. A large shield. Like when fighting Black Talon Elites. They will rip you to pieces. Use Darts of Wounding, shoot one, run away and let the poison do it's work.
Which brings me to another point. Do not waste ammo. Don't do it. Shops run out of ammo. Yes, they will even run out of normal arrows. Don't ask me how I know this, lets just say a hasted character can burn through arrows at a rate that must be seen to be believed.
For me, I downloaded the Advanced Missle Pack. It's a Mod for the Mac, there is probably one for the peecee side as well. What this allows is arrows to be stacked in a much larger amount, and, there is a small chance of recovering ammo from the littered bodies of the dead. Also, bolts, darts, throwing axes, pretty much anything ranged except for throwing potions. I consider this vital for soloing a character. It follows the classic AD&D rules for missle equiping and recovery. Arrows can be had in stacks of 40, bolts since they are smaller in stacks of 60, throwing axes in stacks of 4 (But these can always be recovered) And darts and throwing daggers in stacks of 30. Also, I like this Mod because it makes crossbows a more delicious option.
One weapon you should always keep in your boot is the Dagger of Venom. This IS the ultimate anti mage weapon. Toss magic missle to get rid of mirror image, then, run in and poke with the Dagger of Venom. The poison stun will keep mages from casting spells. In general, I find it is safer to run away after sticking and returning a bit later. If pesky mage is still alive, poke and run again. Arrows of Biting work well too, but, you want to hold on to these as supplies is limited.
And that brings me to poison. Poison is king. Poisoned arrows and bolts, darts, etc, it's all good and it all works. Save those darts and use them, never ever sell them or leave them. And don't waste ammo. If somebody is poisoned, don't shoot them again and waste an arrow. Run, duck, weave, let the poison do it's work. If they live through the first shot, well, then it is time to repoison them. Let them crawl and stumble through your grease patches or webs while slowly dying from your poison bite. You did remember to use Grease or Web right?
Fight Dirty.
Keep every potion or scroll of Invisibility you find, and, put it to good use. When rushed, and you need to switch weapons, go invisible! While invisible, take some time to switch out or swap weapons, potions, scrolls, ammo, what have you.
Charm and Dire Charm or using the charm abilities of a certain cloak will gain you powerful allies. A huge clump of bandits, Black Talon Elites, or other assorted baddies giving you fits? Charm one or two and run away to fight another day. My solo Bard employed this tactic to great effect. Butterfingers might have been a total coward, but, he lived to sing another day.
Weapon selection.
Always keep a small assortment of weapons stashed in your base of operations, and, in your backpack, with what limited room there is, always keep the right weapon for the job. Arrows and swords are nearly useless against undead. Always try to keep a blunt object tucked away. Bassilus' hammer comes to mind. It's a darn good weapon.
Where to go when you need restocking.
You know those scattered houses in the wilderness with lockable chests? These make great depots. Aside from your main base of operations, it makes sense to have supply depots. What adventurer worth his salt would not keep various stashes around? Arrows, potions, spare weapons, perhaps armor or a change of robes. Never let your resistance robes go to waste, as there are moments when the fire or lightning resistance robes come in mighty handy.
Part three is coming soon.
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