Talk:Kensai/@comment-45026531-20200217155039/@comment-8506165-20200217191406

Honestly Kensai's AC problems are exaggerated. The main problem they have with squishiness is that they can't wear helmets which means no crit immunity in EE. But if you couple decent DEX with the Shield Amulet then while your AC won't be as good as your tankiest members you'll still be easily into the negatives. If you have a mage who can cast Spirit Armor on you then that's as good as wearing full plate, and it lasts 3 turns which is long enough for any fight. Or there's Potion of Defense for base AC 0. Single Weapon Style adds another point or two if you really feel you need it early game.

There's so many temporary AC buffs available that once you hit a certain level and have some decent gear you can easily go into any significant fight with -10 effective AC or better. Late TOB sure you'll have the problem that everything can hit you anyway but that's true for most classes.

As for the kensai/mage or kensai/thief I've always thought them to be overrated anyway. If I'm going to dual-class out of fighter I'd much rather go Berserker for the Immunity to Everything button than get a few small to-hit/damage bonuses off Kensai.