My group's duskblade got the same treatment as the tower shield; with a glaive, and the Short Haft feat (allowing him to drop the reach as a swift action) he was a very flexible, and very strong, fighter. Plus, it's hard to top smacking someone with a shocking-grasp enhanced Power-attack on a 2-hander. The DM took him out with a setting-unique giant that can pounce, for five devastating attacks. Downed him completely in one charge.<br/><br/>And, hey, you guys wanted to get rid of some minions anyway, right? And, the good news is, you only have to survive the final boss of this plot, after this. *wicked grin* I think I will need to give you a little time to recover, though.