Do like Harrek did, and cheat! Having a demigod-level being attached to your back gives you some pretty hefty boosts. Of course, the ultimate cheat is "Be a Narrator Character", but the main cheat is to go on Heroquests to pick up strange and powerful abilities. No-one should expect to get to w3 just by mundane training (well, not unless they are a Dwarf toiling away 18 hours a day for their entire life, anyway).
All those magical weapons wielded by the people in BA were acquired via Heroquests, and I don't mean "We went down in a dungeon and found a +3 sword", either. You have to break on through to the Other Side to get the goodies. Balastor's Axe, the Wind Sword, and any item from the old RQ Plunder lists are probably *much* less powerful than what you can get by crossing over to the Land of Myths.
Going into Balastor's Barracks on the mundane world and beating up the creatures there will get you Balastor's Axe (with Balastor's Spirit in it) - in HW terms it's an Iron Axe (^5), with a Spirit with the following abilities: (Combat, Blade of Fire, Magical Protection, Summon/Command small Earth daimone...). Now, what was the Axe like back when Balastor himself carried it? It was still an Iron (or steel) Axe, but it obviously didn't have the Spirit of Balastor in it. What were its properties back then? Probably much more than it is nowadays. Clues: Balastor was a "heroquester", he led the "Earthaxe" regiment, he was, in HW terms, a Disciple of Pavis (RuneLord and High Priest in RQ terms). Was the Axe actually the Regimental Wyter (lares/esprit/totem), not just his own personal sidearm? (it could have been both, of course). Heck, even in RQ terms the axe isn't all that powerful - except for the chance to ally Balastor.
Roderick
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