I think Alrik may have stumbled on a great idea. I have heard of that in a few other cases, but it could work very well.
What if you could find or enchant a weapon that was sentient. It started at level 1 and gained experience through combat. Each level would raise its Offence and Damage. You could also buy skills for it, such as the magical additions you normally get (Frost, Fire Damage, etc.) and others specific to your weapon (eg. Dagger could have Lockpick?).
Now, what was the topic again?
