Hey thanks so much for the response!
Oh, gosh, ok that's embarrassing - I was talking about Pillars of Eternity 1, I had no idea that pistols weren't single handed! I never even thought to look or check, I just completely assumed they were. Well, that does indeed screw up my class fantasy a little bit!
That being said, you've given a really detailed explanation! I've got to say, the idea of switching out weapons doesn't overly appeal to me - so I'm thinking now of just eschewing the whole pistol idea completely - which leaves me with dual wield (Rapier + Dagger, for example, as you said) or a single, one-handed weapon (like just a Rapier).
So I suppose my question is now - for dual wielding, from what you've said, it appears Rogues work better than Fighters hands down (benefiting from the full attacks) - but how about single weapon style? You said above that single weapon style drops off towards the late game - does it drop off steeply or is it still absolutely viable, if not 'the best'? I'm thinking that if I can't go with my original fantasy, than perhaps I could try at a classic swashbuckler (with just one weapon)?
And how about the Fighter now? If I were going a single melee weapon, then surely some of the rogues benefits would become redundant (such as benefiting from full attacks)?
So is a 'glass cannon' fighter viable? Or is that like trying to put a square peg in a round hole? The last thing I want to do is play a 'tank', however, is an 'unsturdy' fighter useless? Is the damage discrepancy between the Rogue and the Fighter that large? Or perhaps the fighter needs a high constitution and resolve to be effective?
I've got to say Ranger doesn't overly appeal to me, for RP reasons really, I just don't love the whole 'nature' side of the class, the same goes for Monk honestly, it's just not a fantasy that appeals to me.
Apologies if it seems like I'm asking stupid questions, I know I could just 'play the game' - but with so many games, I've replayed the beginning sections (sometimes much longer than just the starting sections!) so many times trying to 'get things right' that I end up just getting fed up and putting them on the shelf for ages. Pillars of Eternity seems so up my street that I just don't want to ruin the experience for myself!