Shield use with Assassins / Gladiator class ?

[Slayer]

I started playing as the Gladiator (who i named Arnold haha) due to my warrior class finding some decent low level unique and plate armors (req level 9 ). I level'ed up to 10 in under 30 minutes. I used the Ace of spades axe, took out hte butcher at level 3 hehe.

Anyway I read somewhere that the Assassins class and the Gladiator class glitch out if you use a shield with them. My question is , can I use a shield + sword combo with the Gladiator until I find a better 2 handed weapon ? thanks.

[Ugily]

Assassin takes a combat penalty when using a shield. There are some Torment level shields that more than make up for that penalty.

The Assassin should always use stealth when going into a new area, go behind a enemy and strike with Fanaticism. After the first strike, hit the mob with Narcosis to stun them. Continue to use Fanaticism to build up your hit count and when Narcosis cools down, hit the closest enemies again. Repeat. You basically become a force of death.

Gladiator build. Details? I assume Gladiator armor and belt. For warrior you will need life and mana leach on rings. Additional HP on amulet. I wish the axe class of hatchet and cleaver were one-handed. Split skull shield will give a damage boost.