Thrown weapons and offhand

[Rahkan]

I'm assuming that two-handed fighting doesn't help with real ranged weapons (crossbows, bows, etc). But if you have the feat can you throw weapons with your offhand? Can you throw weapons with your main hand, take a five foot step and hit with your off-hand?

All the feat description says is "You can fight with a weapon in each hand". This would not normally help with a bow (since it is two-handed) but you only need one hand to throw. But under the equipment description for shooting two crossbows at once it says that two-weapon fighting does not help since it represents "skill with melee weapons rather than ranged weapons" but ambidexterity does help.

What is your all take on this? Is there any WotC ruling for this in any product?

 

[kreynolds]

Is there any WotC ruling for this in any product?

From a Sage reply...

Consider a ranger with the quick draw feat and rapid shot, who wishes to throw daggers.

At first level, can I do any or all of the following, and at what penalties:

Throw two daggers with rapid shot, and then a final dagger with my off hand? I'd think yes, with all attacks at -4.

No, -6. Two-weapon fighting and the ranger ability don't apply to ranged attacks. You suck up the penalties for two weapon fighting with a light off-hand weapon (assuming you're medium-size).

In this case, you get the benefit of off hand weapon light and ambidexterity: -4 to each hand, plus the -2 rapid shot penalty to all.

Throw two daggers with rapid shot, and then make an attack with a short sword in my off hand? I'd think yes again, with the daggers at -4, and the short sword at -2 or -4.

As the first answer, except you get the benefit of two-weapon fighting with the melee attack, only -4 on that one.

Make an attack with a longsword in my primary hand, and then throw a dagger with my off hand? Again, I'd vote yes, but I don't know what the penalties would be.

Again, to two-weapon fighting benefit for the throw:
-2 for the sword, -4 for the throw.

Throw two daggers with rapid shot, and then make an attack with my longsword? I'd say yes, at -4 to the daggers, and -6 for the longsword (rapid shot + heavy off hand)

-8 for the daggers, -6 for the sword.

And finally, throw two daggers with my primary hand rapid shot, and two with my offhand rapid shot? I'd say no to this.

One extra attack for rapid shot.

And then if that ranger hits 9th level, and gets improved 2 weapon fighting, does that just add another dagger I can toss with the off hand?

No, The ability doesn't apply to throws. You can get an extra melee attack though.

Skip Williams
RPG R&D

...hope that helps.

 

[Rahkan]

Thank you, thats a more complete answer than I could have ever hoped for and it was very helpful.

 

[dead_radish]

Did that actually make it into sage response? Any idea which Dragon? I'm just curious, as I was the one that sent it in, and was going to cut n' paste the email when I saw this question.

 

[kreynolds]

Did that actually make it into sage response?

Not to my knowledge. I keep a collection of Sage replies in a doc, for archival and comparison purposes.

 

[Aluvial]

Not to my knowledge. I keep a collection of Sage replies in a doc, for archival and comparison purposes.

Any chance you can post that here... Somewhere?

Aluvial

 

[kreynolds]

Any chance you can post that here... Somewhere?

Possibly this evening.