trip, whip and twf

[FireLance]

So if have a dagger in one hand and a whip in the other, can I use the whip on an AoO?

-Hyp.

Of course not. A whip doesn't threaten any squares. But consider this scenario. A 6th-level fighter who has the Two-Weapon Fighting feat is holding a longsword in one hand and a short sword in another.

On his turn, he chooses to make a full attack using his longsword only.

Question #1: Assuming no other bonuses, are his iterative attacks at +6 and +1, or +4 and -1?

His opponent provokes an AOO from him on its turn.

Question #2: The fighter can obviously perform the AOO with his longsword. However, if he wishes to, can he use his short sword instead?

 

[glass]

Oops!

Not allowing it would be a house-rule. See v.3.5 FAQ, pages 19 and 20.

The FAQ is not the rules.


glass.

 

[FireLance]

Rethinking my questions a bit, let's make them even more fun. The same 6th-level fighter decides to take a full attack action. He makes his first iterative attack with his longsword and his second iterative attack with his short sword.

Question #3. Assuming no other bonuses, are his attacks +6 with the longsword and +1 with the short sword, or +4 with the longsword and -1 with the shortsword?

His opponent provokes an AOO again.

Question #4: Can he use either his long sword or his shortsword to attack on the AOO?

 

[glass]

Of course not. A whip doesn't threaten any squares. But consider this scenario. A 6th-level fighter who has the Two-Weapon Fighting feat is holding a longsword in one hand and a short sword in another.

On his turn, he chooses to make a full attack using his longsword only.

Question #1: Assuming no other bonuses, are his iterative attacks at +6 and +1, or +4 and -1?

His choice. Is he actively using the shortsword or just holding it. +4/-1 in the formr case, +6/+1 in the latter.

Question #2: The fighter can obviously perform the AOO with his longsword. However, if he wishes to, can he use his short sword instead?

Depends on the answer to question 1.


glass.

 

[glass]

Rethinking my questions a bit, let's make them even more fun. The same 6th-level fighter decides to take a full attack action. He makes his first iterative attack with his longsword and his second iterative attack with his short sword.

Question #3. Assuming no other bonuses, are his attacks +6 with the longsword and +1 with the short sword, or +4 with the longsword and -1 with the shortsword?

+4/-1

Question #4: Can he use either his long sword or his shortsword to attack on the AOO?

Yes.


glass.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

The FAQ is not the rules.

Yeah, I know. The FAQ is only the interpretation of the rules by one of the game designers and his chosen successor.

Who in their right mind would think they got it right when Hypersmurf and glass disagree? That's crazy-talk!

 

[Hypersmurf]

You tell me.

Opponent performs a distracting act in a square I threaten (since I have a dagger), provoking an AoO from me. This allows me to make a melee attack. The whip is a melee weapon that can make a melee attack into that square. If we don't distinguish between which weapons threaten the square (just whether or not the square is threatened), then yes, I can attack with the whip. If I don't have the dagger, I can't attack with the whip.

Likewise, if we don't distinguish between which weapons threaten the square (just whether or not the square is threatened), a Warrior-1 with a dagger can trip or grapple on an AoO, but a Warrior-1 without a dagger cannot.

-Hyp.

 

[FireLance]

And now, for the final series of questions. The same 6th-level fighter now uses a dwarven urgrosh (let's say he's a dwarf, so there's no proficiency issue).

He makes a full attack with the dwarven urgrosh, attacking with only the axe end.

Question #5. Assuming no other bonuses, are his attacks at +6/+1 or +4/-1?

His opponent provokes an AOO.

Question #6. Can he use the spear end to make the AOO?

He makes a full attack with the dwarven urgrosh, using the axe end to make his first iterative attack, and the spear end to make his second iterative attack.

Question #7. Assuming no other bonuses, are his attack at +6 with the axe end and +1 with the spear end, or +4 with the axe end and -1 with the spear end?

 

[glass]

Yeah, I know. The FAQ is only the interpretation of the rules by one of the game designers and his chosen successor.

Who in their right mind would think they got it right when Hypersmurf and glass disagree?

Not anyone who has ever read them!

I always agree with myself. You can't say the same about the FAQs.

I also don't make up rules that a demonstrably not in the book (without explicitly calling it out as a house rule). Again, you can't say the same about the FAQs.

Of course, I have been known to be mistaken from time to time. That, the FAQ and I do have in common!


glass.

 

[glass]

And now, for the final series of questions. The same 6th-level fighter now uses a dwarven urgrosh (let's say he's a dwarf, so there's no proficiency issue).

He makes a full attack with the dwarven urgrosh, attacking with only the axe end.

Question #5. Assuming no other bonuses, are his attacks at +6/+1 or +4/-1?

His choice. Depends on if he decides to treat it as a 2H weapon, or as a 1H weapon and a light weapon. +6/+1 in the former case, -4/-1 in the latter.

Question #6. Can he use the spear end to make the AOO?

Good question. If he's treating it as two weapons, then obviously yes. If he's treating it as one? I'd probably still say yes, but I'd have to check the precise wording of the rules in several places to be sure.

He makes a full attack with the dwarven urgrosh, using the axe end to make his first iterative attack, and the spear end to make his second iterative attack.

Question #7. Assuming no other bonuses, are his attack at +6 with the axe end and +1 with the spear end, or +4 with the axe end and -1 with the spear end?

+4/-1 is definitely an option. Not sure whether +6/+1 is as well. See my answer to Q.6.


glass.