armed/unarmed switch

gamecat · Jun 3, 2002

Are two weapon fighting penalties assessed to a character with multiple attaks who switches between kicks and sword blows? He doesn't take the extra attack granted to a 2-wpn fighter, so what gives?

Crothian · Jun 3, 2002

A fighter with base attack of 11 gets three attacks at +11/+6/+1. If he has unarmed combat and decides to punch with his right hand, kick with his left foot , and then end on an elbow strike your fine. You will need ambidexterity for the off hand attacks or else they would be a -4.

gamecat · Jun 4, 2002

But if joe fighter switches between two-handed sword blows and kicks, does he assess penalties. The gimmick for the character is: Unarmed Trip, use the Improved trip feat and disarm the enemy, take 3 attacks. (BAB 16/11/6/1)

Gromm · Jun 4, 2002

No matter how it works out, you can't get free attacks without some sort of penalty. By the rules you can't really get any other attacks if you are using a two handed weapon (no "off-hand" attacks that is).

Caliban · Jun 4, 2002

gamecat said:
But if joe fighter switches between two-handed sword blows and kicks, does he assess penalties. The gimmick for the character is: Unarmed Trip, use the Improved trip feat and disarm the enemy, take 3 attacks. (BAB 16/11/6/1)

That's legal. You can always substitute a Trip, Disarm, or Grapple attack for a normal melee attack. A trip attack is assumed to be unarmed unless you are using a "trip weapon", but I don't believe you would be assessed the off-hand penalty for a normal trip attack (unless you used the extra attack granted from two-weapon fighting to make the trip attack.)

If you were to try and use one of the attacks from your BAB to make a damaging attack (such as an actual kick) with a different limb than your primary attack, you would get all the normal off-hand penalties (including 1/2 strength bonus to damage). I don't believe you would get the additional two-weapon fighting penalties unless you actually made an extra attack.

(Basically anything other than your primary hand is an off-hand. The PHB doesn't go into this, but that's how it's treated in the MM.)