Attacking ONLY with your off-hand weapon?

[Ashrem Bayle]

Say a character, who is right handed, is fighting with a longsword and spiked shield.

If he wants to use a standard action to attack only with his spiked shield, does he suffer any penalties for it being in his off-hand?

The only info I can find regarding off-hand penalties is in regards to making an additional attack with the off-hand weapon, which isn't what I mean.

Thanks in advance.

 

[CalrinAlshaw]

Well, I'd assume you get to attack without any penalty, seeing as how the old "ambidexterity" is rolled into the proficiency "two weapon fighting" Or you could assign just a -2 for the off hand.

Calrin Alshaw

 

[Plane Sailing]

Since they got rid of ambidexterity in 3.5 there is no concept of handedness and the character would be able to make a single attack with either a weapon in his right hand or a weapon (or shield) in his left hand with equal facility.

Cheers

 

[reiella]

More or less, no penalty here, but a slight clarification (personal opinion albiet, follows)

I had thought that the handedness described in the Ambidexterity feat was mostly 'irrelevant' for combat unless you were fighting with two weapons; and that adventurers were equally proficent with either hand. That might have just been my odd perception though given that handedness is only mentioned once in the core books .

 

[billd91]

Since they got rid of ambidexterity in 3.5 there is no concept of handedness and the character would be able to make a single attack with either a weapon in his right hand or a weapon (or shield) in his left hand with equal facility.

Cheers

Not so. Check the glossary under off-hand. It states (in the 3.5 PHB) the penalties for fighting with a weapon in the off-hand (-4 to hit, 1/2 strength bonus to damage).
Note that this is distinct from the information under two-weapon fighting actions in the combat section of the PHB (where the penalty for fighting with the off-hand in tandem with the primary hand is a further -6 penalty for the net of -10). In a nutshell, when you fight with two-weapons, both hands are penalized -6, but the off-hand was already penalized a further -4 for being the off-hand in the first place.

Why this tidbit of information is only in the glossary, I don't know. I suppose they could be assuming that any time the character is taking single attacks rather than two-weapon attacks, he's automatically using the primary hand whenever possible.

 

[Ashrem Bayle]

Wow. That really should have shown up elsewhere. Thanks though! It looks pretty clear.

 

[reiella]

Not so. Check the glossary under off-hand. It states (in the 3.5 PHB) the penalties for fighting with a weapon in the off-hand (-4 to hit, 1/2 strength bonus to damage).
Note that this is distinct from the information under two-weapon fighting actions in the combat section of the PHB (where the penalty for fighting with the off-hand in tandem with the primary hand is a further -6 penalty for the net of -10). In a nutshell, when you fight with two-weapons, both hands are penalized -6, but the off-hand was already penalized a further -4 for being the off-hand in the first place.

Why this tidbit of information is only in the glossary, I don't know. I suppose they could be assuming that any time the character is taking single attacks rather than two-weapon attacks, he's automatically using the primary hand whenever possible.

Hmm, I'll have to retract my earlier statement then, the off-hand/handedness comment does in fact appear twice in the core books in 3.0 (Ambidexterity and the glossary).

Something to put into house rules/clarifications for my campaign to simplify matters . Thank you .

 

[Murchadha The Mad]

You would still apply the off-hand penalty, unless she switched her shield to here main hand. Then she would attack without penalty.

 

[billd91]

Something to put into house rules/clarifications for my campaign to simplify matters . Thank you .

It is buried unnecessarily deep. The only reason I probably look through rules glossaries as much as I do is because I also play Advanced Squad Leader and some vital definitions, like what counts as a support weapon-wielding unit in good order, are explained most clearly in the glossary for those rules. So I guess you could say I learned that behavior.

 

[Kemrain]

Would the -4 Off-Hand penalty be reduced to -2 if it were a Light weapon in the off hand?

- Kemrain the Off-Handed.