Attacks of opportunity while wielding two weapons

[drnuncheon]

1) Some DMs rule that the two-weapon fighting penalties last until your next attack, just like the penalties from Power Attack or Expertise. This is unclear in the PHB but unlike PA or Exp it does not specifically say 'on all attacks until the next round'.

2) You get only a single attack for an AoO - you never get to use multiple weapons.

3) The rulebook does not explicitly state that you can use your off-hand weapon when making the AoO, but I can see no reason why not to allow it.

Then again, some people think my own interpretations of 2WF are unreasonable (I let you divide up the iterative attacks between the weapons as you wish, as long as you don't use the same one for two attacks at the same bonus), so take any or all of 3) with a grain of salt.

J

 

[Voadam]

Many things cause a penalty until your next round, (power attack, expertise, etc.) but they all explicitly say so. TWF only provides the penalty when using two weapons in a full attack action.

AoO are outside of the full attack. You can only use a normal, not a full attack in an AoO. You could use either weapon as a normal attack as if you had never attacked using the two weapon fighting full attack option. You can not make a two weapon full round attack action in an AoO.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Then again, some people think my own interpretations of 2WF are unreasonable (I let you divide up the iterative attacks between the weapons as you wish, as long as you don't use the same one for two attacks at the same bonus), so take any or all of 3) with a grain of salt.

How do you rule two Defending weapons?

The FAQ states that to gain the bonuses from both, you must incur the TWF penalties. But if you allow someone with a BAB of +6 to attack with one weapon at +6, and the other at +1, this would suggest that you don't need to take the TWF penalties to gain the benefits of both Defenders.

-Hyp.

 

[Demise]

How do you rule two Defending weapons?

I rule that the AC from a Defending weapon will not stack with the AC from another Defending weapon. Easy.

The description for a Defending weapon says that the AC bonus stacks with "all others. I take that to mean "other than the Defending AC bonus". I'm sure you can interpret it different, but it is easier and more balanced, not to mention more diverse, to do it this way.

 

[Hypersmurf]

FAQ specifically allows two Defending weapons, so that's not the issue I'm asking about

-Hyp.