Clarification, offhand

[Dreaddisease]

Without ambidexterity or Two weapon feats the effective attacks for each hand would be a -6/-10 correct? And -4/-8 if the weapon is light?

Now let us say that I have a short sword of demon smiting (for the fun of it) and a long sword of something or another as my main weapon. Now during a combat I decide to only attack with the short sword in my offhand. Do I or do I not get the penalty if that is the only attacks I use?

 

[mikebr99]

From the SRD:

Two Weapon Fighting
If a combatant wields a second weapon in the off hand, that combatant can get one extra attack per round with that weapon.
Fighting in this way is very hard, however, and a combatant suffers a -6 penalty for regular attacks with a combatant's primary
hand and a -10 penalty to the attack with a combatant's off hand. A combatant can reduce these stiff penalties in three ways:
* If a combatant's off-hand weapon is light, the penalties are reduced by 2 each. A light weapon is one that's smaller than a
weapon a combatant could use in one hand. Its size category is smaller than a combatant's. (An unarmed strike is always
considered light.)
* The Ambidexterity feat reduces the off-hand penalty by 4.
* The Two-Weapon Fighting feat reduces both penalties by 2.

 

[mikebr99]

Now let us say that I have a short sword of demon smiting (for the fun of it) and a long sword of something or another as my main weapon. Now during a combat I decide to only attack with the short sword in my offhand. Do I or do I not get the penalty if that is the only attacks I use?

I would say, unless you have ambi. you would still get penalties for using only an offhand weapon.

 

[Crothian]

You do have -4 for attacking with your off hand, and it only does 1/2 str damage. It doesn't matter if you are attacking with your other hand or not for these neagatives.

 

[kreynolds]

You do have -4 for attacking with your off hand, and it only does 1/2 str damage. It doesn't matter if you are attacking with your other hand or not for these neagatives.

If you're ambidextrous, shouldn't you be able to choose which hand is your primary hand before you take your actions?

 

[mikebr99]

If you're ambidextrous, shouldn't you be able to choose which hand is your primary hand before you take your actions?

Most definitely!!

 

[Junkheap]

If you're ambidextrous, shouldn't you be able to choose which hand is your primary hand before you take your actions?

Had tho throw that in there didn't you? But i agree with you. If you have ambidex, and have 2 weapons, i don't think you should get any penalties if you want to attack with just one. You are ambidextrous after all. It should matter to more than just lowering your penalties.

 

[Crothian]

If you're ambidextrous, shouldn't you be able to choose which hand is your primary hand before you take your actions?

of course, but that wasn't the question at hand.

 

[kreynolds]

of course, but that wasn't the question at hand.

Actually, it was an answer to his two part question. He asked about Ambidexterity and Two-Weapon Fighting.

He then asked...

Now let us say that I have a short sword of demon smiting (for the fun of it) and a long sword of something or another as my main weapon. Now during a combat I decide to only attack with the short sword in my offhand. Do I or do I not get the penalty if that is the only attacks I use?

....now, if he has Ambidexterity and Two-Weapon Fighting (the first part of his question), He can choose to attack with either weapon, and so long as he does not attack with both, he doesn't suffer two-weapon fighting penalties, no matter which one he attacks with.