Greatsword weilding caster

[Elephant]

OK, let's not argue realism (I try not to) let's argue balance. Allowing casters to 'weild' a two-handed weapon on rounds that they have cast spells requiring material or somatic components is a bad attempt at twinking better AoO attacks for the caster. They are getting the benefit of a two-handed weapon (better damage) without any penalties. Say that extra damage doesn't bother you...OK, make it a double weapon and give the caster TWF feats...and enchant the double weapon with some nice enchantments. How bad does it have to get before it is considered unbalanced twinkage?

If your example caster is in the midst of combat where he gets a lot of chances to take AoOs, then I hope he's paid up on his Raise Dead insurance. Two-handed weapon or no, he's going to NEED it.

There are many things in D&D that can be twinked into imbalance. Spellcasters wielding two-handed weapons are not one of them.

 

[Infiniti2000]

If your example caster is in the midst of combat where he gets a lot of chances to take AoOs, then I hope he's paid up on his Raise Dead insurance. Two-handed weapon or no, he's going to NEED it.

You think a cleric with righteous might and divine power and wielding a greatsword is at a disadvantage vs the party fighter? Think again!

Another 2 cents into this:
Although I don't really think there's a balance issue, at least not in the sense of "this must be fixed before we continue," I do think that single, one-handed weapon fighters get short shrift. Then again, maybe they should. But, basically, allowing the auto-switch multiple times per round makes the desire to wield only a one-handed weapon useless. You would never choose that vs. a two-handed weapon, two weapons (or double weapon), or sword/board. It also makes the sword/board fighting spellcaster always choose a light shield. The differences here are certainly not staggering, but they're not tiny either if the spellcaster has decent spells to cast in combat (if this latter part is untrue, he'll never cast in combat and the point is moot). You basically make the "one hand must be free for spellcasting" meaningless except for when he's bound.

 

[Nac_Mac_Feegle]

If for spellcasting it states you need a free hand for spellcasting, then you cannot both Threaten wiht a 2 hander and have a free hand at the same time

Regardless of free actions, your state for the round needs to be

Hand free for spellcasting - therefore 2 hander in 1 hand, and unusable for attacks, except for the feat monkeygrip

or

Weapon equipped, and able to defend/threaten

If I charge, I lose 2 AC and gain +2 to hit, for the whole round

If I power attack, I take an attack penalty for the entire round, and a damage bonus the enitre round, regardl;ess of the amount of attacks.

Remember that a combat round is supposed to be simultaneous, its broken ito intitiatives for ease of use. So in that combat round you may take your hand of the hilt, cast a spell, and put your hand back on the hilt, but during that time, a guy moves past you to hit the cleric, so while your busy casting he moves past your lowered defences and strikes someone else

Its all pretty much simultaneous

Feegle Out

 

[Bagpuss]

If for spellcasting it states you need a free hand for spellcasting, then you cannot both Threaten wiht a 2 hander and have a free hand at the same time

They aren't at the same time, unless the spell takes a full round or longer to cast.

The free hand is on your action, the threatened area is the rest of the time.

Sure if the spell takes a full round action to cast or multiple rounds then you don't threaten while spell casting.

 

[Nac_Mac_Feegle]

Your action is to cast. If your action was to hit someone with your sword, then its still readied in defence. If casting was a move equivelent action, then your okay, but its an attack action, so for the purpose of the whole round, your attack action is to cast a spell, not have the weapon ready.

Although saying that, if you havent moved, you can ready the sword as move equivalent, so you can cast and have the 2 hander ready, but if you move and cast, your attack action is to cast for the round, and as you have moved, the sword is unreadied. It can be got around in theory with either Quickdraw to ready for a free action, or quicken speell, so the spell is a free action.

You might also rule that to hold a 1 handed weapon, and cast with the other hand, would incure 2 weapon penalties, but thats probably going to far.

The point is, to use a 2 handed weapon to effectively threaten someone, it must be in 2 hands, so you either either equip it or you dont, it cant be equipped-not equipped-equipped again all in one round, I dont know seasoned fighters who can do that, let alone a spellcaster.

The rules state it takes a move equivelent action to equip a weapon, unless you have quick draw, and I would allow spellcasting and threatening if you have quickdraw, because your investing feats to do it.

In the combat round the way I see it, wiht a 2 hander, your choices are

Move + Attack, thereby able to threaten
Move + Spellcast, holding 2 hander 1 handed an unable to threaten
Stand still, cast spell, and equip weapon as move equivalent, thereby able to threaten

theres only so much you can do in a round, and its clearly tabled within the PhB as to what is move equivalent and what is attack action and what is a free action

Feegle Out

 

[werk]

The better damage off of a double weapon IS already balanced into the equation (other than Greatsword, which is another issue altogether). The difference between a Battleaxe and a Greataxe isn't that I can cast when using a Battleaxe. The difference is that the greataxe costs more and weighs more.

See, that's just it though, I don't think that price and weight (insignificant) balance out extra damage and strength multipliers. What balances our the damage/str is the fact that it must be weilded two-handed which incurrs limitations.

Is it game breaking? No, not at all.
Are you a RBDM if you put some restrictions on weilding 2-h weapons...I say no, but it seems that many say yes.

 

[dcollins]

The free hand is on your action, the threatened area is the rest of the time.

I agree with Feegle; your action is all of the time in a round. DMG: "Try to stress to the players -- that actually all movement throughout an encounter is fluid and continuous."

 

[Elephant]

You think a cleric with righteous might and divine power and wielding a greatsword is at a disadvantage vs the party fighter? Think again!

Yes, I do. Once the cleric has cast those spells and is now ready to party, the fighter has been hacking and hewing at the foes for 2 rounds already - 3 if the cleric wants to add something like Divine Favor or Prayer to the mix. Spending multiple actions like this to catch up - or even surpass - the fighter in melee ability is a costly move. Plus, the fighter has access to Weapon Specialization - and by that level, probably Greater Weapon Focus, too. That's a significant boost.

I've played a cleric who relied heavily on the above spells before, and needing to always use those actions to get buffed up was painful. Given buff-up time, I was capable of dishing out more damage than the fighter in a single round vs. the right opponents (part of that relied on weapons with special abilities like Holy, Evil Outsider Bane, Magebane...+4 bonus enhancement and +6d6 damage are HUGE), but in rounds 1, 2, and 3, or if we were fighting the 'wrong type' of monster, I was crippled.

 

[Infiniti2000]

Yes, I do. Once the cleric has cast those spells and is now ready to party, the fighter has been hacking and hewing at the foes for 2 rounds already - 3 if the cleric wants to add something like Divine Favor or Prayer to the mix.

Coming late to the party is nowhere the same thing as hoping "he's paid up on his Raise Dead insurance." That cleric will kick just as much butt, or more, than the fighter from that point on, and he'll be much healthier in the process. Who wins the final tally of monsters slain at the end is irrelevant to this discussion.

 

[Elephant]

But the monster(s) bashing away at the cleric lives for 2-3 rounds longer than the monster(s) bashing away at the fighter.