How can I make a fighter wield 2 2-handers?

[Drowbane]

A Kreen with Girallon's Blessing and that magic item from Savages Species could wield 4 two-handers!

 

[samb1230]

powerful build and monkey grip do not stack, they overlap. Powerful build says you are treated as if you are a larger size, but you remain as a medium creature. Monkey grip let's you weild an oversized weapon at lower penalty. Picking monkey grip when you have powerful build does basically nothing. Same goes for use oversized weapon feat. Oversized weapon and monkey grip do stack but both put together are not as good as powerful build.

With powerful build you can use two large longswords with no penalties (other than those posed with 2 handing).

If you feel strongly about being a guy with big weapons (not 2handed weapons per say) then powerful build is your best bet in terms of feats saved and stats. Monkey grip generally makes you statistically inferior.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

If you feel strongly about being a guy with big weapons (not 2handed weapons per say) then powerful build is your best bet in terms of feats saved and stats. Monkey grip generally makes you statistically inferior.

I disagree. Anything I know of with powerful build is not a humanoid -- Goliath, Half-Giant. This is important.

There is an item in Magic Item Compendium called Strong Arm Bracers. For 6k gp, gives you the weapons benefit of powerful build (and thus doesn't stack with it).

So, a medium human for 6k gp can wield the same large sword a goliath can. However, a human can also benefit from enlarge person, ending up with a Huge weapon. The goliath must rely on Expansion, a psionic power and thus off the bat likely less available. Add to that the fact that without added power points, it has duration round/level -- ie, 1 miserable round at the base cost --it's also much more difficult for the goliath to replicate the human's ability to pop a CL 1 potion for 1 minute's (one fight's) worth of growth.

Maybe you think the cost of the bracers outweighs or equals any extra cost for psionic tattoos for the goliath (which reminds me, the tattoos will cost double since it's a personal power), and want to just cover your eyes and pretend LA doesn't have a "cost." It still means Goliath and Half-Giant (all of this applies to them as well) are no better at overcompensating than any regular humanoid.

 

[samb1230]

I disagree. Anything I know of with powerful build is not a humanoid -- Goliath, Half-Giant. This is important.

There is an item in Magic Item Compendium called Strong Arm Bracers. For 6k gp, gives you the weapons benefit of powerful build (and thus doesn't stack with it).

So, a medium human for 6k gp can wield the same large sword a goliath can. However, a human can also benefit from enlarge person, ending up with a Huge weapon. The goliath must rely on Expansion, a psionic power and thus off the bat likely less available. Add to that the fact that without added power points, it has duration round/level -- ie, 1 miserable round at the base cost --it's also much more difficult for the goliath to replicate the human's ability to pop a CL 1 potion for 1 minute's (one fight's) worth of growth.

Maybe you think the cost of the bracers outweighs or equals any extra cost for psionic tattoos for the goliath (which reminds me, the tattoos will cost double since it's a personal power), and want to just cover your eyes and pretend LA doesn't have a "cost." It still means Goliath and Half-Giant (all of this applies to them as well) are no better at overcompensating than any regular humanoid.

You misunderstood me, I meant that powerful build itself is superior to monkey grip and oversized weapon. Its true that half-giants and goliths have powerful build as default to their race, but since you can get that trait from an item (ie the bracers) then that's what you should do if you want to go non-giant and for only 6k i'd have to agree with you.
Oversized weapon is a epic feat so you will need to be playing for some time to make that dream come true, and monkey grip isn't that good, especially compared to powerful build (however you get it). That's all I meant.


I personally am using a psi warrior/ elocator half-giant and you can believe that I use expansion every time i can and I personally like half-gaints. And while grey dwarves have expansion as a race power, half-giants can just advance as psi warriors (favored class) and pick it up that way. Hardly seems as difficult to get as you claim. Of course there are psi crowns that manifest as the level of the creator if you are really that adverse to taking psionic classes but natrually those crowns are more expensive.

If you feel that humans are better that is your opinion. My DM allows for level adjustment buyback (as per UA) so I'm 3,000 xp behind the rest of the group, but that isn't too big of a deal in a level 14 group.

 

[Thurbane]

Strongarm Bracers, Monkey Grip, EWP Warmace and Oversized Two Weapon Fighting will allow a medium character to wield two Huge Warmaces (4d6) at -4/-4.

 

[irdeggman]

Strongarm Bracers, Monkey Grip, EWP Warmace and Oversized Two Weapon Fighting will allow a medium character to wield two Huge Warmaces (4d6) at -4/-4.

Right but isn't the warmace considered a one-handed weapon?

Without being able to check my books I am assuming that EWP-warmace allows a character to wield the weapon with one hand (like EWP - bastard sword) - but what is the weapon classified as? A 2 handed weapon or a one-handed weapon that requires 2 hands to use without the EWP (that is how the bastard sword is clasified)?

None of the other feats/items allow a character to treat a 2 handed weapon as a one handed one to the best of my knowledge. They only reduce the penalties for using an inappropriately sized weapon in its normal way.

 

[Thurbane]

No, you are 100% correct - but two huge warmaces is still pretty scary!

 

[samb1230]

Thurbane:
I don't have MIC on me but if strong arm bracers work the same way as powerful build then it will not stack with something like monkey grip.

If the bracers made you into one size bigger then it would stack, but powerful build specificlly says you are still of the smaller catagory. Please stop thinking that with powerful build and monkey grip you get to use even bigger weapons. Both do thesame thing (hence they overlap) but with the bracers/powerful build you are not penalized at all while with mon key grip you still have -2.
So sorry to burst your bubble but you cannot use bracers and monkey grip to use huge weapons.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Ok, the OP was talking specifically about using 2 2H weapons. If it's size that matters to everyone, don't forget the rather ridiculous Greater Mighty Wallop spell (from Races of the Dragon, iirc). It's exactly like Greater Magic Weapon in all ways, including hour/level duration and level 3, except it a) only works on bludgeoning weapons and b) instead of enhancement bonus, gives the weapon an effective +1 size per 4 levels!

Really, this thread is making me want to create a Fighter/Mage type that uses Girallon's Blessing, Strong Arm Bracers, Greater Mighty Wallop, and Enlarge Person (and later on, the longer duration level 5 version) and then wades into melee.

All but Enlarge Person (until you can cast lvl 5 spells) can be done pre-battle, so you could always further buff with Haste and whatnot.

 

[Elethiomel]

Strongarm Bracers, Monkey Grip, EWP Warmace and Oversized Two Weapon Fighting will allow a medium character to wield two Huge Warmaces (4d6) at -4/-4.

Again, Monkey Grip only applies to your main hand, not your off hand. From the feat text:
"You cannot wield a larger weapon in your off hand"