How Long Do TWF Penalties Last?

[Herobizkit]

I wouldn't penalize someone for making an AoO after using a full-round action to perform a TWF attack. If said character was using a quarterstaff, he's get one swing with one end of the quarterstaff. If said character was using a dagger and a sword, he'd get to pick whether the dagger or the sword was... oh, yes, *now* I see the dilemma.

If the character used the weapon in his off-hand, I would induce off-hand penalties. If the character used his "main" weapon, no penalties.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

Sorry, this doesn't quite answer the question. You left out part of the quote:

An attack of opportunity is a single melee attack, and you can only make one per round. You don’t have to make an attack of opportunity if you don’t want to.
An experienced character gets additional regular melee attacks (by using the full attack action), but at a lower attack bonus. You make your attack of opportunity, however, at your normal attack bonus—even if you’ve already attacked in the round.

This is solely discussing the extra attacks due to BAB.

I omitted that part because it is not relevant to the AOO except to note that the AOO is not affected by multiple regular attacks due to BAB.

It has nothing to do with attack modifiers like Two Weapon Fighting.

The OP was asking about the effects of TWF adjustments and double weapons on the attack rolls for an AOO. I thought the more limited quote I took from the SRD (only because I didn't have my books handy) was directly relevant and said all that was necessary.

Two Weapon Fighting also uses your normal attack bonus. It just modifies it:

and AOO uses your UNmodified attack bonus even if you've been using TWF which was the question at hand.

To change from a single handed attack to a double handed attack or vice versa requires a free action (e.g. just like dropping an item, going from two handed to one handed is "dropping the sword" with one hand). You cannot do free actions outside your turn, so this is not allowed.

I suppose that could be true, but I don't recall ever reading anything to that end. Is this in the Core Rules somewhere, Sage Advice or what?

 

[dcollins]

I also apply TWF penalties for the whole round. Under the general principle that all activity is "fluid and continuous", you're fighting TWF throughout the whole round.

 

[Panask]

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To change from a single handed attack to a double handed attack or vice versa requires a free action (e.g. just like dropping an item, going from two handed to one handed is "dropping the sword" with one hand). You cannot do free actions outside your turn, so this is not allowed.
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If I actually believed THIS were the problem, then I would use a free action after my double-weapon attack to switch the staff to "two-handed weapon mode," then use a free action at the beginning of my turn to switch back. No harm, no foul.

But actually, I've never seen a rule that indicates that "switching" like this is even an action.

If this were my call, I'd say: using it as a two-handed weapon for the AoO is fine, but the TWF penalties (or the TWF penalty for the main hand, if it's different from the off-hand) still apply. It's obviously a gray area. I'll have to see what my DM says.

Thank you all for your suggestions.

Panask
Servitar to Baldur

 

[Nac_Mac_Feegle]

An attack round is roughly 3 seconds

It is broken down into intiative for convenience sake, but you are in actual fact, fighting for the whole 3 seconds, whilring your blades around, ducking shots etc, however, in that 3 seconds, you only get 1 roll (or more depending on levle abilities etc) that makes a difference, you dont actually just swing once every 3 seconds.

So taking this fact, if you begin a round by charging, defending, using 2 weapons, using expertise, you are in fact doing this for the whole 3 seconds, even though you may charge in and hit once, you AC is still lowered for the entire round, and your attakc is still improved for the entire round, even though you look like your stood still since your intiiative.

When you choose an attack option, you choose it for the enitre combat, until your next intiative.

Its inconcievable realistically to change combat modes mid combat round, there may be 50 different intiatives in 3 seconds, or just 2, but think about the weapons swinging and try to imagine just stopping dead mid fight, and deciding to now fight wiht 1 hand, its highly unlikely you could do so.

Feegle Out

 

[KarinsDad]

and AOO uses your UNmodified attack bonus even if you've been using TWF which was the question at hand.

What gives you this idea?

An AoO is modified by all kinds of things? Flank, Power Attack, Combat Expertise, your opponent Prone (e.g. he casts a spell from the ground), etc.

The rule you were quoting and purposely taking out of context refers solely to you getting the highest of your BAB attack bonuses for the AoO attack, nothing more. It does not change any of the combat modifier rules.

 

[KarinsDad]

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To change from a single handed attack to a double handed attack or vice versa requires a free action (e.g. just like dropping an item, going from two handed to one handed is "dropping the sword" with one hand). You cannot do free actions outside your turn, so this is not allowed.
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If I actually believed THIS were the problem, then I would use a free action after my double-weapon attack to switch the staff to "two-handed weapon mode," then use a free action at the beginning of my turn to switch back. No harm, no foul.

Not in my game.

Once you pick an attack style, you get it for the entire round. There is no "time between turns" from the perspective of the character for him to do this in. From the character's point of view, when his round one turn ends, his round two turn immediately begins. Switching styles like this is metagaming (i.e. doing a free action solely due to the game mechanics and not because the character would do it).