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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Caliban" data-source="post: 4838094" data-attributes="member: 284">Rain of Blows is the main culprit, but it's more about the static damage bonuses than the damage die of the weapon. Making up to 4 attacks multiplies the effects of any static damage modifier (enhancement bonus, iron armbands of power bonus, tempest bonus, TWF bonus, str bonus, bloodclaw weapon at higher levels, and bonus from a warlord) and gives you an increased chance to crit.   Tempest fighters (wearing chain or less) get +2 damage when on attacks with a weapon with the off-hand property. That raises the average damage of a D8 to be equivalent to that of a D12. (double weapons have the off-hand property) Add in TWF for +1 more damage when attacking with your main hand (all attacks from Rain of Blows are with the same weapon) and it is now higher.   Rain of Blows by itself is a strong power, and Tempest Fighters are a high damage fighter build. The double weapons are slighter better than most equivalent superior weapons, and in this case allow tempest fighters to use Rain of Blows. So all three are more powerful in their own way, and combine to become more than the sum of the parts.  I've seen a bloodclaw double sword wielding warforged tempest fighter in action with a tactical warlord in the party doing Rain of Blows... 100+ points of damage a round at 9th level. Then use a Power Jewel to do it again, and a fighter daily to recall the power and do it again, and then a warlord daily to let the fighter do it again... you feel bad for the monsters, they generally don't last more than a round or two. But that's not really the point of the thread. I think that in general, rogues are better off sticking with a dagger for the extra +1 to hit (as pointed out by Ranger Wickett), but they do get a lot of benefits from double swords. So the trade off is -1 attack (because it's not a dagger), can't make ranged attacks with it (but you can always hold it one hand and throw a dagger in your other) +1 AC (defensive property), +2 average damage (1d4 increased to 1d8 - comes out to more on a crit), ability to take Heavy Blade Opportunist at paragon level, can take TWF and TW Defense for additional damage and AC and Reflex defense. It just gives them a lot more options and bonuses in retrun for giving up that +1 to hit.</blockquote>

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