Consider this, folks ...
In 1E, a fighter received 1/1 attacks per round through levels 1-6, right?
Then, he got 3/2 attacks from levels 7-13.
Then, got 2/1 attacks from levels 14 on.
If the fighter (in most games) used a weapon in both hands, his attacks were doubled. 2/1 attacks (levels 1-6), 3/1 attacks (levels 7-13), and 4/1 attacks (levels 14+.)
If the fighter had weapon specialization (or double weapon specialization), his progression was increased:
3/2 attacks (levels 1-6), 2/1 attacks (levels 7-13), 5/2 attacks (levels 14+.)
With a weapon in both hands: 3/1 attacks (levels 1-6), 4/1 attacks (levels 7-13), 5/1 attacks (levels 14+.)
And most self-respecting fighters took Weapon Specialization!
If this fighter, with a weapon in both hands and weapon specialization, was then Hasted, he aged a year, but he gained double attacks yet again. Thus:
6/1 attacks (levels 1-6), 8/1 attacks (levels 7-13), 10/1 attacks (levels 14+.)
(Someone inevitably popped up with a Potion of Longevity too, in cases where Haste was repeatedly used. Been there, seen that.)
IF the fighter was the lordly cavalier or cavalier-paladin, his progression was even better, reaching 5/2 with a weapon in one hand at around 19th level, or 5/1 with weapons in both hands.
In all cases, the fighter (or cavalier, or cavalier-paladin) received his full THAC0 (BAB in 3E) and full damage bonus, in all attacks, with all weapons.
Penalties for fighting with two weapons was -2 with the good hand, -4 with the off-hand. Dexterity alone could pretty much offset this (18 dexterity, normal with the good hand, -1 with the off hand.) Ambidexterity took 2 off the penalty also.)
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How to simulate this in 3rd Edition?
A lot of feats. Given sufficient feats, a 3rd Edition warrior could pull this stunt.
*** And that makes a point. To duplicate this 1E (and 2E, really) concept, you need to give the fighter a lot of candy. Now, 3E *does* give the fighter quite a lot of candy (he gets all those fighter feats), but you'd think that every class should have a chance at the goodies, as well as the fighter!
Just my take. ***
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How to do it, for our 3rd Edition fighter?
Well ...
He has to overcome a -6 with the good hand and a -10 with the off-hand, for fighting with a weapon in either hand.
Also, his strength bonus is one half normal, with the off-hand. He'll need a feat to offset this.
Let's start him with the Ambidexterity feat. That reduces the two handed penalty to -6 / -6.
Let's give him the Two-Weapon Fighting feat. That reduces the two handed penalty to -4 / -4.
Let's give him 18 dexterity (like the 1E fighter with 18 dexterity who rolled 5d6, drop the lowest 2 die rolls, place the resulting numbers as he pleases in his stats.) Now he's normal/normal. He's ready to rock.
He's still 1st level, and his BAB is +1.
He's going to wield a weapon in either hand, and can attack once with both weapons as a Partial Action/Standard Action (3.0) or a Standard Action (3.5) *
* Yes, I realize that 2 attacks normally counts as a Full Round Attack. But I've watched boxers strike with both hands while leaping around the ring. So, it seems reasonable to me to allow a single attack from both hands, while also allowing a Move Action, so long as it is *only* a single attack from each hand.
He's going to take Weapon Focus at 4th level, twice (once for each weapon, long sword and short sword), and Weapon Specialization, twice, when he gets to 4th level (once for each weapon, long sword and short sword.)
This will give him +1 to hit and +2 to damage, the equivalent of 1E weapon specialization (but not double weapon specialization.)
He also takes the feat Off-Hand Weapons Expert, so now he does full strength damage with his off-hand, instead of half strength damage.
Now, he's burned 7 feats so far: Ambidexterity, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (long sword), Weapon Focus (short sword), Weapon Specialization (long sword), Weapon Specialization (short sword), and Off-Hand Weapons Expert.
His BAB is now +4, and he gains this BAB with both weapons when he strikes.
At 5th level, his BAB goes to +5/+1, and with his off-hand he is still at +5.
He's got 2 attacks per round at full power, and one attack with lesser BAB.
He does full strength damage with all attacks.
He's almost the equivalent of a 1E fighter of 7th level with weapon specialization, who is carrying a weapon in both hands (that fighter gets 3/1 attacks per round, all at full THAC0/BAB, and all at full strength damage.)
At 9th level (he now has BAB +9) he takes Improved Two Weapon Fighting.
His second off-hand strike is at an additional -5. To counter this, he takes Off-Handed, which reduces the penalty to -3. He takes the Twin Sword feat, so his penalty drops to -1. He takes the Green Viper Style, and he has no penalty to any of his off-hand strikes.
He now has a BAB of +9/+4, with heavy bonuses to hit on most of those attacks, and a load of additional options and benefits as well (+4 to AC, +5 to initiative, and whatnot.)
At 10th level, he goes to BAB +10/+5/+1 and +10/+5, with no penalties and a host of bonuses to most of his attacks.
He can stand up to that 10th level 1E fighter with the weapon specialization and weapons in either hand.
(If the 1E fighter has a Girdle of Storm Giant Strength (+6 to hit, +12 to damage), then our 3E fighter can counter with his 18 strength, plus his Belt of Giant Strength +5, and all the BAB and damage bonuses from all those feats. Since our 3E fighter has Improved Initiative, Lightning Initiative, Green Viper Style, and an 18 dexterity, for a total of +17 Initiative, the 1E fighter (who has a mere +4 to initiative for dexterity - +8 in 3E terms, since 3E uses a d20 and not a d10 for initiative) is in for a nasty - short lived - shock.)
At 15th level, our fighter takes Greater Two Weapon Fighting. He gains a 3rd attack with his off hand ... at -10.
His BAB is +15/+10/+5/+1 and +15/+10/+5. He has 2 attacks at full, 2 attacks at partial, 2 attacks at lesser BAB, and 1 attack at low BAB.
His penalties are 0/0/0/0 and 0/0/-4 (it would have been -10, but Twin Sword reduces it to -8, Off-Hand Weapon Expert reduces it to -6, and Green Viper Style reduces it to -4 ... if the fighter wants to do full damage and has as much damage bonus as I think he has, his strength bonuses to BAB will negate that -6 pretty quickly.)
The 15th level 1E fighter with weapon specialization and a weapon in both hands now has 6 attacks per round, at full bonuses and full damage.
The 15th level 3E fighter has all attacks at full damage. He has 2 attacks at full bonus, 2 attacks at partial bonus, 2 attacks at tertiary bonus, and 1 lesser attack. He has Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization that equals the 1E fighter's weapon specialization (which is +1, +2.) He has Improved Weapon Focus, so he can almost match the 1E fighter's greater specialization (+3, +3) with his own (+3, +2) and he has Weapon Finesse to boot (giving him, with 18 dexterity, +7 and +2 with his off-hand.)
He also has a load of other feats with which to even the odds.
He could have Armor Penetration (+1 BAB against all armor and natural armor), Back to the Wall (+2 to attacks and AC when at 1/4 or less hit points), Battle Hardened (+1 attacks and initiative, and this guy fought those 20 opponents and won ...), Bruiser (double strength damage, so double that +5 belt of strength, and so much for the 1E fighter's Girdle of Giant Strength ...), Combat Instincts (they had *better* hit him ... or chalk up *another* free attack for the 3E fighter), Counterattack (he gets to strike before the enemy, even though the enemy was striking first!), Extra Finesse (+7/+7 with the off-hand now), Frenzied Attack (useful with that Belt of Strength ...), Improved Critical (always useful), Improved Quick Draw ('what happened?!' says the 1E fighter ...), Invincible (+1 attack, +2 damage at 1/2 or less hit points, and it stacks with Back to the Wall so it becomes +3/+4 and +1 AC at 1/4 hit points ... they better not hurt the nice 3E fighter ...), Karmic Strike (which stacks with Combat Instincts, so the 3E attacks *before and during* the enemy attack, as *well* as gaining his full attack!), Lightning Reflexes 2 (which stacks with Karmic Strike and Combat Instincts, so take -4 to attacks, and attack *TWICE* before the opponent attacks and *once* as he attacks, and *THEN* the 3E fighter gets his *full* attacks!), and ...
Nasty stuff.
Yeah, with enough candy, our 3E fighter is going to easily match that 1E fighter, puffed up and arrogant because he has 2 weapons, greater weapon specialization, and a Girdle of Storm Giant Strength, plus the 1E Haste.
He doesn't know what he's up against.
Incidentally, if we exported that 1E Haste into 3E, the 3E fighter would age a year but gain an entire additional *Full Round Action*, the results of which would be ... most messy.
If we exported the 1E Girdle of Giant Strength into 3E, the 3E fighter would gain +12 BAB and +12 damage with it (obviously, he'd have to find such a powerful item ... his fellows couldn't manufacture such a thing.)
Combine that with Haste, and our 1E fighter would ... well, I do believe that he would be asking the DM if he could be a 3E fighter, too!
Well, ok, the 1E fighter is happy with his totally weightless and completely unencumbering +5 Plate Armor.
We'll just export that to 3E too, and give something like that to our 3E fighter, and then the 1E fighter will be begging to come over to the 3rd edition!
There is nothing like a lot of really nice candy.
Except, of course, that the death knight yonder also has all this candy, plus his innate abilities and those Power Words, and ...
