rangers and weapon finesse?

[wolfpunk]

I am of the impression that if a ranger has the feat of weapon finesse, the ranger cannot use two weapons while finesseing the first weapon? So my example, a medium size ranger wishes to finesse the dagger, he would normally wield two daggers. He cannot attack with two daggers while finesseing the first one. Is this correct?

 

[dcollins]

Interesting. There's no rule I'm aware of which says that, however... the Weapon Finesse feat does have language which says "Since you need your second hand for balance, if you carry a shield, apply the shield's armor check penalty to your attack rolls."

Perhaps there's an entry in the FAQ which clarifies the TWF issue in this regard...

 

[Dr. Zoom]

Weapon Finesse works just fine with two weapons. Just substitute the dex bonus for the str bonus for attack rolls. For example, your ranger can use two daggers combining the two-weapon fighting, ambidexterity, and weapon finesse feats for each attack, including the off hand attack.

The FAQ clarifies this on page 19 if you need a reference.

 

[ConcreteBuddha]

The Sage said you can use Weapon Finesse with TWF with no penalties.

(Now you can argue about whether or not the Sage is a dolt. I, for one, completely agree with this ruling.)

 

[wolfpunk]

Thanks for the quick responses guys. I will pass along the information. Not too often that I get a player who wants to actually play a ranger for more then 1 level, I just want to make sure we make some effort to keep it true to the rules.

 

[med stud]

Tell the player to not use two weapons. It's almost always inferior to great sword or weapon + shield.

 

[AGGEMAM]

Tell the player to not use two weapons. It's almost always inferior to great sword or weapon + shield.

The player is obviously a role-player, so why should he?

I played a rogue once who only used a dagger, sure a short sword (or almost anything else) is superior, but that is not how I envisioned the character.

 

[med stud]

I cant see any role playing concept that relies on using inferior equimpent, unless you want to role play Int or Wis 6 or something.

The only thing we know about the character is that he/she is a wilderness warrior. Statisticly speaking, the player hasnt put in anything about his stalwart using of two weapon combinations, and if he hasnt, then the PC is probably up for using whatever works best for a given situation.

The reason why I said this is because a lot of people seems to think that rangers suck when in fact it is TWF that let's the ranger down, and that the role playing argument seems to be a catch all for using inferior tactics or weaponry when there is no actual need for such an argument.

If, on the other hand, the player wants his PC to be the defender of the two weapon style and he would never dream of using a great sword, then, of course, use two weapons.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

It's a matter of style! I plan to play a ranger/tempest who wields two short swords. He'll get weapon finesse (short sword), and a composite longbow. (And all the funny feats you can apply to short swords). Maybe I couple all that with some levels of rogue to get the sneak attack.... (or I'll be a real powergamer and take levels as ninja instead of rogue.... ) That guy will be whirling death, and looking stylish, too!

 

[Taloras]

I play a rogue w/ a level of ranger. he has weapon finesse (rapier) and uses a rapier +1 and a shortsword +1 for the twf. My dex bonus is +4 and my strength bonus is +1, so its a difference in my attack bonus. (as soon as i can find another magical rapier, im gonna switch it out and have the dex bonus on both attacks...or rather, all 3, as i have 2 attacks with the second weapon right now) I find i have a better chance to hit than with a weapon that does more damage.