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<blockquote data-quote="Jeff Wilder" data-source="post: 2462032" data-attributes="member: 5122">Or it could show that what provokes the penalties is &quot;fighting this way&quot; with the off-hand weapon, which means using it in combat so as to trigger its abilities.It's pretty clear that in D&amp;D, &quot;to wield&quot; a weapon and &quot;to hold&quot; a weapon are used interchangeably, with the defending weapon entry being a sole (or at least very rare) counter-example.&nbsp; And, IMO, what they meant in the defending weapon entry is that you don't get the defending bonus unless you are fighting with the weapon ... which is enough to trigger the &quot;fight this way&quot; clause in TWF and impose the penalties.That's not what they said, no.Question One, IMO, is a clear &quot;yes.&quot;Question Two is closer, and I mostly agree with Hypersmurf.&nbsp; If the opponent is within reach of the sickle, hack away.&nbsp; If, as someone asked, it would require a 5-foot step to reach him and take the attack, the word &quot;immediately&quot; seems to disallow it.&nbsp; Attacks of opportunity also say to resolve the attack &quot;immediately,&quot; and I wouldn't allow someone to take a 5-foot step before an attack of opportunity.&nbsp; Obviously, there are differences -- the most important being that one is resolved on your turn, and one isn't -- but I think the intent is that the attack occur with nothing -- not even a 5-foot step -- in between the trip and the followup.That said, I'd probably allow it, solely for the coolness factor, but keep an eye out for abuse.Question Three is also close, and I agree with Hypersmurf that is hinges on what &quot;fight this way&quot; means, but not the way he says.&nbsp; I think it depends on whether &quot;fight this way&quot; means &quot;attacks with two weapon in this round&quot; or &quot;takes an extra offhand attack with the weapon this round.&quot;&nbsp; I read it as the latter, so I'd answer &quot;yes&quot; to Question Three.You do have to declare TWF (or not) before taking a single attack, but as with almost every combat bonus or penalty that lasts a full-round, whether you take the TWF penalty is voluntary, and dependant upon your desire for the TWF benefit (even if you don't end up using it).&nbsp; (C.f., Power Attack, Combat Expertise, and so on.)&nbsp; Simply holding (&quot;wielding&quot;) a weapon is not enough to trigger the benefit of the feat, and so it's not enough to trigger the penalties.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Jeff Wilder, post: 2462032, member: 5122"] Or it could show that what provokes the penalties is "fighting this way" with the off-hand weapon, which means using it in combat so as to trigger its abilities. It's pretty clear that in D&D, "to wield" a weapon and "to hold" a weapon are used interchangeably, with the [i]defending[/i] weapon entry being a sole (or at least very rare) counter-example. And, IMO, what they meant in the [i]defending[/i] weapon entry is that you don't get the [i]defending[/i] bonus unless you are fighting with the weapon ... which is enough to trigger the "fight this way" clause in TWF and impose the penalties. That's not what they said, no. Question One, IMO, is a clear "yes." Question Two is closer, and I mostly agree with Hypersmurf. If the opponent is within reach of the sickle, hack away. If, as someone asked, it would require a 5-foot step to reach him and take the attack, the word "immediately" seems to disallow it. Attacks of opportunity also say to resolve the attack "immediately," and I wouldn't allow someone to take a 5-foot step before an attack of opportunity. Obviously, there are differences -- the most important being that one is resolved on your turn, and one isn't -- but I think the intent is that the attack occur with nothing -- not even a 5-foot step -- in between the trip and the followup. That said, I'd probably allow it, solely for the coolness factor, but keep an eye out for abuse. Question Three is also close, and I agree with Hypersmurf that is hinges on what "fight this way" means, but not the way he says. I think it depends on whether "fight this way" means "attacks with two weapon in this round" or "takes an extra offhand attack with the weapon this round." I read it as the latter, so I'd answer "yes" to Question Three. You [i]do[/i] have to declare TWF (or not) before taking a single attack, but as with almost every combat bonus or penalty that lasts a full-round, whether you take the TWF penalty is voluntary, and dependant upon your desire for the TWF benefit (even if you don't end up using it). (C.f., Power Attack, Combat Expertise, and so on.) Simply holding ("wielding") a weapon is not enough to trigger the benefit of the feat, and so it's not enough to trigger the penalties. [/QUOTE]

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