TWF - Off-handed weapons for AoOs?

[RangerWickett]

Say I'm armed with a whip and a longsword. On my turn I attack with just the whip. Then a creature runs past me, incurring an attack of opportunity. What can I do?

Option A. I can only use the longsword to make an AoO if I took a two-weapon fighting penalty to my whip attack, because otherwise I don't count as wielding the longsword. I'm just carrying it, and I can't attack with it.

Option B. I can attack with the longsword, but I take a two-weapon fighting penalty.

Option C. I can attack with the longsword just fine, with no penalty. You only take the two-weapon fighting penalty when you gain an extra attack as part of a full attack.

Option D. Something else.


What do you say? I need the most official ruling possible, because I'm trying to write an article for Dragon.

 

[RangerWickett]

Oh, and along the same line, what if I had attacked with both weapons on my turn? Does the TWF penalty spill over to AoOs?

 

[kjenks]

You can make your AoO with the longsword, with no TWF penalty. The Main 3.5e FAQ makes it pretty clear.

FAQ
===
Is a character wielding a two-handed reach weapon
(such as a longspear) and wearing spiked armor
threatening all squares within 10 feet? Assuming he has
Combat Reflexes, can he make an attack of opportunity
with his longspear and then with his armor spikes in the
same round?

A character wearing spiked armor threatens all squares
within his normal reach (5 feet away). If he also wields a
longspear, he would also threaten all squares 10 feet away.

Any time a character wielding more than one weapon is
allowed an attack of opportunity, he may use any weapon that
threatens the opponent who has provoked the attack. In this
case, imagine an enemy who charged the character and then
tried to disarm him. The charge attack would provoke an attack
of opportunity from the longspear as the enemy moved out of a
threatened square (in order to move adjacent to the character
and deliver the charge attack). Then, the disarm attempt would
provoke another attack of opportunity (assuming the enemy
didn’t have Improved Disarm). This attack of opportunity could
be made only with the armor spikes, since the longspear
doesn’t threaten an adjacent enemy.
===

There's no TWF penalty unless you use a full attack action and make an extra attack with your off-hand weapon.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

I disagree with the FAQ and would answer Option A.
It comes down to interpretation of what 'weild' means, which unfortunately is not covered in the glossary.
IMHO to weild means to 'hold ready to attack with', which in the case of using your off-hand weapon would be just as hard as if you actually were striking with said weapon.
Apparently whoever wrote the FAQ thinks that weilding means 'not sheathed'.


It would have been better written if the draw/sheath action were written as weild/store

I have always had the penalties last for the entire round, altho re-reading the PHB does not bring up a quote that covers one way or the other.

Yet another not clearly defined section of the RAW. Gotta love it!

GOod luck with the article

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

I would be more cautious than the FAQ about the definition of "wielding" or Spiked Armor/Shields become yet another Slot for magic items. The rules are vague on whether you are wielding a weapon, and I do not think a character should be allowed to wield 4 or 5 weapons simultaneously.

Nonetheless I see no problem with Option C. You did implicitly give up the opportunity to gain the benefit of a shield or miscellaneous magic item in your off hand when you chose to hold that longsword.

 

[Hypersmurf]

I would say that you only threaten with the longsword if you are wielding it, not if you are merely holding it.

And if you are wielding a second weapon in your off-hand, you are fighting this way, and subject to TWF penalties.

However, since the whip does not threaten, there's no advantage in wielding it when it is not your turn.

Based on Skip Williams' answers (as opposed to Andy Collins' answers), I'm inclined as a DM to rule that changing between holding and wielding a weapon is only a free action.

So to avoid TWF penalties, you could wield the whip and hold the sword during your turn, then take two free actions to begin holding the whip and wielding the sword, then make AoOs with the sword.

If you make any attacks without incurring TWF penalties, my ruling would be that you are then prohibited from wielding both weapons simultaneously for the rest of the round. And similarly, if you attack while wielding both weapons simultaneously, thus incurring TWF penalties, the penalties apply on all attacks for the rest of the round.

-Hyp.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

So to avoid TWF penalties, you could wield the whip and hold the sword during your turn, then take two free actions to begin holding the whip and wielding the sword, then make AoOs with the sword.

That would be Option C, yes?

 

[Hypersmurf]

That would be Option C, yes?

Not necessarily.

Someone might wield two weapons simultaneously in order to have the option of making an extra attack, or for the Two Weapon Defense feat, or to benefit from two weapons that have powers that affect 'the wielder', without actually making the extra attack.

-Hyp.

 

[RangerWickett]

Not necessarily.

Someone might wield two weapons simultaneously in order to have the option of making an extra attack, or for the Two Weapon Defense feat, or to benefit from two weapons that have powers that affect 'the wielder', without actually making the extra attack.

-Hyp.

Wait, so Hyp, if I have two weapons and the TW Defense feat, but I make only one attack in a round, are you saying that I don't get the +1 shield bonus to AC unless I choose to take a penalty for wielding multiple weapons?

 

[Hypersmurf]

Wait, so Hyp, if I have two weapons and the TW Defense feat, but I make only one attack in a round, are you saying that I don't get the +1 shield bonus to AC unless I choose to take a penalty for wielding multiple weapons?

I would say that:

a/ You don't get the shield bonus unless you are wielding two weapons, and
b/ When you wield a second weapon in your off-hand, you incur TWF penalties. You can also make an extra attack with your off-hand weapon (assuming you're taking the Full Attack action), but this is not required.

-Hyp.