Terath Ninir
Yog Sothoth loves you
I think it would be safe to assume here that WotC made an ERROR in not spelling out off-hand attacks. In all previous versions, you choose handedness and suffer penalties if you use a weapon with your off hand.
I imagine that the error creeped in when they made the (in this case intentional) error of removing the Ambidexterity feat from the game. Attacking with two weapons at once (or with even just one in your weak hand) is ridiculously difficult. Granted, D&D is not a realistic game, but it has become a little lamer by making it so frickin' easy to do two-weapon combat.
That aside aside, WotC messed up. Off-hand weapon attacks should have a -4 penalty and 1/2 Str bonus. If you have a character with, say, a +6 BAB, allowing two attacks, you can make a longsword attack at +6 (before other modifiers) and then a dagger attack at -3 (before other modifiers), if that's what you really want to do.
The rules may not spell it out, but that's because they were put together by imperfect human beings.
I imagine that the error creeped in when they made the (in this case intentional) error of removing the Ambidexterity feat from the game. Attacking with two weapons at once (or with even just one in your weak hand) is ridiculously difficult. Granted, D&D is not a realistic game, but it has become a little lamer by making it so frickin' easy to do two-weapon combat.
That aside aside, WotC messed up. Off-hand weapon attacks should have a -4 penalty and 1/2 Str bonus. If you have a character with, say, a +6 BAB, allowing two attacks, you can make a longsword attack at +6 (before other modifiers) and then a dagger attack at -3 (before other modifiers), if that's what you really want to do.
The rules may not spell it out, but that's because they were put together by imperfect human beings.